Tag: cats

The Link Between the Environment and Cat Behavior

Posted on by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6
A cat enjoys the scents of a summer night from his window seat.

I remember visiting the zoo as a young child. Back then, the animals’ enclosures were not the large, landscaped areas that you see today. The animals were behind iron bars with a few hides to go into, water, and maybe a tree or two. It was not uncommon to see the tigers or lions pacing repetitively back and forth along the walls of their enclosures or the giraffes continually licking the chain link fences.

These repetitive behaviors are referred to as ARB’s, abnormal repetitive behaviors. In the past few decades, zoos have found that changing captive animals’ environments to allow more natural behaviors reduces ARB’s significantly. Expressing species-specific behaviors allows an animal to control and modify its environment, ensuring survival and reproductive success. Creating a den (safe place) is an example of how an animal controls and modifies its environment (Reference 1).

Environment and cat behavior

Many cats live predominately indoor lives. Our homes are quite different than the territory of a wild cat. The indoor cat often has little opportunity to engage in typical cat behaviors such as hunting and climbing trees. It is not surprising that some domestic cats indulge in ARB’s to reduce the stress of being unable to predict and control their environment.  Overgrooming, where a cat licks or scratches her fur so much that the area becomes inflamed and bald, is one of the more common ARB’s shown by domestic cats.

Of course, a good, solid medical workup may uncover a cause for overgrooming and itchiness – perhaps kitty has a food allergy or skin infection. But it is not uncommon for some of these cases to be “idiopathic”, meaning we don’t know what the cause is.

environment and cat behavior: ARB’s

The wound on this cat’s neck comes from repeated scratching.

A study published in 2018 (Reference 2) investigated the link between the environment and cat behavior. The study followed thirteen cats who had been diagnosed with Idiopathic Ulcerative Dermatitis (IUD).  IUD presents as a crusted, non-healing ulcer on the neck, head or between the shoulders. Medical therapy including surgical excision is rarely successful. The cat scratches at the wound frequently; the wound will heal if the cat cannot scratch it, say if she wears a collar or bandage. Once the collar or bandage is removed, the cat will scratch the area again and the wound reappears. (Reference 2)

 

The research team asked the owners of the 13 cats to institute the following environmental changes:

  • Leave closets open to allow cats to use them as a hideout
  • Free access to food and water (add a fountain if the cat prefers running water)
  • Free access to a garden or balcony/window – a cat door was recommended
  • Provide access to a secure area where each cat can sleep, eat, use the litter box without competing with other cats (some cats were separated from their house mates)
  • Regularly offer new toys to the cat
  • Stop interactions initiated by owner such as carrying the cat, petting the cat. Allow the cat to initiate the interaction.

As soon as environmental changes were set up, the ARB of scratching stopped within 2 days. All cats except one healed – for this cat, the owners were not able make the environmental changes. Oral medication was given to this kitty for two months but the neck wound did not heal. The other twelve cats did not receive medication.  The research team followed these cats for two years and no relapses were noted in that time.

The environmental remedies in this study aimed to give the cat control over her environment by allowing her to exercise typical “cat” behaviors.  These are in line with the AAFP* recommendations for a healthy feline environment (Reference 3):

  • Provide a safe place <> leave closets open to allow the cats to use them as a hideout
  • Provide multiple and separated key environmental resources<>secure area for eating, sleeping and using litter box
  • Provide opportunity for play and predatory behavior <> offering new toys to the cat
  • Provide positive, consistent and predictable human–cat social interaction <> emphasize interactions initiated by the cat
  • Provide an environment that respects the cat’s sense of smell <>  access to a garden/balcony/window exposes the cat to outdoor scents and smells

Although our cats are a domestic species and have lived alongside humans for over 10,000 years, life in our homes sometimes reduces their opportunity to express behaviors typical of their wild relations. The environment and cat behavior are intertwined.  Improving the cat’s environment to encourage species-specific behaviors can reduce a cat’s stress and, in some cases, cure disease.

Note: I don’t agree with free-feeding cats even in such a situation – I think it is better to meal feed and use feeding as a positive interaction with humans. Using food puzzles and tossing kibble for the cat to hunt down allows cats opportunities to engage in foraging and hunting behaviors.

* American Association of Feline Practitioners

references

  1. Joseph P. Garner, “Stereotypies and Other Abnormal Repetitive Behaviors: Potential Impact on Validity, Reliability, and Replicability of Scientific Outcomes”, ILAR Journal, Volume 46, Issue 2, 2005, Pages 106–117, https://doi.org/10.1093/ilar.46.2.106
  2. “From Feline Idiopathic Ulcerative Dermatitis to Feline Behavioral Ulcerative Dermatitis: Grooming Repetitive Behaviors Indicators of Poor Welfare in Cats”, Titeux Emmanuelle, Gilbert Caroline, Briand Amaury, Cochet-Faivre Noëlle. Front. Vet. Sci., 16 April 2018 Sec. Veterinary Dermatology and Allergy Volume 5 – 2018 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2018.00081
  3. Ellis SLH, Rodan I, Carney HC, et al. AAFP and ISFM Feline Environmental Needs Guidelines. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. 2013;15(3):219-230. doi:10.1177/1098612X13477537

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Social Lives of Cats: Family Toms

Posted on by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6

10,000 years ago, the ancestors of our domestic cats decided to take advantage of the abundance of prey near and in human settlements. During this time, the social lives of cats changed from solitary hunters to members of structured, stable groups called colonies. Today’s free-ranging cats, particularly those that live in urban environments, depend on food provided by people, in addition to hunting rodents and raiding human garbage cans.

Social lives of cats: family toms

In urban settings, food is more plentiful and colonies of cats organize themselves near feeding sites. Members of these colonies are friendly with other members but will defend their territory against intruders from other colonies.  (References 1, 2)

Male domestic cats have two mating strategies:(Reference 3)

  • Solitary toms with large home ranges will mate with females from colonies in their home range. These are typically larger cats and they do not form social bonds with the females in the colonies. This is more typical of rural areas where resources are more spread out.
  • In urban settings, males, unrelated to the females, often affiliate themselves with a colony. These “family toms” enjoy the greatest mating success within their particular colony, even if they are small. (References 2,3)

The “family toms” have been known to participate in the care and rearing of the kittens, sharing food with kittens and sometimes disrupting play of juveniles that is getting out of hand with an experienced adult paw.  They also band together with the female cats to drive off marauding tomcats that threaten the kittens. (References 1, 2, 3) Killing of kittens by tomcats is rare in the urban cat colonies (Reference 2).

In contrast, infanticide accounts for 25% of the deaths of lion cubs. When the resident males in the lion pride are displaced by a new “coalition” (group of males associated with a pride), incoming coalition kills the young cubs in the pride, so that the females go into estrus. Thus, the cubs are sired by the new incoming males. ( Reference 4).

Social lives of cats:  my Family toms

I have had two cats in my life that I believe were “family toms”.

Marty

My childhood cat was a male Siamese named Marty. He was an indoor-outdoor cat that somehow did not get neutered until he was 8 years old. He participated in his share of fights with cats and other animals. We always patched him up and let him out again.

I took him with me to college and he lived with me in dorms and apartments. One apartment we lived in had a back door that opened onto an alley. I used to let Marty out during the day. There was a population of cats that frequented the alley. One day, I was walking back from classes and noticed Marty sitting peaceably with these cats.

This social experience might explain the ease with which Marty got along with the kitten one of my roommates brought home and the young cats that I acquired when Marty was about 11 years old. I did not do much of an introduction with these kitties – they seemed to get along immediately. At one point, we lived in a old farm house; the two younger cats would accompany Marty on his expeditions to the neighbor’s house.

Gus

Gus was a free-roaming cat caught in a trap by my veterinarian employer. He is still with me and his story can be read at “Bringing a Wild Cat Indoors“. He lived briefly at the vet clinic where he was always interested in kittens, jumping onto the treatment table when you were giving the kittens vaccines.

Today, Gus watches over the three other cats in my house, looking out for wildlife when we go outdoors (supervised nowadays). One incident that I won’t soon forget involved Gus and Zelda, a female cat in the household. We were walking around our townhome when a terrier dog chased Zelda. Gus took notice and ran the dog off, chasing her away. He then escorted Zelda back to our front door. This level of protectiveness makes me think that perhaps he was a “family tom” in his previous life on the streets.

In the 10,000 years cats have lived with humans, the social lives of cats has changed. Some cats still are solitary hunters but many choose to live in structured, stable social groups. They have been able to change their behavior to take advantage of their environment. The tolerance of kittens and other cats may be one reason the domestic cat has successfully spread across much of the world (with the exception of Antartica).

An additional note…
Attitudes and care of cats has changed in the past 2-3 decades. Many cats live exclusively indoors, enjoying safer and healthier lives. Older and wiser now, I keep my current group of cats primarily indoors with daily supervised outdoor time.

references

  1. Natoli, E.; Litchfield, C.; Pontier, D. Coexistence between Humans and ‘Misunderstood’ Domestic Cats in the Anthropocene:
    Exploring Behavioural Plasticity as a Gatekeeper of Evolution. Animals 2022, 12, 1717. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/ani12131717
  2. Vitale, K.R. The Social Lives of Free-Ranging Cats. Animals 2022, 12, 126. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12010126
  3. Crowell-Davis, S.L. (2007). Cat Behaviour: Social Organization, Communication And Development. In: Rochlitz, I. (eds) The Welfare Of Cats. Animal Welfare, vol 3. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-3227-1_1
  4. University of Minnesota, College of Biological Sciences, Lion Research Center, (https://cbs.umn.edu/lion-research-center/all-about-lions/social-behavior)

 

 

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The Social Cats – The Lion Pride and The Cat Colony

Posted on by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6
These two cats have spotted something in the plants by the road. Cats rarely hunt together. Only one cat will get the prize!

The lion pride and the cat colony

I received an interesting comment on a post I wrote recommending feeding house cats separately. The author felt that having cats share a large bowl of food is like sharing a “large kill” and increases “pride unity”.  Lions and cats are the only members of the Felidae (cat family) that live in social groups.  The pride is the social unit of the African lion; the domestic cat will form colonies if there are sufficient resources.  How does the pride compare with the domestic cat colony? 

The lion pride

  • A typical lion pride consists of about 6 related females, their dependent offspring, and a “coalition” of 2-3 unrelated resident males.
  • Most females spend their lives in their mothers’ pride or with their sisters in a new pride.
  • Males may be a bit more mobile, spending a few years in a given pride. They will stay with their coalition throughout their lives. (Reference 1)

the cat colony

  • The core of the cat colony is the queen, her female relatives, and their offspring.
  • There may be a group of “family” males, who spend most of their time with this group of females and develop social bonds with the females.
  • Other males are solitary, with large home ranges that
    overlap the home ranges of several different female groups. These “philandering” males will mate with females from different groups and do not form social bonds with members of the colony. (Reference 2)

the lion pride and the cat colony

Both the lion pride and the cat colony aim to take advantage of resources. Lions and cats need reliable access to food, water and shelter.

Lions

Lions locate in areas where prey is likely to come by. The areas where two rivers intersect are desired locations. Water,  provided by the rivers, and  vegetation, growing near the rivers, attract the lion’s herbivorous prey.

The confluences of the rivers act like a funnel – prey animals get “trapped” in these funnels.  They are attracted by the vegetation but are leery of crossing the rivers, where predators can ambush them.

The lions that band together can protect these valuable territories from other lions and predators.  The pride that controls the territory has reliable access to food and water. (Reference 1)

Cats

Cats form colonies where there are sufficient resources, that is  food, water, and shelter.  The more food there is, the more cats can live in that area.  Large colonies exist where there is lots of food; smaller colonies are located in areas where food is not as readily available.  Where food sources are few and far between, cats adopt a solitary existence. (Reference 2)

The socialization of the domestic cat occurred as humans transitioned from being hunter-gatherers to farmers. The abundance of mice at the grain stores attracted wild cats and provided them with the resources to form colonies.

The lion pride and the cat colony –  Other advantanges

Cubs and kittens have higher survival rates in the pride/colony. The mothers as a group are more successful defending the cubs/kittens. A group of lionesses can successfuly drive off invading male lions, whereas a single lioness does not have a chance. (Reference 1). Likewise, the female cats of the cat colony can band together to challenge invading toms, dogs or coyotes. (Reference 2)

Cooperative Hunting

Lions hunt together when it is needed – for example, when taking down difficult prey such as a Cape Buffalo or zebra. Most of the time, lions hunt singly; their targets are wildebeest or warthogs. Living in a large pride does not mean that you will be well-fed. (Reference 1)

Although groups of 2-4 cats have been observed hunting squirrels and rabbits together, this is not the norm. (Reference 2).  The prey of domestic cats tend to be small and not very calorie dense. An average mouse is thought to have an energy value of about 35 kcal (Reference 3).  It is not practical to share game this small and cats typically hunt alone and dine alone.

More about food…

Male lions typically feed first at a kill, followed by the lionesses and subadult lions. The male lions will aggressively reinforce this feeding hierarchy (Reference 1). 

A study of a cat colony in Rome where humans provided bowls of food found a different feeding-order: kittens were the first to feed, followed by the females and then the males. Typically the male cats are at the top of the social ladder and the kittens at the bottom.  (Reference 4) 

Sharing a large kill appears to reinforce the social hierarchy in lions. In free-ranging cats, we see a social tolerance of kittens by both males and females when feeding in a managed colony.  Although aggressive behavior is rare (<5% of the time) in cat colonies, it is most prevalent around feeding time, but aggression is seldom directed toward kittens.

The Multi-cat Household

Feeding all the cats in the human household at one large dish is unlikely to promote unity.  Instead, competition and conflict over the food will increase as cats try to sort out who eats when and establish a feeding hierarchy.  It is best for our pet cats to dine solo.

The lion pride and the cat colony are matrilineal social groups.  Both groups locate where there is food and water. Both groups result in higher survival rates of cubs and kittens.  The lion pride is an adaptation to life on the savanna whereas the cat colony was an early step in the process of domestication, a social group formed to take advantage of food near human settlements.

Gus is the more experienced hunter and caught the lizard.

references

  1. University of Minnesota, College of Biological Sciences, Lion Research Center, (https://cbs.umn.edu/lion-research-center/all-about-lions/social-behavior)
  2.  Crowell-Davis, S.L. (2007). Cat Behaviour: Social Organization, Communication And Development. In: Rochlitz, I. (eds) The Welfare Of Cats. Animal Welfare, vol 3. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-3227-1_1
  3. DVM360, Client Handout: “How Many Calories is a Mouse?” September 17, 2014. https://www.dvm360.com/view/client-handout-how-many-calories-mouse
  4. Vitale, K.R. The Social Lives of Free-Ranging Cats. Animals 2022, 12, 126. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12010126

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Food and Your Cat’s Mental Health

Posted on by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6

Eating is a positive experience for healthy animals. Two neurotransmitters released while eating are dopamine and serotonin. Dopamine is associated with feelings of reward and motivation; serotonin with feelings of happiness and calmness.  Thus, food is one of the ways we can induce a positive emotional state in a healthy cat.

Food and your cat’s mental health

Recent research points to two dopamine events when eating: the first when you actually eat the food and the second, when the food reaches your stomach. (Reference 1). On the other hand, rising serotonin levels act as an appetite suppressant, giving a feeling of satiety. (Reference 2)

The connection between food and your cat’s mental health provides us an opportunity to take advantage of the emotions triggered by dopamine and serotonin when eating.

Foods that calm

There are foods  that incorporate tryptophan, a precursor to serotonin. Royal Canin’s Calm diet  and Hill’s c/d Multicare Stress for cats  contain hydrolyzed milk protein and L-tryptophan to reduce your cat’s fearful behaviors in stressful situations or environments.  The caveat with these foods is that the cat must eat enough of the food to get the appropriate dose of tryptophan.

Cat using food puzzlefood and environmental enrichment

Engaging in foraging behavior can benefit cats with generalized or separation anxiety. (Reference 3)

  • Foraging can provide a cat that is vigilant, tense and easily aroused with an alternative outlet for her energy
  • Cats with separation anxiety will find foraging a rewarding activity that is not related to interacting with the owner.
  • Serotonin release during the foraging cycle promotes calm behavior.

Foraging Method 1 – Multiple Separate Feeding Stations

  • Divide your cat’s daily food ration into portions.
  • Place these in different places around the house.
  • Put some dishes up high or in boxes and closets for variety

Foraging Method 2 – Use of Food Puzzles

  • Cats have to use their paws to get the food
  • Vary in complexity and style

cats with carrier and treatsFood and your cat’s mental health: behavior modification

We can use the positive emotions triggered by eating to guide our cats’ behaviors.  The use of a stream of small food rewards will trigger dopamine release, which in turn gives the cat feelings of reward and motivation.  Food can be a powerful adjunct to some of the interventions used in veterinary behavioral care: (Reference 3)

  • counter conditioning
  • operant conditioning
  • differential reinforcement of alternate behaviors

These methods work best with foods that the individual cat finds particularly palatable and desirable.

counter conditioning and food

Counter conditioning refers to training a different response to a situation.  Consider the cat carrier that takes your cat to the vet.  Many cats have a fearful association with the carrier and the process of going into it.  The goal of counter conditioning here is to teach the cat that good things happen when he’s near the carrier.

We start with getting the cat accustomed to the carrier by just leaving it out in the room.  Once he is comfortable with the carrier left out, we can offer some treats close by the carrier and gradually work up to treats in the carrier.  Over time, the cat will associate good things with the carrier – we have used food (treats) to change the cat’s emotional state when near the carrier.

operant conditioning and food

With operant conditioning, an animal repeats behaviors that have good consequences and avoids ones that are not rewarding.  Say you ask your cat to “sit”. When he sits, you reward him with a treat (food) he likes. He will be more likely to sit next time in anticipation of getting his reward.

differential reinforcement of alternate behaviorS

Here you will be replacing an undesired behavior with one that is more appropriate to the situation.  Say your new kitten attacks and hangs on to your legs as you as come in the door or you have a “door-dashing” cat.  You could train (operant conditioning) your kitten/cat to jump up on a nearby shelf or table on cue for a  food reward when the door is opened.  (The cue can be spoken or you could jingle your keys.) The goal is to replace the attacking/door dashing behavior with sitting on the nearby piece of furniture.

Food makes our cats feel good. Neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin promote positive emotions when eating.  This connection between food and your cat’s mental health provides you with opportunities to influence your cat’s behavior through diet, environment and training.

references

1. Cell Press. “Your brain rewards you twice per meal: When you eat and when food reaches your stomach.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 27 December 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/12/181227111420.htm>.

2. Voigt JP, Fink H. Serotonin controlling feeding and satiety. Behav Brain Res. 2015 Jan 15;277:14-31. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.08.065. Epub 2014 Sep 16. PMID: 25217810.

3. Delgado M, Dantas LMS. Feeding Cats for Optimal Mental and Behavioral Well-Being. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract. 2020 Sep;50(5):939-953. doi: 10.1016/j.cvsm.2020.05.003. Epub 2020 Jul 8. PMID: 32653265; PMCID: PMC7415653.

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The Behavior of Feeding – Why Separate Cats When Feeding

Posted on by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6
Gus eyes Athena’s dinner and prepares to move in.

Solitary hunters, cats will eat or cache their prey after a successful hunt. Mother cats will bring prey back to their kittens to teach them how to hunt and what to eat but cats typically DO NOT SHARE their prey. They will growl when eating to warn other cats off.

In photos taken on the “cat islands” of Japan (called neko shima), cats line up at dishes of food put out by the island residents. There are 11 islands in Japan that have more cats than people on them. There are not enough mice for the cats to eat so residents of the islands provide food for the cats.  Feeding times appear to go smoothly on the cat islands with the occasional spat between cats. The island residents do put out food in more than one location so a cat can always move to another feeding station if he gets into a fight over food. Contrast this with our picture of a wild cat, a solitary hunter, munching his mouse in solitude.  

Our indoor cats don’t have the option of leaving if they are the target of food aggression.  Although cats may appear to get along eating next to another cat or out of the same bowl, cat behavior experts recommend that we separate cats when feeding, preferably out of sight of other cats. (Reference 1)

Why separate cats when feeding?

  • Cats with more dominant personalities will nose smaller, more timid cats out of the food bowl.
  • Victim cats may gorge and eat their food quickly, leading to “scarf and barf”.
  • Victim cats may start to lose weight.
  • House-soiling issues can start if the “bully” decides the game should extend to resources other than the food bowl.

These behaviors can be subtle. The “thief “at first just sits quietly near the “target” cat and stares at her. The target may stop eating. There may be some fisticuffs as the target tries to keep eating.  Eventually the thief just noses the target out of  the bowl, and the target cat leaves.

Strategies to separate cats when feeding

Assign each cat his own food station out of sight of the other cats. If you are meal feeding, you can fill each station with a cat’s portion and call each cat to his station as you place them around the house. Collect the feeders in 15-30 minutes as the cats finish their meals.  If you like, you can offer the meals in food puzzles, one per cat.

Locations of feeding stations

You may be able to take advantage of your cat’s preferences when deciding where to locate her feeding station. Some cats like to be up high and can be fed on their cat tree or tops of shelving units.

Closets can also make good feeding stations. Cats who like to be up high can eat on the top shelf and may just need a step ladder, storage cubes that form a ladder, or a single pole cat tree to get up there. If you just need to keep the family dog out, a gadget called a “Door Buddy” can work.

Baby gates can be used to block off doors to closets or rooms to separate cats. Although an agile, determined cat can easily scale a baby gate, this is usually pretty difficult for a dog.

feeding stations

Microchip Feeders

If you are dealing with cats on different diets or cats that eat slowly or “graze”, microchip feeders such as the SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder are worth the cost. These feeders will only open for the cat or cats they are programmed for.

Enclosures for Feeding

A “Meow Space” is a deluxe feeding enclosure. It is ventilated and has a locking pet door which can be accessed by microchip or collar tag.  Like a microchip feeder, the “Meow Space” will only open for the cat or cats it is programmed for.

A plastic pet carrier can make a great “kitty diner”. Each cat can eat in his own carrier. If one cat finishes before another, the gate can be closed until the slower eater is done. This also helps your cat become more comfortable with his/her carrier.

Tip: Make a carrier cover that will “camouflage” the carrier, matching your color scheme and decor.

not enough room to separate cats when feeding?

Consider feeding social groups together.  Cats who belong to the same social group prefer to spend time with each other and are often willing to share resources such as food and litter boxes.

How do you know if cats are affiliated? The following behaviors can help you identify the social groups in your home.

  • Sleeping the same room
  • Allogrooming (grooming each other)
  • Sleeping touching each other
  • Touching noses

Note who does what and with whom, then diagram the social groups in your house. You may be able to feed cats in a social group in the same area. It is still recommended for each cat to have a separate bowl, be spaced apart, and to meal feed the kitties.

Separating your cat from other animals while eating allows your cat to feed in the same way as a wild cat. Feeding alone helps avoid behaviors like gorging and vomiting which can affect a cat’s physical and mental health.  Although it can be a challenge to separate cats when feeding, attention to each cat’s preferences and identifying the social groups in your home can help you develop a feeding strategy.

references

1. Sadek,T. (chair) “Feline Feeding Programs:Addressing behavioral needs to improve feline health and wellbeing” Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (2018) 20, 1049-1055

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The Behavior of Feeding – Why Meal Feed Your Cat

Posted on by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6
Leaving tasty kibble out all day is like a having a bowl of potato chips on the counter.

A wild cat’s day begins in the late afternoon. He is an opportunistic feeder, a generalist, who will eat anything from bugs to bunny rabbits. He may snack on a lizard, sunning in the late afternoon sun. As the shadows grow longer, he will go on the prowl, looking for the small rodents that make up most of his diet. If he is lucky enough to catch something, he will retire and dine al fresco, alone. He will then doze or nap a bit while his meal digests. If he is part of a cat colony, he may groom or play with the kittens, while their mothers hunt.

In a few hours, he’s off to hunt again and will keep on prowling, looking for prey. He is not above scavenging a meal from other animals’ leftovers or from human garbage. His stomach is small and he will eat a 6-10 meals as he hunts through the night. When the sun starts to rise, he will turn in for the day, sleeping, grooming and sunning.

The behavior of feeding – why meal feed your cat

Our indoor cats have chosen a different lifestyle.  They depend on us, their human caretakers, for their food. They may be fed in one location with other cats, once or twice a day or be free fed from a large bowl of kibble available 24/7 (Reference 1).

The Problem with The big bowl and free feeding

Imagine a big bowl of potato chips or crisps left on the counter.  You pick one or two as you go by.  It is very easy to continue snacking and before you know it, that bowl is getting empty.  In the same way, it is easy for a cat to eat too much of  palatable and caloric kibbles left out, nibbling a little at a time.

Free feeding with more than one cat in the home

  • Cats with more dominant personalities will nose smaller, more timid cats out of the food bowl.
  • Victim cats may gorge and eat their food quickly, leading to “scarf and barf”.
  • Victim cats may start to lose weight.
  • House-soiling issues can start if the “bully” decides the game should extend to resources other than the food bowl.

The behavior of feeding – what can we learn from wild cats?

  • Cats have evolved to eat multiple, small, low calorie meals every day.
  • Cats prefer to eat alone – without other cats around.
  • Cats spend most of their waking hours hunting and foraging for food.

the take-away for indoor cats

  • Meal feeding reflects the way cats naturally eat.
  • Cats need to be fed separately from other pets (cats, dogs) in the house.
  • Cats need to engage in hunting/foraging behavior.

Choosing to meal feed your cat

It does not need to take a lot of time and effort to meal feed your cat. Divide your cat’s daily allotment of food into 4-5 portions. Your cat will be happier – he will have more to look forward to and his food will be fresher, as smaller portions will be put out frequently instead of topping up the bowl.  Check out the Meal Planner below – mix and match the meals that work for you!

canned cat food meal feeding
Canned foods lend themselves to meal feeding.

Meal #1

If your cat enjoys wet food, offer a wet meal when you are home to pick up the dishes.  Choose an amount your cat can finish in 15 minutes or so.

 

Timed Puzzle Feeder
This Cat Mate feeder can accommodate a food puzzle.

Meal #2

Dry food can be placed in bowls or feeders around the house. You can change the locations of these daily if you like to keep your cat on his game.  Timed feeders can meter out the food while you are away.

Cats plays with featther toy1
Core workout – Zelda plays with feather toy!

Meal #3

Hunting practice: play with your cat with a fishing pole toy for a few minutes.  Make sure to end the game with a small snack.

Zelda has the treat in sight, ready to pounce.

Meal #4

Tossing treats or kibble: Zelda chases dental kibbles down the hallway and pounces on them as if they were grasshoppers. This can be a fun game with larger kibbles like those from dental foods, where 10-15 pieces of kibble are about 30 kcal.

cat with food puzzle
Marley works the Poker Box, a food puzzle.

Meal #5

Food puzzles offer foraging opportunities to cats. But be forewarned: most cats are lazy – they will choose food that they do not have to do anything for.  You have to meal feed for this to work – otherwise, the cat will just go and snack out of his bowl.

More About Food Puzzles

Most likely, you will need to “train” your cat to use a food puzzle. Once your cat learns one, she will pick up on others more quickly.  When your cat knows how to do several of these puzzles, you can rotate them to keep her interest. For more about the psychology of food puzzles and training your cat to use one, see  “Cats Eating From a Food Puzzle: Contrafreeloading?“

Choosing to meal feed your cat allows him to engage in more natural feeding behaviors.  It will be easier for you to regulate his intake which is better for his health and longevity.  With a little bit of creativity and using the Meal Planner, you should be able to meal feed your cat, whether she is a dry food addict or eats a combination of wet and dry foods.

references

  1. Sadek,T. (chair) “Feline Feeding Programs:Addressing behavioral needs to improve feline health and wellbeing” Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (2018) 20, 1049-1055

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Choosing a Diet for Your Cat – Wet or Dry?

Posted on by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6
Daily Food Portion Cat
Gus looks at his daily food allotment. Treats count!

What should you feed your cat – wet food? dry food? a mixture?

A diet for your cat – wet or dry must be balanced and nutritious. Dry cat food is convenient and less costly than wet foods. It can be left out without as much concern for spoilage. You don’t have to be home to feed your cat. But will your cat drink enough water? How do wet and dry foods compare with regard to providing your cat enough protein and not too many calories?

Choosing a diet for your cat – wet or dry?

moisture

A wild cat gets most of his moisture from the prey he eats. He typically consumes the entire animal, including the fur and gut contents and eats the equivalent of 6-10 mice a day.

Wet cat foods typically contain 80% moisture by weight. Dry foods are closer to 10% by weight. Cats eating a dry diet must supplement their diet by drinking water. 

Let’s look at the moisture some typical foods would offer a 10 lb cat eating 200 kcal daily.

 

Food 1 (wet)

Food 2 (wet)

Food 3 (dry)

Food 4 (dry)

Moisture (%)

78

80

 12 12

Metabolizable Energy (kcal/kg)

 942 700 4342 3770
Cat’s weight (lbs)

10

10

 10 10
Amount of food daily (g)

212

285

 46 53
Moisture from food ( ml) 165 228 5.5 6.4
Moisture in food (ounces) 5.6 7.7 0.19 0.22

This table shows how much moisture (water) our cat will get by eating 200 kcal of each of these foods. The wet foods provide about 6-8 oz daily where the dry foods provide a fraction of that.

but my cat drinks plenty of water…

Cats should drink about 4 ounces of water per five pounds of lean body weight daily. Our 10 pound cat needs to drink about one cup of water per day. If he does not drink enough, he may become constipated or risk having urinary crystals. If he eats the wet diet, he will get most of this water in his food.

But, you say, my cat drinks plenty of water. She is at the water bowl frequently. Cats don’t scoop water up with their tongues, instead when the curled-back tip of the tongue touches the water surface, a thin column of liquid is drawn up into the mouth. That column of water is about 3/100 of a teaspoon.  A lot of lapping is needed to reach 1 cup of water daily.

If your cat’s stools tend to be hard or her skin around her shoulders doesn’t snap back quickly when you tent it, you may want to encourage her to drink more or add some canned food to her diet.

choosing a diet for your cat – wet or dry: protein

A diet for your cat -wet or dry should provide your cat with enough protein to maintain Lean Body Mass (LBM). 

If you compare foods on a dry matter basis (removing all the water), protein content can look similar, at 40-50%. Wet foods, however, often have a higher protein/energy ratio –  they deliver more protein per 100 kcal than dry cat foods. The carbohydrate needed to process the dry foods may be the culprit here – the amount of protein is diluted by the additional calories provided by the carbohydrate.

In this chart, you can see that our 10 lb cat will more than satisfy his LBM protein requirements with 200 kcal of Food 2; he will be close with Food 1. The two dry foods require  230-240 kcal to provide enough protein to satisfy the LBM . These additional calories could result in weight gain. (These calculations are done on an “as-fed” basis using the Atwater equation).

 

Food 1 (wet)

Food 2 (wet)

Food 3 (dry)

Food 4 (dry)
Metabolizable Energy(kcal/kg)

942

700

 4342 3770

Protein (g/100 kcal)

 10.6 15.7 9.7 10

Cat’s weight (lbs)

 10 10 10 10
Protein for LBM 23 23 23 23

Calories Needed to Satisfy LBM (kcal)

 216 146 237 230

a diet for your cat – wet or dry: calories

Dry cat foods tend to be more “calorie dense” than the canned foods. The dry foods in the table have over 4 x the amount of kilocalories per kg of food of the wet foods. Dry food is concentrated – a small amount has a lot of calories.  A bored cat can easily eat too much and put on weight. The water in the wet foods tends to fill our cats up and give them a feeling of satiety.

choosing a diet for your cat – wet or dry?

A lot boils down to your cat’s preferences. Both dry and wet diets provide balanced nutrition but wet foods provide your cat with

  • water
  • higher protein/energy
  • lower calorie meal plan

a compromise: wet and dry

If your cat will eat wet and dry, consider a combination feeding program.  Here is one where your cat gets two wet meals that are supplemented with tasty dry food in between in food puzzles, as training treats, or in a treat toss game.  The two wet meals can go a long way to providing your cat with moisture and protein to maintain LBM. 

  1. Breakfast:  wet meal
  2. Day Time: food puzzles or feeders with dry food
  3. Dinner: wet meal
  4. Bedtime Snack: Treat Time – treat toss or training ( sitting , targeting )

My cat refuses wet foods

Some cat prefer dry food. Why?

  • Food preferences are established when cats are kittens. They eat what their mother eats.
  • If the kittens do not eat wet foods at weaning and the first few months afterwards, they will often refuse to eat them later. 
  • This can be a problem when cats become older and wet food can help manage medical conditions, such as kidney disease.  (Reference 1)

The pet food industry works hard to make those kibbles appealing to cats.  Not only is there the texture or “mouth feel”, the kibbles are often sprayed with protein hydrolysates or “digest” to increase palatablity.  Soy sauce is an example of protein hydrolysates used to enhance the taste of foods for humans. (Reference 2)

for dry food addicts only…

  1. Make sure to hydrate your cat – try water from tuna, water used to poach chicken or fish (offer alone, add to the water bowl, or try frozen in an ice cube tray and added to the water bowl) (Reference 3)
  2. Try some of the high protein, low calorie (low fat, low carb) dry diets.
  3. Try moistening your cat’s kibble with low-sodium chicken broth.
  4. Try mixing some canned food with your cat’s dry.  Start with a small amount and increase if she accepts it.

 

references

  1. Zoran, Debra. “Feline Nutrition: Understanding How to Feed Cats for Obesity Prevention and Weight Management”, dvm360.com, 11/10/13
  2. Ahmet Yavuz Pekela, Serkan BarışMülazımoğlub and Nüket Acar(2020) “Taste preferences and diet palatability in cats,” Journal of Applied Animal Research, 48:1, 281-292, DOI:10.1080/09712119.2020.1786391
  3. Caney, S., Gunn-Moore, D.  Caring for a cat with lower urinary tract disease, Cat Professional 2011, www.catprofessional.com, p. 45

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How Many Calories Should Your Cat Eat in Day?

Posted on by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6

If your cat consumes more calories than she burns, she will gain weight. So, how many calories should your cat eat in day to maintain a healthy body weight?

Like people, cats are individuals; some have higher metabolisms than others. Things that affect how heavy or thin a cat is include (Reference 1):

  • Genetics
  • Sex
  • Spayed? neutered?
  • Hormonal changes eg. hyperthyroidism, diabetes

The feeding guidelines on cat food cans or packages are a start but they can be misleading. Many of these guidelines are based on feeding intact cats and often recommend 25-35% more food than most housecats (spayed or neutered) need to eat. Immediately after spaying or neutering, the cat undergoes hormonal changes (changes in estrogen, progestin, insulin-like growth factor) that affect metabolism. The results are an increased appetite, decreased energy requirements, changes in glucose tolerance and fat metabolism. (Reference 1)

How Many Calories Should Your Cat Eat in a day?

A Rule of Thumb

  • Most average-sized (9 to 11 pounds) spayed and neutered cats need to eat about 200 kcal daily to maintain lean body condition.
  • Neutered males may need to eat less, about 180 kcal/day. (Reference 1)

Monitor your cat’s body condition

  • Be attuned to factors that can lead to weight gain or loss, such as disease (hyperthyroidism), feeding behavior (a cat eats another cat’s food) or lifestyle change (access to a catio).
  • Monitor your cat’s body weight, his body condition score and his muscle condition score regularly.

How Many Calories Should Your Cat Eat?

Weigh Your Cat

You can weigh your cat at the veterinary clinic but, even better, purchase a baby scale to weigh your cat at home. This is more convenient, especially if your cat is on a weight-loss program and needs to be weighed frequently. You can make this fun by training your cat to get on the scale for a yummy reward (something low calorie, of course!)

“How Do I Look” – the Body Condition Score (BCS)

Look at your cat’s profile from above and from the side. Ideal body condition is defined as a visible waist (when viewed from above) and tummy tuck (side profile). You should be able to easily feel his ribs under his skin and fur. Compare what you see with the pictures on the Body Condition Chart.  Give your cat a score.

Once you know your cat’s weight and Body Condition Score, you can get a calorie estimate from a convenient calculator at https://petnutritionalliance.org/resources/calorie-calculator?type=cats

How Many Calories Should Your Cat Eat?

Here are some photos of Gus, who currently weighs 12.50 pounds. You can feel his ribs but there is some fat over them. His waist and shoulders are distinguishable but he does not have much of an abdominal tuck.  We will give him a BCS of 6. The Pet Nutrition Alliance site recommends an ideal weight of 11.4 lbs and 216 kcal daily for weight loss.

 

 

 

Lean Body Mass and Healthy Weight

In a previous post, we talked about Lean Body Mass (LBM) and the benefits of a higher LBM for cats:

  • A higher percent of muscle will boost your cat’s metabolism
  • Make it easier for her to maintain a health body weight
  • Can help your cat live longer.

Choosing a diet to promote LBM – A Math Problem

Studies indicate that to maintain LBM, a cat should consume around 5.2 g protein per kg or 2.3 g protein per pound. (Reference 2). Using your cat’s weight, you can multiply by 2.3 (weight in pounds) or 5.2 (weight in kg) to estimate the protein he or she needs. Gus weighs 12.5 lbs and needs 28.8 grams of protein daily.

Here are two canned foods and two dry foods, with guaranteed analysis and protein content. As you can see in the chart, there is only one food (wet) out of the 4 foods that will provide Gus with the protein he needs while he loses weight eating 216 kcal daily.  Food 2 can give him the 28.8 g protein in 183 kcal. (See “How Much Protein Should You Feed Your Cat?” for estimating the amount of protein in a food.)

 

 

Food 1 (wet)

Food 2 (wet)

Food 3 (dry)

Food 4 (dry)
Crude Protein (%)

10

11

42

42
Crude Fat (%)

5

2

19

9

Crude Fiber (%)

1.5

1.5

3.2

5.0
Moisture (%)

78

80

12

12
Ash (%)

3.2

3.5

0

0
Carbohydrate (%)

2.3

2

23.8

32
MER (kcal/kg)

942

700

4342

3770
Protein (g/ 100 kcal)

10.6

15.7

9.7

11.1
Cat’s weight (lbs)

12.5

12.5

12.5

12.5
Protein for LBM

28.8

28.8

28.8

28.8
Calories of Food Needed (kcal)

270.8

183.0

297.2

258.1

The muscle condition score

There is one more thing we need to monitor – the cat’s Muscle Condition Score (MCS).  Loss of muscle  over the spine, shoulder blades, skull, and hips (that “bony” feeling) is an indicator of LBM loss.  Although you cannot prevent loss of muscle due to aging,  you may be able to slow it down by feeding a higher protein diet.  Here is a chart to help score the muscle condition.  Gus, at age 7, still has normal muscle mass, which we will try to maintain by ensuring he gets enough protein in his diet.

Feeding your cat is more than just how many calories should your cat eat.  We must balance calories and nutrients and monitor weight, BCS and MCS regularly to make sure the feeding plan is working.  AAFCO labeled foods ensure that your cat receives the basic nutritional requirements.  Optimal nutrition for the individual cat, especially one with medical conditions, may require a more detailed plan and possibly the services of a board-certified veterinary nutritionist.

references:

  1.  Zoran, Debra. “Feline Obesity: Clinical Recognition and Management” Compendium, June 2009 (Vol 31, No 6).
  2. Laflamme DP, Hannah SS. Discrepancy between use of lean body mass or nitrogen balance to determine protein requirements for adult cats. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. 2013;15(8):691-697. doi:10.1177/1098612X12474448

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How Much Protein Should You Feed Your Cat?

Posted on by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6

Your cat evolved to eat a diet high in protein.  How much protein should you feed your cat? Research suggests feeding enough protein to maintain Lean Body Mass.

Measuring Protein in Food

Nitrogen Balance

The protein content of a food is determined by measuring the nitrogen in it. The difference between the nitrogen we that take in (by eating food) and the nitrogen we put out (in urine) reflects the gain or loss of total body protein and is called the nitrogen balance. Traditionally, the amount of protein that maintains a zero nitrogen balance was considered the minimum protein required to be healthy. [Reference 1]

Nitrogen is one of the most common chemical elements in the universe. The atmosphere surrounding the Earth is about 78% nitrogen. Proteins, those molecules in our bodies that are used to build and repair tissues and act as hormones or enzymes, contain nitrogen. 

 

Lean Body Mass

Recent research in both human and animal nutrition suggests that it is not enough just to maintain a zero nitrogen balance – animals and humans should consume enough protein to maintain their Lean Body Mass (LBM). Lean body mass is the difference between total body weight and the weight of body fat. LBM is made up of the muscle and internal organs.

Muscle and internal organs have a higher metabolic rate than fat. So, a higher percentage of muscle will boost your metabolism, help you maintain a healthy weight, and may help you to live longer. [Reference 2]

How much protein should you feed your cat?

A study followed 24 adult neutered male cats over several months to compare the amount of protein necessary to achieve nitrogen balance with the protein required to maintain LBM (measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry or DEXA).

The cats were divided into 3 groups and fed diets with different amounts of protein: one group received a “low” protein diet, the second a “moderate” protein diet and the third group was given a “high” protein diet. [Reference 1]

Results: more dietary protein was required to maintain LBM than to satisfy the nitrogen balance.

  • Nitrogen balance was maintained with 1.5 g protein/kg (0.7 g/pound) of body weight.
  • LBM was maintained with 5.2 g protein/kg  (2.3 g/pound) of body weight .

how much food will give your cat enough protein?

There is no easy answer to this. Not only are there differences in the metabolisms of individual cats and different food formulations, not all the energy in that can or bag of cat food can be metabolized.

To measure how much metabolizable energy (ME) a particular cat food provides your cat, you would need to do a “feeding study”.  Such a study measures what goes into the cat and what comes out. The difference is what is metabolized.

Feeding studies are expensive so the pet food industry has devised formulas to estimate the amount of metabolizable energy (ME) in a food using the guaranteed analysis on the pet food label. (The percentage of carbohydrates can be calculated by adding up the protein, fat, crude fiber, moisture and ash listed in the guaranteed analysis and subtracting this total from 100%.)

One of the simpler formulas used is the Atwater equation shown below.   [Reference 3]

ME (kcal/kg) = [4x Crude Protein(%) + 4 x Carbohydrate (%) + 9 x Crude Fat (%)] x 10

Nutrients for feeding guidelines are reported per 100 kcal of ME. To find out how much protein your cat food provides per 100 kcal of metabolizable food, we return to the crude protein estimate and reference it to the ME.

Grams protein/ 100 kcal ME = [Crude Protein(%) x 1000] / ME (kcal/kg)

How much protein should you feed your cat?  Let’s look at some protein estimates using values from a few typical food labels. These calculations are done on an “as fed” basis.

  Crude Protein (%)

Carbohydrate

(%)

 Crude Fat (%) ME (kcal/kg) Protein

(grams/100 kcal)
Canned A 12 2.1 2.2 762 15.7
Canned B 10 3.8 5 942 10.6
Dry A 43 24.5 19 4410 9.8
Dry B 33.5 30.6 21.1 4463 7.5

 

Let’s take the example of a 10 lb or 4.5 kg cat in average condition – not fat, not thin. Per the research referenced above, this cat would need about 23 grams of protein daily.

The average 10 lb cat burns about 200 kcal daily. Looking at the foods above, 200 kcal of Canned A would give our 10 lb cat more than 23 g protein; Canned B gives him 22 g, a little short of the daily goal. Neither of the dry foods provide enough protein in 200 kcal to meet the lean body mass requirement: Dry A provides 19.6 g per 200 kcal and Dry B, 15 g per 200 kcal.

How much protein should you feed your cat?

    • The 5.2 g protein/kg body weight is the result of two studies – more work is needed to establish accurate protein requirements.
    • Protein requirements may vary with age, gender, and breed.
    • Medical conditions such as chronic kidney disease can also affect your cat’s protein requirements.

Your veterinarian is a good resource for helping you figure out how much protein to feed your cat. He or she can assess your cat’s body and muscle condition and health to determine if your cat is receiving enough protein and calories.

In our next post, we will consider how many calories your cat should eat every day and how Body Condition Score and Muscle Condition Score can give you an idea of your cat’s body composition, muscle-to-fat ratio and nutritional status.

 

references

  1. Laflamme DP, Hannah SS. Discrepancy between use of lean body mass or nitrogen balance to determine protein requirements for adult cats. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. 2013;15(8):691-697. doi:10.1177/1098612X12474448
  2. Zhang X, Wang C, Dou Q, Zhang W, Yang Y, Xie X. Sarcopenia as a predictor of all-cause mortality among older nursing home residents: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open. 2018 Nov 12;8(11):e021252. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-021252.
  3. Asaro NJ, Guevara MA, Berendt K, Zijlstra R, Shoveller AK. Digestibility Is Similar between Commercial Diets That Provide Ingredients with Different Perceived Glycemic Responses and the Inaccuracy of Using the Modified Atwater Calculation to Calculate Metabolizable Energy. Vet Sci. 2017 Nov 8;4(4):54. doi: 10.3390/vetsci4040054.

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Feeding Your Cat A Complete and Balanced Diet

Posted on by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6
What goes into Gus’s food dish?

In the last post, we spoke about your cat and some of her unique nutritional needs. She is an obligate carnivore, designed to eat small animals but she does have some flexibility and can use carbohydrates for energy. Lean times are hard for cats and their livers are slow to process stored fat. Unlike other mammals, her body does not synthesize the amino acids, taurine and arginine, and these must be provided in her diet.

Cats dine on small rodents, rabbits, birds, reptiles and insects. They will consume the entire animal, fur, tendons, blood, gut contents…  Even if your cat is an active outdoor hunter, you are going to offer her some food and will probably turn to some of the many commercial cat foods available.

feeding your cat A complete and balanced diet

A feral cat gets about 52% of his energy from protein and 46% from the fat of the prey he eats.  Your cat will need a diet with protein and fat.  Like other animals, the cells in his body require glucose (a carbohydrate) to function. Cats typically use proteins for energy and produce glucose via gluconeogenesis, regardless of fasting or starvation. But cats are flexible and if they consume a minimum amount of protein, they can use dietary carbohydrate as a source of glucose, and spare the proteins for other tasks, such as building and repairing tissues and acting as hormones (reference 3). When feeding your cat, you will want to offer him some fat and carbohydrates, in addition to protein.

How much fat? carbohydrates? protein?

Like people, cats are individuals and their dietary intake varies. Most of the time, we feed our cats and note if they gain or lose weight, and adjust their intake accordingly. 

What is a complete and balanced diet for a cat? A complete and balanced diet will provide the cat all the nutrition she needs, including essential amino acids, protein, fat and minerals. Most pet foods on the market will have a label stating that the food is formulated according to the guidelines established by the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) or in Europe, the European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF).  We look briefly at the AAFCO guidelines.

About AAFCO

The original guidelines were formulated in 1990 and have been revised several times; the latest iteration was in 2007-2008. The guidelines establish nutrient concentrations for ingredients typically sourced for pet food.  Nutrients include protein, fat, essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals.

AAFCO profiles guarantee that the product contains the minimum (or maximum) concentrations for the nutrients in the profile.   For example, protein in excess of the minimum concentration is acceptable whereas a maximum concentration for Vitamin D avoids concerns with toxicity. There are two profiles for cats: one for “growth and reproduction” and a second for “adult maintenance”.  The chart below shows the recommendations for fat and protein in cat foods. (Reference 1)

AAFCO Nutrient Profile Protein Fat
Growth & Reproduction 30% 9%
Adult Maintenance 26% 9%

The Cat Food Label:

The label that goes on a can or bag of cat food has eight items.  We will focus on item 4: the Guaranteed Analysis. This is a list of the percentage of each of the nutrients in the food. The minimum percent of crude protein and crude fat, and the maximum percent of crude fiber and moisture must be included. (See Feeding Your Cat: Choosing a Food for more about AAFCO labels).

Fats

There is not an established requirement for fat. The minimum concentration of 9% in the AAFCO guidelines is based on recognition of the role that fat plays in the diet: a source of essential fatty acids, a carrier of fat-soluble vitamins, enhances palatability, and supplies adequate calories. (Reference 1)

Fats are used for energy (providing 9 kcals/g) and if there is more fat than the cat needs in his diet, he will store it – like those “chonky” cats on the internet. Fats also increases the palatability of the diet and may encourage over-eating.  There are low-calorie diets containing less than 9% fat that have an AAFCO label.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are not listed in the guaranteed analysis. An estimated percentage of carbohydrates can be calculated by adding up the protein, fat, crude fiber, moisture and ash listed in the guaranteed analysis and subtracting this total from 100%. (Reference 2).

In the wild, cats eat a diet that is primarily protein and fat. This leads many folks to think that cats do not need or use carbohydrates. But like other animals, their cells require glucose to function.  They can either get this by breaking down protein or from dietary carbohydrate.

Carbohydrates are necessary in the processing of commercial cat food, particularly kibble. Most commercial dry foods contain 33-45% as carbohydrates (dry matter)(Reference 4); canned foods tend to have less than 10%.

Some carbohydrates in the cat’s diet will not present a problem providing he gets enough protein. Too much carbohydrate (even highly digestible carbohydrates) can cause diarrhea, flatulence and bloating (Reference 3).  Feeding your cat too much carbohydrate can also “dilute” the protein in the food – the cat may reach satiety before getting his necessary protein. Diets greater than 60% dry matter risk nutrient unbalance.  Even smaller amounts (50% dry matter) can be a problem – for example, kittens need a lot of protein and too many carbohydrates will reduce the protein available to them. (Reference 4)

And Now for Protein…

Your cat is an obligate carnivore and protein is an essential part of a cat’s complete and balanced diet.  Cats have distinct dietary requirements for protein and these will be the subject of the next post in “Feeding Your Cat”.

References

  1. AAFCO Methods for Substantiating Nutritional Adequacy of Dog and Cat Foods. https://www.aafco.org/
  2. Heinz, C. “Carb Confusion: Part 2. Measuring and Comparing Carbohydrates in Pet Foods” (9/27/21) https://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2021/09/carb-confusion-part-2-measuring-carbs/.
  3. Verbrugghe A, Hesta M. Cats and Carbohydrates: The Carnivore Fantasy? Vet Sci. 2017 Nov 15;4(4):55. doi: 10.3390/vetsci4040055. PMID: 29140289; PMCID: PMC5753635.
  4. Kirk, Claudia. “Feline Nutrition: What Is Excess Carbohydrate?”. Purina Companion Animal Nutrition Summit: Tackling Myths About Pet Nutrition, Atlanta, GA March 21-23, 2013.

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