Cat food is food intended for consumption by cats.
As with all species, cats have requirements for specific dietary nutrients, rather than ingredients.[1] Certain nutrients, including many vitamins and amino acids, are degraded by the temperatures, pressures and chemical treatments used during manufacture, and hence must be added after manufacture to avoid nutritional deficiency.[2][3] The amino acid taurine, for example, which is found within meat, is degraded during processing, so synthetic taurine is normally added afterwards. Long-term taurine deficiency resulting, for example, from feeding taurine-deficient dog food, may result in retinal degeneration, loss of vision, and cardiac damage.
Commercial cat food
Most store-bought cat food comes in either dry form, also known in the US as kibble, or wet canned form. Some manufacturers sell frozen raw diets and premix products to cater to owners who feed raw.Dry food
Dry food (8-10%
moisture) is generally made by extrusion cooking under high heat and pressu
re. Fat may then b
e sprayed on the food to increase palatability, and other minor ingredients, such as heat-sensitive vitamins, which would be destroyed in the extrusion process, may be added.
Major brand-name dry cat food formulations consist of grain and animal material. The food labels 'premium', 'natural' or 'holistic' currently have no legal meaning. Products labeled "grain-free" may use potato or tapioca in lieu of grain. Starch all
ows the kibble to hold its shape.[citation needed
Wetfood
Canned or w
et food (75-78% moisture) generally comes in common can sizes of 3 oz (85 g), 5.5 oz (156 g), and 13 oz (369 g). It is also sold in foil pouch form by some manufacturers.
Dry vs Wet Food
Studies have not shown any difference between a dry or wet food diet for dental health. Cats generally do not 'chew' their food and usually only crunch once or twice before it is swallowed. Cats also lack the enzymes that humans possess inside their mouths to help break down the food they eat.[9]
Vegetarian or vegan food
There are vegetarian and vegan cat foods available. Vegetarian cat food usually is fortified with nutrients such as taurine and arachidonic acid.[10] Some vegetarian cat food brands are labeled by their manufacturers as meeting AAFCO's Cat Food Nutrient Profile while other manufacturers recommend their products be supplemented and not used as a complete diet[citation needed].
Labeling
In the United States, cat foods labeled as "complete and balanced" must meet standards established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) either by meeting a nutrient profile or by passing a feeding trial. Cat Food Nutrient Profiles were established in 1992 and updated in 1995 by the AAFCO's Feline Nutrition Expert Subcommittee. The updated profiles replaced the previous recommendations set by the National Research Council(NRC). Certain manufacturers label their products with terms such as premium, ultra premium, natural and holistic. Such terms currently have no legal definitions.[citation needed]
Energy requirement
The energy requirement for adult cats range from 60-70 kcal metabolizable energy/kg body weight per day for inactive cats to 80-90 kcal/kg BW for active cats. Kittens at five weeks of age require 250 kcal/kg BW. The requirement drops with age, to 100 kcal/kg BW at 30 weeks and to the adult requirement at about 50 weeks. Gestating cats require about 90-100 kcal/kg BW and lactating cats 90-270 kcal/kg BW depending on litter size.[11]
Nutrients and functions
Vitamin deficiencies can lead to wide ranging clinical abnormalities that reflect the diversity of their metabolic roles. Twelve minerals are known to be essential nutrients for cats. Calcium and phosphorus are crucial to strong bones and teeth. Cats need other minerals, such as magnesium, potassium, and sodium, for nerve impulse transmission, muscle contraction, and cell signaling. Many minerals only present in minute amounts in the body, including selenium, copper, and molybdenum, act as helpers in a wide variety of enzymatic reactions.[12]
The table below lists the AAFCO nutritional profiles for cat foods along with the roles of vitamins and minerals in cat nutrition according to the National Research Council.
Diet and disease
Vegan and vegetarian diets
The feeding of vegan or vegetarian diets to cats remains controversial, even among vegan, vegetarian, animal, and scientific advocacy groups. According to the National Research Council, "Cats require specific nutrients, not specific feedstuffs.".[10] The International Vegetarian Union,[13] the Vegan Society[14] and PETA[15] are some of the organizations that support a vegan or vegetarian diet for cats. The Animal Protection Institute does not recommend a vegetarian diet for cats,[16] and neither does the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).[17]
Not all animal advocacy groups take a firm position either way. The Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights (now Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association) accepts that it is possible for a plant based diet to be nutritionally adequate but stated that they "cannot at this time be reliably assured".[18] This position was based on a study demonstrating that two commercially available vegetarian cat diets contained nutritional deficiencies.[19] However, broad conclusions cannot be drawn from this study, because (i) it examined only two of many available diets, (ii) for one of these diets, the formulation error responsible was promptly identified and corrected,[20] and (iii) this 2004 study is increasingly dated. Nevertheless, it remains likely that formulation errors will result in nutritional deficiencies in a wide range of commercially available diets from time to time, whether meat-based, vegetarian or vegan. Hence, regular (at least, annual) veterinary checkups of all companion animals is recommended, and brands may be occasionally varied.[20]
Vegan activist Joanne Stepaniak wrote "... If we [believe] that it is wrong for natural vegetarians to be force-fed meat, the inverse should be equally morally objectionable".[21]
In 2006 the first study of the health of a population of long-term vegetarian cats (most, in fact, were vegan), was published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.[22] Most were clinically healthy, barring minor blood value changes in three cats, who were fed partly on table scraps.
Homemade food
Many pet owners feed cats homemade diets. These diets generally consist of some form of cooked or raw meat, bone, vegetables, and supplements, such as taurine and multivitamins.[citation needed]
bisphenol A
Recently it has been reported that food packaged in cans coated with bisphenol A has been correlated with the development of hyperthyroidism in cats.[23]
Food allergy
Food allergy is a non-seasonal disease with skin and/or gastrointestinal disorders. The main complaint is excessive scratching (Pruritus) which is usually resistant to treatment by steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The exact prevalence of food allergy in cats remains unknown. In 20 to 30% of the cases, cats have concurrent allergic diseases (atopy / flea-allergic dermatitis). A reliable diagnosis can only be made with dietary elimination-challenge trials. Allergy testing is necessary for the identification of the causative food component(s). Therapy consists of avoiding the offending food component(s).[24]
Malnutrition
Malnutrition can be a problem for cats fed non-conventional diets. Cats fed exclusively on raw, freshwater fish can develop a thiamine deficiency. Those fed exclusively on liver may develop vitamin A toxicity. Also, exclusively meat-based diets may contain excessive protein and phosphorus whilst being deficient in calcium, vitamin E, and microminerals such as copper, zinc, and potassium. Energy density must also be maintained relative to the other nutrients. When vegetable oil is used to maintain the energy balance cats may not find the food as palatable.[25]
Recalls
The broad pet food recalls starting in March 2007 came in response to reports of renal failure in pets consuming mostly wet pet foods made with wheat gluten from a single Chinese company beginning in February 2007. Overall, several major companies recalled more than 100 brands of pet foods with most of the recalled product coming from Menu Foods. The most likely cause according to the FDA is the presence of melamine in the wheat gluten of the affected foods. Melamine is known to falsely inflate the protein content rating of substances in laboratory tests. The economic impact on the pet food market has been extensive, with Menu Foods losing roughly $30 Million alone from the recall.
No comments:
New comments are not allowed.