Cat Nutrition Flashcards
obligate carnivore
needs to eat meat
energy requirements
proteins, fats, carbs used for energy
ME
metabolizable energy
GE-energy in feces, urine, gas
GE
gross energy
can’t all be used by animal
DE
digestible energy
GE-energy in feces
most animals eat to meet their energy requirement
true,
do cats have a carb requirement
no
don’t have salivary amylase to break down starches
fats
fat affects palatability, makes them like it more
protein
high requirement
25-30% suggested
won’t adjust to low protein diet, will break down muscle to meet amino acid requirement
arginine
one meal without it could be deadly
most proteins have this in them, so not usually a problem
taurine
most animals produce it on their own, cat’s don’t
need it in diet, not in dog food (why cats shouldn’t eat dog food)
only present in animal products
taurine deficiency
blindness, heart problems
vitamin a
other animals can convert beta-carotene to vitamin a, cats can’t
niacin
most animals can covert amino acid tryptophan, cats can’t
thiamin
not usually deficient, if feeding diet high in raw fish will bind it, cause deficiency
