Healthy Feline Nutrition

Question 1

Cats are ______ carnivores

Answer 1

Obligate

Question 2

For the feline, food consumption is based on the _____ of the food, not _______

Answer 2

Density of the food, not bulk

Question 3

T/F: Food temperature has an effect on a cat’s food preference

Answer 3

TRUE

Question 4

What kind of food is better at adding more water into a cats diet?

Answer 4

Wet food

Question 5

T/F: Cats that eat entirely dry food are often sub-clinically dehydrated

Answer 5

TRUE

Question 6

What kind of enzyme system does the cat have?

Answer 6

Inducible enzyme system - the amino acids required for the body to function will come from lean muscle if the protein in the diet is not sufficient
**takes only 3 days

Question 7

T/F: Cats have an increased dietary arginine requirement

Answer 7

TRUE

They are not able to synthesize enough ornithine for the UREA cycle so they rely on arginine as a precursor

Question 8

What can occur if a cat is given a meal deficient in arginine?

Answer 8

hyperamonemia

**this could happen with a vegetarian or vegan diet since the best source of arginine is animal protein

Question 9

T/F: Striated animal muscle is a good source of taurine

Answer 9

FALSE

Taurine is in higher quantities in organs - so it is higher in the animal by product meals

Question 10

What is the rate limiting amino acid in the feline diet?

Answer 10

Methionine (MET)

Question 11

What amino acid causes the strong odor in cat urine?

Answer 11

Cystine

Question 12

What lipids do cats not tolerate well, and could potentially cause hepatic lipidosis?

Answer 12

medium-chained triglycerides (MCT)

Question 13

T/F: Cats do not tolerate carbs well

Answer 13

FALSE

They can tolerate carbs well, but don’t necessarily need them

Question 14

Does feeding a low carb diet to your cat decreased his/her risk of obesity?

Answer 14

Nope

carb intake is not correlated with obesity in cats

Question 15

What is unique about a cats blood glucose after a meal?

Answer 15

It will have a gradual rise rather than a spike seen in other mammals

Question 16

T/F: Cats and dogs have similar B vitamin requirements

Answer 16

FALSE

Cats have a much higher B vitamin requirement ***best source is from animal tissue

Question 17

Cats must have _____ vitamin A in their diet

Answer 17

pre formed vitamin A

They can not convert beta carotene to make vitamin A

Question 18

Since cats can not convert tryptophan, what nutrient must be supplemented in their diet?

Answer 18

Niacin

Question 19

The ____ of the Mg in a cat’s diet is more important than the quantity

Answer 19

source

MgO vs MgCl

Question 20

At what age should kittens be weaned?

Answer 20

between 8-10 weeks

Question 21

________ kittens have an increased risk of becoming obese

Answer 21

neutered

Question 22

What nutrient(s) content varies the most between kitten food and adult cat food?

Answer 22

trace minerals/vitamins

Question 23

What will decrease when a cat is neutered?

Answer 23

Resting energy expenditure

activity level

Question 24

Why does neutering a cat cause them to increase the amount of food they take in?

Answer 24

The lack of hormones will cause a loss of appetite control

Question 25

T/F: Carbohydrates within cat food should be cooked

Answer 25

TRUE

Question 26

Where is the most amount of taurine and copper found in animal products?

Answer 26

in the organs, so by product meals

Question 27

T/F: it is best to feed a reproducing queen a food that has been formulated for growth/gestation/lactation

Answer 27

FALSE

It is best if the food has undergone a food trial for those stages of life

Question 28

T/F: Obesity is less common in geriatric cats than dogs

Answer 28

TRUE

Weight loss tends to be more common in older cats

Question 29

What are some concurrent illnesses that contribute to weight loss in older cats?

Answer 29

Chronic kidney dz
hyperthyroidism
UTIsd
Neoplasia

Question 30

What nutrient do older cats have a tendancy to be deficient in? What clinical signs may you see?

Answer 30

Cobalamin deficieny (Vitamin B12)

Anorexia, wt loss, pica, unkempt-wet looking hair coat

Must give B12 inj to tx (not B12 complex)

Question 31

What nutrient do old cats need in higher amounts?

Answer 31

Potassium –> since they will also have a higher protein requirement