Animals have unique physiological structures, and therefore they need specific food and nutrients to remain in optimal health. No longer considered just animals, household pets are family members who require special attention. Filling the need, the pet food industry has grown tremendously over the years.

Cats have been domesticated since early times, essentially to catch rats and mice. Today, they are mainly household pets that, like dogs, require special attention when it comes to their nutrition and care. Cats are carnivorous. But unlike dogs that can eat some plant-based foods, cats need animal protein to survive. Amino acids like taurine and arginine are important to a cat’s health,4-7 and without them cats could die. Taurine, for one, is a must for heart, kidney, and eye health.8-11 Arginine detoxifies ammonia in cats’ kidneys and is also important for heart and pancreatic function and keeping the gut healthy.12-15 The essential fatty acid, arachidonic acid, is another must for cats; it is used in every cell in the body.16 And, just like humans, they need B vitamins to support their cardiovascular system.17 Cats also have problems metabolizing certain amino acids from other nutrients, like the conversion of niacin to tryptophan, or vitamin A from beta carotene. For that reason cats have more stringent nutritional requirements than omnivores such as dogs and humans.18

1 - Betatene® is a registered trademark of Cognis Nutrition and Health.
2 - Biomate® is a registered trademark of Chr Hansen BioSystems.