PVC Feline Nutrition pdf

By Dr. Patink

We frequently get questions about feline nutrition and are seeing that there are a lot of myths, misinformation, and disinformation shared. This led to me gathering some research-based resources for you if you are looking to gather some additional information on feeding your felines. One thing that we will refuse to do is fall for confident, incorrect, fear mongering! Our cats deserve better than that. Buckle in, there’s a decent amount to cover!

I. The feline GI tract is set up to be fed many small meals each day. As a result, a large part of normal feline behaviour and activity through out the day involves the pattern of: napping, waking up, stalking and hunting for a meal, eating a small meal, grooming, and then starting all over again! Cats are also crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk. We can offer a lot of enrichment and approximate these behaviour patterns by offering many small meals (at least 4 to 6) throughout the day and night. As most people are out of their homes at least part of the day, and people also sleep, often the realistic way that we can come to approximating these behaviour patterns is by using food puzzles. Then your cat can ‘hunt’ the puzzle, use their brain to remove the food, and eat a small meal! Here’s a website that covers a lot of information about food puzzles for you so that you can implement them if that’s something you don’t already have in place.
Welcome! – Food Puzzles for Cats

II. Many people are aware that cats are classified as ‘obligate carnivores’, but there’s a lot of confusion about what this means. Many non-experts will portray that cats can only eat meat, which is blatantly incorrect. What the label ‘obligate carnivore’ means is that cats are unable to live as vegetarians (compared to the dog who is an omnivore and can!). As obligate carnivores, the feline diet must contain meat because their bodies aren’t able to synthesize some nutrients (like arginine, taurine, arachidonic acid etc). This doesn’t mean their bodies are unable to use other ingredients though.

Some people will confidently (and completely incorrectly), tell you that ‘cats can’t even digest carbohydrates’ and so they will proceed to shame people for feeding diets that contain such ingredients. The reality is that cats can, and do, digest carbohydrates since their bodies produce enzymes (like amylase) that allow them to do so. Additionally, fiber is very important for the health of the feline GI tract as it does a lot to support satiety and the GI microbiome. What matters most with all of the above is the bioavailability of the micronutrients in the diet. Cats do not need ingredients, they need nutrients. It is true that cats require different nutrients than dogs do, so you can’t feed a cat food that’s designed for dogs. It’s important to feed a properly formulated, research based, feline diet that meets WSAVA guidelines.

If you wish to do additional reading, here are some research-based resources from people who are actually experts in pet nutrition:
What’s a carnivore? – nutrition rvn
What Nutrients are Essential for My Pet? – Petfoodology
Stalk About Nutritious: It’s Corn! – Petfoodology
Cats are not Small Dogs: Unique Nutritional Needs of Cats – Petfoodology

III. Tied into everything we have already discussed, there is a lot of disinformation that f lies around about if cats should eat canned, kibble, or both. We have a significant amount of research on the topic, and occasionally some people will cherry pick one or another… however the accurate summary conclusion from all of decades of research that we have is… (drum roll please) it doesn’t matter.

All the disinformation and fear mongering and guilt that surrounds this topic needs to stop. I get especially frustrated seeing it parroted by veterinarians who have been bamboozled by confidently incorrect people. The spread of disinformation is compounded by advertising from some pet food companies and a significant number of non-experts on social media. I’d like to add here a reminder that seeking out research-based information, that shares information consistent with consensus statements, from experts in the pertinent field, always needs to be step one! If what you are seeing/reading doesn’t meet those criteria, then you should confidently and correctly ignore it!

In this case, that means finding information from veterinary nutritionists, veterinary technicians who have specialized in pet nutrition, and some PhDs in animal nutrition. The World Small Animal Veterinary Association also has a number of helpful guidelines.
Nutrition Guidelines – WSAVA

Here’s a veterinarian (Dr. Em on Vet Med Corner) with more information on who pet nutrition experts are, who they aren’t, and what the WSAVA guidelines for pet nutrition are: https://youtu.be/eXiqSKUWp0c?si=hN8Sk-64uP_2Kj8Y

What we do need to do, however, is add some important context and nuance to what I just said about how it doesn’t matter if you feed a cat canned, kibble or both.

We need to start by feeding all cats a properly formulated, research-based diet that meets WSAVA guidelines. This is because we need to ensure that our cats are being fed the nutrients they require in a way that has been proven to be bioavailable for their bodies.

Next, the reality is that most truths in veterinary medicine come with significant nuance, and feline nutrition is no exception. There are a number of things that we need to consider when we think about feeding kibble, canned, or both:
1. Cats are likely to form relatively strong texture preferences when it comes to food. This is important to keep in mind, and we will circle back to this.
2. Research conclusively tells us that feeding a canned formula does not prevent medical issues (like chronic kidney disease or obesity or anything else). I wish I could tell you that we have control over so many different issues our pets develop, but the reality is that many factors, like genetics, are out of our control! The best things you can do to delay/prevent as many medical issues as possible are: keep your cat an ideal body condition score by not feeding them more calories than they need, see your veterinarian regularly for exams and screening lab work to catch issues as early as possible, vaccinate your cat, meet your cat’s enrichment needs, and feed a research based, properly formulated diet that meets WSAVA guidelines.
3. That said, there are some specific medical situations where your veterinarian might recommend feeding a specific prescription diet after your cat has developed a medical issue. This is because we can slow down/manage/treat a number of different disease processes with very carefully managed nutrition, and prescription formulas are incredible tools when we use them correctly! Within this, we will sometimes take advantage of the additional water content that canned formulas have for some specific situations. For example, some cats may find canned diets more satiating because of the water that is in these formulas. That said, there are some cats who feel less satiated with canned formulas, and they might maintain an ideal body condition score more easily on kibble! We may also prioritize a canned prescription formula for situations where our cats (and dogs) might be prone to GI upset (like diarrhea), or kidney issues (like chronic kidney disease), where we want to support hydration with these patients who are losing more water from their bodies than is normal.
4. As cats are so likely to develop specific, strong, texture preferences when it comes to food and because it’s likely that at some point in your cats’ lives a specific prescription diet might be recommended, I do recommend that you offer your cats both kibble and canned formulas. This is not because one is ‘better’ than the other, it’s because I’m thinking ahead and hoping to make things easier for you and for your cat in the future. It’s for the same reason that I recommend you teach your pets to take medication on cue (Here’s a resource covering the principles and steps for teaching that skill: https://youtu.be/F4dtfC3S648)! If your cat isn’t feeling well and would benefit from a specific prescription formula of some sort, it is much easier for everyone involved if your cat is happy to eat it. While nothing will ever guarantee that any cat will accept any specific formula, what we can control is the exposure of different food textures throughout our cats’ lives to increase the odds in our favour!
5. All of the above covers the main nuances to consider for each specific cat, but we can’t forget about practicality and reality. Canned formulas are more expensive so may not be possible for all households. Some cats simply won’t eat kibble, they just refuse to. Other cats simply won’t eat canned and look at you like you have lost your sanity when you offer it to them. Another consideration is that canned food only stays fresh after it is served for an hour or two. Most people’s schedules don’t allow for them to practically feed enough small meals of canned every single day (because they dare to do things like work and sleep). Kibble, however, can be loaded into a number of food puzzles every morning and evening to allow your cat to get some enrichment and an appropriate number of meals.
6. In summary – we must stop shaming people for feeding kibble or for feeding canned or for feeding both. It’s complete nonsense to do so.

Additional Information:
Should I feed canned or dry food? – Petfoodology
https://youtu.be/TyIOGwe_CRo
Canned or Dry Food: Which is Better for Cats? |
Feline Nutrition & Cat Food Discussion | Facebook

IV. Water Husbandry – this is another area where a ton of misinformation and myths abound! It is true that cats evolved as desert creatures. However, here’s where people fall off the rails, because they will then tell you that it’s so crucially important that we get as much water as possible into our cats (and some people even go on to push this narrative for dogs as well!), which is complete nonsense. The reality is that because cats evolved in dry climates, they have several adaptations to keep themselves hydrated, while needing less water! The main ways they do this is by sweating very little, and by their kidneys preserving as much water in their bodies as is possible. Since feline kidneys hold onto more water, their urine has less water in it, and therefore their urine is more concentrated.

For healthy animals (who don’t have a urinary or renal issue), there is absolutely no benefit to increasing water consumption, and animals fed wet diets are no better off (and may be worse off) than those consuming normal levels of water. Cat bodies have a bunch of complex monitoring systems that all work in consort to keep your cat hydrated. They will consume the amount of water that they need, so long as you uphold your end of the bargain and have all the necessary feline water husbandry implemented.

The summary is that increasing water intake in healthy animals is not only unnecessary but probably isn’t benign – there’s evidence to suggest it might be harmful. So don’t kid yourself thinking it’s having any benefit, and don’t fall for the fear mongering and misinformation out there telling you that you must get your cat (or dog) to ingest more water!

Here’s what is necessary for feline water husbandry:
1. Have many water sources all throughout your home for your cat so that if they are thirsty, they don’t have to go far to get some water. All the bowls needs to be stainless steel, glass, or ceramic, and they must all be washed and refilled every single day.
2. Have at least one water fountain (that must be dumped and refilled every single day) as some cats have a significant preference for running water.
3. Fill all the bowls and fountains to the top as cats tend to like to be able to look over the bowl as they drink, and some don’t like their whiskers to touch the bowl.
4. Move all water sources away from the wall as many cats prefer to position themselves between the wall and the water so that they can feel safer while they drink (and can watch the room as they get their water).
5. If you have the above implemented, and your veterinarian checks bloodwork and urinalysis and tells you that your cat is dehydrated, then you will need to do some additional work. This situation is incredibly rare, and usually only occurs when there is also an underlying contributing medical issue (don’t forget about dental pain making your cat not want to drink, joint pain making your cat not want to move to get water etc). Of course, the priority needs to be finding and treating the underlying medical issue. However, we may also consider things like: Purina Hydra Care, adding some canned food meals, and/or adding a bit of cat safe broth to some water as part of the plan for your cat.

Additional Reading – Wet food, kibble and hydration status in pets – nutrition rvn

If you find it interesting, allow me to tell you what I do for my personal (healthy) cats. First and foremost, I make sure every single bit of the water husbandry is impeccably implemented. I have many, large-mouthed, still and running water sources scattered through my home. I empty, wash, and fully fill every single one every single evening as part of my ‘evening routine’. The one my dog drinks out of the most gets dumped and refilled a few times each day because my dog is disgusting (lol) and she tends to leave debris and saliva in the water dish after she drinks. Next, I feed a properly formulated, research-based diet that meets WSAVA guidelines, out of food puzzles that my cat likes. As dental disease is very prevalent in cats, I use an oral health kibble and I also offer my cat a small canned meal each morning after his morning play session (to simulate him eating his ‘prey’), and another small canned meal in the evening after his evening play session. These play sessions are as close to dawn and dusk as I can manage (remember – cats are crepuscular!). I also weigh the food portions to ensure they are accurate, which helps my cat stay an ideal body condition score. I hope all this helps you with seeing what this looks like when the research-based information is realistically implemented in way that balances feline enrichment, nutrition, budget, and real life!

**The Vet Corner groups encourage members to establish a relationship with their local veterinarian, don’t wait until an emergency.**