Taurine

When I mentioned I ate Fenris' food some wise cats pointed out that it isn't a good idea for cats to eat dog food. Don't worry, Mommy just lets me have a nibble before she takes it away.  There isn't anything harmful to cats in dog food, what is harmful is what is left out. Dog food does not contain taurine which is essential to cats, we will die without it. What is taurine?

Taurine is an amino acid (AA) talked about when referring to feline diets. For cats, unlike most other mammals, taurine is an essential amino acid, meaning that cats can not synthesize their own taurine from other building block amino acids as can dogs and even humans.  Thus it is essential that cats take in adequate taurine in their diet on a regular basis. Prolonged deficiencies of taurine in cats can cause central retinal degeneration, resulting in blindness.  Dilated cardiomyopathy is another real risk.  In this condition, the heart dilates, its walls become thinner and weaker, making the heart less effective and resulting in a form of heart failure.

You can read more about taurine deficiency here.

If you are worried your cat isn't getting enough taurine please discuss it with their vet. Most commercial cat foods contain taurine and you can give us a taurine supplement if you are a loving owner who provides homecooked meals to their cat unlike our lazy Mommy who thinks we should be happy with stuff out of a can or bag. I mean really she likes homecooked meals so why does she think we prefer commercial food?

Alasandra: Because when I actually tried cooking for the cats they refused to eat my cooking, it was before you came to live with us Artemisia. Just ask Socks about it.

Wow, I didn't realize her cooking was that bad, maybe we should share our food with the Boy Beans and Dad. Anyway if you look on the ingredients listed on the cat food label taurine should be listed.  ~Artemisia

8 comments:

Frankie Furter and Ernie said...

I wasn't worried about you... You have an EXCELLENT Mom who takes wonderful care of you.
I am a believer in Everythingy in Moderation. A little cat food fur me.. wouldn't hurt at all.. and some of my foods wouldn't hurt a Cat. Butt (My SPECIAL WORD FUR THER DAY) BUTT... just a little ..now and then.
I am really really glad that you DID put this up... beclaws some may NOT know about what is needed fur cats..
AND... then there is the issue of crystals in the pee pee... which someone just talked about Yesterday... that can be HELPED by what kind of food you cats eat.
Believe it or NOT... Dad's makes a Cat food that is especially blended to prevent peePee crystals. Well, they Used to... I suppose they still do.

Old Kitty said...

Wow, thank you for the info about taurine lovely Artemisia - it's very very helpful and will make me read the ingredients of Charlie's food more closely! Thank you! Awwww we're sure your mum's cooking is just AWESOME! Take care
x

Alasandra, The Cats and Dogs said...

Mommy always looks for food that will help prevent UTI's. Mommy says that neutered male cats are prone to unirary tract infections and crystals in their pee pee for some reason. So we has to look out for Socks.

We also eat a wide variety of cat (dog food for Fenris) food including different brands and flavors. This way if for some reason a particular food is no longer suitable for us she won't have a problem getting us to eat something else.

Although she had to bribe me with scrambled eggs to get me to eat when I first came to live here cause the cat food she had for us didn't smell like the cheap food Grandma & Grandpa gave me. ~Arty Mouse

Jans Funny Farm said...

We cats sometimes nibble a bit of dog food while Jan is dishing up food but she doesn't let us have much either.

The bad thing is that when Buddy was a puppy, he was very clever and sneaky and always found a way to climb to the huge bowl of cat food and eat the whole thing. Definitely not good for any doggy!

Alasandra, The Cats and Dogs said...

Wow we are impressed with Buddy's climbing ability.

Brian's Home Blog said...

I wasn't worried either, I know your Mom has lots and lots of critter smarts!

Makropoulos said...

I remember once going to a health food store to buy taurine with my friend who was making food for her aging cats. She knew we needed taurine, but didn't know how much for each meal. We proceeded, with the help of a couple of the health store workers, to try to figure out how much taurine would be in a mouse, which we figured was serving size for a cat!

Nice blog! I"m the mom (aka Big Two Legged One)
of Pisi and Squeak at http://pisisqueak.blogspot.com

Angel MoMo and Charlotte said...

Thanks for getting to the bottom of this catfood/dogfood business. Not that I am likely to be getting dog food. Gran sometimes cooks for me, as she thinks anything that comes in a tin or dry food is no good for anyone, pets included.