Carbohydrates and Cats

Cats are carnivores, which means they have evolved to eat meat. They have claws and sharp teeth for hunting and catching their prey. However, this is not to say that a complete cat food should not have carbohydrates included.

Cats were originally domesticated in Egypt where they were used in granaries for vermin control. The stomach of their prey (mice and rats) would contain partially digested grains. Cooking grains at a high temperature mimics the action of the stomach, therefore an extruded cat food should contain easily digested carbohydrates.

It is also important to note that pet cats are not the same as wild cats. Pet cats do not need as much energy from their diet. They are kept in centrally heated houses, they do not have to hunt for food and have been fed on left-overs of human diets which will be cooked food (they would eat raw food in the wild), including meat and carbohydrates (whether they are from grains, cheese, milk or other sources). Even feeding your cat a raw food diet will not be equal to a diet in the wild. The food is not freshly killed, the meat will not be at body temperature and the organs and contents of organs will be missing.

Looking at the recent evolution of cats and their anatomy and physiology, we can see several adaptations which allow them to successfully digest carbohydrates:

Kittens naturally eat carbohydrates. They ingest lactose (the sugar found in milk) from their mother.
The pancreas of a cat secretes the enzyme Amylase. Amylase is used to break down carbohydrates (starch). If cats could not eat carbohydrates then they would not have the ability to produce amylase.
The intestinal length of a carnivore (cat) is much shorter than that of an omnivore (e.g. dog) because of the way food is metabolised. However, domestic cats have been shown to have a longer intestinal tract than wild cats, thus proving dietary evolution. Source: You & Your Cat By David Taylor BVMS, FRCVS. 1986.

The 4th Edition of Small Animal Clinical Nutrition By Hand, Thatcher, Remillard and Roudebush. 2000. Dry foods containing 40% or more dietary carbohydrates with an average digestibility of 85% are well tolerated by cats.

Although no requirement for dietary carbohydrates has been demonstrated for adult cats, carbohydrates are a good source of energy and appear necessary for adequate lactation in queens.

Strombecks Small Animal Gastroenterology3rd Edition. Guilford, Center, Strombeck, Williams and Meyer. 1996. It is perhaps surprising that cats can efficiently digest carbohydrate considering the low carbohydrate of their ancestral diet.

There is also a huge difference between simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates are the ones more likely to cause diabetes and weight gain.

Complex carbohydrates can be divided in to two groups: (1) digestible ones, known as starch and (b) indigestible ones, known as fibre.

Digestion of complex carbohydrates takes longer than simple carbohydrates. This means that there is a slow absorption of food and thus a steady supply of energy rather than sudden sugar surges that you can get from simple carbohydrates. Rapid absorption of sugar also increases the likelihood that it will be converted in to body fat.

The starch available in cooked and extruded pet foods are easily digested. The extrusion process (cooking with heat and pressure) increases the digestibility of starch by causing it to gelatinize (canning food also does this).

The reason we use brown rice as the main ingredient in our cat food is to keep the protein and fat quantity at controlled levels. Although cats need higher amounts of protein and fat than dogs, excess dietary fat and protein may cause health problems.

John Burns is a qualified veterinarian who for the past fourteen years has also been producing a natural, holistic and complete food for dogs and cats, Burns Real Food - free of artificial colours, flavourings and preservatives. As a practising Veterinary Surgeon, John became increasingly concerned about the quality of pet foods on the market, and how nutrition was playing a part in the poor health of the pets that he was seeing in his surgery. Burns Pet Nutrition are known for being an ethical company with excellent customer service and nutrition support which can be accessed via their website http://www.burns-pet-nutrition.co.uk

Fat Cat Facts
Obese Meaning cats that are 20% or more, heavier than their ideal weight.Overweight - Meaning cats that are between 1-19% he...

What You Need to Know About Cat Food
Cat Food Info #1 Cats Need Protein in their Cat FoodThe cat food you feed to your cat should always be rich in protein. This ...

Important Nutritional Information on Cat Food
Cat Food Fact #1 Cats must get their ProteinProtein is crucial for your cats health, and generally comes from fish, meat or p...

Commercial Cat Food - Should I Feed My Precious Cat Canned or Dry Food?
With the current busy lifestyle that we are leading in modern days, few cat owners can be blamed for feeding their cat commer...

Choosing to Get Your First Cat
Cats do make wonderful pets as they are not as noisy as dogs, are more independent, and do not require as much care. Cats ...

The Joy of Cats
In the ongoing battle of cats versus dogs, pet owners continue to sing the praises of their animal of choice. While dogs are ...

An Obese Cat Is An Unhealthy Cat Help Them Lose Weight Today!
While everybody knows that Americans are getting fatter by the day, guess what? So are our cats! A quick look at the neighbor...

Heartgard For Cats
Heartgard is the #1 choice of veterinarians for heartworm disease prevention in dogs. But did you know that the preventative...

How to Lose Body Fat Fast
Baby fat has become the biggest problem for women after delivery. Unless you control it in time, even you are at a high risk....

Cat Peeing Outside of Litter Box
Is your cat peeping outside the litter box? Is your bed starting to really stink? Well there are some basic things you can ...

Getting Another Cat?
You might be thinking about getting another cat but it is not a decision to be made lightly. Many people get another cat not...

Tips For Buying Your First Kitten
Your kitten name is very important, but lets start at the start...There are dog people then there are cat people. For those o...

How To Own A Cat If I Have Allergies?
Although pet cats are becoming more and more common, and those who do not own one do not usually resist to pet or stroke them...

Cats and Food Variety
Cats are interesting creatures. Like humans, they very much like to have variety in what they eat. Cats also like to snack fr...

A Study of Cats and Humans
Ever wonder what your cat is thinking?Well, I truthfully cannot tell you what your cat is thinking, but I can tell you just a...

Cat Behavior - Cat Spraying
Cat spraying or cat marking as some people call it can be a very annoying problem to solve. Cats spray for a number of reaso...

Inexpensive Cat Toys Your Cat Will Love To Play
Owning a cat does not just mean taking care of it and feeding it; it also means that you should get it some toys so that it c...

Cat Behavior - Cat Does Not Like Being Petted
Does your cat not like being petted? Does your cat only tolerate a few minutes of being petted? Well there are many reasons...

Cat Beds
Cats and dogs spend a lot of their time sleeping so a comfortable bed is very important. Cats like to be very comfortable wh...

The Right Recipe for Teaching Tricks to Your Cat
Cats are very lovable animals. They make excellent pets. In fact, three out of ten households in the United States are known ...