Dietary Taurine Deficiency In Cats

Feed a good quality premium diet with adequate levels of taurine and in some cases taurine supplementation will be required for the rest of the cat s life.

Dietary taurine deficiency in cats. If your cat has a taurine deficiency related illness your cat may require supplementation in addition to eating an appropriate diet at least until symptoms dissipate. If the taurine deficiency has been short term or has not caused permanent damage after sufficient taurine supplementation has allowed levels in the body to regulate your cat will have a good chance at full recovery. Taurine is an essential amino acid in the cat. If there are protein deficiencies your cat s diet the animal will suffer from various disorders.

White blood cells and the immune system depend on proteins. Diets causing taurine depletion in cats substantially elevate postprandial plasma cholecystokinin concentration. Common symptoms of a protein deficiency in cats include. Cats fed 60 soybean protein or casein diets had significantly lower plasma taurine concentrations than cats fed a 30 casein diet with the 60 soybean protein diet causing the greater decrease.

Taurine was first recognized as a necessary component of the cat s diet in. This will depend on the severity of the deficiency and your cat s ability to maintain levels of taurine as it is ingested. Taurine deficiency and vitamin a in excess. Again all commercially available cat foods have enough taurine in them for their labeled life stage.

Taurine deficiency can have severe ramifications. If significant damage has occurred as a result of the deficiency your cat may need additional medications or support. Taurine supplementation is the treatment of choice for cats suffering from taurine deficiency. Dietary taurine and feline reproduction and development.

Most cats who survive for more than seven days after beginning taurine supplementation will recover and most will ultimately need no ongoing therapy. Therefore without an adequate dietary supply of taurine cats eventually become taurine deficient. However if taurine deficiency. Cats can make some taurine but the enzyme required to make it out of cysteine is in short supply and needed in other physiologic pathways.

Nutritional problems in cats. Supplementing your cat s diet with additional taurine isn t always necessary. This low rate of synthesis combined with the loss of it in bile contributes to an increased dietary requirement of taurine for cats. In addition many animal species can use glycine or taurine to conjugate bile acids into bile salts but cats can only conjugate bile acids with it.

In some cats lifetime taurine supplementation is usually required to prevent recurrent taurine deficiency. Proteins are responsible for regenerating the body structures forming new tissue and protecting against infection.