Do Older Cats Prefer Warm Food? Scientific Revelation of Older Cats Food Temperature Preferences and Reasons
Do Older Cats Prefer Warm Food? Scientific Revelation of Older Cats' Food Temperature Preferences and Reasons
As the concept of scientific cat care becomes more prevalent and pet medical technology advances, cats are living longer than ever before. Many cats can live healthily into their senior years. So, at what age can a cat be considered a senior cat? Generally, when a cat reaches the age of 7, it means they have entered their retirement years.
As cats age, their metabolism and body composition change. Due to reduced food intake, older cats experience a loss of muscle mass and develop different nutritional needs in their senior years, such as an increased need for protein. A common characteristic of older cats is a decrease in appetite, leading to weight loss. This indicates that we need to find ways to improve food intake in older cats.
Reduced Sense of Smell and Taste in Older Cats Leads to Decreased Appetite
In fact, many sensory characteristics can influence how cats perceive and prefer specific foods, including the smell, taste, texture, and appearance of the food. Additionally, the nutritional composition of the food also affects cats' feeding choices. Studies have shown that cats can identify different nutritional components and adjust their intake to achieve optimal fat/protein/carbohydrate energy ratios.
As older cats experience a decline in their sense of smell and taste, highly palatable food is essential for increasing their food intake. Moreover, decreased appetite in aging cats may also be associated with increased oral pain caused by periodontal disease. However, we cannot allow cats' appetite to decline, and we need to ensure that aging cats obtain the necessary nutritional and caloric requirements through adequate food consumption.
Warm Food Can Stimulate Older Cats' Appetite
So, how can we encourage older cats to eat more? Perhaps warming their food is a good solution! Early research suggested that cats prefer food at body temperature, which may be linked to the temperature of prey they consume in the wild.
To further understand why aging cats prefer warmer food, scientists conducted an interesting experiment:
They fed four groups of older cats different temperatures of food (6 degrees, 21 degrees, and 37 degrees). Apart from the temperature variation, all other variables were kept consistent, and they observed how the cats' food intake changed at different temperatures. The experimental results showed that, in all comparisons, older cats clearly preferred the warmer product (37 degrees Celsius). Furthermore, the study found that temperature changes can also affect the texture and flavor of food.
Why Does Warm Food Attract Older Cats More?
To further investigate the reasons for older cats' preference for warmer food, scientists also measured the viscosity and aroma characteristics of food at different temperatures. Results showed that temperature does not affect the viscosity of food gravy, but temperature does significantly affect the distribution of volatile compounds.
The study found that sulfur-containing compounds increased significantly in food at 37 degrees. Sulfur compounds are crucial for meat flavor and provide essential flavor compounds for saltiness, meatiness, roasted, and cooked flavors. These compounds may be attractive to cats and contribute to their preference for warmer food.
On the other hand, as the temperature rises, the aromatic compound terpene decreases significantly. Terpenes are aromatic compounds that are responsible for the unique scents of many plants, including orange peel. Terpene, d-limonene, is found in the peel of citrus fruits such as lemon, lime, and orange. In studies on the selection of a large number of nutrients by domestic cats, terpenes have been proven to be a distasteful flavor for cats and have been shown to reduce food intake in the short term. Therefore, terpenes are unpleasant for cats, and the reduced terpenes in warmer food may also contribute to their preference for it.
In addition to terpenes, hexanal also declined significantly. Hexanal is another compound that cats dislike, which can negatively affect palatability. These data suggest that heating can increase the attractiveness of food to cats by altering the volatility of food compounds!
Warm Food Can Enhance Flavor and Stimulate Cats' Taste Buds
Moreover, taste is also affected by temperature. TRPM5, a transient receptor potential ion channel, is a ubiquitous component of taste transduction in class C G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), such as sweetness (T1R2-T1R3) and umami (T1R1-T1R3). It has been reported that TRPM5 is heat-activated, and the sensitivity to sweet compounds increases as the temperature rises from 15℃ to 35℃. This is thought to be the molecular mechanism behind the "thermal taste" phenomenon. Although cats cannot detect sweet compounds, they can detect umami compounds. Therefore, warm food can also increase its attractiveness by altering and/or enhancing flavor.
Summary
In conclusion, even though older cats experience a gradual decline in their sense of smell and taste, warming their food may provide more appealing aromas and flavors that increase their appetite. Therefore, when caring for older cats, consider trying to slightly warm their food. This may help them maintain a good appetite, get adequate nutrition, and enjoy a healthier and happier senior life.
As the concept of scientific cat care becomes more prevalent and pet medical technology advances, cats are living longer than ever before. Many cats can live healthily into their senior years. So, at what age can a cat be considered a senior cat? Generally, when a cat reaches the age of 7, it means they have entered their retirement years.
As cats age, their metabolism and body composition change. Due to reduced food intake, older cats experience a loss of muscle mass and develop different nutritional needs in their senior years, such as an increased need for protein. A common characteristic of older cats is a decrease in appetite, leading to weight loss. This indicates that we need to find ways to improve food intake in older cats.
Reduced Sense of Smell and Taste in Older Cats Leads to Decreased Appetite
In fact, many sensory characteristics can influence how cats perceive and prefer specific foods, including the smell, taste, texture, and appearance of the food. Additionally, the nutritional composition of the food also affects cats' feeding choices. Studies have shown that cats can identify different nutritional components and adjust their intake to achieve optimal fat/protein/carbohydrate energy ratios.
As older cats experience a decline in their sense of smell and taste, highly palatable food is essential for increasing their food intake. Moreover, decreased appetite in aging cats may also be associated with increased oral pain caused by periodontal disease. However, we cannot allow cats' appetite to decline, and we need to ensure that aging cats obtain the necessary nutritional and caloric requirements through adequate food consumption.
Warm Food Can Stimulate Older Cats' Appetite
So, how can we encourage older cats to eat more? Perhaps warming their food is a good solution! Early research suggested that cats prefer food at body temperature, which may be linked to the temperature of prey they consume in the wild.
To further understand why aging cats prefer warmer food, scientists conducted an interesting experiment:
They fed four groups of older cats different temperatures of food (6 degrees, 21 degrees, and 37 degrees). Apart from the temperature variation, all other variables were kept consistent, and they observed how the cats' food intake changed at different temperatures. The experimental results showed that, in all comparisons, older cats clearly preferred the warmer product (37 degrees Celsius). Furthermore, the study found that temperature changes can also affect the texture and flavor of food.
Why Does Warm Food Attract Older Cats More?
To further investigate the reasons for older cats' preference for warmer food, scientists also measured the viscosity and aroma characteristics of food at different temperatures. Results showed that temperature does not affect the viscosity of food gravy, but temperature does significantly affect the distribution of volatile compounds.
The study found that sulfur-containing compounds increased significantly in food at 37 degrees. Sulfur compounds are crucial for meat flavor and provide essential flavor compounds for saltiness, meatiness, roasted, and cooked flavors. These compounds may be attractive to cats and contribute to their preference for warmer food.
On the other hand, as the temperature rises, the aromatic compound terpene decreases significantly. Terpenes are aromatic compounds that are responsible for the unique scents of many plants, including orange peel. Terpene, d-limonene, is found in the peel of citrus fruits such as lemon, lime, and orange. In studies on the selection of a large number of nutrients by domestic cats, terpenes have been proven to be a distasteful flavor for cats and have been shown to reduce food intake in the short term. Therefore, terpenes are unpleasant for cats, and the reduced terpenes in warmer food may also contribute to their preference for it.
In addition to terpenes, hexanal also declined significantly. Hexanal is another compound that cats dislike, which can negatively affect palatability. These data suggest that heating can increase the attractiveness of food to cats by altering the volatility of food compounds!
Warm Food Can Enhance Flavor and Stimulate Cats' Taste Buds
Moreover, taste is also affected by temperature. TRPM5, a transient receptor potential ion channel, is a ubiquitous component of taste transduction in class C G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), such as sweetness (T1R2-T1R3) and umami (T1R1-T1R3). It has been reported that TRPM5 is heat-activated, and the sensitivity to sweet compounds increases as the temperature rises from 15℃ to 35℃. This is thought to be the molecular mechanism behind the "thermal taste" phenomenon. Although cats cannot detect sweet compounds, they can detect umami compounds. Therefore, warm food can also increase its attractiveness by altering and/or enhancing flavor.
Summary
In conclusion, even though older cats experience a gradual decline in their sense of smell and taste, warming their food may provide more appealing aromas and flavors that increase their appetite. Therefore, when caring for older cats, consider trying to slightly warm their food. This may help them maintain a good appetite, get adequate nutrition, and enjoy a healthier and happier senior life.
This article is original, please keep the link when forwarding:https://www.5zo.net/showinfo-2-87994-0.html