Why Do Cats Need to Eat Meat? A Deep Dive into the Nutritional Needs of Feline Animals
Why Do Cats Need to Eat Meat? A Deep Dive into the Nutritional Needs of Feline Animals
To understand what kind of food is best for cats and dogs, you first need to understand their body structure. After millions of years of evolution, all living things have adapted to their living environment. Just by looking at the body structure, you can already understand its basic nutritional needs. We say cats are carnivores, and this conclusion can be seen from the many body structures of cats.
The Body Structure of Cats: Designed for Meat
1. Teeth: A Tool for Hunting
Teeth are the first tool for most mammals to digest food. The size, shape, and arrangement of teeth must be adapted to their diet. Herbivores have large, long, wide, and flat teeth that can grind plant cellulose with their upper and lower teeth, processing plants into smaller, more easily digestible structures.
In contrast, the teeth of carnivores are another extreme. Their teeth are long and sharp, allowing them to pierce the bodies of their prey; interlocking bites can hold onto prey without letting go; sharp teeth can also tear meat off bones. This tooth structure also determines that carnivores generally do not chew, they basically tear the meat off and swallow it whole.
From the above figure, compare a with d and b with c.
2. Gastrointestinal Length: Short and Powerful, Efficient Digestion
Herbivores have the ability to digest cellulose, but this digestive process is very long and also requires the help of gut microbiota. Therefore, the gastrointestinal tract of herbivores is very long, even exceeding 30 meters (see the figure below).
The length of a cat's gastrointestinal tract is only about 0.3 meters. Because meat is obviously much easier to digest than cellulose, enzymes in the body can help digest it, and there is no need for such a long gut (see the figure below).
In contrast, the gastrointestinal tract of dogs is also very short, about 0.6 meters, while that of humans can be as long as 6 meters.
3. Digestive Enzymes: Efficiently Break Down Protein, Lack of Amylase
Herbivores can secrete amylase and cellulase to convert starch and cellulose into sugar, which is further absorbed by the small intestine. Herbivores and humans have salivary amylase in their saliva, which can predigest starch while stirring food in the mouth, but cats and dogs do not have salivary amylase in their saliva. (Therefore, cats and dogs rarely get cavities.) But this doesn't mean that cats and dogs can't digest any carbohydrates, which we'll talk about later.
4. Fatty Acid Synthesis and Conversion: The Uniqueness of Cats
ω-3 fatty acids are a class of nutrients that all animals need, including ALA, EPA, and DHA. ALA is of plant origin, while EPA and DHA are of animal origin. Herbivores and omnivores can convert ALA to EPA and DHA, while cats have almost no ability to do so.
Cats Are Obligate Carnivores: Must Eat Meat, No Substitution
All of these physical characteristics determine that cats cannot have the ability to eat and digest large amounts of plant-based foods. Cats are carnivores, and obligate carnivores.
Tips:
We call cats "obligate carnivores", which can be understood from a biological point of view as "must eat meat, this is the basis of survival, and vegetarian food is not required".
All felids, including domestic cats, are obligate carnivores. Other obligate carnivorous mammals include: ferrets, otters, dolphins, seals, sea lions, and walruses.
Obligate carnivores have a very high meat requirement in their diet. If you give them some other food, they will eat it, such as: cheese, bone marrow, honey, syrup, etc.
However, these foods are not essential in their diet. Obligate carnivores cannot digest plant-based foods, and they may occasionally eat grass, but not for nutrients or energy.
Therefore, the key takeaway: Cats cannot become vegetarian.
Cats must eat meat because certain nutrients they need are only found in meat, such as certain essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins. Some people say that there are also amino acids, fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins in vegetarian food. "Having" does not mean "can be utilized", and "can be utilized" does not mean "high utilization efficiency".
I will write a separate article to discuss these topics in detail. For now, just remember one thing: Cats must eat meat, it is their main source of energy and nutrition.
Can Cats Be Trained to Be Omnivores?
Many people nowadays have this view: Cats, after being domesticated for a long time, can also become omnivores. In fact, domestic cats, who currently rely on dry cat food as their main food source, eat a lot of plant-based food every day.
But this doesn't mean cats are already omnivores. Domestic cats still cannot digest and absorb the plant components in cat food very effectively, they still rely on the meat in cat food as their source of energy and nutrition.
Humans have been domesticating dogs for 12,000-15,000 years, while the history of domesticating cats is only 3,000 years old. This gap also determines the difference between cats and dogs. At least in terms of food and nutrition, cats are more demanding, while dogs are closer to the human diet.
Conclusion
Cats, as obligate carnivores, have a completely different body structure and nutritional needs from herbivores and omnivores. To ensure the health of cats, it is essential to provide adequate meat-based foods to meet their needs for essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. Although domestic cats have been domesticated and can eat some plant-based foods, they cannot digest and absorb these foods effectively, so they still need to rely on meat as their main source of food.
To understand what kind of food is best for cats and dogs, you first need to understand their body structure. After millions of years of evolution, all living things have adapted to their living environment. Just by looking at the body structure, you can already understand its basic nutritional needs. We say cats are carnivores, and this conclusion can be seen from the many body structures of cats.
The Body Structure of Cats: Designed for Meat
1. Teeth: A Tool for Hunting
Teeth are the first tool for most mammals to digest food. The size, shape, and arrangement of teeth must be adapted to their diet. Herbivores have large, long, wide, and flat teeth that can grind plant cellulose with their upper and lower teeth, processing plants into smaller, more easily digestible structures.
In contrast, the teeth of carnivores are another extreme. Their teeth are long and sharp, allowing them to pierce the bodies of their prey; interlocking bites can hold onto prey without letting go; sharp teeth can also tear meat off bones. This tooth structure also determines that carnivores generally do not chew, they basically tear the meat off and swallow it whole.
From the above figure, compare a with d and b with c.
2. Gastrointestinal Length: Short and Powerful, Efficient Digestion
Herbivores have the ability to digest cellulose, but this digestive process is very long and also requires the help of gut microbiota. Therefore, the gastrointestinal tract of herbivores is very long, even exceeding 30 meters (see the figure below).
The length of a cat's gastrointestinal tract is only about 0.3 meters. Because meat is obviously much easier to digest than cellulose, enzymes in the body can help digest it, and there is no need for such a long gut (see the figure below).
In contrast, the gastrointestinal tract of dogs is also very short, about 0.6 meters, while that of humans can be as long as 6 meters.
3. Digestive Enzymes: Efficiently Break Down Protein, Lack of Amylase
Herbivores can secrete amylase and cellulase to convert starch and cellulose into sugar, which is further absorbed by the small intestine. Herbivores and humans have salivary amylase in their saliva, which can predigest starch while stirring food in the mouth, but cats and dogs do not have salivary amylase in their saliva. (Therefore, cats and dogs rarely get cavities.) But this doesn't mean that cats and dogs can't digest any carbohydrates, which we'll talk about later.
4. Fatty Acid Synthesis and Conversion: The Uniqueness of Cats
ω-3 fatty acids are a class of nutrients that all animals need, including ALA, EPA, and DHA. ALA is of plant origin, while EPA and DHA are of animal origin. Herbivores and omnivores can convert ALA to EPA and DHA, while cats have almost no ability to do so.
Cats Are Obligate Carnivores: Must Eat Meat, No Substitution
All of these physical characteristics determine that cats cannot have the ability to eat and digest large amounts of plant-based foods. Cats are carnivores, and obligate carnivores.
Tips:
We call cats "obligate carnivores", which can be understood from a biological point of view as "must eat meat, this is the basis of survival, and vegetarian food is not required".
All felids, including domestic cats, are obligate carnivores. Other obligate carnivorous mammals include: ferrets, otters, dolphins, seals, sea lions, and walruses.
Obligate carnivores have a very high meat requirement in their diet. If you give them some other food, they will eat it, such as: cheese, bone marrow, honey, syrup, etc.
However, these foods are not essential in their diet. Obligate carnivores cannot digest plant-based foods, and they may occasionally eat grass, but not for nutrients or energy.
Therefore, the key takeaway: Cats cannot become vegetarian.
Cats must eat meat because certain nutrients they need are only found in meat, such as certain essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins. Some people say that there are also amino acids, fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins in vegetarian food. "Having" does not mean "can be utilized", and "can be utilized" does not mean "high utilization efficiency".
I will write a separate article to discuss these topics in detail. For now, just remember one thing: Cats must eat meat, it is their main source of energy and nutrition.
Can Cats Be Trained to Be Omnivores?
Many people nowadays have this view: Cats, after being domesticated for a long time, can also become omnivores. In fact, domestic cats, who currently rely on dry cat food as their main food source, eat a lot of plant-based food every day.
But this doesn't mean cats are already omnivores. Domestic cats still cannot digest and absorb the plant components in cat food very effectively, they still rely on the meat in cat food as their source of energy and nutrition.
Humans have been domesticating dogs for 12,000-15,000 years, while the history of domesticating cats is only 3,000 years old. This gap also determines the difference between cats and dogs. At least in terms of food and nutrition, cats are more demanding, while dogs are closer to the human diet.
Conclusion
Cats, as obligate carnivores, have a completely different body structure and nutritional needs from herbivores and omnivores. To ensure the health of cats, it is essential to provide adequate meat-based foods to meet their needs for essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. Although domestic cats have been domesticated and can eat some plant-based foods, they cannot digest and absorb these foods effectively, so they still need to rely on meat as their main source of food.
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