Pelushka Persians

Taurine and the importance it plays in a Cat’s Diet

What is Taurine?

Taurine was discovered in 1827 in the bull, hence its name, and is an Amino Acid. It is a building block of all the other amino acids as well as a key component of bile, which in turn is needed for the digestion of fats and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. Preformed taurine is only available from animal tissue, and high concentrations of taurine are found in the heart muscle, skeletal muscles, brain and eyes of mammals, as well as the meat from clams and oysters. Taurine is heat sensitive and the content in meat is greatly reduced after cooking. Taurine is an essential amino acid for cats, which means their body does not synthesize it, therefore it is  necessary to include taurine in their diet in order to obtain it, unlike humans and dogs who can synthesize taurine from the amino acids Methionine and Cystine.

Why is Taurine deficiency in cats so serious?

Taurine and reproduction

Taurine is an important part of a cat’s diet and a deficiency has multiple consequences on the reproduction function – lack of fertility, foetal re-absorptions, abortions, abnormalities in new-born kittens, and growth diseases in kittens, many of which struggle to survive to the weaning stage.

Taurine and cardiac function

Taurine is essential in preventing a disorder called "Dilated Cardiomyopathy".  This is failure of the heart muscle, whereby the heart dilates (becomes enlarged), to try to meet the circulatory needs of the cat.

Taurine & Vision

Taurine is indispensable to maintain the completeness of the retina of the eye and prevent ‘Feline Central Retinal Degeneration’ which as the name implies, is a progressive retinal disease which will cause blindness if left untreated.  A correction in the cat’s diet can stop the evolution but the lesions are not reversible.

In the wild, rodents form a large part of a cat’s diet, and rodents have significant levels of taurine in their brains. When we began to domesticate cats and feed them commercial cat foods instead of their wild diets, taurine deficiency started appearing. Studies revealed that many cat foods on the market at that time contained an inadequate amount of taurine and so the major pet food companies revised their pet food formulas to include it. However, not all taurine is equal, and some commercial foods need to have even more taurine added to their formulas to allow for proper feline absorption and utilization of the taurine in their foods. Additionally, some breeds of cats seem to require more taurine than others. Dog food is not supplemented with Taurine and is one of the reasons why you should not feed dog food to your cat.

 As cats cannot make enough taurine internally to meet their needs and must have it supplied to them in their food, this is an example of a cat's dependence towards animal ingredients, and one of the many reasons why a cat should not be forced to be vegetarian!

If you have a cat that is a finicky eater and you are at all worried about his/her diet, have a word with your veterinary practice, as they will be able to advise you regarding any deficiencies and any supplements your cat may require.