Why Taurine Is So Important For Cats
One nutrient that you are likely to notice again and again when looking at the ingredients of the feed is taurine. What exactly is taurine and why taurine is so important for your cat?
What is taurine?
Taurine is an amino acid. In your pet's body, taurine plays a role in digestion and metabolism. In female cats taurine is also important for fertility.
Taurine supports normal heart function, the maintenance of the retina and cell membranes and the development of the brain. The amino acid is mainly found in animal protein sources such as meat and fish.
What makes taurine so important for cats?
Most animals are able to produce taurine in their liver from other amino acids. This means that the amount of taurine in their diet is not very important.
This is not the case for cats though. Cats need to get their taurine from their food.
This is because the enzymes necessary for conversion are hardly active in a cat's body. As a result, the body's own production is not sufficient to cover the taurine requirement.
Possible consequences of a taurine deficiency in cats
A taurine deficiency can cause numerous health problems. Cat’s retinas will be damaged, which over time can even lead to complete blindness. A weakened immune system, infertility and abnormal development in unborn kittens and loss of hearing are among the other possible consequences.
It usually takes a long time for a taurine deficiency to become noticeable and it can take months or even years before you discover a taurine deficiency in your cat.
How much taurine do cats need?
There is no general rule to how much taurine your cat needs. The actual requirement depends on various factors. Old and pregnant cats have a slightly higher taurine requirements.
Some scientists assume that there are also breed-specific differences and that Siamese cats need more taurine than other cat breeds.
Covering the taurine requirement with the right cat food
If you want to provide your cat with the best possible supply of taurine and other essential nutrients, you should make sure that the quality of the cat food you buy is good.
With wet and dry food from I love my cat, for example, you can rely not only on a sufficient taurine content, but also on a particularly easily digestible composition.
Our grain free cat food does not contain any artificial additives. It contains only high-quality raw materials and is characterised by a particularly high content of animal proteins.
Thanks to our recipes that we have developed together with our team of experts from veterinarians and nutritionists, our cat food always guarantees that your cat receives the right amount of all other important nutrients in addition to taurine.
Taurine for cats - our conclusion
As you can see, taurine is vital for your cat's health and a lack of this amino acid can have fatal consequences.
For this reason, it is essential to refrain from experiments when feeding your cat and instead trust in the good quality of a high-quality cat nutrition according to the 360° Vital Concept of I love my cat.
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