"Can cats eat **? Or "Can dogs eat cat food?" and similar questions are the questions of many novice pet owners. Some pet owners may buy the wrong pet food, out of the reason that they don't want to waste or be lazy, they will directly feed the cat to eat. But this is a very serious feeding myth! Today, Pointe will answer why cats must not eat **.
1. Cats are carnivores, and dogs are omnivores that eat mainly meat.
Although cats and dogs can get along with each other and are companion animals, they are really two different animals. Dogs are omnivores that eat mainly meat, while cats are pure carnivores through and through, and both have different food needs.
Second, cat teeth are not the same as dog teeth.
Cats have 30 teeth, dogs have 42, but cats have fewer molars than dogs, because all the teeth of cats are pointed, and do not have molars that can "grind" plant rhizomes, cat's teeth are more like a sharp scissors, do not need to rely on "grinding", but can tear and cut all kinds of meat food with low fiber content.
3. The difference in intestinal length between cats and dogs.
The length of the digestive tract is different between cats and dogs, with dogs having intestines that are about 1:6 of body length and cats that are 1:42. The intestinal length of cats is relatively short, because cats do not need to digest those more indigestible crude fiber and more carbohydrates, so the intestinal length can meet their daily digestion of meat.
Fourth, the difference between salivary pH and gastric pH.
Although cats and dogs also lack amylase in their saliva, which can digest starch, there are some similarities and differences in their saliva pH. The pH of dog saliva is 734~7.80, the cat's saliva pH is a more stable 75. This is also because the food structure of cats and dogs is different and relatively single.
In addition, there is also a difference in the stomach environment of cats and dogs, because the food types of cats are relatively single and stable, while dogs are not, and dogs will take corresponding measures because they need to eat a wider variety of food. Therefore, the pH range of dog gastric juice is relatively wide, generally at pH 20~6.0; Cats, on the other hand, are more stable at pH25±0.07。
Fifth, there is a large gap between cat food and ** carbohydrates.
There is a large gap between the digestibility of carbohydrates between cats and dogs, so there will be a relatively large design difference when designing cat food formulas and ** formulas. Cats need longer to break down and utilize the carbohydrates in the food, otherwise, cats will have a rapid rise in blood sugar, long-term intake of foods with high carbohydrates, cats will have a high risk of diabetes; Dogs, on the other hand, are not so sensitive in this regard, and their tolerance range for carbohydrates is much looser.
But it's not that cats can't eat any carbohydrates, it's just that cats lack enzymes to digest carbohydrates, so cats can't accept high concentrations of carbohydrates.
6. Differences in the demand for amino acids.
For the 10 essential amino acids required by conventional animals, cats and dogs need the same, but for cats, there is another amino acid - taurine, which is an essential amino acid for cats. Therefore, when pet nutritionists design cat food formulas for cats, they will add and supplement them according to the nutritional needs of taurine at different physiological stages of cats, but taurine is not necessary when designing the first formula. Therefore, if the cat eats **, it will lack taurine, and the consequences of the lack of taurine in cats are very serious, which can easily lead to retinal degeneration or blindness in cats.
There is arginine, the dog's need for arginine is also necessary, but it is not as sensitive as the cat, when the cat's food lacks arginine, the cat's is very prone to high blood ammonia, and the lack of arginine reaction is much stronger than that of the dog.
7. There are also differences in vitamins.
The vitamin trace elements in the cat food and the vitamins in the cat food will also be different, such as vitamin A, dogs can effectively convert the precursor of vitamin A carotene into vitamin A, but cats cannot, so in the formula of ** and cat food, the ratio of vitamin A is completely different from the addition method, whether it is directly added or any other method, cats have no way to convert carotene into vitamin A, so let cats eat for a long time**, Vitamin A deficiency is predisposable.
In addition, dogs can synthesize the vitamin C they need, so it is not necessary to add vitamin C to provide the nutrient for the dog; Cats can almost synthesize vitamin C for their own needs, but they are not as capable as dogs in this regard; There is also a large gap between the needs of cats and dogs when it comes to B vitamins; The need for thiamine in cats is also 5 to 6 times greater than that of dogs, which is where there is a large gap between cats and dogs in terms of vitamins and trace elements.
Pointe reminds: In addition to the above points, there are also a series of differences in the needs of cats and dogs in terms of protein, fat, minerals, trace elements, etc., so there will be a large gap in the formula design and production process of pet food. Therefore, whether it is to let cats eat ** or let dogs eat cat food, it is an unscientific pet raising behavior.