| Cat Supplies Article |
The cat (Felis silvestris catus), also known as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from other felines, is a small carnivorous species of nocturnal mammal that is often valued by humans for its companionship and its ability to hunt vermin. It has been associated with humans for at least 9,500 years.
Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they must ingest the flesh of other animals to survive. Where other carnivorous mammals like bears and dogs commonly add to their diets of meat with fruits, berries, roots, and honey when available, by contrast all cats instinctively feed almost solely on meat.
Similarly as with its teeth, a cat's digestive tract has become specialized over time to suit its diet, having shortened in length to only those segments of intestine best able to break down proteins and fats from animal flesh. The evolved trait severely limits the cat's ability to properly digest, metabolize, and absorb plant-derived or synthesized nutrients, as well as certain fatty acids. For example, cats cannot convert the pro-vitamin A abundant in plants, to make vitamin A. Also, a number of required nutrients are not sufficiently available in plant matter to begin with; one critical absence is taurine, a key amino sulfonic acid for eye health. Taurine deficiency can cause a condition called macular degeneration wherein the cat's retina slowly degenerates, eventually causing irreversible blindness.
Due to the above, most felines eat fairly little if any plantstuffs. Yet it is nevertheless quite common for a cat to occasionally supplement its carnivorous diet with small amounts of grass, leaves, shrubs, houseplants, or other plant matter anyway. One theory suggests this behaviour is to facilitate regurgitation if their digestion is upset; another is that it perhaps introduces fibre or trace minerals to the diet. In this context, caution is recommended for cat owners because some houseplants are harmful to cats. The leaves of the Easter Lily can cause permanent and life-threatening kidney damage to cats. Philodendron are also poisonous to cats. Cat Fancy has a full list of plants harmful to cats.
As an exception to the general rule, certain domesticated cats are known to like vegetables. This happenstance may inspire some vegetarian or vegan pet owners to encourage or even impose their own dietary preferences upon their cats, often using commercially-available cat foods supplemented with chemically-synthesized taurine and other added nutrients to address nutritional shortfalls. However, it remains arguable as to whether or not such a vegetarian diet can in fact meet a cat's dietary requirements.
Additionally, cats have been known to develop a fondness for prepared human foods, normally such entrees which are rich in proteins or fats. However, a diet consisting only of human food (even if high quality meat) is unlikely to contain the balanced nutrition required by the cat. Cats normally are good self-regulators of diet; however, unlimited access to food, or excessive human-food 'treats', will often lead to the cat becoming obese, particularly if it is older or more sedentary. This may lead to several health complications, such as diabetes, especially in neutered males. Such health conditions can be prevented through diet and exercise (playing), especially for cats living exclusively indoors.
Cats can be fussy eaters (which may be due in some way to the aforementioned mutation which caused their species to lose sugar-tasting ability). Unlike most mammals, cats can voluntarily starve themselves indefinitely despite being presented with palatable food, even a food which they had previously readily consumed. This can happen when the vomeronasal or Jacobson's organ becomes accustomed to a specific food, or if the cats are spoiled by their owners, in which case the cat will reject any food that does not fit the pattern it is expecting. It is also known for cats to merely become bored with their given food and decide to stop eating until they are tempted into eating again. Although it is extremely rare for a cat to deliberately starve itself to the point of injury, the sudden loss of weight can cause a fatal condition called hepatic lipidosis, a liver dysfunction which causes pathological loss of appetite and reinforces the starvation, which can lead to death within as little as 48 hours.
Some cats have a fondness for catnip, which is sensed by their olfactory systems. While they generally do not consume it, they will often roll in it, paw at it, and occasionally chew on it. The effect is usually relatively short, lasting for only a few minutes. After two hours or less, susceptible cats gain interest again. Several other species of plants (such as mint) cause this effect, to a lesser degree.
Cats can also develop pica. Pica is a condition in which animals chew or eat unusual things such as fabric, plastic or wool. In cats, this is mostly harmless as they do not digest most of it, but can be fatal or require surgical removal if a large amount of foreign material is ingested (for example, an entire sock). It tends to occur more often in Burmese, Oriental, Siamese and breeds with these in their ancestry.
|
|
 | Pink cat dish & Matching Litter Scoop
$0.01 |
|
|  | Red and Green Beaded Cat Collar Charm
$3.00 |
|
|
 | DISPOSABLE applicators 8 DOSES CAT KIT FRONTLINE PLUS 6
$21.99 |
|
|  | Leopard Print Pet Kitty Cat Kitten Fun Crawl Tunnel NEW
$39.99 |
|
|
 | Dog feeder / waterer dish stainless steel 5 QT.
$20.89 |
|
|  | New Strawberry Print Pet House 15x16x19 - Cat / Dog Bed
$24.77 |
|
|
 | LITTER KWITTER toilet train cat kitty litter box system
$59.95 |
|
|  | Dog feeder / waterer dish stainless steel 2.5 QT.
$16.49 |
|
|
 | FRONTLINE PLUS + KIT flea tick cat kitten 8 mos
$17.97 |
|
|  | Dog & Cat feeder/waterer dish stainless steel 1 QT.
$13.39 |
|
|
 | PERMANENT WASTE RECEPTACLE CONTAINER - LitterMaid *~*
$49.90 |
|
|  | FELIWAY for CATS COMFORT ZONE COMBO LOT!!!!!!!!
$139.95 |
|
|
 | fur mice -60 piece-natural colors
$8.99 |
|
|  | BNIB Petmate Purrforma XL Self Cleaning Litter Box
$159.99 |
|
|
 | Footprint Adjust Nylon cat collars wt bell (3)!
$7.46 |
|
|  | SCOOPFREE AUTO CAT LITTER BOX CARTRIDGE. 6PK. NEW!
$79.99 |
|
|
 | Thermo-Crinkle Sack
$15.00 |
|
|  | OVERSIZED LARGE Multi Cat BIG Litter Box BIG Cat Pan
$16.99 |
|
|
 | WOW!!! 16 MONTH KIT CATS/KITTENS USA/EPA APPROVED!!
$38.50 |
|
|  | Dog feeder / waterer dish stainless steel 3 QT.
$17.75 |
|
|
 | 8 DOSE FRONTLINE PLUS KITTEN CAT TICK FLEA GREEN 3 6 12
$17.97 |
|
|  | Meow Town Kitty Gym Cat Furniture Bed Scratchers Purple
$49.99 |
|
|
 | (10) $5 SCIENCE DIET Nature's Best coupons exp 9/30/08
$1.30 |
|
|  | Department 56 Cat dishes
$0.99 |
|
|
 | NEW CAT GENIE catgenie self flushing CAT litter box
$263.99 |
|
|  | LARGE HEATED INSULATED CEDAR CAT HOUSE SMALL DOG HOUSE
$169.00 |
|
|
 | ANT FREE ANT PROOF PET BOWL CAT DOG DISH ANTI BARRIER
$7.99 |
|
|  | Pet Food Storage Bag - Bird, Horse, Dog & Cat (50 lbs.)
$16.95 |
|
|
 | LITTER ROBOT Beige Self Cleaning Box Pan Cat Electric+
$329.00 |
|
|  | Pet Lounger Bed / Couch (8639)
$29.80 |
|
|
 | MEOW MIX SING & DANCE MR. MEOW MIX PET CAT
$21.00 |
|
|  | Drinkwell Water Fountain Pet Dog Cat Dish Bowl +7PC Lot
$49.99 |
|
|
 | BIO SPOT FOR CATS 5 LBS & OVER 1 YEAR SUPPLY!!!!!
$28.95 |
|
|  | GENUINE BAYER ADVANTAGE® FLEA 6 DOSES CATS OVER 9 LBS
$27.95 |
|
|
 | ADORABLE OUTDOOR KITTY CAT HOUSE,BED, NO ASSEMBLY!!
$89.00 |
|
|  | RUFF & READY PET CARRIER-BLACK
$18.00 |
|
|
 | Pet Bed with metal head and foot boards (8646)
$29.80 |
|
|  | FOOT LONG FURRY FUN KITTY SNAKE CAT TOY ORGANIC CATNIP
$9.95 |
|
|
 | WICKER CAT LITTERBOX EASY SET UP NO TOOLS REQUIRED
$99.99 |
|
|  | FRONTLINE PLUS + KIT flea tick cat kitten 16 months 6
$32.97 |
|
|
 | Cat Toys
$5.00 |
|
|  | ODOR LOCKERS-Unscented Clumping Cat Litter 3x10 lb Bags
$12.00 |
|
|
 | LOT RABBIT FUR FOOT FEET " WHITE " KEYCHAINS CAT TOYS
$5.99 |
|
|  | PET BED for PAMPERED POOCHES and FELINE DIVAS alike!
$49.99 |
|
|
 | "GLOW IN THE DARK" CAT COLLAR
$5.50 |
|
|  | CAT GENIE WASHABLE GRANDULES NEVER CHANGE LITTER AGAIN
$45.99 |
|
|
 | NEW Petsafe Simply Clean Automatic Cat Litter Box
$79.94 |
|
|  | CAT PLAT STATION HOUSE KITTY PLAYGROUND NEW ACTIVITY
$9.99 |
|
|
 | Dog & Cat feeder/waterer dish stainless steel 1/2 pint
$11.99 |
|
|  | Dog & Cat feeder/waterer dish stainless steel 1 pint
$12.19 |
|
|
 | GET A PRICE ADVANTAGE ON 12mos FLEA KILLER CATS OVER 9#
$26.95 |
|
|  | 3 x PETMATE FRESH FLOW WATER FOUNTAIN FILTERS FILTER
$2.24 |
|
|
 | cat bowl
$12.87 |
|
|  | CAT GENIE SMART CARTRIDGES USE UP TO 60 TIMES
$29.99 |
|
|
 | Dog feeder / waterer dish stainless steel 2 QT. NO RUST
$15.49 |
|
|  | Toilet Train Your Cat Litter Kwitter No More LitterBox
$59.95 |
|
|
 | Dolphin Sunset Water Fountain
$20.00 |
|
|  | FREE CAT FOOD 4 LB BAG NATURAL CHOICE FREE SHIPPING NR
$0.99 |
|
|
 | New Strawberry Print Pet House 18x20x21 - Cat / Dog Bed
$24.77 |
|
|  | * 5 * BAGS POUNCE CRUNCHY , 3 CHEESE FLAVORED
$14.99 |
|
|
 | Wet Food Pedestal Dish Bowl Cat Dog 6" Wide 5.25" High
$22.00 |
|
|  | FRONTLINE PLUS DOG 89-132 LBS EPA 6 MONTHS FREE BONUS
$60.99 |
|
|
 | Good Pet Stuff Hidden Cat Litter Box NEW 2DAYSHIP NIB
$59.90 |
|
|  | 3 CatGenie Smart Cartridge SaniSolutions - New in Pkg!!
$19.99 |
|
|
 | PET RHINESTONE NECKLACE STRETCH PUPPY Dog/Cat Collar 9"
$13.99 |
|
|  | Frontline Plus *CAT* 3 MONTHS! EPA!! NIB!!
$25.99 |
|
|
 | ANT FREE PROOF PET BOWL CAT DOG DISH ANTI BARRIER II
$7.99 |
|
|  | "STICKY SHEETS" Remove Pet Hair and Lint (2pk) 23 x 35"
$0.99 |
|
|
 | 8 MONTH FRONTLINE PLUS FLEA CAT KITTEN
$17.50 |
|
|  | 200 LINERS - LITTERMAID LITTERBOX WASTE RECEPTACLES
$11.00 |
|
|
 | Cat Wormer WormGuard Plus Super Concentrate-All Natural
$17.78 |
|
|  | 3 ORGANIC CATNIP KNOTS CAT TOY BENEFITS ANIMAL RESCUE
$3.50 |
|
|
 | Argo aero-pet airline approved dog & cat carrier pink S
$105.00 |
|
|  | NEW Large Brown Rattan-Wicker Cat Litter Box Cover
$56.85 |
|
|
 | SSSCAT Multivet cat repellent repulsive deterrent repel
$27.00 |
|
|  | Litter Kwitter Quitter Cat Toilet Training NO LITTERBOX
$59.95 |
|
|
 | Cat Collar - Designer Red Glam Rock Swarovski Crystals
$19.99 |
|
|  | Handmade RED Polka Dot Felted Wool Ball Cat Dog FREESHP
$10.99 |
|
|
 | + 5 BAGS Temptations All Natural Cat Treats SALMON +
$8.00 |
|
|  | NEW Jumbo Natural Rattan-Wicker Cat Litter Box Cover
$73.85 |
|
|
 | 1Lb Bag of Science Diet original Dry kitten FOOD 5546
$0.01 |
|
| |
|