Assisted feeding techniques in hospitalised felines
Abstract
Both dogs and cats continue to be important family and household members. However, because felines are obligate carnivores, they have complicated, and unique nutritional requirements compared with their canine counterparts. These nutritional demands can become even more of a challenge when they are placed in a stressful or hospital environment.
Domesticated felines have been kept as pets throughout the centuries for many different reasons. Today the UK has an estimated population of 10.9 million cats (PDSA, 2020), and maintaining their nutritional and health needs is extremely important to ensure they live a happy and healthy life. The World Health Organisation (WHO) describes nutrition as ‘the intake of food, considered in relation to the body's dietary needs,’ with good nutrition being described as a ‘well balanced diet combined with regular physical activity’ (WHO, 2021).
Domestic felines require specific dietary components in comparison to domestic canines. Felines are obligate carnivores; a term which defines their inability to synthesise vitamin A, arachidonic acid and taurine, meaning they require a dietary source of these obtained only from animal protein. Taurine is a sulfonic acid abundant in the natural food of felines, such as small rodents and birds, and is abundant in animal tissues but absent in plants, hence vegetarian diets are not suitable for cats. See Table 1 for comparison and reasoning.
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