A Tolerance Study of Turmeric Extract in Healthy Adult Cats

Turmeric has a long history of use as a colorant and flavoring agent. Turmeric extract (TE) is a feed additive containing at least 90% total curcuminoids, comprising mainly curcumin, desmethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin. The published antioxidant effects of TE in humans have sparked interest and feeding studies in companion animals. Studies describing the feeding of TE to cats are scarce and do not provide adequate toxicology data; regulatory approval is required to allow use of TE as a nutritional antioxidant in pet food. The current study describes a safety test of TE in cats. Control cats were fed a standard extruded dry diet whilst two groups of test cats were fed the same diet supplemented with two different levels of TE for four months. Physical examination, body weight, body condition score, food intake, fecal score, monitoring of adverse effects (vomiting, diarrhea, clinical signs), complete blood count, and blood biochemistry (particularly liver enzymes) were used to monitor toxicity signs. The lack of statistically significant effects of clinical or toxicological concern concludes that feeding TE to cats at a dietary level providing up to 1040 ppm total curcuminoids is safe. This allows future application of this ingredient in cat food as a nutritional antioxidant.