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Acid-base balance affects dietary choice in cats
N E Cook1, Q R Rogers, J G Morris
1Department of Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis 95616, USA.
Appetite
|April 1, 1996
Summary
Cats can sense and select diets to maintain their body's acid-base balance. Studies show cats avoid high-protein diets that disrupt this balance, preferring options that support homeostasis.
Area of Science:
- Animal Nutrition
- Physiological Chemistry
Background:
- Dietary choices significantly influence an animal's acid-base status.
- Understanding nutrient self-selection is key to managing animal health and metabolic balance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how acid-base status affects dietary protein self-selection in adult male cats.
- To determine if cats can adjust their food choices to maintain acid-base homeostasis.
Main Methods:
- Cats were fed diets formulated to induce acidic, neutral, or alkaline states.
- Choice feeding trials involved offering standard protein diets against high-protein alternatives (casein or soybean-protein/lactalbumin).
- Subsequent trials offered diets with varying electrolyte compositions to manipulate acid-base status.
Main Results:
- Cats consistently avoided high-protein diets, particularly those with casein, which exacerbated acidosis.
- Cats selected neutral or alkaline diets when presented with choices that could disrupt acid-base balance.
- Acidosis induced by specific diets led to decreased serum sodium and potassium levels.
Conclusions:
- Cats demonstrate a capacity for dietary self-selection to maintain acid-base homeostasis.
- Protein content and metabolic byproducts significantly influence feline dietary preferences when acid-base balance is challenged.
- Maintaining acid-base balance appears to be a critical factor in diet selection for cats.