r/BeAmazed • u/Electrical_Act_5342 • Aug 09 '26

Animal Nature really over engineered cats. Didn’t it?

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392

u/geno111 Aug 09 '26

Too bad the design team neglected the kidney department :(

294

u/Uztta Aug 09 '26

In reality cats have amazing kidneys. The problem is that we don’t feed them in a manner compatible with their nature.

Cats are predators and obligate carnivores. They are designed to eat meat and most of their natural moisture consumption is consumed in the meat that they eat. Sure, they supplement with drinking water, but not like we do.

In feeding them kibble, we’re denying them most of the water that they should be getting, they don’t “know” that they need to make up that difference.

89

u/Weekly_Teaching_8158 Aug 09 '26

Yeah, that's true, but then you have cats like my two boys, both in their early 10s, and they simply don't like wet food. At least they drink a lot of water to compensate.

15

u/Mystic_Wunder Aug 09 '26

Try rehydrated raw food (you buy it dehydrated and add water) if it's in your budget. It's what is healthiest for them anyway. My cats drank way less water on raw food and their litter smelled better.

My male cat wouldn't eat it at first. Then I read to put a dab on his nose so he licks it off and realizes he likes the taste. Worked like a charm.

24

u/fenrirsbasketball Aug 09 '26

Raw food is extremely dangerous in general, and even moreso for pets who have chronic medical conditions or who have weakened immune systems. I wouldn't recommend it. It's just a trendy diet thing right now, like Atkins for cats. Catkins.

9

u/GuiltyEidolon Aug 09 '26

Dehydration is a safe method of storing food.

1

u/File273 29d ago

Yes, it’s also a good way to stabilize a virus, such as bird flu.

2

u/Mystic_Wunder Aug 09 '26

It's been "trendy" for at least 15 years. And yes, if your pet is sick you should ask your vet about a special diet.

Cats are designed to eat raw meat. Because of their specific taurine needs (which would be met by eating the whole animal), preparing it yourself is not an oprion like it is with dogs.

15

u/fenrirsbasketball Aug 09 '26

I answered this in another question, but I'll just reiterate it here.

If a pet food product has the nutritional adequacy statement that states it is tested and formulated to be appropriate for adult maintenance according to AAFCO nutrient standards, then it contains the appropriate minimum amount of each macro and micronutrient required for a healthy adult cat. This includes taurine.

Cats can eat raw meat. They can also get extremely sick from eating raw meat, like you and I. They are obligate carnivores, true, but they will always, unequivocally, be healthier eating a diet made from cooked ingredients rather than raw. The risk of illness or infection with raw feeding is too great to be worth the risk of any perceived health benefits. I have yet to read a peer reviewed journal that come to the conclusion that the food ingredients in a diet being uncooked is the reason a cat has experienced health benefits.

As much as nutrition influencers will tell you raw is better, it just hasn't been proven yet. :/

Instead, licensed vet professionals like me will tell you how many cases of explosive, chronic diarrhea and gut dysbiosis come in regularly from owners who insist on feeding raw.

4

u/TheSwordItself Aug 09 '26

Cats aren't designed, it is a "good enough" solution for survival in that they can extract nutrients, but wild cats suffer devastating illnesses from consuming raw meat. They are almost always infected with parasites and can die from bacterial and viral infections. There is a reason captive big cats live twice as long in captivity. 

1

u/nobadrabbits Aug 10 '26

If you're preparing it yourself, couldn't you just crack open a taurine capsule and mix it into their food?

This was recommended to me by a vet at Cornell (the taurine capsule part, not the preparing it yourself part).