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Taurine is an amino acid that cats uniquely require in their diet to stay healthy. In this article, you\u2019ll learn what taurine is and what it\u2019s needed for, what happens when cats don\u2019t get enough of it, how taurine deficiency in cats is treated, and some frequently asked questions.<\/p>\n
<\/em><\/p>\n Taurine is an amino acid. Amino acids are the building blocks that make up proteins. There are two main categories of amino acids, essential and non-essential.<\/p>\n For humans, taurine is called a conditionally essential amino acid<\/a>. This means that at most times, we make enough of our own to meet our needs, but at certain times, especially when the body is ill or under stress, we might need to consume more to meet our needs.<\/p>\n But cats by contrast cannot make enough taurine on their own and always need to consume it in their diet to meet their needs. For cats, this makes taurine an essential amino acid. Why can humans make taurine and cats can\u2019t? Cats have a limited amount of the enzyme required to craft taurine out of cysteine, a non-essential amino acid. Cats also cannot store very much taurine in their bodies.<\/p>\n If cats need to get taurine in their diet, what foods are rich in taurine? Largely, we\u2019re talking about meat, or animal protein. This includes red meat, white meat, fish, and dairy. Of those, dairy has the least taurine while red meat has the most. Plants have little to no taurine content.<\/p>\n Taurine is required by the body for a number of important things. These include:<\/p>\n Because cats require taurine in their diet, consuming a diet that does not contain enough taurine is main cause taurine deficiency in cats.<\/p>\n Foods that do not contain enough taurine for cats include:<\/p>\n Many diets formulated for dogs contain animal-based proteins, so they do have some taurine in them. However, the amounts are not nearly high enough to meet a cat\u2019s needs. Dogs are able to make their own taurine, so their diets are not supplemented with additional taurine (commercial cat diets are supplemented with more taurine).<\/p>\n In a study from 2019<\/a>, researchers found that of 114 homemade diet recipes, none of them met all nutritional allowances for essential nutrients for cats. This simply supports the idea that home cooking for cats is not easy to do correctly, even with \u201cgood\u201d recipes. Deficiencies in nutrients like taurine are a risk.<\/p>\n A strictly vegetarian or vegan diet is not natural or appropriate for cats, which are obligate carnivores and require animal protein in their diets. Their need for taurine, found only in animal protein, is just one example of why vegetarian or vegan diets are not natural for cats.<\/p>\n For cats with decreased appetites, trying things like baby food to encourage appetite is common. However, cats that are consistently eating too much of foods like this instead of proper cat foods will be at risk of a taurine deficiency.<\/p>\n In the 1980s, the connection between taurine deficiency and certain diseases was discovered. Taurine was recognized as an essential nutrient for cats and diet formulations were changed to include taurine supplementation.<\/p>\n Contemporary quality commercial diets for cats are supplemented properly with taurine, as long as they meet guidelines set forth by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). To meet AAFCO guidelines for taurine<\/a>, cat dry foods must contain 25 milligrams per 100 kilocalories of food. For canned foods, the requirement is 50 milligrams per 100 kilocalories of food.<\/p>\n Also Read: <\/b>When & How To Switch From Kitten To Cat Food<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Taurine deficiency during pregnancy can lead to birth defects in the kittens.<\/p><\/div>\n The signs and symptoms of taurine deficiency in cats can take a few months to be recognized. Because taurine is involved in several body systems and processes, several manifestations of taurine deficiency might be seen. To make things easier, we\u2019ll look at the health conditions taurine deficiency causes and signs seen with those disorders.<\/p>\n Of all the disorders seen with taurine deficiency in cats, the ones with the most recognized impact are dilated cardiomyopathy and retinal degeneration. Over time, these disorders are the most commonly seen and cause the greatest complications to health.<\/p>\n If not diagnosed and treated, cats with DCM will either develop a life-threatening heart arrhythmia or progress to congestive heart failure, which is a medical emergency and can have a guarded prognosis.<\/p>\n Feline central retinal degeneration will lead to progressive, irreversible blindness. Diagnosing taurine deficiency is crucial to putting a halt in the process salvaging what vision remains.<\/p>\n Diagnosing taurine deficiency itself is usually a combination of the following:<\/p>\n In many cases, taurine deficiency might not be suspected until a cat presents to a veterinarian with symptoms seen with this nutritional disorder. This is especially the case with DCM and FCRD, since both conditions are considered very rare unless taurine deficiency is involved.<\/p>\n During an exam, your vet may detect abnormalities to your cat’s heart, like a heart murmur or arrhythmia. When performing an eye exam, your vet will be able to have a basic look at the retina at the back of the eye to screen for abnormalities.<\/p>\n During your cat’s exam, your veterinarian might recommend some baseline diagnostics to get preliminary information and rule out other potential causes. These include:<\/p>\n Cats with taurine deficiency might have normal bloodwork and urinalysis, which might prompt a vet to additionally check blood taurine levels if taurine deficiency is suspected.<\/p>\n X-rays of the chest might show an enlarged heart if DCM is present.<\/p>\n Getting a definitive diagnosis for DCM and FCRD might require referral to a specialist, especially since these conditions are uncommon to see unless taurine deficiency is present.<\/p>\n A veterinary cardiologist specializes in heart disorders. A veterinary ophthalmologist specializes in vision disorders. Some ways these specialists can diagnose these disorders using testing not commonly available to general practitioners include:<\/p>\n The treatment for taurine deficiency in cats is dietary supplementation with taurine. In studies, the normal maintenance requirement for taurine for cats sits between about 40 to 60 milligrams per day<\/a> for an adult cat.<\/p>\n Normal blood taurine levels for cats might vary, but are typically higher than 300 nanomoles per milliliter. Levels less than 160 are considered deficient, with many taurine-deficient cats having levels less than 50.<\/p>\n When a cat\u2019s blood taurine levels are this low, and one or more diseases seen with taurine deficiency are present, cats require a high level of supplementation, greatly exceeding that 40 to 60 milligrams per day. This is because cats can\u2019t store taurine very well and high levels are needed to replenish their stores, which get used up quickly.<\/p>\n Supplementation recommendations for cats with taurine deficiency range from 250 milligrams up to 500 milligrams every 12 hours. Toxicity has not been appreciated with high levels of taurine, so higher levels might be recommended in cases of more severe disease.<\/p>\n Several taurine supplement<\/a> options are available. Some examples include Formula V Taurine and Dyna-Taurine, both of which are labeled for use in cats. It\u2019s very important to follow your veterinarian or veterinary specialist\u2019s advice on what product to use and how to give it.<\/p>\n Fortunately, depending on how early taurine deficiency is detected, the diseases that result from it can be stopped in their tracks and sometimes reversed. The effects of DCM can be almost fully reversed with appropriate supplementation. While existing damage from retinal degeneration cannot be reversed, the process can be stopped, preserving remaining vision.<\/p>\n To ensure your cat gets enough taurine, feed a complete-and-balanced diet that’s formulated to meet AAFCO nutritional guidelines for growth (kittens) or maintenance (adults).<\/p><\/div>\n The straightforward way to prevent taurine deficiency in cats is to feed a quality cat food that is known to have appropriate taurine supplementation. A cat food<\/a> that meets AAFCO\u2019s nutritional guidelines for a balanced diet will have appropriate levels of taurine included in the food to meet a cat\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n After the connection was made between taurine and DCM in 1987 and pet food manufacturers began adding additional taurine to cat foods, DCM and FCRD went from being commonly seen in veterinary practice to being very rare. Taurine supplementation in commercial diets has continued to be an important standard in cat foods since then.<\/p>\n With the increasing popularity of homemade foods and raw food diets that are not nutritionally balanced, veterinarians have been seeing more cases of taurine deficiency-associated diseases.<\/p>\n But can\u2019t you just supplement<\/a> a bunch of taurine to a homemade diet<\/a> to meet the requirement? Simply supplementing taurine to an unbalanced diet might not be appropriate on its own. Other nutrients in food affect how taurine is digested, absorbed, and utilized by a cat\u2019s body. It\u2019s therefore very important that any diet for cats is fully nutritionally balanced.<\/p>\n If you feed a raw diet to your cat, ensure it still meets AAFCO formulation guidelines for your cat\u2019s life stage. If a homemade diet is something you are interested in, it is best to consult with a board-certified veterinary nutritionist to ensure that any homemade diet is fully balanced.<\/p>\nWhat Is Taurine?<\/h2>\n
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Causes of Taurine Deficiency in Cats<\/h2>\n
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Symptoms of Taurine Deficiency in Cats<\/h2>\n
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Complications of Taurine Deficiency<\/h2>\n
Diagnosis of Taurine Deficiency in Cats<\/h2>\n
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Treatments for Taurine Deficiency in Cats<\/h2>\n
Cat Care Tips<\/h2>\n
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Preventing Taurine Deficiency in Cats<\/h2>\n