Food selection by the domestic cat, an obligate carnivore

The domestic cat Felis silvestris catus is the most accessible member of the family Felidae for the study of the relationship between food selection and nutrition. In contrast to pack-living animals such as the dog, and opportunistic omnivores such as the rat, the cat is generally able to maintain i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology -- Part A: Physiology 1996-07, Vol.114 (3), p.205-209
Main Authors: Bradshaw, John W.S., Goodwin, Deborah, Legrand-Defrétin, Véronique, Nott, Helen M.R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena
Animals
aversion
cat
Cats
Dogs
facial nerve
Feeding Behavior - physiology
feeding behaviour
Felidae
Felis silvestris catus
Food Preferences - physiology
meal patterns
neophobia
olfaction
palatability
Rats
Smell - physiology
taste
Taste - physiology
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Summary:The domestic cat Felis silvestris catus is the most accessible member of the family Felidae for the study of the relationship between food selection and nutrition. In contrast to pack-living animals such as the dog, and opportunistic omnivores such as the rat, the cat is generally able to maintain its normal body weight even when allowed ad libitum access to palatable food by taking small meals and adjusting intake according to the energy density of the food(s) available. The most extreme adaptations to carnivory discovered to data lie in the taste buds of the facial nerve, which are highly responsive to amino acids and unresponsive to many mono- and disaccharides. Preferences for particular foods can be modified by their relative abundance, their novelty, and by aversive consequences such as emesis: the mechanisms whereby these are brought about appear to be similar to those used by omnivorous mammals.
ISSN:0300-9629
1096-4940
DOI:10.1016/0300-9629(95)02133-7