Cats Need Meat!

Our domestic house cats also have a specialized digestive system designed specifically for processing meat. Typically, the food digestive process for cats takes around 12 hours and begins the moment the food first enters the mouth. Cats are equipped with 30 adult teeth that are designed for hunting, killing, and eating their prey. Each type of tooth has its specific function: the Incisors are used to grip their prey, the Canines are used to secure a deep bite which aids in the kill of their prey and tear flesh,  the Pre-Molars are used to cut and tear the meat into manageable chunks,  and lastly, the Molars are designed to crush bone. The tongue also aids the teeth by moving and positioning the meat. Saliva is also produced which will help coat the food, protect the throat, and aid breakdown. Next, the chunks of food will move down the esophagus and into the stomach. Once in the stomach, the stomach acid will begin working on breaking down the food as the stomach contracts which mixes and grinds the food with the acid. The stomach acid in felines is highly acidic which helps kill any bacteria or fungus that may have been contaminating the food. Due to the high acidity level, the stomach keeps a low 1-2 pH level. This in turn helps aid the digestive enzymes which function best in a highly acidic environment. Once the stomach contents have been broken down into a semiliquid state called Chyme, it passes into the Duodenum, the first part of the Small Intestine. Here is when the Gall Bladder will release Bile to break up any large fat molecules still existing and the Pancreas releases additional enzymes to aid in the digestion of protein, fat, and neutralize the acid in the Chyme. The Chyme will then continue to move through the rest of the Small Intestine which’s primary function is to absorb the nutrients (protein, fat, and enzymes). As the Chyme begins moving into the Large Intestine all that remains of the Chyme is Dietary Fiber (undigested food) and the water and electrolytes the large intestine will continue to absorb turning the liquid that entered it, into a solid. The Large Intestine also contains trillions of gut bacteria which will ferment the left-over dietary fibers and forms the feces. Once formed, the feces is stored in the rectum until the cat is ready to go to the bathroom. At that point, the feces will pass from the rectum to the anus and into the litter box.

Now let’s talk about how commercial cat food affects the digestive system.

Commercial cat food is produced as small round dry balls or pre-cut canned food. Cats do not have ability to move their jaw side to side, only up and down. Additionally, there teeth are specifically designed to tear through meat; they are not designed to “chew” their food. Due to this, most food will be swallowed whole. This creates the first issue as the cat’s teeth are not being used effectively. When biting into large meat chunks and crushing bone, tarter is naturally scraped off the teeth which helps keep the mouth clean and healthy. With Commercial cat foods, the cat is no longer required to use its teeth while eating which will allow the tarter to build up, which can result in bad breath, tooth decay, and dental disease. The next problem happens in the stomach. Commercial cat food is made high in carbohydrates and plant protein and low-mid meat protein. As a result, the cells in the stomach are not being stimulated to produce the hydrochloric acid which is what causes the stomach to be so acidic. This then leads to a heightened pH level of 4-5. This rise in pH and drop in acidity compromises a cat’s natural defense against bacteria and fungus increasing their chances of becoming ill from exposure. The commercial food also sits in a cat’s stomach for a long period of time. Dry cat food typically contains only 5%-10% moisture. As a result, the food absorbs most of the stomach acid and saliva. Even with absorbing these liquids, the stomach contents tend to be of a thick consistency instead of the semiliquid consistency Chyme should be. Once the stomach contents become of acceptable consistency and move down to the Duodenum and small intestine, another digestive issue occurs. The Pancreas, responsible for releasing enzymes and neutralizing the stomach acid, is not triggered to release these items in the same way due to the high pH and low acidity of the Chyme. Without the proper release of enzymes, the small intestine struggles to properly absorb the nutrients from the Chyme. These unabsorbed nutrients unfortunately become waste products as they make their way into the Large Intestine with the remaining dietary fiber and end up being expelled as feces.