| Cat Supplies Article |
The cat (Felis silvestris catus), also known as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from other felines, is a small carnivorous species of nocturnal mammal that is often valued by humans for its companionship and its ability to hunt vermin. It has been associated with humans for at least 9,500 years.
Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they must ingest the flesh of other animals to survive. Where other carnivorous mammals like bears and dogs commonly add to their diets of meat with fruits, berries, roots, and honey when available, by contrast all cats instinctively feed almost solely on meat.
Similarly as with its teeth, a cat's digestive tract has become specialized over time to suit its diet, having shortened in length to only those segments of intestine best able to break down proteins and fats from animal flesh. The evolved trait severely limits the cat's ability to properly digest, metabolize, and absorb plant-derived or synthesized nutrients, as well as certain fatty acids. For example, cats cannot convert the pro-vitamin A abundant in plants, to make vitamin A. Also, a number of required nutrients are not sufficiently available in plant matter to begin with; one critical absence is taurine, a key amino sulfonic acid for eye health. Taurine deficiency can cause a condition called macular degeneration wherein the cat's retina slowly degenerates, eventually causing irreversible blindness.
Due to the above, most felines eat fairly little if any plantstuffs. Yet it is nevertheless quite common for a cat to occasionally supplement its carnivorous diet with small amounts of grass, leaves, shrubs, houseplants, or other plant matter anyway. One theory suggests this behaviour is to facilitate regurgitation if their digestion is upset; another is that it perhaps introduces fibre or trace minerals to the diet. In this context, caution is recommended for cat owners because some houseplants are harmful to cats. The leaves of the Easter Lily can cause permanent and life-threatening kidney damage to cats. Philodendron are also poisonous to cats. Cat Fancy has a full list of plants harmful to cats.
As an exception to the general rule, certain domesticated cats are known to like vegetables. This happenstance may inspire some vegetarian or vegan pet owners to encourage or even impose their own dietary preferences upon their cats, often using commercially-available cat foods supplemented with chemically-synthesized taurine and other added nutrients to address nutritional shortfalls. However, it remains arguable as to whether or not such a vegetarian diet can in fact meet a cat's dietary requirements.
Additionally, cats have been known to develop a fondness for prepared human foods, normally such entrees which are rich in proteins or fats. However, a diet consisting only of human food (even if high quality meat) is unlikely to contain the balanced nutrition required by the cat. Cats normally are good self-regulators of diet; however, unlimited access to food, or excessive human-food 'treats', will often lead to the cat becoming obese, particularly if it is older or more sedentary. This may lead to several health complications, such as diabetes, especially in neutered males. Such health conditions can be prevented through diet and exercise (playing), especially for cats living exclusively indoors.
Cats can be fussy eaters (which may be due in some way to the aforementioned mutation which caused their species to lose sugar-tasting ability). Unlike most mammals, cats can voluntarily starve themselves indefinitely despite being presented with palatable food, even a food which they had previously readily consumed. This can happen when the vomeronasal or Jacobson's organ becomes accustomed to a specific food, or if the cats are spoiled by their owners, in which case the cat will reject any food that does not fit the pattern it is expecting. It is also known for cats to merely become bored with their given food and decide to stop eating until they are tempted into eating again. Although it is extremely rare for a cat to deliberately starve itself to the point of injury, the sudden loss of weight can cause a fatal condition called hepatic lipidosis, a liver dysfunction which causes pathological loss of appetite and reinforces the starvation, which can lead to death within as little as 48 hours.
Some cats have a fondness for catnip, which is sensed by their olfactory systems. While they generally do not consume it, they will often roll in it, paw at it, and occasionally chew on it. The effect is usually relatively short, lasting for only a few minutes. After two hours or less, susceptible cats gain interest again. Several other species of plants (such as mint) cause this effect, to a lesser degree.
Cats can also develop pica. Pica is a condition in which animals chew or eat unusual things such as fabric, plastic or wool. In cats, this is mostly harmless as they do not digest most of it, but can be fatal or require surgical removal if a large amount of foreign material is ingested (for example, an entire sock). It tends to occur more often in Burmese, Oriental, Siamese and breeds with these in their ancestry.
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|  | DRINKWELL PLATINUM Pet Fountain FILTERS 12PAC FREE SHIP
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 | New Snap Away Nylon Cat Collar (Fits 6"-11") Reflective
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|  | Frontline Spray For Dogs & Cats Great 4 Multi Pet Homes
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 | SSSCAT cat repellent repulsive deterrent repel Multivet
$25.00 |
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|  | Littermaid elite rake or grate or comb lot of 2
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 | OVERSIZED LARGE Multi Cat BIG Litter Box BIG Cat Pan
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|  | Cat COLLARS - PINK/BLUE/PURPLE w/FLOWERS~All 3~**NWT**
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 | HAGEN CAT IT DRINKING FOUNTAIN REPLACEMENT FILTERS 6 PK
$9.29 |
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 | ODOR LOCKERS-Scented Clumping Cat Litter 3x10 lb Bags
$12.00 |
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|  | Advantage for cats over 9lbs (purple)
$39.00 |
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 | Bat'n Bobble Cat Toy - jingle ball on inside - NEW
$8.50 |
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|  | 8 Day Plus Automatic Pet Feeder for cat
$27.00 |
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 | PINK DRINKWELL Limited Edition Pet Cat Water Fountain
$34.89 |
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 | Modern Wood Litter Box with Odor Fighting Features
$74.99 |
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|  | Brandnew - 20" black Leather Dog Training, Show Leash
$4.99 |
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 | 16 month FRONTLINE PLUS KIT flea tick 4 cat green 6 8
$32.97 |
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|  | GENUINE USA Cat Frontline 6 pack FREE SHIP IN USA
$44.00 |
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Save $5.00 Hills Science Diet Product coupon
$3.00 |
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|  | 8 Months Frontline Plus for Cats FREE SHIPPING 3 6
$19.90 |
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 | The Cat Dancer Complete Action Cat Toy - BEST TOY EVER!
$3.55 |
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|  | Water Bottle For Small Pets
$3.00 |
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 | GENUINE BAYER ADVANTAGE® FLEA 6 DOSES CATS OVER 9 LBS
$27.95 |
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|  | Modern Wood Litter Box & Litter Catch. Feature Filled!
$89.98 |
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 | Paw Print Pets Dog House -16x16x14" - Bed Pet Supplies
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|  | The Original Cat Dancer - BEST TOY EVER for CATS!!!
$3.55 |
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 | Large Square Cat Bean bag Bed Cats Just Love These!
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|  | New Catnip Camo Toys! Pink Mice & Ball+Free Toy!
$1.00 |
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 | FRONTLINE PLUS CAT DOG KITTEN PUPPY MEDIUM FLEA TICK S
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|  | ADORABLE OUTDOOR KITTY CAT HOUSE,BED, NO ASSEMBLY!!
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 | FRONTLINE PLUS 8 DOSE KITTEN CAT GREEN TICK FLEA 12 *
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|  | SWAROVSKI BABY PINKS & PEARLS TIARA CHARM CAT COLLAR
$25.99 |
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 | $18 Value - Iams ProActive Health Cat Food
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|  | PetSafe Deluxe In-Ground Cat Fence *NEW IN BOX*
$120.00 |
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 | Cat Hole - Interior Cat Door - Hide the litter box!
$39.99 |
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| 14 CatGenie SaniSolution Cartridges
$25.00 |
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 | PINK DRINKWELL Limited Edition Pet Cat Water Fountain
$34.89 |
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|  | Pet Kennel
$600.00 |
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 | Water Bottle For Small Pets
$3.00 |
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|  | Brandnew 25" tan, beige suede Dog Training Leash 1/2"w
$4.99 |
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 | Cat COLLARS - BLUE/PINK/TAN LEOPARD~All 3~ - **NWOT**
$0.99 |
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|  | HAGEN CATIT FRESH & CLEAR AUTOMATIC DRINKING FOUNTAIN
$22.50 |
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6 Manf. Friskies Coupons good until next year!
$0.99 |
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|  | Ba-Da-Beam Automatic Rotating Laser Cat Toy 4 Dogs too!
$13.85 |
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 | RUFF & READY PET CARRIER-BLACK
$18.00 |
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|  | Brandnew 4' black suede leash with purple Swarovskis
$4.99 |
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 | EPA Approv Frontline Plus for Cats Any Size 3 Month
$11.99 |
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|  | KittyWalk Town & Country Cat Kennel
$179.99 |
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 | SCOOPWELL Litter Box Scoop And Cat Box Cleaner
$6.75 |
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|  | Littermaid Waste Receptacle covers
$7.99 |
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 | Multivet SSSCAT Cat deterrent spray training aid - NEW!
$26.95 |
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|  | Dog Cat House Pet Shelter The Pet Hotel Carrier
$9.95 |
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 | LARGE HEATED INSULATED CEDAR CAT HOUSE SMALL DOG HOUSE
$169.00 |
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|  | Litttermaid LM700 - Brand New in Factory Box!
$85.00 |
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 | 10 Coupons $1/1 FANCY FEAST GOURMET GOLD CAT FOOD 12/31
$2.49 |
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|  | Purina Pro Plan Kitten
$4.84 |
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 | 6 REPLACEMENT FILTERS HAGEN CATIT DRINKING FOUNTAIN
$9.49 |
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|  | Water Bottle For Small Pets
$3.00 |
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 | 1/4" Sisal Rope 100' CAT SCRATCHING POST Bird Toys Toy
$5.24 |
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|  | LitterMaid LM700 Self-Cleaning Automatic Litter Box NEW
$99.95 |
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 | Customize Your Own Stainless Steel & Enamel Pet ID Tag
$11.00 |
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|  | LITTER ROBOT Beige Self Cleaning Box Pan Cat Electric+
$329.00 |
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 | Litter Maid litter box
$5.00 |
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|  | NIB POCKET Black Light UV Blacklight Vaseline GLASS
$7.99 |
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 | Cat COLLARS - BLACK/RED/GOLD Reflective~All 3~**NWOT**
$0.99 |
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|  | "GLOW IN THE DARK" CAT COLLAR
$5.50 |
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 | Brandnew 21" moss green suede Dog Training Leash 3/4"w
$4.99 |
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|  | cat bowl
$12.87 |
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 | ADVANTAGE CATS DOGS 1 10 11 20 21 55 9 18 FLEA KITTEN E
$17.97 |
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