| 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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|  | Deluxe Freash Flow Purifying Pet Fountain 108 oz Large
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 | Adorable Cat Bed
$18.99 |
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|  | GREAT 16 MONTH SUPPLY OF FRONTLINE PLUS FOR CATS
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 | ADVANTAGE CAT FLEA 5 MONTHS DOSES OVER 9 POUNDS
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 | CAT OR DOG BED - LULU PINK BY SIMPLY SHE - NWT
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|  | Lickety Sticks Organic Catnip Toy Stickers For Cats
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 | Littermaid Elite LME5500 - Brand New
$79.95 |
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|  | Cat Fountain filtered water bowl / dish! NEW IN BOX NR
$23.99 |
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 | PETMATE FRESH FLOW CAT DOG WATER FOUNTAIN IVORY WHITE
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|  | 70" Cat Tree House Condo Scratcher Post Furniture F72-B
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 | Refillable catnip cat bed/mat
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 | GREENIES PILL POCKETS FELINE SALMON FLAVOR 5 PKGS OF 45
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|  | 48" Cat Tree House Toy Bed Scratcher Post Furniture F43
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 | Peticure Petite Kit PLUS Pack of 20 Filing Bands NEW
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 | GENUINE BAYER ADVANTAGE® FLEA 6 DOSES CATS OVER 9 LBS
$29.95 |
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|  | Ceramic Mason Cash & Co "Kitty" Dish Cobalt Tan England
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 | 45" Cat Tree House Toy Bed Scratcher Post Furniture F04
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|  | ROYAL SPLENDOR DOG OR CAT PET BED BEDS DOG/CAT NEW
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 | Gentle Leader Cat Kitten Harness & Bungee Leash NEW NIP
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 | Bootsie's Bunk Bed and Play Room~Cat Activity Center *
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 | 15 $4.00 off Iams Cat food any size bag
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|  | NEW LitterMaid Self-Cleaning Automatic Litter Box LM700
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 | 3 IAMS PUPPY/KITTEN COUPONS SAVE $5
$1.00 |
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|  | 3 IAMS PUPPY/KITTEN COUPONS SAVE $5
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NIB LOT COMFORT ZONE WITH FELIWAY! DIFFUSER, 4 REFILL +
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|  | Kitty cat condo condos tree house bed toy furniture 66B
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 | ADVANTAGE CAT FLEA 5 MONTHS DOSES OVER 9 POUNDS
$19.00 |
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|  | SPECIAL 16 MONTH FRONTLINE PLUS FOR CATS
$36.00 |
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 | PET Fleece BED / Kennel Mat SANTA CAT Reversible
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|  | LARGE CAT LITTER BOX,PAN NO-STOOP LITTER BOX
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 | PetHealth Dog Multi-Vitamin Formula
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|  | UNIQUE CAT PET LITTER BOX LARGE, NO-MOTOR LITTER BOX
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|  | SCOOPFREE AUTOMATIC CAT, KITTEN LITTER BOX. NEW!
$89.99 |
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 | COLORFUL CAT COLLAR WITH BELL - 11 INCH - NR
$0.01 |
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|  | .135: Cat HOME: Double Tower Platforms w/ Cave Tunnel
$7.20 |
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 | Cat Mate C50 Automatic Pet Feeder, Dog or Cat
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|  | Tabby Kitty Condo NIB!!
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 | CAT LITTER BOX SCOOP FOR NO-STOOP CLEANING
$25.00 |
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|  | Adorable Cat Bed
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 | ORGANIC WHEAT SEEDS - CAT GRASS - FREE SHIPPING
$3.00 |
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|  | 42" Cat Tree Condo House Scratcher Pet Furniture bed-07
$39.99 |
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 | FRONTLINE PLUS for CATS 5 APPLICATORS EXP 3-2011 Fleas
$40.00 |
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|  | 55" Cat Tree Condo House Scratcher Pet Furniture bed-3B
$59.99 |
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 | WATCH 8 MONTH SUPPLY OF FRONTLINE PLUS FOR CATS
$19.00 |
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|  | ADVANTAGE CAT FLEA 10 MONTHS DOSES UP TO 9 POUNDS
$19.00 |
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 | NEW LitterMaid Self-Cleaning Automatic Litter Box LM700
$67.00 |
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|  | CATS LOVE THESE CATNIP BODY PILLOWS 14" LONG
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 | CAT FURNITURE, SCRATCHING POST, BED, PLAY AREA
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|  | .097 PET TENT CARRIER - RED - CAT ON CLOUD DESIGN NEW
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 | CUSTOM MOSAIC PET MEMORIAL STONE WITH ENGRAVED STONE
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|  | 55" Cat Tree Condo House Scratcher Pet Furniture bed-05
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 | 67" Cat Tree Condo House Scratcher Pet Furniture bed-15
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|  | NEW NEVER USED "CAT PAWS"HND PAINTED & CRAFTED CAT DISH
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 | Multivet SSSCAT Cat deterrent spray training aid - NEW!
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|  | CATWALK MULTI MAGNETIC WOOD FITTING CAT DOOR GREY
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 | Cat Tree Toy Bed House Scratcher Post Furniture F12
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|  | Felt Fish for Kitty Cat Play Toy Ornament Gift Tag MEOW
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|  | 57" Cat Tree Condo House Scratcher Pet Furniture bed-04
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 | BRAND NEW Drinkwell Pet Fountain Water Dish Cat Dog NIB
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|  | Slumber Pet THERMAL Kitty CAT MAT Bed Dog Thermo *NEW*
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 | CAT SCRATCHER , UNIQUE STYLE
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|  | Cat Fountain filtered water bowl / dish! NEW IN BOX NR
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 | 80" Cat Tree House Condo Scratcher Post Furniture F2030
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 | GREAT DEAL 8 MONTH SUPPLY OF FRONTLINE PLUS FOR CATS
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|  | ADVANTAGE CAT FLEA 10 MONTHS DOSES UP TO 9 POUNDS
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 | Dog Cat Pet Leopard Red Berber Tote Bag Carrier Small
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 | Persian Kitty Condo NIB!!!
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 | WOW- Frontline Plus for Cats and Kittens*^KIT*^8 dose
$15.50 |
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|  | Acorn Water Fountain
$145.00 |
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 | MARVEL MITTS Pet Hair Remover, Lint Remover & Grooming
$9.25 |
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| frontline top spot for cats (3) applications
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 | camo bed bone pattern bed new sealed hard to find
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|  | EPA - 8 Months of EPA FRONTLINE for CATS - fAST Shpg
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 | The Original Weazel Ball
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|  | Cat Key Chain Urn & Vial pet memorial cremation jewelry
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 | ADVANTAGE CAT FLEA 5 MONTHS DOSES OVER 9 POUNDS
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|  | PetHealth Cat Multi-Vitamin Formula
$29.99 |
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 | Fresh Flow Pet Fountain 216 oz.
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|  | 24" COGNAC SISAL CAT SCRATCHING POST COMBO SPECIAL
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 | 73" Cat Tree Condo House Scratcher Pet Furniture bed-08
$99.99 |
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|  | 3 IAMS PUPPY/KITTEN COUPONS SAVE $5
$1.00 |
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