High-fat or high-carbohydrate diets (high-fat: 30% fat, 18.9% carbohydrate; high-carbohydrate: 10% fat, 46.3% carbohydrate) and lengths of adaptation were investigated in cats (Felis catus; 10 ± two months, 3.6 ± 0.3 kg).
Cats randomly received each treatment for 14 days in a crossover design with a 14-day washout period between each diet. Three 22-hour indirect calorimetry studies were conducted after acute (day 0), semichronic (day 4) and chronic (day 13) dietary exposure. Blood samples were collected after a 24-hour fast on days 1, 5 and 14. When cats consumed the high-carbohydrate and high-fat diets, oxidation of the restricted nutrient exceeded intake while oxidation of the nutrient in excess matched intake. Mean max energy expenditure of cats consuming the high-fat and high-carbohydrate diets were 107 and 102 kcal/kg0.67/day, respectively. Maximal fat and carbohydrate oxidation were attained at 26 minutes and 10.4 hours post-feeding, respectively.
The changes observed in macronutrient oxidation and energy expenditure suggest that cats adapt whole-body nutrient metabolism in response to changes in dietary macronutrient content, but may require longer than 14 days to adapt to a macronutrient that is present at a lower concentration in the diet.
Source: M.A. Gooding et al., 2013. Effects of high-fat and high-carbohydrate diets on fat and carbohydrate oxidation and plasma metabolites in healthy cats. JAPAN online, September 2013. doi: 10.1111/jpn.12126.
Feature
By Lindsay Beaton
Packaging continues to be a primary way for pet food companies to speak to their customers.
Feature
By Lindsay Beaton
Pet treat trends are largely following pet food trends as pet parents look to bond with their animals.