Cats as Carnivorous Predators
Throughout the course of evolution the cat’s ability to survive in the wild has become extremely dependent upon its hunting ability. In order for feral, or undomesticated, cats to survive on their own in the wild they have developed hereditary traits and instincts from their ancestors throughout time. Though these hereditary traits that they have inherited are helpful for undomesticated cats, they can often cause problems when domesticated house cats revert back to the ways of their ancestors, often influencing the ways that cats kept as pets are managed. Cats are carnivorous predators and pet owners must accommodate this lifestyle by feeding them a meat-based diet with high protein, providing them with a play outlet to avoid predatory aggression, as well as keeping them inside or monitoring their activities while outside to avoid the unnecessary killing of birds or any other type of animal.
As carnivorous predators, cats require a high protein, meat-based diet. The need for a meat-based diet is essential because the meat is often high in not only proteins and calories, but it also has a great deal of amino acids, especially taurine, which is important in the development of eye sight. Pet owners must be aware that “the protein requirement for maximal growth for kittens is 24 % when the diet exceeds all of the essential amino acid requirements” (Journal of Nutrition, High Dietary Protein and Taurine… pg.2228). Carnivores need this amount of protein at a young age to build muscle for hunting and to keep them well nourished.
The diet of the cat is based on development and they should be fed according to their stage of development towards an adult cat. In the wild, cats eat just about anything they can get their paws on; rats, mice, birds, and reptiles. Kittens have a need for higher levels of protein and calories for proper development until they reach the age of 18 months, when the levels of protein drop to just the right amount of protein to sustain themselves. Another reason why cats need to have a healthy meat-based diet is because they have a shorter digestive system than most omnivores and herbivores. They have to absorb more nutrients in a shorter amount of time, thus the need for a lot of protein because they have a very short time to digest it.
Being a carnivorous predator, the cat needs some sort of play outlet besides its usual habitat or the owner may become the object of play predatory aggression.
In ?Curiosity?, Reid describes the lives of cats and dogs as though they are everyday people. Cats, being the inquisitive ones, are willing to lead a life of risk-taking without weighing the consequences. ?Dogs say cats love too much, are irresponsible, are changeable, marry too many wives, desert their children, chill all dinner tables with tales of their nine lives.? (ll. 27-30). Cats feel...
For many cat owners, their cat’s impulse to scratch can become a disastrous problem. Cat owners believe that the only logical solution is to have the cat declawed. It’s natural for cats to scratch and use their our claws to live their daily lives. Cats use their claws to play, climb, and in many situations as a form of self-defense. So the question that presents itself, is it really necessary for cat owners to have cats declawed. The only problem with declawing cats is that it is unnecessary and inhumane mutilation. Many cat owners should be more aware take advantage of the other safer and more humane alternatives for their cats.
According to diet.lovetoknow.com, animal sources of protein are eggs, fish, poultry, and meat. This is because they contain all the amino acids that are essential to the body. They are essential because the body cannot produce them on its own. This means that the eggs, salmon, tuna, ham, pork bacon in Mr. Smith's diet is complete. Almonds are a plant source and are considered incomplete because they contain only part of the amino acids the human body needs.(Eating, 2006) There is not another incomplete source of protein in Joe's diet to complement the almonds. However, the necessity does not exist to include a complimentary protein food because Joe ingests two sources of complete protein.
researchers are suggesting a more “judicious” approach in utilizing “limited biological raw materials” such as fish products (De Silva & Turchini, 2008). The challenges unique to the pet food industry is that, “pet food professionals need not only consider the total amount of protein to target, but also the quality, bioavailability, and ingredient source as well” when designing their formulas (Swanson, Carter, Yount, Aretz, & Buff, 2013). Research also indicates a need to further study the impact of the pet food industry on the fish market so that any prevalent issues are brought to the light, discussed and resolved instead of ignored (De Silva & Turchini,
off of just one host but very few predators can feed on the same prey(1973). In
Roemer GW, Gompper ME and Van Valkenburgh B. 2009. The ecological role of the mammalian mesocarnivore. Bioscience 59:165-173.
There can be no doubt that shelters in the United States are overcrowded, feral cats roam our city streets, thousands of dogs live in grotesque conditions in puppy mills across the country, and yet most American citizens when polled will readily declare that their cat or dog is like ‘a member of the family’. The state of companion animals in this country is precarious at best; caught between scientists who subscribe to Descartes’s idea of ‘anima ex machina’ (unfeeling, a living example of biological processes without the status of ‘being’) and the more common phenomenon of people who pamper their pets in ways that most people would envy. For most individuals living in an urban society such as ours, the most common interaction with animals happens within the home – if the animals that we relate to and interact with the most continue to be abandoned and mistreated on a large scale, there must be some solution that involves more than just building more animal shelters or performing euthanasia more liberally.
The cat is a household pet his life is good. He never has to do any
This may be an expression of hunting behaviour. One approach is to exercise your cats hunting instincts by playing games with toys several times daily, this should help it from being a frustrated hunter. Alternatively, increase your cats opportunity to hunt outside as this problem is more likely in cats confined within the home. If you are still being ambushed, carry a toy with you about the house, and throw it in front of you to draw the cat out. Don’t attempt to frighten your cat off as challenging it may excite it or provoke defensive
Cats are annoying, rude, and nasty. They scratch all of your stuff and try to eat your fish out of the tank. They don’t listen to anyone and ignore you. And they cough up hairballs. And I would hate to clean out their litter boxes why won't they just use the bathroom outside like other animals do?
cat is easily freaked out by weird noises. It is also designed with a useful little safety blade,
"The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Development Program: The Health Benefits of Pets." NIH Consensus Development Program. Web. 30 Oct. 2011.
Cat diet that contain more protein should be avoided because the renal system need to work hard in removing the waste material left by the breakdown materials of the proteins. However, we all know that other health problems can develop with the shortage of protein, so take the recommendation of the vet to provide the proper kind and right quantity of meals.
Many people do keep big cats like bobcats, tigers, and lions as pets. Experts estimate that there are around 10,000 to 15,000 tigers now kept as pets or in private facilities in the US. However, what we don't know is that more and more pet tigers and other big cats end up neglected or given up to sanctuaries because their owners cannot care for them. Owners of big cats who execute their way to provide appropriate housing and diet have no problems, but there are countless others who are very mistaken in their anticipated ability to provide the proper care. For instance, their was a man who raised a pet tiger in his Harlem apartment in New York City. As a result, private posession of big cats raises risks of the welfare of the animals themselves.
" Society & Animals 18.2 (2010): 183-203. Academic Search Premier -. EBSCO. Web. The Web. The Web.