| 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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|  | 55" Cat Tree Condo House Scratcher Pet Furniture bed-3B
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Warm & Cozy 4-Way Machine Washable Pet Bed (Cats/Dogs)
$19.95 |
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$7.00 |
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|  | Catnip Cat Pet Bed Green with Organic Catnip
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 | 57" Cat Tree Condo House Scratcher Pet Furniture bed-04
$59.99 |
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| Feliway Cat Phermone diffuser NO RESERVE
$1.34 |
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 | Omega Paw Deluxe Window Perch Seat For Kitty Cats
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 | shaking & rattling fur mouse short hair-50 piece lot
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 | PRETTY KITTY Cat PET Record KEEPING Journal ~ FREE SHIP
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|  | Turbo Scratcher Replacement Pads Cat Toy Scratch NEW
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 | 57" Cat Tree Condo House Scratcher Pet Furniture bed-04
$59.99 |
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|  | HAPPY SKULLS Cat Collar Collars
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 | Drinkwell Platinum Fountain + Brush + 4 Filters NEW
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|  | 6 plain colors adjust nylon cat collars wt a bell^
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|  | $1/1 WHOLESOME GOODNESS DRY CAT FOOD(20)COUPONS 1/03/09
$1.00 |
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 | RACE CAR SHAPED CAT SCRATCHING PAD POST WITH CATNIP!
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|  | New Red and White Cat's Collar Fits ALL CATS
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 | NEW CEDAR CAT HOUSE NICE - HEATED - SALE $ 149.00 OFF
$149.95 |
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|  | CAT LOT 17 TOYS Remote CTRL Mouse, GREENIES, Scratcher
$19.38 |
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 | 67" Cat Tree Condo House Scratcher Pet Furniture bed-15
$94.99 |
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|  | VO TOYS/VIP KITTY FUN HOUSE CHEESE -BED -NEW
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 | Soft Claws Nail Caps for Cats
$7.50 |
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|  | FLAMES ON BLACK Print Cat Collar Collars
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 | SmartScoop Self Scooping Automatic Litterbox Litter Box
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|  | 55" Cat Tree Condo House Scratcher Pet Furniture bed-03
$59.99 |
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 | PetSafe Cat Fence Receiver
$99.95 |
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|  | NEW Comfort PAW Dog & Cat Bed Small Size -Pink
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 | CAT LOT 20 TOYS, REMOTE Ctrl MOUSE, GREENIES, Scratcher
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|  | Pink Stoneware Cat Frame Cats Frames Decorative
$3.95 |
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 | CATNIP SEEDS - LITTLE TRUDY - PERENNIAL - FREE SHIPPING
$2.50 |
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|  | FISH ON BLUE Print Cat Collar Collars
$5.99 |
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 | 57" Cat Tree Condo House Scratcher Pet Furniture bed-04
$59.99 |
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|  | 6 Colors adjust Nylon cat collars wt bell!
$15.20 |
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 | Saltwater Aquarium Video DVD - Relaxation Great 4 cats
$9.99 |
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|  | 57" Cat Tree Condo House Scratcher Pet Furniture bed-04
$59.99 |
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 | Staywell 760US Staywell White Plastic Pet Door Large
$48.89 |
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|  | BRAND NEW LITTERMAID LM900 AUTOMATIC LITTERBOX
$9.99 |
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 | Cat Collar -Bright Kitties on Black
$5.75 |
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|  | BLACK WHITE PERSIAN CAT KITTEN KITTY FELINE ART WATCH
$22.00 |
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 | NEW Comfort Dog & Cat Bed Small Size
$9.95 |
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|  | BRINKER POTS CAT DISH WITH CAT PAWS DECORATION
$5.00 |
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 | NEW Comfort Small Dog & Cat Sofa Bed -Leopard Color
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|  | Litter Box Carbon Filter - New in Package (Stylette)
$0.99 |
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 | NWT~Christmas Stocking for Your Special Kitty Cat-Green
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|  | NEW Comfort Small Dog & Cat Bed-Cow color
$9.95 |
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 | FRONTLINE PLUS DOG/CAT KIT 3 6 8 MONTH SUPPLY EPA USA!!
$16.85 |
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|  | NWT~Christmas Stocking for Your Special Kitty Cat -RED
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 | PArt only:Soft Bed 4 Cat Condo,Tree,House,Pet Furniture
$10.00 |
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|  | FRONTLINE PLUS 8 DOSE FLEA/TICK KIT FOR CATS (6,12)
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 | 55" Cat Tree Condo House Scratcher Pet Furniture bed-3B
$59.99 |
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|  | SmartScoop Automatic Litter Box Catching Mat Large
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 | 430301C: Large Paw Print Pet Bed/House for Dogs & Puppy
$11.50 |
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|  | Petsafe Indoor Wireless Deluxe Cat Fence Boundary
$138.99 |
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 | LEOPARD SOFA SHAPED CAT SCRATCHING PAD POST AND CATNIP!
$21.95 |
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|  | ADVANTAGE DOG/CAT KIT 4,5 AND 10 MONTH SUPPLLY EPA USA
$16.85 |
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 | SCOOP-FREE Automatic Cat litterbox refill
$11.00 |
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|  | Petmate 2 pack replacement filter for water fountain
$3.00 |
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 | NWT~Christmas Stocking for Your Special Kitty Cat -RED
$0.99 |
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|  | PRINCESS CAT KITTEN KITTY PINK GOLD CROWN DISH BOWL NEW
$5.00 |
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 | Smart Cat Ultimate Kitty Scratching Post 32" Height
$49.95 |
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|  | SmartCat Ultimate Scratching Post
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 | NEW CEDAR CAT HOUSE NICE - HEATED - SALE $ 149.00 OFF
$149.95 |
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|  | Shed Ender Shedender 4 Pet Dog Cat Brush As Seen on TV
$3.99 |
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 | 65" Cat Tree Condo House Scratcher Pet Furniture bed-14
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|  | ADVANTAGE FLEA CONTROL KIT ALL SIZES dogs cats SAVE!!!!
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 | COMPANION ROAD OVAL FLEECE PET CAT DOG DEN BED 17X15X6
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|  | ORCA WHALE SHAPED CAT SCRATCHING PAD POST WITH CATNIP!
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 | BRINKER POTS CAT DISH---1994
$5.00 |
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|  | Continuously Freshening Feline Drinking Fountain 72732
$19.99 |
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 | 55" Cat Tree Condo House Scratcher Pet Furniture bed-05
$59.99 |
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|  | NATURAL CHOICE COUPONS FREE 4 LB BAG
$1.50 |
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 | NWT~Christmas Stocking for Your Special Kitty Cat-Green
$6.99 |
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|  | PURRfect DVD, Brand new cat video, FREE SHIPPING
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$18.99 |
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|  | NEW Comfort Small Dog & Cat Bed-Leopard Pink color
$12.95 |
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 | Just in Time for the Holidays - New Cat Meow Sweater
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|  | Continuously Freshening Feline Drinking Fountain 72732
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 | NEW CAT MATE C50 AUTOMATIC VACATION PET FEEDER PETSAFE
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|  | SmartCat Peek-N-Play Toy Box - Cat Toy
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 | Nice Kitty Cat Christmas Stocking NEW & LARGE Velvety
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|  | KH Outdoor Heated Cat Kitty Camper Bed House Mat Thermo
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 | Cozy Dog and Cat Bed
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