| 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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 | 1 HUGE CATNIP Body Pillow, Organic Cat Toy - Green
$13.50 |
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|  | Cat Collar - Lime Green Bandana
$5.75 |
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 | 1 HUGE CATNIP Body Pillow, Organic Cat Toy - Smilie
$13.50 |
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|  | 1 HUGE CATNIP Body Pillow, Organic Cat Toy - Red / Blk
$13.50 |
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 | LOVE EDMUND,The Kitten,Lg T-Shirt,4 Cat Charity Rescue
$9.99 |
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|  | Stylette Carbon Air-Fliter for your catlitter pan liner
$0.99 |
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 | Cat Playpen Cage Midwest Model 130 With FREE BED !
$99.99 |
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|  | Cat Playpen Cage Midwest Model 130 With FREE BED !
$109.99 |
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 | CAT CRINKLE SACK AND TUNNEL LARGE SIZE FUN BED
$9.99 |
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|  | BLUE CAT LOVER BOOK MARK MARKER THONG - PET CHARITY
$7.00 |
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 | 3 ORGANIC CATNIP KNOTS CAT TOY 100% to PET CHARITY
$3.50 |
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|  | 1 HUGE CATNIP Body Pillow, Organic Cat Toy - Tan Cats
$13.50 |
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 | 2 pink dog/ puppy/ cat collars
$3.99 |
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|  | FRONTLINE PLUS for CATS & KITTENS 8 wks & older 6 PACK
$0.99 |
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 | Hartz Ultra Guard Pro
$10.00 |
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|  | Advantage Flea Drops for Cats/Kittens 10-18 lbs12 tubes
$96.00 |
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 | HARTZ ULTRA GUARD PRO FOR CATS********
$0.99 |
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|  | Mr. Herzher's LARGE Wicker Cat Kitty Litter Box Cover
$99.95 |
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 | 2 - SMALL DOG OR CAT FLASHING BALL NEW IN PACK!!
$0.99 |
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|  | Kitty CAT SOFA BED Foam MATTRESS Washable Fleece Cover
$16.95 |
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 | K & H HEATED CAT KITTEN PET BED Thermo Kitty Hut Sage
$35.75 |
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|  | Advanced Large Capacity Feline Cat Drinking Fountain
$9.99 |
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 | Potent Catnip Fish Toys (4)
$2.25 |
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|  | Roxy's Bowl, pet bowl, sapphire, dishwasher safe
$9.99 |
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 | LitterMaid LM900 Self-Cleaning Cat Pet Litter Box NEW
$105.98 |
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|  | Advanced Large Capacity Feline Cat Drinking Fountain
$9.99 |
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 | CHRISTMAS DISH FOR KITTY--REALLY CUTE! K1682
$4.99 |
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|  | Advanced Large Capacity Feline Cat Drinking Fountain
$9.99 |
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 | 20 brand new cat toys BULK lot cat nip balls and more!!
$4.50 |
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|  | LOVE REILY,The Kitten,XL T-Shirt,4 Cats Charity Rescue
$9.99 |
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 | CHRISTMAS MICE ON GREEN Cat Collar Collars
$5.99 |
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|  | StayWell 580 Infra-Red Collar Key Pink
$12.00 |
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 | CAT HOLIDAY SNOWMAN COLLAR BLUE 100% to PET CHARITY
$2.00 |
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|  | FAT CAT INC KITTY 75 PAGE SPIRAL NOTE PAD CUTE NEW
$0.99 |
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 | Serene Buddha Dog/Cat Collar Charm - New!
$1.99 |
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|  | Cat Collar - Mittens
$5.75 |
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 | GREEN TONE POLKA DOTS Print Cat Collar Collars
$5.99 |
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|  | Saltwater Aquarium Video DVD - Relaxation Great 4 cats
$9.99 |
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 | 1 HUGE CATNIP Body Pillow, Organic Cat Toy - Attack C
$13.50 |
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|  | Multivet SSSCat Training Device for Cats - Free Ship
$34.35 |
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 | Cat laser
$6.00 |
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|  | HARLEY DAVIDSON NYLON SAFETY BREAKAWAY CAT COLLAR *NWT*
$5.95 |
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 | 8 months FRONTLINE PLUS CAT US EpA #1 VET CHOICE
$15.99 |
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|  | PetSafe Self Cleaning Cat Litter Box, Electric, Kitty
$89.00 |
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 | StayWell 580 Infra-Red Collar Key Yellow
$12.00 |
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|  | Cat Bed Kitten Bed Dog and Cat Iron Pet Bed NEW
$6.00 |
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 | Hartz Ultra Guard Pro
$10.00 |
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|  | ORGANIC WHEAT SEEDS - CAT GRASS - FREE SHIPPING
$3.00 |
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 | MAKE A MOUSE CAT TOY CRAFT KIT CREATES TWO CAT TOYS NEW
$0.99 |
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|  | 32" Cat Pet Tunnel Hide Out Fun Bed Exercise 3/way Toy
$18.99 |
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 | Tom's Bowl, pet bowl, sapphire, dishwasher safe
$9.99 |
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|  | Advantage for Cats/Kittens 10-18 lbs Purple NIB 4 pack
$38.95 |
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 | Arch Groomer DELUXE CAT GROOMER HANDS FREE SCRATCHER
$9.99 |
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|  | Handmade cat or dog bed-the sack
$5.00 |
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 | Christmas Cat Ceramic Bowl
$0.99 |
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|  | 3 Step Pet Condo for your Cat/Dog, Carpeted Inside/Out
$31.45 |
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 | 8 months FRONTLINE PLUS CAT US EpA #1 VET CHOICE
$15.99 |
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|  | Kittywalk Deck &Patio Pet Cat Enclosure Portable System
$24.99 |
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 | Petsafe Indoor Wireless Deluxe Cat Fence Boundary
$138.99 |
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|  | ORGANIC CATNIP CAT TOY HANDMADE 100% to PET CHARITY
$2.65 |
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 | 24OZ HANDI DRINK PET DOG WATER BOTTLE W/BELT CLIP
$5.99 |
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|  | Cat laser
$6.00 |
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 | Byer's Choice Girl w Advent Calendar-BENEFIT AUCTION!!!
$14.99 |
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|  | Weazel Ball Motorized Appears Alive Cat Dog Toy Weasel
$5.49 |
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 | SOCCER BALLS ON BLACK Print Cat Collar Collars
$5.99 |
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|  | Petmate Deluxe Fresh Flow Pet Fountain Cat Purified NIB
$17.99 |
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 | Paw Print "I Love my PitBull!" car magnet QUALITY
$4.99 |
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|  | STONEWARE ( 2 ) CAT DISHES ( FLIGHT OF THE BLUE CAT )
$12.99 |
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 | Millers Forge Deluxe Shedding Comb
$5.99 |
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|  | Glyco-Flex Cat II Stage II, 45 Tablets (015VS-9445-4)
$9.95 |
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 | Designer pet carrier
$20.99 |
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|  | LitterMaid LM900 Self-Cleaning Cat Pet Litter Box NEW
$105.98 |
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 | CAT BED THERMAL KITTY HUT
$9.99 |
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|  | Deluxe Luxury Real Mink Fur Cat Teaser for Christmas
$4.95 |
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 | Cat Collar - Brown w/Blue Flowers
$5.75 |
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|  | LOVE SYBIL,The Kitten,Med T-Shirt,4 Cat Charity Rescue
$9.99 |
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 | QuickFinder 3483 Safety Nail Clipper for Cats
$6.95 |
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|  | Cat Collar - Christmas Ornaments
$5.75 |
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 | StayWell 580 Infra-Red Collar Key Yellow
$12.00 |
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|  | Guide to Owning Ragdoll Cat Pet Care Book
$10.99 |
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 | LOVE MILEY, The Cat ,SM T-Shirt, For Cat Charity Rescue
$9.99 |
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|  | ORGANIC WHEAT SEEDS - CAT GRASS - FREE SHIPPING
$3.00 |
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 | NEW HARTZ MILK REPLACEMENT FOR KITTENS 8 OZ.SEALED
$7.50 |
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|  | ADVANTAGE FLEA CONTROL KIT ALL SIZES dogs cats SAVE!!!!
$23.75 |
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 | Cat Litter Box Cover Or Pet Hideaway Wicker Rattan 1805
$49.99 |
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|  | !!! Paws and Claws- cat wand fish asst !!!
$7.99 |
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 | New Woolrich Port-a-Crate Folding Pet Carrier Home
$0.99 |
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|  | Tick Tock Teaser Cat Toy
$12.39 |
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 | Cat kitten crinkle scratcher toy door hanging NEW fun
$7.99 |
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|  | fur mice -60 piece-natural colors
$8.99 |
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 | FatBoy CatBag-The Coolest Cat Bed Ever!
$115.00 |
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|  | Petmate Hooded Deluxe Litter Pan Set LARGE NIB
$18.99 |
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 | CAT GROOMING TRAINING Prof. Quick-Fit MUZZLE CATS *NIP
$7.99 |
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|  | Staywell 500 Series InfraRed Collar for Cat Door Blue
$2.50 |
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 | 1 HUGE CATNIP Body Pillow, Organic Cat Toy - Blk / Pink
$13.50 |
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|  | 32" Cat Pet Tunnel Hide Out Fun Bed Exercise 3/way Toy
$18.99 |
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 | cat/dog bed
$50.00 |
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|  | Brand new pink Cat sweater by Companion Road NWT
$3.99 |
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 | Ear Cleaner for Cats- 3-8oz Bottles-Prevent Infections
$14.98 |
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|  | NEW K&H FASHION SPLASH HEATED CAT DOG BED
$25.29 |
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