| 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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|  | Sift Clean Sifting Cat Litter Box/Pan Liners. 6-months
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 | 1Mad Platters Mouse in Cheese on Plate Spinning Cat Toy
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|  | FRONTLINE PLUS CAT 12 MONTH FREE GIFTS
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|  | 2 Ceramic Cat Food Bowls Very Cute!!!!
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| (20) $1.00/2 COUPON PURINA WHISKER LICKIN'S CAT TREATS
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 | ADVANTAGE FLEA CONTROL KIT ALL SIZES dogs cats SAVE!!!!
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 | ADVANTAGE FLEA CONTROL CATS OVER 9 lbs 5 MONTH SUPPLY 6
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|  | ADVANTAGE CAT FLEA 5 MONTHS DOSES OVER 9 POUNDS
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|  | FREE bag Nutro Natural Choice Dog Food - helps rescue!
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(8) $4 off any Bag of Iams Cat Food Coupons
$2.00 |
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|  | Cat Kitty Litter Scoop
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 | kill CAT fleas-Advantage® no collar FLEA CONTROL 6 dose
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|  | ADVANTAGE CAT FLEA 10 MONTHS DOSES UP TO 9 POUNDS
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 | MultiVet 4.5OZ SSSCAT Refill QTY 2
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|  | 74" Cat Tree House Condo Scratcher Post Furniture F2038
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 | (10) $1.00 OFF ONE PACKAGE FANCY FEAST DRY CAT FOOD
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|  | 94" Cat Tree Condo House Scratcher Pet Furniture bed-09
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 | ADVANTAGE FOR CATS OVER 9 lbs 10 MONTH SUPPLY 4 6 8 12
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|  | * Kitty Christmas Cat Toys by Pet Holiday*
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 | Lot of Three Cat Collars plus FREE Photo Key Chain
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|  | Meow Town Flower Power Cat Climbing Fun Playing Tower
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 | Cat Food & Water Dish Mat for Favorite Feline Kitty
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|  | 72" Cat Tree House Scratcher Post Furniture F2040-Blue
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 | 74" Cat Tree Toy Bed House Scratcher Post Furniture F60
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|  | Cat Toys for the Holidays by Vo-Toys
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 | 45" Cat Tree House Toy Bed Scratcher Post Furniture F04
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|  | Happy Holidays Dog Toy by Vo-Toys
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 | Air Kong Squeeker Gift Set
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|  | BRAIDED RUG CAT Dish Kitty Mat L@@K! Fall Colors!!
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 | 55" Cat Tree Condo House Scratcher Pet Furniture bed-05
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|  | 62" Cat Tree House Condo Scratcher Post Furniture F28
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 | ADVANTAGE CAT FLEA 5 MONTHS DOSES OVER 9 POUNDS
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|  | Cat Tree Toy Bed House Scratcher Post Furniture F13
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 | ADVANTAGE CAT FLEA 10 MONTHS DOSES UP TO 9 POUNDS
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|  | Nu-Cat by Vetri-Science (100 tablets)
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 | Omega Paw Self-Cleaning Litter Box Large Green/beige
$34.98 |
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|  | Drinkwell Fountain 50oz Resev Aqua Garden 3 Pods DW-725
$46.12 |
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 | Littermaid Elite Mega Automatic Litter Box LME9000MB
$134.95 |
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|  | (10) $1.00 OFF / 24 CANS OF FANCY FEAST CAT FOOD
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 | 14 SCIENCE DIET NATURE'S BEST CAT FOOD COUPONS $5.00/1
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|  | K&H Lectro Soft Outdoor Heated Cat Dog Bed Free Cover
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 | K&H Heated Kitty Camper Outdoor Cat Bed House NEW
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|  | 74" Cat Tree House Condo Scratcher Post Furniture F2040
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 | CAT LITTER BOX SCOOP FOR NO-STOOP CLEANING
$25.00 |
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|  | ADVANTAGE CAT FLEA 10 MONTHS DOSES UP TO 9 POUNDS
$19.00 |
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 | Cat Tree Toy Bed House Scratcher Post Furniture F24
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|  | Hip CAT COLLAR Funky Purple Circles ADJUSTABLE 7-11"
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 | 2 COLOR REVERSIBLE SLING PUPPY POUCH PET CARRIER $14.99
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|  | ADVANTAGE CAT FLEA 10 MONTHS DOSES UP TO 9 POUNDS
$19.00 |
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 | Happy Holidays Dog Toy by Vo-Toys
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|  | 3 ORGANIC CATNIP KNOTS CAT TOY 100% to PET CHARITY
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 | UNIQUE CAT PET LITTER BOX LARGE, NO-MOTOR LITTER BOX
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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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|  | FleaBusters Flea powder 3lb once a year flea treatment
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 | ORGANIC GRAIN GRASS SEEDS - FREE SHIPPING
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|  | 10 SCIENCE NATURE'S BEST CAT/DOG FOOD COUPONS $10.00/1
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 | THERMO KITTY MAT CAT BED WARMER
$27.00 |
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|  | 30 Science Diet Indoor Cat Food coupons ($3 on 1) = $90
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 | Drinkwell Fountain 50oz Reservoir Clean Brushes DW-726
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|  | LITTERMAID RECEPTACLES AND LIDS
$5.00 |
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 | Elevated Raised Wet Food Pottery Dish CD6-T For Cat
$38.50 |
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|  | BIO SPOT FLEA & TICK CONTROL FOR CATS
$6.50 |
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 | LARGE CAT LITTER BOX,PAN NO-STOOP LITTER BOX
$25.00 |
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|  | Drinkwell Fountain 50oz Resv 3 Brushes 7 Filters DW-728
$50.72 |
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 | DRINKWELL PET FOUNTAIN CAT DOG WATER DISH PACKAGE
$59.95 |
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|  | Hand Made Cat Bed Soft Batting Fillled 21"x25" Washable
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 | Country Cat Wall Decor - NEW!
$22.00 |
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|  | WOW- Frontline Plus for Cats and Kittens*^KIT*^8 dose
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 | 55" Cat Tree Condo House Scratcher Pet Furniture bed-3B
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|  | Oriental Asian Dog Dish Take Out Bowl Pet Dish Dog Bowl
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 | Cat Toys for the Holidays by Vo-Toys
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|  | ADVANTAGE FLEA CATS UNDER 9 lbs 10 MONTH SUPPLY 1 4 6 8
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 | ADVANTAGE CAT FLEA 5 MONTHS DOSES OVER 9 POUNDS
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|  | Happy Holidays Dog Toy by Vo-Toys
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 | ADVANTAGE FLEA CONTROL KIT all sizes dogs cats stock UP
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|  | PetSafe PIG00-11007 Deluxe In Ground Cat Fence System
$199.95 |
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 | Happy Holidays Dog Toy by Vo-Toys
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|  | Happy Holidays Dog Toy by Vo-Toys
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 | Cat Tree House Toy Bed Scratcher Post Furniture F07
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|  | Drinkwell Fountain 50oz Resv 3 Brushes 4 Filters DW-727
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 | Boogie Mat-Refillable Catnip Nap Mat for Cats & Kittens
$8.95 |
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|  | ADVANTAGE CAT FLEA 5 MONTHS DOSES OVER 9 POUNDS
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 | ORGANIC GRAIN GRASS SEEDS - FREE SHIPPING
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|  | Littermaid Mega Automatic cat Litterbox LM900 - NEW!
$108.95 |
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 | WATCH 8 MONTH SUPPLY OF FRONTLINE PLUS FOR CATS
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|  | DRINKWELL PLATINUM PET FOUNTAIN CAT DOG WATER DISH BOWL
$59.95 |
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 | "Happy Cat" Meow Cat Dish Hand Painted & Crafted
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| (10) $1 off Fresh Step Cat Litter Coupons
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 | 6 adjustable nylon cat collars wt a bell#
$15.20 |
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|  | CATS FRONTLINE PLUS 8 dose FLEA & TICK med ~*~
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 | Don't Forget your Loved one(s) this Christmas!!
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|  | Lot of 4 Laser Lazer Pointer Cat Dog Toy w/ 5 heads
$9.99 |
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