Malnutrition in cats covers deficiency, imbalance and excess. Cats are obligate carnivores with fixed requirements for several nutrients that dogs and people can make for themselves, so a diet that is "complete" for a dog or a plant-based home diet can cause serious disease. Anorexia in any cat is also a form of malnutrition and carries its own risks.
Key facts
Malnutrition at a glance- Species and system: cat; multisystemic nutritional disease.
- Cat-specific requirements (MSD): taurine, arginine, arachidonic acid, preformed vitamin A, niacin, and a high protein intake.
- Classic deficiency syndromes: taurine (dilated cardiomyopathy, central retinal degeneration), thiamine (neurologic signs, ventroflexion), vitamin A excess (cervical bone proliferation in liver-fed kittens).
- Complications of starvation: hepatic lipidosis and refeeding syndrome.
- Assessment: body condition score and muscle condition score, which are independent.
What's inside
12 sections in the full guide- Key facts
- How the NAVLE tests this
- The cat as an obligate carnivore
- Clinical signs
- Nutritional assessment and diagnosis
- Starvation, anorexia and cachexia
- Differential diagnoses
- Treatment and management
- Prognosis
- Quick review
- Test yourself
- References
The full guide also has 3 tables, 3 self-test questions and 6 references, available to NAVLE members.
Read the full study guide
The full guide is part of every NAVLE plan, with diagnosis and treatment tables, figures, a quick review and self-test questions. Start a free trial to try the question bank, or log in if you are already a member.