Getting to Know Cats and Their Needs
GETTING TO KNOW CATS
AND THEIR NEEDS
AND THEIR NEEDS
1
Cats eat
multiple small meals
(10 to 16 a day)
multiple small meals
(10 to 16 a day)
2
Food reaches
the stomach with
no pre-digestion
the stomach with
no pre-digestion
3
Digestion is fast
and non-absorbed food
is passed out in the
faeces in large amounts
and non-absorbed food
is passed out in the
faeces in large amounts
A
Cats have 30 teeth, all of which are sharp
B
With very few taste buds, cats are not specialists of taste and cannot taste sweet flavours.
No digestive enzymes in the saliva (no predigestion).
C
Cats eat many small meals spread throughout the day.
D
The cat's stomach contains six times more hydrochloric acid than humans.
E
Despite the shortness of the large intestine (20–40 cm), transit is very slow (20 hours at least). This is where non-digested food is fermented.
F
The cat's small intestine is about 1 meter long.
