Taurine is a substance in the human brain, but the lack of this substance will make people feel fatigued, and taurine supplementation can relieve fatigue. So, did you know that in addition to humans, there is another animal that needs to supplement taurine more, and that is cats.

Why do cats need to supplement taurine

In 1827, scientists found taurine in the bile of bulls, which was proved to be effective for the heart of animals Function, visual ability and brain development play a very important role. Most animals can synthesize them by themselves, but there is one exception, that is, cats.

Most felines cannot synthesize taurine by themselves, they must be obtained from external organisms. The parts with the highest taurine content are animal muscle tissue (including heart), central nervous system and Retina, of which mouse and fish have the highest content. Now we can understand why cats are so obsessed with mice and fish oil?

For felines, taurine not only supports the feline's heart and vision, but also The ability to reproduce, and taurine can help cats secrete bile salts to ensure the normal work of the digestive system. No single nutrient can replace taurine in this function.

The effect of taurine on cats

Improve eyesight: Taurine can ensure the development and integrity of the retina. In 1975, people discovered the importance of taurine when studying the retinal degeneration in cats. Experiments have shown that if taurine is lacking for a long time, the cat's retina will gradually degenerate and become completely blind within 2 years. If taurine is added to the cat's diet during this period, the retinal degeneration can be controlled and stopped, but no amount of supplementation can bring it back to a healthy state - because of the visual degeneration caused by the lack of taurine process is irreversible.

Strengthen the heart: Doctors clinically found that dilated cardiomyopathy is related to the lack of taurine. Under normal circumstances, the concentration of taurine in the myocardium of cats is very high, about 100-250 times that in plasma. The concentration of taurine in the heart muscle of cats with dilated cardiomyopathy is very low. In view of the above situation, proper supplementation of taurine can restore the myocardial function of most cats to normal.

Producing offspring: Taurine is also very important in expectant female cats and newborn kittens. Taurine deficiency in expectant female cats can cause pregnancy disorders and even inability to give birth, and this effect is also passed on to kittens. When the female cat is deficient in taurine, even if the kitten is successfully born, it will inevitably suffer from low birth weight, slow growth and high mortality.

Effects on physiological functions: Cats lacking taurine will have problems such as dull coat and easy falling off, tooth decay, increased eye secretions, and poor mental state. It can be said that taurine is ubiquitous in cats, and the lack of any place will affect cats.

Effects on neurological function: Taurine has a very high concentration in the central nervous system of cats, and its metabolism is very active. It is a nutrient necessary for the normal development of the brain. Taurine is one of the special osmotic compounds that plays an important role in maintaining normal hydration of the brain and the volume of brain cells.

In addition, taurine has anticonvulsant effect, can effectively resist epilepsy, and has inhibitory effect on neurons. Excitatory amino acids and toxins stimulate the release of taurine from tissue cells, which may be a natural physiological response to stimuli.

Therefore, shoveling officials should pay attention to properly supplementing taurine for cats. It is also a good choice to add fish oil to cat food in daily life! This can greatly avoid the lack of taurine. a range of diseases.