Why Do Cats Need Taurine?
Taurine is an essential amino acid for cats. That means that cats cannot make taurine on their own; they need to get it from their diet. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and cats get them from meat.
Of all the amino acids a cat needs, taurine is the most important one. It’s also the one cats are at the highest risk of being deficient in and they need a lot of it in their diet. This nutrient is critical for normal vision, digestion, heart muscle function, to maintain normal pregnancy and fetal development, and to maintain a healthy immune system. Clearly, taurine does a lot!
Most cat wet foods and cat dry foods will contain added taurine because it’s so vital to your cat’s health.
Taurine Deficiency in Cats
Because it’s so common for cats to be deficient in taurine, it’s important to know the signs and symptoms of taurine deficiency. It can actually take months for the signs of taurine deficiency to show up.
As mentioned earlier, taurine is crucial to the functioning of the eyes. Without it, the retinal cells of the eyes will eventually degenerate, impairing the vision. This condition is referred to as feline taurine retinopathy, or more commonly, feline central retinal degeneration (FCRD).
Deficiency of taurine will also lead to weakening of the muscles of the heart. The resulting condition is called dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).
Additionally, cats will experience digestive issues if they don’t get enough taurine. Kittens that lack enough taurine in their diets experience poor growth and development. Some cats with taurine deficiency are even unable to reproduce at all.
Taurine Supplements for Cats
Many cat owners choose to give their cats taurine supplements. It’s especially important to supplement this amino acid if you make your own cat food at home.
There are a lot of taurine supplements made specifically for cats on the market. Some come in pill form, while others are liquid or powder.
Be sure to ask your vet if and how much taurine you should give your cat. In any case, it’s really hard for cats to overdose on taurine, so you shouldn’t worry if you gave them too much. In general, you can safely give a cat up to 250 mg taurine twice per day.
