If cats are obligate carnivores, why do we feed them rice, peas, and other non-meat items?

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If cats are obligate carnivores, why do we feed them rice and peas(among other non-meat things)?

To my knowledge, while dogs can have some carbohydrates, a cats liver and pancreas will be overly stressed dealing with carbs. They need to eat meat and exclusively meat to survive and be healthy. So why do I find so many different cat foods with things *other* than meat or fish? Is it filler?

In: Biology

21 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

I think the other responses have done a good job covering the question but as a veterinarian I’ll add a side note. While there’s a fair discussion to have about the role pet foods play in animal health, we really don’t have to deal much with nutritional *deficiencies* or toxicity (overdosing nutrients) from daily feeding. Any well-balanced, reputable pet food matched for your cat’s life stage is at least getting your cat what it needs.

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