As pet mother and father, we’re normally on high of what we feed our cats, working laborious to make sure that they don’t ingest something that has an opportunity of upsetting their delicate tummies. However whereas we're involved with what goes into their our bodies, we don’t all the time have a transparent view of how the cat digestive system truly works, or how lengthy it takes for our kitties to digest their meals.
On this article, we’ll talk about the home cat digestive system intimately, together with its anatomy, how meals is digested, and optimize your cat’s intestine well being.
Understanding the Cat Digestive System
Earlier than we get into the way it works, let’s first break down the elements of a cat’s digestive system.
The “alimentary system” contains the:
Mouth
Esophagus
Gastrointestinal tract
The gastrointestinal system (or GI tract) is made up of the:
Abdomen
Intestines
Rectum
Anus
Lastly, the GI tract receives additional digestive assist from stomach organs, such because the:
As a complete, these organs make up the digestive system of a cat.
Variations Between Cat and Human Digestive System
The digestive system of cats accommodates the identical organs and produces the identical digestive enzymes as us people. Nevertheless, though sure enzymes (corresponding to hydrochloric acid) are the identical, cats’ stomachs produce six occasions extra hydrochloric acid than people do.
The feline intestinal tract can be not as lengthy or coiled as it's in people (or canine for that matter), and cats lack an appendix. Moreover, the transit time of ingested meals (ingesta) via the intestines is for much longer in people, reaching as much as 5 days, whereas ingesta could transfer via a cat’s intestines inside 12 to 24 hours.
How Do Cats Digest Meals?
Subsequent, let’s get into some specifics about how the feline digestive system works.
The alimentary system is consistently at work to assist cats ingest and digest meals, soak up vitamins, get rid of waste and toxins from the physique, and help the immune system (partly by holding ingested micro organism out of the bloodstream). The digestive tract additionally secretes varied chemical substances, enzymes, and hormones to help with digestion and nutrient use.
Mouth
The method of digestion initially begins within the mouth when the enamel start to interrupt up giant chunks of meals, and the salivary glands produce amylase to assist sort out any starch your kitty could have ingested (nevertheless restricted in a predominately carnivorous food plan).
Esophagus
Ingesta then slides down the esophagus to the abdomen the place it undergoes probably the most vital side of digestion as it's immersed in a chemical vat of hydrochloric acid and varied enzymes within the abdomen to assist break it down into tiny usable nutrient molecules.
Abdomen
As soon as ingesta enters the abdomen, it's inundated by quite a lot of enzymes and different chemical substances to additional break it down into usable vitamins. Ingesta can be blended and squeezed to additional support in mechanical digestion.
Small and Massive Gut
Ingesta continues its cruise down the digestive tract to the small gut, the place it's damaged down additional by extra enzymes and bile. By this stage, the vast majority of ingesta has been damaged down into sufficiently small vitamins that may be absorbed via the small intestinal lining into the bloodstream, which carries them off to cells all around the physique.
These vitamins act as mobile constructing blocks to assist assemble tissues and organs and perform their important features to maintain the physique working in addition to doable.
Merchandise that can't be digested, corresponding to insoluble fiber, and any extra waste merchandise are then additional processed by the big gut. Such waste is dehydrated when extra water is reabsorbed via the big intestinal lining into the bloodstream to take care of hydration, after which the strong waste exits from the physique throughout a bowel motion.
Rectum
The rectum is a small holding space on the finish of the big gut that shops feces till exit via the anus.
Pancreas, Liver and Gallbladder
Whereas ingesta doesn't enter the pancreas, liver, or gallbladder, these organs produce substances to assist assist the abdomen and intestines with digestion.
The pancreas accommodates digestive enzymes that enter the small gut, and it additionally produces insulin to assist make the most of and regulate glucose, the physique’s high nutrient for power use.
The liver is a big organ within the higher portion of the stomach that, amongst its many features within the physique, is concerned in metabolism, detoxifying the physique, storing vitamins (corresponding to glycogen and fats), and aiding in protein and glucose synthesis.
The liver additionally produces bile, which aids in fats digestion. Bile is then saved and later launched when wanted by the gallbladder, a small sac off the liver.
The pancreas, liver, gallbladder, and small gut are all in shut proximity to at least one one other, so an infection or irritation of 1 can usually have an effect on the others.
How Lengthy Does It Take for a Cat to Digest Meals?
Within the common home feline, digestion happens extra shortly than in people. Your entire period of meals from entry to exit can attain 26.5 to 35.7 hours. [1] Throughout this time, ingesta spends roughly 10 to 24 hours being digested (by the abdomen for 4 hours after which the intestines for 12 to 24 hours), then is additional processed earlier than waste is eradicated.
The typical timeline of digestion varies relying on a cat’s age, breed, dimension, weight, and food plan. Kittens and smaller-sized cats are likely to digest meals extra shortly, whereas digestion time is extra variable amongst senior cats. (And talking of kittens, very younger kittens are initially unable to digest something aside from their mom’s milk or an analogous substitute. They acquire extra digestive perform by weaning age, which is 8 weeks outdated.)
Digestion additionally happens extra shortly with smaller meals. As an example, a number of mini meals all through the day can lower digestion time, whereas feeding bigger quantities much less steadily can result in elevated digestion time (in addition to an elevated danger of “scarf and barf,” by which cats can regurgitate their meals if it’s devoured up too quickly). Moreover, moist meals diets are digested extra shortly than dry kibble.
Caring for Your Cat’s Digestive System
There are a lot of methods you'll be able to care to your cat’s digestive system. Let’s go over a few of the most typical ones.
Eating regimen
As cats are obligate carnivores, they require specific vitamins that solely an animal-based food plan can present. A vegetarian food plan will be lethal to cats, as deficits in taurine, arachidonic acid, vitamin A, and vitamin B3 happen when cats are solely fed a plant-based food plan. That’s why it’s vital to decide on an acceptable cooked business cat meals or different veterinary-guided food plan to optimize your pet’s dietary well being.
Respected high quality cat meals manufacturers embody Purina, Hill’s, Iams, Royal Canin, and Eukanuba. These corporations have a veterinary nutritionist on employees to formulate diets, conduct in depth research and feeding trials, and guarantee good high quality management.
For kitties with delicate tummies, ask your veterinarian about:
A delicate pores and skin and abdomen food plan:
A decrease fats food plan:
Diets increased in fiber:
Kitties with hairball considerations can even profit from a specialty hairball management food plan, together with common coat brushing.
All the time search diet recommendation out of your private vet earlier than making a change, and in case you’re greenlit with recommendation to make the change, slowly transition out of your cat’s present food plan to a brand new one over 10 days to forestall GI upset.
Dietary supplements
Sure dietary supplements, if really helpful by your vet, will be useful to sure kitties. As an example, these with pancreas points (corresponding to exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, or EPI), could require digestive enzyme supplementation. Most wholesome cats don't want this complement, nevertheless.
Moreover, probiotics and prebiotics will be useful to many cats, particularly these with continual diarrhea as attributable to dysbiosis (an imbalance of excellent and unhealthy micro organism within the intestine). Not all probiotics are created equally, so all the time search counsel out of your veterinarian earlier than introducing them to your cat.
Cat-Secure Grass
Though your cat is a carnivore, they might often wish to nibble a little bit of cat-safe grass. Consuming cat grass in small quantities can support your cat’s digestion, bettering hairball considerations and constipation. Moderation is vital, nevertheless, since kitties lack enzymes to completely break down plenty of grass, and an excessive amount of may cause hurt.
Mini Meals
In case your cat eats too shortly and upchucks their meals, switching to a number of mini meals or canned meals will help. Moreover, switching your cat’s meals bowl to a gradual feeder can decelerate their meals ingestion to assist enhance total digestion.
Weight Administration
Apart from feeding your cat an excellent high quality food plan, crucial factor pet mother and father can do to guard their cat’s digestive and total well being is to maintain their cats at a wholesome weight. Weight problems cannot solely worsen digestive points, however it could possibly additional impair your cat’s well being. Sustaining a wholesome weight is a perfect strategy to preserve your kitty’s tummy soothed and them purring for longer.
