| Cat Supplies Article |
The cat (Felis silvestris catus), also known as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from other felines, is a small carnivorous species of nocturnal mammal that is often valued by humans for its companionship and its ability to hunt vermin. It has been associated with humans for at least 9,500 years.
Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they must ingest the flesh of other animals to survive. Where other carnivorous mammals like bears and dogs commonly add to their diets of meat with fruits, berries, roots, and honey when available, by contrast all cats instinctively feed almost solely on meat.
Similarly as with its teeth, a cat's digestive tract has become specialized over time to suit its diet, having shortened in length to only those segments of intestine best able to break down proteins and fats from animal flesh. The evolved trait severely limits the cat's ability to properly digest, metabolize, and absorb plant-derived or synthesized nutrients, as well as certain fatty acids. For example, cats cannot convert the pro-vitamin A abundant in plants, to make vitamin A. Also, a number of required nutrients are not sufficiently available in plant matter to begin with; one critical absence is taurine, a key amino sulfonic acid for eye health. Taurine deficiency can cause a condition called macular degeneration wherein the cat's retina slowly degenerates, eventually causing irreversible blindness.
Due to the above, most felines eat fairly little if any plantstuffs. Yet it is nevertheless quite common for a cat to occasionally supplement its carnivorous diet with small amounts of grass, leaves, shrubs, houseplants, or other plant matter anyway. One theory suggests this behaviour is to facilitate regurgitation if their digestion is upset; another is that it perhaps introduces fibre or trace minerals to the diet. In this context, caution is recommended for cat owners because some houseplants are harmful to cats. The leaves of the Easter Lily can cause permanent and life-threatening kidney damage to cats. Philodendron are also poisonous to cats. Cat Fancy has a full list of plants harmful to cats.
As an exception to the general rule, certain domesticated cats are known to like vegetables. This happenstance may inspire some vegetarian or vegan pet owners to encourage or even impose their own dietary preferences upon their cats, often using commercially-available cat foods supplemented with chemically-synthesized taurine and other added nutrients to address nutritional shortfalls. However, it remains arguable as to whether or not such a vegetarian diet can in fact meet a cat's dietary requirements.
Additionally, cats have been known to develop a fondness for prepared human foods, normally such entrees which are rich in proteins or fats. However, a diet consisting only of human food (even if high quality meat) is unlikely to contain the balanced nutrition required by the cat. Cats normally are good self-regulators of diet; however, unlimited access to food, or excessive human-food 'treats', will often lead to the cat becoming obese, particularly if it is older or more sedentary. This may lead to several health complications, such as diabetes, especially in neutered males. Such health conditions can be prevented through diet and exercise (playing), especially for cats living exclusively indoors.
Cats can be fussy eaters (which may be due in some way to the aforementioned mutation which caused their species to lose sugar-tasting ability). Unlike most mammals, cats can voluntarily starve themselves indefinitely despite being presented with palatable food, even a food which they had previously readily consumed. This can happen when the vomeronasal or Jacobson's organ becomes accustomed to a specific food, or if the cats are spoiled by their owners, in which case the cat will reject any food that does not fit the pattern it is expecting. It is also known for cats to merely become bored with their given food and decide to stop eating until they are tempted into eating again. Although it is extremely rare for a cat to deliberately starve itself to the point of injury, the sudden loss of weight can cause a fatal condition called hepatic lipidosis, a liver dysfunction which causes pathological loss of appetite and reinforces the starvation, which can lead to death within as little as 48 hours.
Some cats have a fondness for catnip, which is sensed by their olfactory systems. While they generally do not consume it, they will often roll in it, paw at it, and occasionally chew on it. The effect is usually relatively short, lasting for only a few minutes. After two hours or less, susceptible cats gain interest again. Several other species of plants (such as mint) cause this effect, to a lesser degree.
Cats can also develop pica. Pica is a condition in which animals chew or eat unusual things such as fabric, plastic or wool. In cats, this is mostly harmless as they do not digest most of it, but can be fatal or require surgical removal if a large amount of foreign material is ingested (for example, an entire sock). It tends to occur more often in Burmese, Oriental, Siamese and breeds with these in their ancestry.
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|  | NIP - Farnam Feline Comfort Zone with Feliway Spray
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 | ADVANTAGE CAT FLEA 5 MONTHS DOSES OVER 9 POUNDS
$21.00 |
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|  | 15 Coupons--$1.00/2 Bags Purina Cat Chow, Any Variety
$0.99 |
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 | .094 PET TENT CARRIER - BLUE - CAT ON CLOUD DESIGN NEW
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|  | SUPER 8 MONTH SUPPLY OF FRONTLINE PLUS FOR CATS
$21.00 |
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 | Litter Robot LRII Automatic Self-Cleaning Litter Box
$202.50 |
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 | Furminator Cats Small 1.75" Pro Deshedding Tool New
$14.95 |
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$2.23 |
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 | NEW Cat Collar Charm NWT **Cat w/ Rhinestone Collar**
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|  | Cute Plaid Cat Christmas Stocking With Catnip
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 | KITTY TREAT MIX BY ANN CLARK
$10.00 |
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|  | LITTERMAID 500
$31.00 |
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 | Mans Best Friend
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|  | Frontline Plus for Cats & Kittens, 6 MONTHS!!
$55.00 |
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 | ORGANIC OAT CAT GRASS SEEDS - FREE SHIPPING
$3.00 |
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|  | FREE COUPON/Iams Cat premium protection 2.2lb bag free/
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 | 15 Coupons--$1.50/2 Bags Purina Friskies Any Variety
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| Kitty cat condo condos tree house bed toy furniture 78B
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$21.00 |
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|  | FURMINATOR SMALL CAT GROOMER PURPLE DESHEDDING TOOL NEW
$9.00 |
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 | Elevated Cat Dog Dish Water Bowl CD5-T Almond White
$35.00 |
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|  | ADVANTAGE CAT FLEA 5 MONTHS DOSES OVER 9 POUNDS
$21.00 |
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 | Decorative Cat Litter Box Cover "Cafe Au Lait"
$37.99 |
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|  | Hartz Birds of a Feather Cat Toy
$2.50 |
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 | **Paw print house bed for your cat or dog** Very cute!!
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|  | FRONTLINE PLUS CAT 12 MONTH FREE GIFTS
$60.35 |
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 | Petmate Fountain REPLACEMENT PUMP PP333LV Jebao
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|  | Multivet SSSCAT Cat deterrent spray training aid - NEW!
$26.95 |
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 | Comfort Zone w/Feliway Plug-in & Refill! Cat Phermone
$20.50 |
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|  | 12 LitterMaid Filters & 12 Waste Receptacles Containers
$19.95 |
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 | COUPONS FOR FREE PURINA KITTEN CHOW & $2.00 OFF
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|  | Custom Hardwood Kitty Cat Tree Slanted Scratcher Condo
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 | 3 COUPONS FOR FREE YESTERDAY'S NEWS CAT LITTER
$7.00 |
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|  | 15~9Lives Dry Cat Food Coupons SAVE $1.00/1 X~11/15/08
$0.59 |
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(10) $2.00 coupons Purina Kitten Cat ++ (6) B2G1 Free
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|  | Armarkat Cat Tree Pet Furniture Condo Scratcher #A4201
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 | ADVANTAGE CAT FLEA 5 MONTHS DOSES OVER 9 POUNDS
$21.00 |
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|  | Armarkat Cat Tree Pet Furniture Condo Scratcher #A6202
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 | ORGANIC GRAIN GRASS SEEDS - FREE SHIPPING
$3.00 |
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|  | 2 LEVEL CAT BED
$12.00 |
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 | ADORABLE CAT BED!!! Cats-happy
$2.75 |
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|  | 20 Coupons Purina Friskies Party Mix Coupons BOGO FREE
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 | Day Tripper Animal Carrier- Small 12 x 10 x 10 Inch
$18.00 |
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|  | GREAT DEAL 8 MONTH SUPPLY OF FRONTLINE PLUS FOR CATS
$21.00 |
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 | GENUINE BAYER ADVANTAGE® FLEA 6 DOSES CATS OVER 9 LBS W
$30.95 |
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| advantage 9, feline, single dose
$5.00 |
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 | Cat Tree House Furniture Condo Scratcher Bed Toys 62C
$109.95 |
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|  | Two Clear Large Pet Training Scat Mat 20Hx48W"
$72.77 |
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 | 15 Coupons--$1.00/1 Naturals from Purina Cat chow
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|  | Petsafe Simply Clean Automatic Cat Litter Box
$79.95 |
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 | CAT DOG PET URINE ODOR CARPET FLOOR SOFA COUCH REMOVER
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|  | FRONTLINE Plus for Cats and Kittens 6 Pk. FREE SHIPPING
$45.00 |
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 | LITTERMAID PLUS self cleaning litter box w/instructions
$20.99 |
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|  | ORGANIC GRAIN GRASS SEEDS - FREE SHIPPING
$3.00 |
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 | Wicker Cat Bed NEW PICK UP ONLY IN BAYONNE, NJ 07002
$24.99 |
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|  | FRONTLINE PLUS CAT 12 MONTH FREE GIFTS
$60.35 |
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 | Kitty cat condo condos tree house bed toy furniture 73B
$24.99 |
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|  | Pet Hammock - A PURR-FECT Place For a Cat (or dog) Nap!
$18.95 |
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 | Urine-off commercial strength odor & stain remover
$5.95 |
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|  | Cool New Cat or Dog Pet Bed Pad Mat Pillow for Crate
$12.34 |
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 | COUPONS FOR FREE PURINA PRO PLAN KITTEN & $5.00 OFF
$3.25 |
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|  | Tabby Kitty Condo NIB!!
$17.99 |
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 | Catit replacement purifying filters.
$0.99 |
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|  | Urine-off commercial strength cat odor & stain remover
$5.95 |
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 | Littermaid Made Cat litter box furniture cabinet cover
$179.99 |
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|  | .094 PET TENT CARRIER - BLUE - CAT ON CLOUD DESIGN NEW
$0.99 |
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 | Calico Kitty Condo NIB!!!
$18.99 |
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|  | FURminator DeShedding Tool CATS 1.7
$21.99 |
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 | Cat Play Paw Mitt
$5.00 |
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|  | DRINKWELL PLATINUM FOUNTAIN +Garden+Brush+10 Filter+Mat
$79.89 |
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 | ADVANTAGE CAT FLEA 10 MONTHS DOSES UP TO 9 POUNDS
$21.00 |
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|  | ORGANIC OAT CAT GRASS SEEDS - FREE SHIPPING
$3.00 |
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 | GENUINE BAYER ADVANTAGE® FLEA 6 DOSES CATS OVER 9 LBS W
$30.95 |
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|  | Cat Fountain - Filtered Water System for Your Pet
$12.56 |
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 | GREAT 16 MONTH SUPPLY OF FRONTLINE PLUS FOR CATS
$38.00 |
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|  | ADVANTAGE CAT FLEA 10 MONTHS DOSES UP TO 9 POUNDS
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 | Ceramic Cat Water Food Bowl Dish Pet Feeder - New
$3.99 |
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|  | LITTER BOX FURNITURE CATS COVER MEGA HIDER CAT COVER
$350.00 |
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 | SportPet Kitty Skyscraper over 5 ft. Tall
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|  | NEW Blue Fluffy Cat or Dog Pet Bed 20x20"- Pet Supply
$11.50 |
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 | Kitty Catus With Sisal-- Cat Scratch Post-- Tan
$18.00 |
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|  | Persian Kitty Condo NIB!!!
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 | Cat Toy
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 | Cat Tree House Furniture Condo Scratcher Bed Toys 62C
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|  | New LITTERMAID Mega LM950 + TENT Cat Litter Maid Box
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 | 8 DIMEND CATNIP BAGS! CAT FABRIC TOYS! FRESH HOME GROWN
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|  | Lavenderology Lavender 'Buds' catnip lavender cat toys
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|  | 42 HEAD LAZER POINTER ~ LASER BEAM BRAND NEW
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 | KITTY FUN HOUSE BOOT - Bed and Playhouse
$49.98 |
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|  | WATCH 8 MONTH SUPPLY OF FRONTLINE PLUS FOR CATS
$21.00 |
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 | Armarkat Cat Tree Pet Furniture Condo Scratcher #A7101
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|  | MidWest Cages Cat Play Pen Model 130 - FREE BED!!
$97.95 |
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 | Flexi-Mat Fleece Cat Window Hammock Replacement Cover
$14.95 |
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|  | Flexi-Mat Fleece Cat Window Hammock Replacement Cover
$14.95 |
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