貓糧

貓糧是貓吃的食物。貓對飲食有著特定的營養需求。某些營養成分，包括多種維生素和氨基酸，會因為製造過程中的溫度、壓強和化學處理而被降低有效成分，因此必須在製造後再新增，以免破壞營養成分而導致營養缺乏。例如，在肉類中被發現的胺基牛磺酸，在加工過程中會被降解，因此，合成牛磺酸通常是後期新增的。長期的牛磺酸缺乏，例如長期餵食缺乏牛磺酸的狗糧，可能會導致視網膜變性，失明和心臟損害。歷史.相比狗而言，為貓準備專門食物的觀點後來才出現。這很可能是出於貓能易於謀生的看法。1837年，一位法國作家批評​​這個觀點：#重定向1844年，另一位法國作家解釋這個觀點：已隱藏部分未翻譯內容，歡迎參與[ 翻譯]。一般而言，鄉間的貓食並不受到重視，貓被任其自生自滅，說是要讓牠自己獵食。然而，當貓餓的時候，牠們尋找倉庫裡的糧食更甚於獵捕老鼠，這是因為貓並不以追逐與尋找老鼠為必須，而是由於天性與吸引力使然。所以，不餵食貓將使牠們變得無用且有害。不過，定時且適量的給牠們些許屑食，貓就不會造成破壞，也會帶來許多益處。"好貓獵得多，吃得少。"他繼續說明。當貓以捕鼠為樂甚於覓食時，期望一隻貓於狩獵生存是多麼不合理。1876年，Gordon Stables強調給與貓特定食物的必要：如果要讓貓變成更有價值的害蟲殺手，牠應該攝取規律且充分的食物。一隻貓一天至少需餵食兩次。讓牠有一個自己的盤子，放在地上讓牠用餐，用餐完畢後再拿走。判定食物量時，經驗是最好的老師，而食物內容則要多樣化。燕麥粥、牛奶或者浸潤溫牛奶的白麵包，新增少許糖，這些都是貓咪理想的早餐；晚餐時，要增加肉類。白灼燈比起馬肉對牠更好，偶而讓牠吃魚。教導你的貓咪在供餐前耐心等待，一隻被寵壞的貓就像被寵壞的小孩一樣討人厭。如果想讓你的貓漂亮且乾淨，偶而餵食牠一英吋大的鮮奶油。這不僅能作為一種溫和的瀉藥，油脂與牠唾液的鹼混合後，會形成一種自然貓皂，然後你會注意到牠開始著手清洗自己，變得美麗乾淨。Remember that too much flesh-meat, especially liver,—which ought only to be given occasionally,—is very apt to induce a troublesome diarrhoea (looseness). Do not give your pet too many tit-bits at table; but whatever else you give her, never neglect to let her have her "two regular meals".In the same year, an advertisement for Spratt (better known for making dog food) said that their cat food entirely superseded "the unwholesome practice of feeding on boiled horse flesh; keeps the cat in perfect health." And, in another book on cats, Stables recommended the company's food:Attend to the feeding, and, at a more than one-day show, cats ought to have "water" as well as milk. I think boiled lights, cut into small pieces, with a very small portion of bullock's liver and bread soaked, is the best food; but I have tried Spratt's Patent Cat Food with a great number of cats, both of my own and those of friends, and have nearly always found it agree; and at a cat show it would, I believe, be both handy and cleanly.Spratt, which began by making dog biscuits, appears to also have been the first commercial producer of cat food.During the 19th century and early-20th centuries, meat for cats and dogs in London, frequently Horse meat, was sold from barrows (hand–carts) by itinerant traders known as "Cats' Meat Men".商業貓糧.大多數店售的貓糧是乾的，在美國也被稱為"kibble"，或溼罐裝的形式。有些生產商銷售冷凍原料飼料和預混料產品，以迎合那些自制貓糧的貓主們的需要。乾糧.乾糧，混合肉類蛋白質、動物油脂、香料，以增加適口性，和其他的微量成分，其中對熱敏感的維生素，在擠出過程中可能被破壞，可能適度增加份量。另外會新增天然或人工防腐劑，用以增加儲存期限。餵食乾糧需訓練貓會自行配合飲水。溼糧.罐頭或溼糧的規格。也會以鋁箔袋的形式出售。採用濕食是增加寵物動物性蛋白質/肉品、接近其原始需求食物及攝取飲水量的有效方法之一，可降低寵物因新鮮蛋白質吸收不足、缺水而罹患疾病就需要60毫升的水分，若以罐頭或正常肉品為主食，就已攝取了93％每天所需水分；反之，若主食為僅含10%水分的乾飼料，一隻4公斤的貓，還需要自發性的喝200毫升的水，然而由於貓的口渴機制並不發達，如乾糧餵食比例過高，即使會自行飲水的貓往往依然會因此缺水，且增加貓隻腸胃負擔及身心壓力。素食或純素食品.目前有素食和純素食的貓糧銷售。貓為肉食動物，不能從植物食品中合成這些養分，如牛磺酸和花生四烯酸，故長期食用可能將對貓產生負面效果。有些素食貓糧品牌都標有其製造商遵循AAFCO貓糧營養標準。包裝及標示.在美國，貓食要標示為「營養均衡」必需在營養成分或飼餵試驗中達到由為美國飼料品管協會 (AAFCO)定立的營養標準，貓食的營養標準是在 1992年建立、並在 1995年由美國飼料品管協會 (AAFCO)的貓科動物營養專家小組委員會修改而成。修正版取代了之前美國國家研究委員會(NRC)定立的準則，取代了某些製造商使用的高階、超高階、自然、和完整等無明確定義的廣告口號。臺灣的農委會有關寵物食品的標示規定來自動物保護法，規定應用中文及通用符號於包裝、容器、說明書上標示：品名、淨重、容量、原料、新增物、營養成分及含量、製造加工業者之名稱和地址及原產地、有效儲存期限還有條件及方法、適用寵物種類等注意事項。在寵物食品認證方面，目前臺灣有「SNQ」國家品質標章。能量需求.成年貓的能量需求範圍是，懶貓每天每公斤體重消耗60-70千卡的代謝能量，活潑的則要消耗80-90千卡。5周齡的小貓要250千卡。隨著年齡的增長，30周到50周成年的需求下降至100千卡。懷孕的母貓需要約90-100千卡，哺乳期的母貓需要90-270千卡視產崽數量而定。營養和功能.維生素缺乏可導致廣泛的臨床異常反映其代謝作用的多樣性。十二種礦物質被稱為是貓科動物的必需營養素。鈣，磷是強健骨骼和牙齒的關鍵。貓需要其他礦物質，如鎂，鉀，鈉，神經衝動的傳遞，肌肉收縮，細胞訊號轉導。許多礦物質在體內的微量存在，包括硒，銅，鉬，作為傭工多種酶促反應。下表列出AAFCO貓糧營養比例，根據國家研究委員會在貓所需的維生素和礦物質營養的角色。飲食和疾病.素食和純素食飲食.素食或為貓準備的素食是有爭議的。據美國國家科學研究委員會稱，“貓需要特定的營養，而不是特定的飼料” 。國際素食聯盟，素食協會和PETA是一些支援貓的素食和純素食飲食的組織。不推薦喂貓吃素食，，美國愛護動物協會也不推薦這麼做。已隱藏部分未翻譯內容，歡迎參與[ 翻譯]。Vegan or vegetarian diets for cats are controversial. According to the United States National Research Council, "Cats require specific nutrients, not specific feedstuffs." The International Vegetarian Union, the Vegan Society and PETA are some of the organizations that support a vegan or vegetarian diet for cats. The Animal Protection Institute does not recommend a vegetarian diet for cats, and neither does the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).Not all animal advocacy groups take a firm position either way. The Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights (now Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association) accepts that it is possible for a plant-based diet to be nutritionally adequate but stated in August 2006 that such diets "cannot at this time be reliably assured". This position was based on a 2004 study demonstrating that of two commercially available vegetarian cat diets tested, both were nutritionally deficient. The formulation error in one of these diets was promptly identified and corrected. Nevertheless, it remains likely that formulation errors will result in nutritional deficiencies in a wide range of commercially available diets from time to time, whether meat-based, vegetarian or vegan. Hence, regular (at least, annual) veterinary checkups of all companion animals is recommended, and brands may be occasionally varied.In 2006, the first study of the health of a population of long-term vegetarian cats was published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Most of the cats were fed a commercially-available vegan diet, though 35% were allowed outdoors. The study consisted of telephone questionnaires of the caregivers of 32 cats, and analysis of blood samples from some of them. The blood samples were tested for taurine and cobalamin deficiencies. Cobalamin levels were normal in all cats. Taurine levels were low in 3 out of 17 cats tested, but not low enough to be considered deficient. 97% of the caregivers perceived their cats to be healthy, including those with low taurine levels.家庭自製貓糧.部分寵物飼主用家庭自製的食物來餵貓。食品的形式包括煮熟或生的肉類、骨頭、蔬菜以及補充品，許多自製家庭貓糧依照 BARF生食的食譜製作，生食食譜提供了多樣的選擇讓飼主能依其製作來盡量符合天然飲食需求的成分，但有研究指出BARF食譜中至少95種裡有60%被發現在鈣、磷、維生素D、碘、鋅、銅或維生素A的一種或多種組合上營養失衡。雙酚A.一份2004年的研究報告顯示，罐裝食品外包裝含有雙酚A跟甲亢貓有關。食物過敏.食物過敏是一種非季節性的疾病，症狀出現在腸胃或皮膚上。主訴情況是瘙癢造成的過度抓傷，通常用類固醇消炎藥的治療效果有限。目前尚未知道如何完全避免貓的食物過敏。 貓若有其他過敏性疾病、跳蚤過敏，有20-30%會併發食物過敏。對抗食物過敏比較可靠的方式只能透過採低敏飲食。 要知道哪些是致敏性食物必需靠「過敏檢測」，治療方式包括避免接觸食用過敏成分。營養失調.用非常規方式餵食是造成營養失調的主因，僅食用淡水魚容易出現硫胺素缺乏，僅餵食肝臟可能會有維生素A中毒，貓飲食中若只有肉類可能會造成磷及蛋白質過量還有鈣、維生素E和微量礦物質缺乏。補充熱量需求的同時也要注意其他營養素的補充。 使用植物油來保持熱量平衡可能會令貓失去胃口。貓糧召回.已隱藏部分未翻譯內容，歡迎參與[ 翻譯]。The broad pet food recalls starting in March 2007 came in response to reports of renal failure in pets consuming mostly wet pet foods made with wheat gluten from a single Chinese company beginning in February 2007. Overall, several major companies recalled more than 100 brands of pet foods with most of the recalled product coming from Menu Foods. The most likely cause according to the FDA is the presence of melamine in the wheat gluten of the affected foods. Melamine is known to falsely inflate the protein content rating of substances in laboratory tests. The economic impact on the pet food market has been extensive, with Menu Foods alone losing roughly $30 Million from the recall.