猫粮

**猫粮**是猫吃的食物。

猫是肉食性動物，对饮食有着特定的营养需求。某些营养成分，包括多种维生素和氨基酸，会因为制造过程中的温度、压强和化学处理而被降低有效成分，因此必须在制造后再添加，以免破坏营养成分而导致营养缺乏。例如，在肉类中被发现的胺基牛磺酸，在加工过程中会被降解，因此，合成牛磺酸通常是后期添加的。长期的牛磺酸缺乏，例如长期喂食缺乏牛磺酸的狗粮，可能会导致视网膜变性，失明和心脏损害。

## 历史
相比狗而言（参见狗饼干和狗粮），为猫准备专门食物的观点后来才出现。这很可能是出于猫能易于谋生的看法。1837年，一位法国作家批评​​这个观点：

1844年，另一位法国作家解释这个观点：

"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：

In the same year, an advertisement for Spratt (better known for making dog food) said that their cat food entirely superseded "the unwholesome practice of feeding on boiled horse flesh; keeps the cat in perfect health."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:

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*.

## 商业猫粮

大多数店售的猫粮是干的，在美国也被称为*kibble*，或湿罐装的形式。有些生产商销售冷冻原料饲料和预混料产品，以迎合那些自制猫粮的猫主们的需要。

### 干粮

干粮（水分8-10%）通常由高热量和压力下挤压蒸煮，又或為熱風乾燥、急凍乾燥製成。主要成分為各式澱粉跟及植物蛋白（玉米、穀物、大豆、其他類澱粉，因產品型態至少佔30~40%），混合肉類蛋白質、動物油脂、香料，以增加适口性，和其他的微量成分，其中对热敏感的维生素，在挤出过程中可能被破坏，可能適度增加份量。另外會添加天然或人工防腐劑，用以增加保存期限。餵食乾糧需訓練貓會自行配合飲水。

### 湿粮

罐头或湿粮（湿度75-78%）通常是3盎司（85克），5.5盎司（156克），13盎司（369克）的规格。也会以铝箔袋的形式出售。

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（如慢性腎衰竭、尿結石）的風險。以貓來說，一隻貓每天所需的水分，每公斤（體重）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。

### 素食或纯素食品
目前有素食和純素食的猫粮销售。猫為肉食动物，不能从植物食品中合成这些养分，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。有些素食猫粮品牌都标有其制造商遵循AAFCO猫粮营养标准。

## 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級、超高級、自然、和完整等無明確定義的廣告口號。

台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、添加物、營養成分及含量、製造加工業者之名稱和地址及原產地、有效保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，目前台灣有「SNQ」國家品質標章。

## 能量需求
成年猫的能量需求范围是，懒猫每天每公斤体重消耗60-70千卡的代谢能量，活泼的则要消耗80-90千卡。5周龄的小猫要250千卡。随着年龄的增长，30周到50周成年的需求下降至100千卡。怀孕的母猫需要约90-100千卡，哺乳期的母猫需要90-270千卡视产崽数量而定。

## 营养和功能
维生素缺乏可导致广泛的临床异常反映其代谢作用的多样性。十二种矿物质被称为是猫科动物的必需营养素。钙，磷是强健骨骼和牙齿的关键。猫需要其他矿物质，如镁，钾，钠，神经冲动的传递，肌肉收缩，细胞信号转导。许多矿物质在体内的微量存在，包括硒，铜，钼，作为佣工多种酶促反应。

下表列出AAFCO猫粮营养比例，根据国家研究委员会在猫所需的维生素和矿物质营养的角色。

## 饮食和疾病
### 素食和纯素食饮食
素食或为猫准备的素食是有争议的。据美国国家科学研究委员会称，“猫需要特定的营养，而不是特定的饲料（Cats require specific nutrients, not specific feedstuffs.）” 。国际素食联盟，素食协会和PETA是一些支持猫的素食和纯素食饮食的组织。不推荐喂猫吃素食，，美国爱护动物协会也不推荐这么做。

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（如牛磺酸、维生素），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。

### 双酚A
一份2004年的研究报告显示，罐装食品外包装含有双酚A跟甲亢猫有关。

### 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，僅食用淡水鱼容易出現硫胺素缺乏，僅餵食肝臟可能會有维生素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（如銅，鋅和鉀）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。

### 猫粮召回

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.

## 营养成分表

## 参考资料

## 外部链接

* 美国食品药品监督管理局 - 兽药中心
**宠物食品 
**Information For Consumers - FDA's Regulation Of Pet Food 
**Information For Consumers - Information On Marketing A Pet Food Product 
**Information For Consumers - Interpreting Pet Food Labels 
**Information For Consumers - Interpreting Pet Food Labels - Special Use Foods  
**Vegetarian Diets For Pets? 
**Report on the risk from pentobarbital in dog food 
*The Vegetarian Society UK on concerns relating to a vegetarian diet for cats
*The Cat That Ate Tofu  Alternet article on vegan cat food
*Vegan Pet Food: A Discussion Animal Voices audio interview with Evolution pet food CEO
*From Max's House  Feline Medical And Behavior Database
**Feline Nutrition
**Cat Food Nutrient Profiles
**Dry food v/s canned (wet) food
*  –  disputes the claim that dry food is harmful
*Get The Facts - What's Really In Pet Food from Animal Protection Institute
*From AAFCO
**Regulating Pet Foods (pdf)
**Questions and Answers Regarding Pet Food Regulations (pdf)