Aging cats prefer warm food

Eyre, Ryan; Trehiou, Melanie; Marshall, E. K.; Carvell-Miller, Laura J.; Goyon, Annabelle; McGrane, Scott J.

doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2021.09.006

Cited by 16 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…< Offer food at room or body temperature (avoid presenting it cold 95 or overheated, although some nauseous cats may benefit from the reduced scent of cooler food).…”

Section: < Try To Ensure Cages Face Away From Each Other (Avoiding Vi...mentioning

confidence: 99%

2022 ISFM Consensus Guidelines on Management of the Inappetent Hospitalised Cat

Taylor¹,

Chan

Villaverde³

et al. 2022

Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery

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Practical relevance: Inappetence may have many origins and, as a presenting sign or observation in the hospitalised patient, is common in feline practice. Nutritional assessment of every patient is encouraged, to identify the need for, and appropriate type of, intervention indicated. The impact of malnutrition may be significant on the feline patient, perpetuating illness, delaying recovery, slowing wound healing and negatively impacting gut health and immunity. Delayed intervention may result in the cat’s deterioration; hence prompt control of contributing factors such as the underlying illness, pain, nausea, ileus and stress is vital to optimise voluntary food intake. Management is multimodal, comprising reduction of stress, medications and assisted nutrition in the form of tube feeding or parenteral nutrition. Use of antiemetic, analgesic, prokinetic and appetite stimulant medications may restore appetite, but placement of feeding tubes should not be delayed. Feeding tubes are generally well tolerated and allow provision of food, water and medication with minimal stress, although clinicians must be aware of complications such as stoma site infections and refeeding syndrome. Clinical challenges: Cats are vulnerable to malnutrition owing to their unique metabolism and specific nutritional requirements. Moreover, their nature as a species means they are susceptible to stress in the hospital environment, which may result in reduced food intake; previous negative experiences may compound the problem. In particular, an inappropriate clinic environment and/or handling may cause or exacerbate inappetence in hospitalised patients, with negative impacts on recovery. Postponing interventions such as feeding tube placement to await improvement, owing to clinician or caregiver apprehension, may hinder recovery and worsen nutritional deficits. Evidence base: The 2022 ISFM Consensus Guidelines on Management of the Inappetent Hospitalised Cat have been created by a panel of experts brought together by the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM). Information is based on the available literature, expert opinion and the panel members’ experience.

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“…< Offer food at room or body temperature (avoid presenting it cold 95 or overheated, although some nauseous cats may benefit from the reduced scent of cooler food).…”

Section: < Try To Ensure Cages Face Away From Each Other (Avoiding Vi...mentioning

confidence: 99%

2022 ISFM Consensus Guidelines on Management of the Inappetent Hospitalised Cat

Taylor¹,

Chan

Villaverde³

et al. 2022

Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Cats are solitary hunters that will often kill much smaller prey than their body mass, which results in them needing to have multiple kills a day to meet their energy requirements [ 6 ]. This prey is normally eaten immediately, and cats show a preference for food at body temperature and will often consume carrion that has cooled to ambient temperatures [ 18 , 19 ]. Smaller prey are often consumed in one portion, but with larger prey, the flesh will be ripped off and the organs will be consumed [ 6 ].…”

Section: Nutrient Requirements Of Cats and Dogsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, if palatable foods are served chilled, refusal has also been displayed, as cats tend to prefer food at similar temperatures to the body temperature of live prey, or at least room temperature [ 21 ]. A study by Eyre and colleagues [ 19 ], which examined specific serving temperatures of wet food to older (>7 years) domestic short-haired cats, found that they preferred food served at 37 °C (i.e., body temperature) compared to room temperature of 21 °C, with food chilled to 6 °C being the least preferred. Volatile compounds were also analysed in this study, with the hypothesis that warming food may help enhance the flavor profile for aging cats and help encourage intake.…”

Section: Palatability Driversmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Drivers of Palatability for Cats and Dogs—What It Means for Pet Food Development

Watson

Thomas

Bermingham

et al. 2023

Animals

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The pet food industry is an important sector of the pet care market that is growing rapidly. Whilst the number of new and innovative products continues to rise, research and development to assess product performance follows traditional palatability methodology. Pet food palatability research focuses on the amount of food consumed through use of one-bowl and two-bowl testing, but little understanding is given to why differences are observed, particularly at a fundamental ingredient level. This review will highlight the key differences in feeding behaviour and nutritional requirements between dogs and cats. The dominant pet food formats currently available and the ingredients commonly included in pet foods are also described. The current methods used for assessing pet food palatability and their limitations are outlined. The opportunities to utilise modern analytical methods to identify complete foods that are more palatable and understand the nutritional factors responsible for driving intake are discussed.

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“…Many cats will prefer familiar foods, warmed and presented in low-sided bowls, with one recent study demonstrating that cats over 7 years of age prefer wet food warmed to 37˚C (98.6˚F). 58 Hospitals should have various food and feeding vessel options available to meet a range of patient preferences. See the '2022 iSFM Consensus Guidelines on Management of the inappetent Hospitalised Cat' for more information.…”

Section: Beds and Beddingmentioning

confidence: 99%

2022 ISFM/AAFP Cat Friendly Veterinary Environment Guidelines

Taylor¹,

Denis

Collins³

et al. 2022

Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery

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Practical relevance: The ‘2022 ISFM/AAFP Cat Friendly Veterinary Environment Guidelines’ (hereafter the ‘Cat Friendly Veterinary Environment Guidelines’) describe how the veterinary clinic environment can be manipulated to minimise feline patient distress. Many components of a veterinary clinic visit or stay may result in negative experiences for cats. However, much can be done to improve a cat’s experience by making the veterinary clinic more cat friendly. Exposure to other cats and other species can be reduced, and adjustments made with consideration of the feline senses and species-specific behaviour. Caregivers can prepare cats for a clinic visit with appropriate advice. Waiting rooms, examination rooms, hospital wards and other clinic areas can be designed and altered to reduce stress and hence encourage positive emotions. Changes need not be structural or expensive in order to be effective and make a difference to the cats and, in turn, to cat caregivers and the veterinary team. Moreover, by improving the all-round experience at the veterinary clinic, there are positive effects on preventive healthcare, identification of and recovery from illness, and compliance with treatment. Clinical challenges: Good feline healthcare necessitates visiting the veterinary clinic, which, simply by being outside of a cat’s territory and familiar surroundings, may lead to negative experiences. Such experiences can trigger negative (protective) emotions and associated physiological stress, which can result in misleading clinical findings, patient distress, prolonged recovery from illness, further difficulties with handling at subsequent visits and potential veterinary personnel injury. There may be a mistaken belief that veterinary clinics must undergo significant renovation or building work to become cat friendly, and that, if species cannot be separated, then clinics cannot improve their care of cats. These Guidelines aim to dispel any such misconceptions and provide detailed practical advice. Evidence base: These Guidelines have been created by a Task Force of experts convened by the International Society of Feline Medicine and American Association of Feline Practitioners, based on an extensive literature review and, where evidence is lacking, the authors’ experience. Endorsements: These Guidelines have been endorsed by a number of groups and organisations, as detailed on page 1161 and at icatcare.org/cat-friendly-guidelines and catvets.com/environment .

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Aging cats prefer warm food

Cited by 16 publications

References 32 publications

2022 ISFM Consensus Guidelines on Management of the Inappetent Hospitalised Cat

2022 ISFM Consensus Guidelines on Management of the Inappetent Hospitalised Cat

Drivers of Palatability for Cats and Dogs—What It Means for Pet Food Development

2022 ISFM/AAFP Cat Friendly Veterinary Environment Guidelines

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