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The Metabolic Basis for the Taurine Requirement of Cats

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Taurine

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 315))

Abstract

Taurine is an essential dietary nutrient for cats because the rate of synthesis under most conditions is less than the rate of loss from the body. A deficiency of taurine results in pathological states affecting a number of organ systems, (Morris et al., 1990). Definition of the minimal dietary requirements of cats for taurine has been particularly challenging. Unlike many other nutrients, the loss of taurine from the body is dependent on the composition of the diet, and the method by which the diet is processed. The minimal concentrations of taurine in the diet to satisfy each physiological function of taurine at this time are unknown and likely to be somewhat different for each function. For example, two clinical conditions attributed to taurine deficiency in cats, feline central retinal degeneration (FCRD) and dilated cardiomyopathy do not always occur together in the same cat, each can occur without presence of the other (Pion et al., 1987). The purpose of this paper is to briefly review two important factors that determine the requirement for this nutrient, i.e. endogenous synthesis of taurine and loss of taurine from the body.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    James H. Morris & Quinton R. Rogers

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  1. James H. Morris
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  2. Quinton R. Rogers
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas, USA

    John B. Lombardini

  2. University of South Alabama School of Medicine, Mobile, Alabama, USA

    Stephen W. Schaffer

  3. Osaka University Medical School, Osaka, Japan

    Junichi Azuma

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© 1992 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Morris, J.H., Rogers, Q.R. (1992). The Metabolic Basis for the Taurine Requirement of Cats. In: Lombardini, J.B., Schaffer, S.W., Azuma, J. (eds) Taurine. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 315. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-3436-5_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-3436-5_5

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