Household Hypercarnivores: Modern Trends in Commercial Cat Food Composition and Implications for the Health of Domestic Cats (Felis catus)

Abstract

Global cat (Felis catus) ownership is on the rise at an unprecedented rate, and the pet food market has consequently been growing, expanding, and increasing in value to record highs. These trends are coupled with a rise in popularity of alternative plant-based diets in humans, leading to growing interest in plant-based cat foods as well. However, several issues within companion animal nutrition research and the commercial pet food industry have allowed for propagation of formulations that may be inadequate and even unsafe for feline nutritional needs, many of which have potential causative links to common and concerning feline health concerns. This review aims to compile currently available research on domestic feline commercial diets, nutritional needs, potential and known dietary-derived health concerns, and shortcomings of available commercial formulations, particularly with respect to novel plant-based diets. The synthesis of these findings demonstrates chronic, widespread quality and standardization issues within the pet food industry and plant-based diets, and show several likely links between identified commercial diet nutrient deficiencies/excesses and feline health concerns. Several areas in need of further research or policy intervention are identified, and the conflicts of interest between the profits of the commercial pet food industry and nutritional research are explored.