Estimation of the dietary nutrient profile of free-roaming feral cats: possible implications for nutrition of domestic cats.

Cats are strict carnivores and in the wild rely on a diet solely based on animal tissues to meet their specific and unique nutritional requirements. Although the feeding ecology of cats in the wild has been well documented in the literature, there is no information on the precise nutrient profile to which the cat's metabolism has adapted. The present study aimed to derive the dietary nutrient profile of free-living cats.

Influence of nutrition on feline calcium oxalate urolithiasis with emphasis on endogenous oxalate synthesis.

The prevalence of calcium oxalate (CaOx) uroliths detected in cats with lower urinary tract disease has shown a sharp increase over the last decades with a concomitant reciprocal decrease in the occurrence of struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate) uroliths. CaOx stone-preventative diets are available nowadays, but seem to be marginally effective, as CaOx urolith recurrence occurs in patients fed these diets. In order to improve the preventative measures against CaOx urolithiasis, it is important to understand its aetiopathogenesis.

Indoor confinement and physical inactivity rather than the proportion of dry food are risk factors in the development of feline type 2 diabetes mellitus.

With domestication and urbanisation, cats have transformed from being hunting animals that eat protein-rich prey into more sedentary animals that eat a carbohydrate-rich diet. It was hypothesised that a high intake of dry cat food and a lack of physical activity may play a role in the development of feline type 2 diabetes mellitus. Information on dietary history and physical activity of 96 cats with diabetes mellitus and 192 matched controls was collected retrospectively, using a telephone questionnaire.

The criterion-related validity of the Northwick Park Dependency Score as a generic nursing dependency instrument for different rehabilitation patient groups.

Objective: To investigate the criterion or concurrent validity of the Northwick Park Dependency Score (NPDS) for determining nursing dependence in different rehabilitation groups, with the Barthel Index (BI) and the Care Dependency Scale (CDS).

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Centre for Rehabilitation of the University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands.

Retrospective study of the survival of cats with acquired chronic renal insufficiency offered different commercial diets.

A retrospective study was carried out on the efficacy of seven commercial diets designed to be fed to cats with chronic renal failure. The median survival time of 175 cats that received conventional diets was seven months, whereas the median survival time of 146 cats given one of the seven diets was 16 months. The cats on the most effective of the diets had a median survival time of 23 months and those on the least effective diet had a median survival time of 12 months.

Qualitative risk assessment of chronic renal failure development in healthy, female cats as based on the content of eicosapentaenoic acid in adipose tissue and that of arachidonic acid in plasma cholesteryl esters.

A study was carried out to assess the qualitative risk of development of chronic renal failure (CRF) in young healthy, female cats as based on the content of arachidonic acid (AA) in plasma cholesteryl esters (CE) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in adipose tissue. It has been suggested that the content of AA in CE should be <10% of total fatty acids (TFA) and of EPA in adipose tissue be >1.4% of TFA.

[Comparative analysis of commercial renal diets for cats, with emphasis on their fatty acid composition].

The objective of this study was to compare renal diets for cats that are commercially available in The Netherlands. The diets were analysed and their composition compared with a guideline proposed by the authors. Special attention was paid to the fatty acid composition of the diets and the role of fatty acids in the progression of chronic renal failure.

Relationship between the amount of linoleic acid in the diet and that in the adipose tissue of adult cats living freely in households.

The present study was carried out to ascertain whether linoleic acid intake and the content of this fatty acid in adipose tissue are correlated in cats. The linoleic acid intake, as estimated from a food intake questionnaire, was indeed correlated with the linoleic acid content of the abdominal body fat in 165 adult, female cats. A statistically significant linear correlation coefficient of 0.

The influence of dietary fish oil vs. sunflower oil on the fatty acid composition of plasma cholesteryl-esters in healthy, adult cats.

The question addressed was whether the fatty acid composition of plasma cholesteryl esters (CEs) in cats reflects the intake of fatty acids. Diets containing either fish oil or sunflower oil were fed to six healthy, adult cats in a cross-over trial. The dry cat foods contained approximately 18.

Gastric leiomyoblastoma: three interesting cases.

The leiomyoblastoma of the stomach has emerged as a separate entity different from the well known benign and malignant gastric tumours of smooth muscle origin. The histologic picture is very typical but has puzzled many pathologists in the past. It is important to consider the possibility of this tumour at operation because it will influence the type of operation to be carried out.