We are too accustomed to humanize our beloved Maine Coons, completely forgetting that a cat is a beast, albeit a small one, but a beast. And she should have habits like a beast. And we are moved around our cat, offer her a piece of cake or ice cream. And we do not think at all about what we are doing and what it can lead to.
A bit of physiology.
The cat is a predator. The predator’s diet is based on proteins (meat) and fats, they make up almost 100% of cat food. Sometimes a cat can eat some plant food, mostly grass, but it does this to cleanse the stomach and intestines.
Not so long ago, in 2005, American geneticists found that absolutely all felines do not have the amino acids that form the DNA of the gene responsible for recognizing the sweet taste. This means that they do not have a taste bud that gives a reaction to sweets. And to put it simply, sweet taste does not exist for cats.
Then why do cats eat sweets?
If your cat eats something sweet, such as condensed milk or ice cream, they are most likely attracted to the taste of milk proteins and fats.
You can also explain the addiction to sweets in this way: the cat is attracted not by taste, but by smell; like the consistency of the product; the pet seeks to treat itself from the table or from the hands of its beloved owner, or the cat has a lack of minerals or vitamins.
Keep in mind one more thing: just as there is no sweet taste for a cat, in the same way she does not have a special enzyme (glucokinase) in the liver and pancreas that regulates blood sugar levels.
Dangers of the sweet life.
The use of sweets by a cat is a direct path to various diseases. A loving owner will never test the pet’s body and feed the Maine Coon with sweets, justifying himself with the fact that my pet loves sweets.
Here is just a small list of diseases that sweets lead to in your pet’s diet.
Obesity – eating sweets, the cat receives a large amount of light carbohydrates. As a result, metabolic processes are disturbed in her body and the assimilation of food occurs incorrectly. As a result, the active formation of fat deposits begins, and not only subcutaneous, but also around the internal organs, which disrupts their work. And irreversible pathologies caused by a malfunction of the internal organs will become an unpleasant surprise for the owner.
Diabetes. When a cat eats sweets regularly, the pancreas receives a monstrous overload and cannot work normally, as a result of which inflammation gradually develops and the process of destruction of the tissues of the organ begins. As a result, the normal production of insulin stops and “Hello, diabetes”
Blindness. In cats, it develops as a result of high blood sugar or diabetes. The process is irreversible.
Urolithiasis disease. When cats eat sweets, the kidneys are overloaded. The risk that a cat will develop KSD when eating sweets is almost the same as when feeding economy class dry food or fish.
Poisoning. Occurs when you give a cat chocolate. It contains the alkaloid theobromine, which in small quantities causes a jump in blood pressure, increased heart rate and strong excitement, and in large doses leads to death.
Now you understand that sweets and cats are incompatible. Cats do not distinguish between sweet tastes, so there is no need to justify your own irresponsibility by giving your beloved kitty something that is harmful to her health and life.