Cat Omega Fatty Acids

Fatty acids are a major part of a balanced diet, regardless of whether the food is for an animal or a human. There are two types of fatty acids, namely essential and non essential. The essential fatty acids are those fatty acids that are not produced by the body and hence need to be consumed while non essential fatty acids are those that are produced in the body itself. However, which fatty acids are essential fatty acids differs on the basis of the species in question. For example, the fatty acid arachidonic acid is only essential for cats but not for dogs.

Furthermore, there may be a situation which results in some non essential fatty acids becoming essential owing to some form of deficiency in your cat. Fatty acids created in the cat’s body depend upon enzymes, the deficiency of which can push the body to require it from external sources.

Although there are three types of fatty acids, only two of these are beneficial to a cat’s body. The important fatty acids are omega- 3 and omega-6 and the unimportant type is omega-9. Omega-3 fatty acids include three main fatty acids namely Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA), Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA). Similarly, Omega-9 acids include Linoleic Acid (LA), Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA), Dihomo-Gamma-Linolenic Acid (DGLA) and Arachidonic Acid (AA). Of these the body can process GLA to form GLA.

As per different clinical trials and researches conducted in various parts of the world, the requirement of omega-6 fatty acids is much more than omega-3 fatty acids with the ratio being pegged at anything between 10:1 and 5:1. The pet food manufacturers provide such ratios in their products but every cat owner should pay more attention to the quantity instead of ratio.

There are multiple problems that appropriate consumption of fatty acids can prevent from occurring. Some of these include :

1. Cat Allergies:

The basic cause for allergies is the over reaction of the immune system to some foreign particle that it mistakes for something extremely harmful. Fatty acids can prevent such problems from occurring.

2. Cat Arthritis:

Arthritis is a problem in which joints get inflamed and cause pain and difficulty in movement. Research has proven that omega-3 fatty acids like EPA can help in countering this type of inflammation.

3. Dull Hair coat and Cat Shedding:

This is a problem that most cat owners have been correcting with cat food containing fatty acids for a long time now. In fact, this is one of the things that many cat owners associate with when it comes to buying cat food containing fatty acids, so that their cat’s can have Cat Shiny Coats.

4. Cat Heart Disease and other heart issues:

As per reports from multiple clinical trials across the world, fatty acids have been shown to have a positive effect on the heart of many cats. It is believed that feeding cat food with appropriate levels of fatty acids can result in controlled blood pressure for the cat, alleviating Cat High Blood Pressure.

As is more than evident, omega fatty acids hold the potential to be very useful in preventing health related problems with cats. Hence, after proper consultation, every cat owner should try to supplement their cats’ natural diet with such supplements.