Author(s)

Bruno Giorgio de Oliveira Cécere¹, Guilherme Luiz Deolindo¹, Bianca F. Bissacotti², Priscila Marquezin Copetti², Maria Rosa Chitolina Schetinger², Bruna Klein³, Matheus Delamea Baldissera⁴, Thiago Pereira Ribeiro⁵, Walter Hugo Cuelho Suarez⁵, Daniel Pigatto Monteiro⁵, Aleksandro Schafer Da Silva^1,3*

¹Graduate Multicenter Program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of the State of Santa Catarina, Lages, Brazil.
²Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Santa Maria, Brazil.
³Department of Animal Science, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Chapecó, Brazil.
⁴Department of Health Science, Universidade Franciscana (UFN), Santa Maria, Brazil.
⁵Department of Animal Nutrition, Tectron-Tecnologia e Inovação, Toledo, Brazil.

The present study aimed to determine whether natural dehydrated feed (DNF) can replace dry extruded feed while preserving the required daily intake, nutrient digestibility and benefits for immunity and antioxidant response in cats. The animals were divided into two groups of seven animals each. One group received DNF, and the other consumed commercial extruded dry feed (DCF). The experiment lasted 45 days and we measured daily consumption and collected blood and feces samples. The animals in the DNF group showed greater digestibility of fiber and mineral matter than DCF. Cats in the DNF group had a higher volume of feces. DNF cats had lower leukocyte and granulocyte counts and cholesterol levels. Serum enzymatic antioxidant responses and non-enzymatic were higher in DNF cats. Cats in the DNF group showed lower serum acute phase proteins in addition to a tendency toward a higher concentration of transferrin than in the DCF group. Fecal Escherichia coli and total coliform counts of cats fed DNF were higher than DCF. We conclude that the daily consumption of cats is adequate. This feed had greater digestibility of fiber and mineral matter, in addition to an improvement in antioxidant and immunological responses.

Alternative Feed, Antioxidant, Companion Animals, Health

Cécere, B. , Deolindo, G. , Bissacotti, B. , Copetti, P. , Schetinger, M. , Klein, B. , Baldissera, M. , Ribeiro, T. , Suarez, W. , Monteiro, D. and Silva, A. (2024) Dehydrated Natural Feed for Cats: Influence on Apparent Digestibility Coefficient, Feces Scores, and Serum Immune, Antioxidant, and Metabolic Biomarkers. Food and Nutrition Sciences, 15, 594-611. doi: 10.4236/fns.2024.157039.