Everyone knows that eating too much salt will be bad for the body, increase the burden on the kidneys, and lead to incurable diseases over time. In fact, many foods should not be eaten in excess, and the same is true for cats.

Speaking of which, let’s look at an example first:

The family went out on a weekend. Because they were in a hurry before leaving, they didn't pay attention to whether they had left enough cat food.

When I got home, I found that my cat couldn't bear it and had eaten a whole salted fish hanging on the balcony. It was lying on the ground in pain and screaming.

Not only that, but there were also symptoms such as foaming at the mouth, convulsions all over the body, diarrhea, etc...

After being sent to the hospital, the doctor initially diagnosed him with "salt poisoning". Fortunately, the rescue was timely and the cat's life was successfully saved...

This rhythm, which seems to be fatal every minute, is simply scarier than the legendary "eating too much salt will cause hair loss" and "eating too much salt will cause stone formation" combined!

Don’t panic yet, let’s first take a look at the principle of “ask for verification before encountering legendary poisons”.

How much salt should a cat consume daily?

Is salt harmful to cats but not beneficial at all?

"A little adds up", can salt really cause "hair loss", "stones" or even "poisoning"?

To this end, I specially consulted various sources to try to answer these questions about "salt".

The notes are here!

1. Cat hair loss, kidney disease, stones... may not be caused by salt, but salt may indeed kill the cat!

2. Although salt may kill cats, not eating it at all is unhealthy!

3. Let the cat take in salt normally and make sure it drinks water!

4. Reduce artificial opportunities for cats to come into contact with human processed food!

Question

Hair loss, stones... Is "salt" really so strong?

There is a long-standing saying that cats will lose hair if they eat salt. But in fact, there is noThere is clear evidence that there is a direct correlation between normal salt intake and hair loss.

The main causes of abnormal hair loss in cats

1. Fungal or parasitic infection: Cats are unfortunately infected with fungi or are bitten by fleas and other parasites. They are likely to scratch and bite their skin due to severe itching;

2. Improper washing and care methods: For example, frequent bathing or using human toiletries may break the normal oil balance of the cat's body surface;

3. Insufficient nutritional intake: due to malnutrition, especially insufficient meat intake, resulting in a lack of protein and fat related to hair growth;

4. Cats suffer from thyroid dysfunction, hyperadrenocorticism and other diseases, or lose hair due to allergies.

Recommended to do this

1. Carefully check the hair loss areas on the cat’s body to see if there are parasites and see if the skin under the hair shows signs of redness, swelling, bleeding, ulceration, and scabs;

2. Review the cat’s recent dietary status;

3. Confirm whether there are recent problems of eating too little, picky eaters, or partial eclipses

4. Confirm the time interval between cat’s recent bathing and the brand of bath liquid used, and consult a professional veterinarian with the above self-examination results.

As for the relationship between "salt" and "hypertension", "kidney deficiency (disease)", etc., what needs to be explained here is:

The current research on "salt causes health problems in cats" mainly focuses on the "sodium" element in "salt".

According to some current research evidence, the relationship between cats' intake of appropriate amounts of sodium and the increased risk of hypertension, heart disease, kidney disease, and urinary tract stones is not clear. However, the occurrence of urinary tract stones is related to cats' insufficient drinking water. relatively close.

It is worth noting:

The example mentioned at the beginning of "cats eating salted fish at home causing salt poisoning" is extremely rare in clinical practice. However, if it is not treated in time, the cat may still die within 24 hours. Therefore, it is also a serious matter to prevent the cat from ingesting a large amount of salt at a time.

Then it’s okay if I don’t feed the cat salt?

We have just mentioned that the main component of "salt" is sodium chloride. After sodium chloride enters the cat's body, it mainly exists in the form of sodium ions andChloride ions, these two components play an important role in the normal physiological activities of cats.

Sodium ions - maintain acid-base balance and maintain extracellular fluid volume. Maintains the latent potential in excitable tissues and during the generation and propagation of nerve impulses.

Chloride ion - maintains the osmotic pressure and acid-base regulation of extracellular fluid.

If a cat is deficient in sodium and chloride ions, it may suffer from fatigue, anorexia, growth failure, etc., which may pose a threat to health.

Another report points out that an appropriate amount of sodium can induce cats to drink water and reduce the risk of urinary tract stones and kidney stones.

How to avoid excessive sodium intake?

1. Suppose your cat eats commercial cat food with industry standard added sodium as its main food every day. Since the moisture content in dry food is low, the cat needs to pay attention to ensuring drinking water. You can also open canned food and replenish water while eating;

2. If the cat has been diagnosed with kidney disease, urinary tract stones or heart disease, it is recommended to consult a veterinarian and select food strictly;

3. Prepare more water bowls at home and change clean water frequently, or choose an automatic water dispenser to use the water flow to induce cats to drink more water;

4. In addition to not feeding people food, it is also important to prevent stealing!

5. When eating or eating snacks, try to be an emotionless foodie. Do not make any eye contact with the cat, ignore any form of coquettishness, and control the hand you want to feed!

6. Clear the table immediately after eating and clean up the kitchen garbage quickly! It is strongly recommended to use a covered trash can!

7. Compatriots in Sichuan, Chongqing and coastal areas, beware of cats sneaking into balconies and rooms where sausages, bacon and salted fish are hung!

In short, normal intake of "salt (sodium)" does more good than harm to cats, so there is no need for us to "talk about salt discoloration."

At the same time, believing in science and ensuring a balanced nutritional intake are the most beneficial "backings" for cat health. Blindly following the so-called "cat-raising common sense" that is "widely circulated" may harm cats.

Reference：

1. Ding Xiaoli, et al. Causes of hair loss syndrome in dogs and cats. Sichuan Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine. 2008; 10: 46

2. Hobi S, et al. Clinical characteristics and causes of pruritus in cats: a multicentre study on feline hypersensitivity-associated dermatoses. Vet Dermatol. 2011; 22(5): 406-13.

3. Favrot C, et al. Clinical symptoms, diagnosis and therapy of feline allergic dermatitis. Schweiz Arch Tierheilkd. 2014; 156(7): 327-35.

4. Li Kainian, et al. Food, diet and feeding system of pet cats and dogs. China Animal Health. 2010; 8: 55-9.

5. Chen Zhimin, et al. Research progress on nutritional physiology of pet cats. Feed Industry. 2012; 33(17): 52-6.

6. Chandler ML. Pet food safety: sodium in pet foods. Top Companion Anim Med. 2008; 23(3): 148-53.

7. Gu Jianliang. Diagnosis and treatment of a pet cat suffering from salt poisoning. Shanghai Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Communications. 2011; 6: 94.

8. P. Nguyen, et al. Sodium in feline nutrition. J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl). 2017; 101(3): 403-20.

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