Enzymes are the building blocks of all of life. There are two main types of enzymes, metabolic and digestive. Today let’s discuss why cats need digestive enzymes.
Digestive enzymes are tiny little molecules in the gut of your cats that break down the food they eat and make it usable to their bodies. These enzymes play a vital role in the overall health of your cats.
There are 4 main digestive enzymes:
- Protease – which breaks down and utilizes protein
- Lipase – which breaks down and utilizes fat
- Amylase – which breaks down and utilizes carbs and starches
- Cellulase – which breaks down fiber
Digestive enzymes come from two sources: Food and your cat’s body. Cats need digestive enzymes from both sources to help the body function at its optimal level. Unfortunately, commercial cat foods do not contain digestive enzymes. This is because they’re ‘killed’ when the food is processed, so any food you feed your cat from a bag or can is void of these essential nutrients.
Cats need digestive enzymes just as much (if not more) than humans. We have many options available to us to access the digestive enzymes our bodies require. There are a variety of foods that will unlock the vitamins and minerals our bodies need. Cats are limited to the foods we feed them. This is why it’s best to feed fresh, uncooked foods that provide the digestive enzymes their bodies’ need.
Feeding a fresh raw diet to your cats is one way to ensure they’re getting digestive enzymes from their food. We recommend this diet for all cats, but if you are unable to feed a raw diet to your kitty, you can supplement these enzymes into their daily diets. There are many quality supplements that provide digestive enzymes, but we recommend highly absorbable liquid or powder supplements. Our feline friends’ digestive systems work quickly, so these supplements (unlike wafers or pills) don’t need to be broken down in the digestive system before they can be used.
CATalyst Digestive Enzyme Supplement
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