The feline carnivore and their prey: how important is animal fibre and its structure in their diet?

Dietary plant-derived fibre quantification was motivated because of its nutritional and health effects observed in humans and animals. These techniques quantify the carbohydrate-based molecules making up plant-derived fibres. Carnivores and omnivores also ingest another kind of fibre composed of nitrogen-rich molecules of poorly or indigestible carcass tissues from prey, e.g. bones, skin, fur and feathers, called animal fibre. The latter has shown to have a health effect in the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), a strict carnivore. To what extent this effect was caused by the chemical or the physical nature of whole prey was unclear. Given this potential health effect, it was important to advance our understanding of the effect of animal fibre in the nutrition of the domestic cat, one of the most popular pets worldwide, and as a model for strict carnivores. Therefore, the overall aim of this research was to evaluate animal fibre as a dietary component and its impact on digestion and fermentation in domestic cats