"Mary" wrote in message
news:1110823064.5bd9677ee6c9d10c74d0f9f70b372c3a@t eranews...

"Meghan Noecker" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 13 Mar 2005 11:52:02 -0500, "Mary"
wrote:



I have often wondered if the people who keep saying that
"meat" is better than "meat byproducts" are talking from
an anthropomorphic angle.



Quite possible. My nephew's cat won't eat chicken or steak, but he
will eat a mouse. I guess those byproducts add more flavor.



Yep. And where does taurine come from, I wonder, that it
is not present in tuna? Does it come from hair and eyeballs
and bones and toenails and stuff?


You're partly right. Retinas contain high concentrations of free taurine.
Most other animal tissues, particularly muscle, heart (also a muscle),
viscera and brain - and shellfish, also contain high levels of taurine.
Plants don't contain any.

Most animals are able to synthesize enough taurine from methionine and
cysteine to meet their needs. However, cats have a limited capacity to
synthesize taurine and must receive it preformed - just like vitamin A (cats
can't convert beta carotene

Before 1986, many cats suffered from Feline Central Retinal Degeneration and
a form of dilated cardiomypoathy (taurine-deficient dilated
cardiomyopathy-TD-DCM) because the cat's taurine requirements were not known
and taurine was not supplemented in cat foods. After 1987, feline diets
were fortified with taurine and both diseases all but disappeared. Along
with insufficient protein, the lack of taurine is another reason why dog
food should not be fed to cats.

Phil.