Abstract
Upper respiratory infection (URI) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in shelter cats. Malnutrition, specifically vitamin A deficiency, has been associated with respiratory tract infections in humans in developing countries. The purpose of this study was to determine whether feral cats and cats in shelters have lower serum vitamin A concentrations than pet cats, because it was surmised that a vitamin A deficiency may predispose these cats to develop URI. This was a cross‐sectional study in which serum retinol, α‐tocopherol, γ‐tocopherol and beta carotene concentrations were measured from 48 shelter cats, 56 feral cats, and 42 pet cats, using HPLC. Retinol, α‐tocopherol, and γ‐tocopherol concentrations were found to be significantly lower in the shelter and feral cat populations than in pet cats (p ≤ 0.0001). There was no evidence of an effect of sex or neuter status on vitamin concentrations. Sick feral cats had a higher beta carotene level than did healthy feral cats. Within shelter and feral populations, no other effect of health status was found. The lower mean serum retinol and tocopherol concentrations in the feral and shelter cat groups could be due to oxidative or other forms of stress, the amount of vitamin consumed, or combinations of these. Further studies are needed to determine whether supplementation of fat‐soluble vitamins improves the health status of feral or shelter cats.
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