Page 54 - Raw Diet References Book 2019

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MINERALS

Twelve minerals are known to be
essential nutrients for cats. Calcium
and phosphorus are crucial to
strong bones and teeth. Cats need
other minerals, such as magne-
sium, potassium, and sodium, for
nerve impulse transmission, mus-
cle contraction, and cell signaling.
Many minerals that are present
only in minute amounts in the
body, including selenium, copper,
and molybdenum, act as helpers in
a wide variety of enzymatic reac-
tions. The requirements for certain
minerals may change as your cat ages.

Cats can get too much or too little of a
specific mineral in their diets. An excess
of dietary magnesium, for instance, has been
implicated in the formation of stones in the uri-
nary tract. Foods that maintain relatively low uri-
nary pH levels, however, have been shown to prevent
these stones.

DAILY RECOMMENDED ALLOWANCES FOR MINERALS

Daily
Functions Recommended Signs of Deficiency/Excess
Allowance*
Calcium Formation of bones and Nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism;
teeth; blood coagulation; loss of bone mineral content, which can lead
nerve impulse transmis- 0.18 g to collapse and curvature of lumbar verte-
sion; muscle contraction; brae and pelvic bones; bone pain, which can
cell signaling progress to pathological fractures
Depressed food intake; decreased growth;
increased bone mineral density; increased
need for magnesium

Phosphorus Skeletal structure; DNA Hemolytic anemia; locomotor disturbances;
and RNA structure; energy metabolic acidosis
0.16 g
metabolism; locomotion;
acid-base balance

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