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Antioxidants are good for your cat because they play a key role in minimizing damage to cells, including cells of the immune system.
These important, naturally occurring nutrients help maintain health by slowing the destructive oxidative process of cellular molecules. They also can be important in supporting immune responses and vaccine recognition in cats. This may be especially critical for kittens that are being vaccinated while their immune system is still developing.
Additionally, antioxidants can reverse decreases in immune-cell function for senior cats, increasing them back to healthy adult levels.
Antioxidants are nutrients found naturally in the body and in plants such as fruits and vegetables. Common antioxidants include vitamin C, vitamin E and certain compounds called carotenoids (including lutein and beta-carotene). A blend of several antioxidants in moderate amounts may be more effective than high levels of one antioxidant.
As cells function normally in the body, they produce damaged molecules called free radicals. These free radicals are highly unstable and steal components from other cellular molecules, such as fat, protein or DNA, thereby spreading the damage.
This damage continues in a chain reaction, and entire cells soon become damaged and die in a process called peroxidation. Peroxidation is useful because it helps the body destroy cells that have outlived their usefulness and kills germs and parasites. However, when left unchecked, peroxidation also destroys or damages healthy cells.
Antioxidants help prevent widespread cellular destruction by willingly donating components to stabilize free radicals. More importantly, antioxidants return to the surface of the cell to stabilize rather than damage other cellular components.
When there are not enough antioxidants to hold peroxidation in check, free radicals begin damaging healthy cells, which can lead to problems. For example, free radical damage to immune cells can lead to an increased risk of infection.
Because antioxidants play a key role in minimizing damage to cells, such as those that make up the immune system, recent research examined the benefits of certain antioxidants on the immune response of cats. The results of these studies indicated that antioxidants are important in helping cats maintain a healthy immune system.
The research also showed that each antioxidant benefits the immune system uniquely, so one antioxidant at high levels is not as effective as a group of antioxidants acting together.
| Antioxidant | Source | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin E | Plant oil extract, tocopherols | Optimizes immune system’s T-cell activation |
| Beta-carotene | Vitamin premix, corn meal, chicken by-product meal and chicken fat | Optimizes types of cells present in the blood, increases antibody levels in the blood and optimizes vaccine recognition |
Recent research also examined the effect of aging on immune responses. The findings indicate that as cats age, immune cell responses may decline. Including antioxidants in your cat’s diet can help reverse the age-related decrease in immune cell function, returning it to healthy adult levels.
While keeping kittens indoors has significant benefits, protecting them from a large number of dangers, it does require you to pay attention to the provision of enrichment opportunities. While kittens spend a great deal of their time sleeping, their periods of wakefulness can and should be used to stimulate psychological and physical activity. The natural predatory/play behavior of kittens is usually easy to stimulate with interactive toys, such as feathers on a string or flicking a laser dot along the floor and walls. One way to defeat the “nighttime crazies” is to have a pet owner engage in active, vigorous play before feeding your kitten at bedtime. This mimics the natural hunting-feeding-grooming-sleeping sequence of cats.
Kittens also can be trained. They will respond quite favorably to clicker training using a high-quality food treat as reinforcement. As with dogs, training sequences can be used to ensure that kittens are getting adequate physical and mental exercise. Many cats also benefit from social activity with other cats, especially if they were introduced to other cats early in life. Cats put a premium on managing space, so it is important that multiple-cat homes offer a variety of places to hide, sleep, and observe, using both the horizontal and vertical dimensions.
A greater challenge is providing enrichment opportunities for dogs and cats when a person or another pet is not present to interact with them. Kittens and cats will spend a great deal of time watching out windows, especially if there is a bird feeder or butterfly garden within view, so make sure to keep at least one window blind open—especially if it looks out to an area with frequent movement and activity.
Providing your kitten with enrichment opportunities helps to prevent stress and the development of abnormal behaviors. These abnormal behaviors, in turn, put a strain on the pet owner and can play a key role in eventual relinquishment. Enrichment also provides a context for physical and psychological exercise that supports the overall well-being of your kitten.
