Taurine is an amino acid, the building block of proteins. It is found only in animal-based proteins. Cats cannot produce taurine, making it an essential amino acid for them.

Taurine for Cats: Why It’s Important

by JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM

Reviewed by Hanie Elfenbein, DVM. Updated on 09/18/2023

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If you’re a cat parent, you’ve probably heard your veterinarian mention something about taurine and its role in your feline’s health.

But what exactly is taurine, and why is it such a big deal for cats?

We’re going to help you understand what you need to know about taurine so that you can keep your cat in optimal health.

What is Taurine?

Taurine is an amino acid, the building block of proteins. It is found only in animal-based proteins.

For cats, taurine earns the additional classification of an essential amino acid. Essential amino acids must be obtained from the diet because they cannot be synthesized in the body. Cats cannot produce taurine, making it an essential amino acid for them.

It was first classified as an essential amino acid for cats in the 1980s. Since that time, all commercial cat foods have been supplemented with taurine.

Is Taurine Good for Cats?

Absolutely! Taurine plays a vital role in many body functions including:

Vision
Digestion
Fetal development
Healthy pregnancy
Heart muscle function
Immune system functioning

Common Sources of Taurine for Cats

Taurine is found only in animal-based proteins. Sources of taurine include chicken and beef. All regular commercial cat foods are supplemented with taurine.

The amount of taurine in cat food varies between wet and dry foods. The processing required to manufacture canned cat food decreases the amount of taurine in the food. Therefore, the amount of taurine is higher in wet cat food than in dry food to account for what’s lost during heat processing.

Cats’ bodies metabolize taurine quickly, so cats need to have taurine in their diet every day.

Taurine Deficiency in Cats

Veterinarian checking cat for taurine deficiency

Given taurine’s many functions in a cat’s body, a taurine deficiency in cats has significant health consequences.

First, though, let’s discuss why cats develop taurine deficiencies.

Diet is the main reason. Cats that eat homemade diets without enough animal-based proteins are at high risk of a taurine deficiency. Also, cats that prefer dog food can become taurine-deficient because most commercially available dog food does not contain enough taurine.

Underlying illness is another reason for taurine deficiencies in cats.

Signs of taurine deficiency develop very slowly, taking anywhere from several months to several years to become apparent.

Now that you know why cats get taurine deficiencies, let’s explain what this deficiency can cause in a cat’s body:

Feline central retinal degeneration: Taurine helps maintain the health of the retina. With a taurine deficiency, the cells within the retina, called photoreceptors, start to degrade. This degradation is irreversible and leads to blindness.

Dilated cardiomyopathy: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) occurs when the heart muscles become large and flaccid, making the heart unable to pump blood adequately. A taurine deficiency weakens the heart muscles, leading to DCM. Left unmanaged, DCM eventually leads to congestive heart failure.

Signs of heart disease include weakness and reduced appetite.

Digestive problems: Taurine is found in bile salts, which are produced in the liver and help with a cat’s digestion. A taurine deficiency leads to digestive problems.

Pregnancy and fetal development complications: Taurine is necessary for a healthy pregnancy in cats. Mama cats with a taurine deficiency won’t be able to provide enough nutrition to their unborn kittens. After birth, kittens born to mothers with a taurine deficiency have poor and delayed growth and low birth weights. Also, taurine-deficient mama cats tend to have small litters.

Diagnosing a Taurine Deficiency

Taurine deficiencies in cats are not always readily noticeable. If your cat has any of the health complications listed above, take your cat to your veterinarian for a diagnostic workup.

Diagnosing a taurine deficiency is a thorough process.

Your vet will ask you detailed questions about your cat’s history, especially their diet. Expect questions like these listed below:

Do you feed your cat commercial cat food?
Does your cat eat a homemade diet? If so, what’s in the diet?
Does your cat eat dog food?
What symptoms have you observed, and when did you first notice them?
Is your cat bumping into furniture, as if they’re having trouble seeing?

The physical exam will be a comprehensive observation of all of your cat’s body systems, especially the heart and eyes. For the heart exam, your vet will listen closely to your cat’s heartbeat and rhythm. Additional heart testing, such as chest X-rays and an electrocardiogram, will provide more information about your cat’s heart function.

For the eye exam, your vet will look closely at your cat’s retina, located in the back of the eye. They will look for any signs of retinal damage.

Beyond the physical exam, your vet will take a few blood samples to perform routine blood work and test specifically for taurine levels.

If your cat has a taurine deficiency, your vet will prescribe taurine supplementation, which could be lifelong.

Taurine Supplements for Cats

The only way to correct a taurine deficiency in cats is through supplementation. Taurine supplements come in various formulations. There’s powdered taurine, as well as taurine capsules, tablets, and gels.

Taurine supplements are available over the counter. However, they are not regulated by the FDA, and thus do not have the requirement to undergo rigorous testing for safety and effectiveness.

If evaluating the products yourself seems daunting, ask your veterinarian for recommendations. For whichever product you select, your veterinarian can instruct you on how much to give your cat.

Here are a few more things to consider about supplementation for cats:

Retinal damage from a taurine deficiency is irreversible. Supplementation may slow or stop the vision loss but cannot reverse it.

Taurine deficiency-related heart damage is also irreversible. Supplementation may help to slow the progression of heart muscle dysfunction.

Other than retinal and heart damage, taurine supplementation may reverse the symptoms of deficiency if the deficiency is caught early enough.

The Importance of Taurine in Aging Cats

Sufficient dietary taurine from meat sources is as important to senior cats as it is to younger felines. Taurine helps optimize ocular, cardiac, and gastrointestinal health in cats of all ages and is especially important to geriatric cats who may be beginning to experience health issue with these body systems.

Taurine also assists with regulating blood sugar. Its antioxidant properties also theoretically help support your older cat from the effects of aging by assisting to preserve vision and overall multi-organ health, including that of the heart, liver, and kidneys, which may begin to decline in older cats. Taurine also helps support a healthy immune system, assisting your geriatric cat with warding off infections. Furthermore, taurine helps support a healthy coat and teeth and can help perk up your older cat’s energy level.

Consuming a well-balanced commercial cat food formulated for your cat’s life stage will provide sufficient taurine to enhance your aging kitty’s overall health.