| dc.description.abstract | The study aimed to evaluate the water excretion, urinary pH and digestibility of diets with increasing inclusion of water in 25 male and female cats with a mean age 3 years, divided into 5 groups with 5 different treatments, completely randomized design. The treatments were: moist diet, dry food and the same dry food with increasing inclusion of water 1:1, 1:2 and 1:3. The animals underwent clinical and laboratory evaluation prior to trial to ensure urinary tract health. We evaluated: weight, metabolic weight, energy needs, food consumption, total water, fecal, faecal water, total water excretion, water balance and gross energy excretion in urine (p> 0.05). Urinary excretion, fecal excretion in the dry matter intake, absorption and retention of gross energy, digestible and metabolizable energy, digestibility of dry matter and crude protein, initial and final pH, dry matter intake, water, food and beverage statistical difference (p <0.05). Nitrogen balance was different at p> 0.06. It was concluded that the cat has water front effective adaptation to changes of moisture in the diet. There was a direct influence of moisture to the diet with the urinary volume (p <0.05) but not for the decline in urine pH (p> 0.05). | |
