The development of a semisynthetic diet deficient in methionine for adult cats for controlled feline nutrition studies: effects on acceptability, preference, and behavior responses.

Previous studies that determined the requirement of amino acids (AA) in cats utilized experimental diets that do not represent commercial cat diets available in the market. Using this type of diets can present a challenge when applying AA requirements to commercial diet production. Thus, the goals of this study were to: 1) develop a semisynthetic diet deficient in methionine (Met) for adult cats with the inclusion of intact ingredients and to evaluate the effect of diet on behavior and acceptance; and 2) investigate the preference of a semisynthetic diet with different levels (deficient and sufficient) and sources [DL-Met and 2-hydroxy-4-(methylthio)-butanoic acid] of Met. The semisynthetic diet was well accepted by most cats. No major differences were observed in feeding behavior and preference towards Met source and level of inclusion. However, improvement in texture is recommended to increase acceptance and prevent removal of cats in feeding studies up to three weeks.