Commercially available avian and mammalian whole prey diet items targeted for consumption by managed exotic and domestic pet felines: Macronutrient, mineral, and long-chain fatty acid composition

Whole prey diets encourage species-typical behaviors making them popular in the zoo and home setting for captive exotic and domestic felids, respectively. We evaluated macronutrient, mineral, and long-chain fatty acid composition of 20 whole prey items: mice (1-2, 10-13, 21-25, 30-40, and 150-180 days of age); rats (1-4, 10-13, 21-25, 33-42, and >60 days of age); rabbits (still born, 30-45 days, >65 days with skin, and >65 days of age with skin removed); chicken (1-3 days of age, ground adult); duck (ground adult); and quail (1-3, 21-40, and >60 days of age). Composition of whole prey was highly variable (15-40% DM, 34-75% CP, 10-60% fat, and 8-18% ash). A majority of whole prey samples (15/20) had at least one mineral or fatty acid below AAFCO [] or NRC [] minimum recommended concentrations for domestic cats (K, Na, Cl, Mg, Cu, Mn, and/or Zn; total fat, linolenic acid, arachidonic acid and/or EPA and DHA). These data identify potential nutrient deficiencies allowing for alterations in dietary formulation prior to long-term feeding.