The Fecal Microbiota in the Domestic Cat (Felis catus) Is Influenced by Interactions Between Age and Diet; A Five Year Longitudinal Study.

ABSTRACT: In humans, aging is associated with changes in the gastrointestinal microbiota; these changes may contribute to the age-related increase in incidence of many chronic diseases, including Type 2 diabetes. The life expectancies of cats are increasing, and they are also exhibiting the same types of diseases. While there are some studies investigating the impacts of diets on gastrointestinal microbiota in young cats, the impacts of aging in older cats has not been explored. We followed a cohort of related kittens, maintained on two commercial diets (kibbled and canned) from weaning (8 weeks) to 5 years of age (260 weeks). We hypothesized that the long-term feeding of specific diet formats would (a) lead to microbial composition changes due to aging, (b) impact body composition, and (c) affect i

SUBMITTER: Bermingham EN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6018416 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature