Cat lovers who own cats in their houses usually look after their grooming, feeding, or the training part. However, understanding the metabolism of the cats is equally imperative, because it enables pet owners to know the temperament, nature and the habits of their cats. Metabolism means ongoing of the physical as well as chemical changes, which take place in the cat's body.

The metabolism of a healthy cat can be found by checking the glucose level in its blood. It has to be between 80 to 120 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter).

Hence, cats need to take rest and tend to sleep a lot. Their sleeping durations are usually of 12 to 16 hours. They do not sleep continuously for these many hours, instead they take short naps which together sum to 12 hours. It helps them to conserve energy. Some cats sleep for much longer duration for about 20 hours in 24 hours. Perhaps, this might be the reason why people refer to individuals who sleep more often as "having a cat nap".

Factors Of Metabolism
Body temperature is the main factor of the cat's metabolism. The layer of fat beneath the skin protects it from harsh winters. A body temperature of a typically healthy cat is within 38 to 39 degree Celsius. A cat is assumed feverish if its body temperature is equal to 39.5 degree Celsius or greater than that. Moreover, if the body temperature of the cat is lower than 37.5 degree Celsius, that cat is hypothermic.

Heart beat of the cat ranges from 140 -220 beats/minute. If the cat is on the hunting spree, its heart rate becomes higher. Whereas, the heart beat of the cat in resting position is within 150-180 beats/minute.

Due to their frequent nocturnal nature, they often enter a stage of greater hyperactivity and liveliness. It happens mostly in the evening times and, hence pet lovers refer to this phase as happy hour or mad hour or evening craziness.

The temperament of the cats varies and depends on their breeds. Short and haired cats are usually skinnier and, hence more energetic, whereas longhaired cats and taller cats are heavier and inactive.

Overview
Cats are carnivorous, so they have this unique capacity to metabolize protein in meat to sugar and carbohydrate. Most people feed cats with dry feline diet, which is widely available in the market. Nevertheless, cat's metabolism is such that, it converts the dry diet into carbohydrate, which is not good for their health.

Give them high protein diet such as meat-based food to make them active and healthy. One of the common problems faced by many cat owners is, their cats eat a lot sometimes and at times, they do not eat at all. In such case, people need to know that, it is just natural because cat's metabolism is equipped to "treat and crisis" cycle.

Therefore, if felines go without food for many days, people need not have to worry. Simply wait and the cats will start eating, when hungry. Hence, this is all about cat metabolism.

Article by: Martin Marks