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- Title
Alterations in the Intestinal Microbiome and Metabolic Profile of British Shorthair Kittens Fed with Milk Replacer.
- Authors
Wang, Cheng; Zhu, Qi; Li, Yinan; Guo, Jiaxing; Li, Lian
- Abstract
Simple Summary: The nutritional needs of kittens are normally met by the queen, but sometimes unfavorable events such as maternal behavior, blood incompatibility and maternal agalactia occur that make it necessary for breeders to use milk replacer for feeding. As the breeding of domestic cats grows, so does the demand for specialized kitten formula. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of an experimental milk replacer (EMR) on growth, gut microbiology, immune antioxidant capacity and nutrient metabolism in kittens. The results revealed that this EMR not only increases the growth rate of kittens in the late lactation period but also modified the composition of the gut microbiome, improved antioxidant capacity and activated lipid metabolic pathways. These insights are pivotal for optimizing milk replacers for kittens, thereby addressing challenges in feline neonatal nutrition. With the rising popularity of pet cats as companion animals, the survival of newborn kittens is often threatened by factors such as inadequate nursing, maternal behavior and blood incompatibility. These challenges require the use of milk replacers for nurturing. To investigate the effects that feeding kittens with an experimental milk replacer (EMR) have on growth and development, intestinal microbiota, immune response and nutrient metabolism, 12 British shorthair kittens were randomly divided into two groups after nursing for the first week of life. Kittens were fed queen's milk or EMR, whereby kittens fed queen's milk served as the control (CON) group. The findings revealed that the CON group exhibited superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) (p < 0.01) on day 7. However, the EMR group had better growth performance during the later stage of the experiment (p < 0.05); the immunocompetence and antioxidant capacity of the EMR group were not significantly different from those of the CON group in the middle and late stages of the experiment, and the mean values of all the indexes were slightly better than those of the control group. Sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene in microbiota demonstrated that EMR increased the colonization of bacterial genera, including Lachnospiraceae, Enterococcus, Rothia and Ligilactobacillus. Compared to the CON group, acetate acid (p < 0.05), propionate acid (p < 0.01) and total SCFAs (p < 0.01) in the EMR group were significantly increased. Moreover, the intake of the EMR resulted in the production of distinct metabolites implicated in the metabolism of lipids and amino acids, among other nutrients, thus invigorating the associated metabolic pathways. These results elucidate the impact of administering a milk replacer on gastrointestinal health and nutrient assimilation in kittens. The study provides insights into the use of milk powder alternatives and sets the stage for future research on the formulation and effectiveness of kitten milk replacers.
- Subjects
CAT breeds; CATS; AMINO acid metabolism; OXIDANT status; PETS; RUMEN fermentation; GUT microbiome
- Publication
Animals (2076-2615), 2024, Vol 14, Issue 16, p2346
- ISSN
2076-2615
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.3390/ani14162346