Research overview: nutrition of exotic captive felids and whole-prey diet balancing

Feeding captive non-domestic cats well requires meeting obligate-carnivore requirements for taurine, arginine, vitamin A, arachidonic acid and appropriate calcium-to-phosphorus ratios, which whole prey supplies but muscle-meat-only diets do not. This overview surveys the nutritional science behind exotic felid diets, including the risks of nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism from unbalanced meat diets, supplementation of processed feeds, and the trade-offs between commercial carnivore diets, whole prey and carcasses. It discusses gut-loading and supplementation of feeder prey, energy and body-condition management to avoid obesity in sedentary captive cats, and how diet form affects both physical and behavioural health. The aim is a practical synthesis of nutritional welfare considerations across captive felid species.