Creatine Levels in Cats

High levels indicate that your cat may have kidney failure, dehydration, some type of a toxicity, or poor overall circulation.

It may also be the first warning that you have that your cat may have a urinary obstruction or is about to go into shock.

But there is one major problem; you may not have the luxury of having your cat tested for creatine levels, and as a result, you may never know it is high until it is too late.

Creatine levels in cats ideal range is 0.8 mg/dl, and the safety range is considered by most veterinarians to be between 0.4 and 1.2 mg/dl. Mg/dl is the traditional unit form of measuring blood glucose in your cat. The major source of creatine for any living entity, including your cat, is raw fish and raw meat.

There are several arguments on both sides about feeding your cat either of these sources, but most owners do not fully understand the real dangers that high creatine levels in cats can produce.

What is Creatine?

Creatine levels in cats are the end product of what is referred to as phosphocreatine metabolism, which is a critical component of your cats muscle contraction capability. In 1927, labile phosphorus was actually discovered in the resting muscles of cats and it was named phosphocreatine. However, creatine is and has always been a very natural component of skeletal muscle.

It is very well estimated that wild animals can and do survive very safely with much higher natural creatine levels, especially wild cat such as lions or tigers.

But your cat is not a wild animal, and high levels can very easily take their life or put them in catastrophic health situations. Creatine is obtained by your cat directly from skeletal food muscle, such as meat or fish.

During the digestive process in your cat, the creatine that is contained in these food sources travels directly to your pet’s blood stream, where it is then transported into their skeletal muscle and absorbed.

If your cat does not get enough creatine from their diet because they are being fed a veterinarian diet, it can be just as devastating as levels that are too high. In fact, too low of levels can technically starve your cat to death. If your cat system does not have enough creatine, it will attempt to pull it form amino acids that they can naturally synthesize.

Once this occurs, it will nutritionally start the starvation process.

For this reason, the creatine levels in cats must be a very fine balance. It promotes muscle anabolism in two different ways; it increases the energy reserves as well as cellular activity, which in turn promotes proper metabolism.

How Creatine Works:

Creatine levels in cats must be at the optimal levels for it to work properly as it increases the energy available for your cat’s muscles to work properly. The cells in your cat’s body store their energy in the form of a molecule known as ATP, and the amount of work their muscles can adequately perform depends on the proper storage.

Creatine enhances the physical performance of your cat’s muscles by increasing the number of times that this molecule is recycled during routine or extreme exercise; however, it does not increase the amount that is stored in your cats muscle structure.

Creatine enters your cat’s muscles from their blood and their body harnesses the energy of sodium entering into their cells to move it forward. Creatine transporter activity is than enhanced by high levels of glyemic foods, or foods that produce sugar in your cats blood.

However, not all muscle types in your cat respond equally to create creatine. The muscles in your cat can be either fast or slow reacting, and the fast muscles mediate your cat’s ability to move abruptly.

Slow muscles do not rely as heavily as fast muscles, but they still play a major factor in endurance and normal functions.

Dangers:

Creatine levels in cats cannot exceed the danger levels, and although there are several arguments about the benefits of raw fish and meat for cats, there is one certainty; high levels are catastrophic. Raw fish or meat contains the equivalent of five grams of pure creatine. Cooking drastically reduces these levels and helps to degrade creatine.

The side of the argument that will suggest that wild cats have eaten raw meat and fish since the beginning of time without doing harm is absolutely true, but again your cat is not a wild animal. If this were true, ask yourself why high levels cause kidney failure, dehydration, poor circulation, and even shock in some cases.

And why do low levels cause liver disease or induce starvation in your cat?

Summary:

Creatine levels in cats are a very fine line and the only way you will absolutely know the actual level is to have your cat tested for it. It is a very simple blood test, but it is one that just may save your cats life.

Feeding your cat raw fish and meat may be the trend in some places, but it is very easy to cook it and eliminate most all of the dangers. Simply cook it for a few minutes and your cat will receive all to the benefits without the risks.

Is it really worth it to jeopardize your cat’s health?

Creatine Levels in Cats

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