Taurine deficiency occurs when taurine levels drop below normal levels.
As taurine is essential for normal functions, a deficiency is going to cause problems for your cat.
There are three main problems associated with taurine deficiency.
The first is feline central retinal degeneration. This is where the retinal cells in your cat’s eyes can’t function properly. Eventually, these cells start to die. This causes your cat to have impaired vision and in the end, they will go blind.
The second problem is cardiomyopathy. This can be reversed if it’s caught early enough. Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle. Without enough taurine, the heart muscle starts to weaken. It becomes unable to pump blood quite as efficiently as it used to. Over time this can lead to heart failure.
The third problem is reproductive failure in females: leading to stillbirth, reduced litter size, low birth weight, and poor kitten survival.
Taurine deficiencies tend to be long-term and are difficult to spot. Therefore, it’s important to feed cat food with enough taurine to prevent deficiencies.