Whether cat, dog or ferret domesticated or wild, these creatures are carnivores. Despite what the pet food industry and conglomerate companies tell you, there is no escaping the fact, cats, dogs and ferrets are carnivores through and through. Some claim our companions have adapted to a dry cereal based diet but the advent of dry pet foods only occurred about 70-80 years ago around World War II. We humans may have bred these creatures so much resulting in now hundreds of different breeds, but this is not enough time for a species to completely evolve an entirely different physiological and anatomical system. For example based on a mitochondrial DNA study performed by Robert Wayne, an evolutionary biologist at the University of California, wolves and dogs differ genetically by only 1%. This is not only evident in the ailments that are all too common in our companions like digestive issues, kidney failure and dental diseases, but in their present day anatomy.

           Starting at the mouth, if you look at the teeth of a carnivore they are sharp, pointy and jagged meant for holding, tearing, shearing, and crushing. The jaw moves vertically and the mouth also opens wide so that large pieces of meat can be consumed. All indicative of a meat based diet. Herbivores on the other hand typically have teeth that are flat with a jaw that breaks down plant material by moving side to side starting the digestion process BEFORE food stuff enters the digestive tract.

           Unlike herbivores, carnivores do not have digestive enzymes in their mouth to begin the breakdown of nutrients therefore food doesn't stay in there long. Digestive enzymes are not present as well because auto digestion would occur since the mouth is made of protein and fat. So for carnivores digestive enzymes are located in the stomach.

          The most common digestive enzymes are lipase to breakdown fat, protease for breaking down protein and amylase for breaking down carbohydrates. Carnivores do not have amylase or cellulase for breaking down cellulose which is about 33% of a plant’s make up and the main component of the plant cell wall.

           The pancreas can make very minimal amounts of amylase but in order for this organ to properly do it's job and break down plant matter, a lot of strain must be put on it so it can hopefully make large amounts to handle the carbohydrate load. Most times plant matter is minimally processed instead taxing the body. Furthermore if the diet is made of processed and overly heated foods, essential enzymes are destroyed meaning the pancreas work even harder to produce the right enzymes to breakdown food. If food is unadulterated like in raw meats, the food already contains the essential enzymes and the body isn't required to produce as much. 

          Systematically, the stomach is the first stop after the mouth and esophagus. It makes up 60-70% of the digestive tract because traditionally carnivores eat larger meals less often compared to herbivores who eat small meals more often. It has the capability to produce extremely strong hydrochloric acid at around 1-2 pH that is about 10 times strong than the stomach acid of humans. It can not only break down protein and bone material, but annihilate bacteria in meat. Acidity achieves this level by consuming acidic foods like meat and eggs while it is reduced with alkalizing foods like fruits, veggies and grains inhibiting the acidity of the stomach therefore reducing the stomach's ability to kill bacteria. In a way we can think of it as a sterilizing container.

           Next food stuff travels through the intestines. Unlike humans, felines, canines and ferrets have a very short digestive tract so food passes very fast and must be readily absorbable to be useful. Meat is nutrient dense with vitamins, minerals and fats that can be processed quickly where as a human or an herbivore has a very long digestive tract for foods that need longer processing times like fruits and vegetables. While human’s intestines are about 30 feet long, canine, feline and ferret’s are only about 3 times it’s body length. A short digestive tract is important to note as it can process rancid or even bacteria ridden meat quickly without being to affected by it. While meat products typically exit the body within 3-4 hours, in order for bacteria to culminate and grow in the body the food stuff would need to remain in the body longer. For E. coli that is 12 hours and for Salmonella that is 6 hours. As a side note carbohydrate rich diets including commercial foods sit in the digestive tract for around 24-72 hours as omnivores and herbivores digest this food stuff.  

The utilization and breakdown of glucose is another indicator of a carnivore. In carnivores glucogenisis is the process used where glucose is derived from amino acids and fat found in protein NOT from carbohydrates like fruits, vegetables and grains. This process is a constant action the liver performs. The liver is always performing this process so if the body is not consuming enough protien from animal sources the body will breakdown, start to atrophy and suffer from nitrogen loss. The only time an omnivore would preform glucogenisis is if they were starving.

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         Next is the small intestine where nutrients are absorbed. Fats and protein are efficiently absorbed with only 4% moving on passed the small intestines into the large. Components of plant matter like cellulose cannot be digested in the small intestine and is passed onto the large intestine almost untouched. Even plant matter that is blended for example for "easier" digestion is only about 20% maximally absorbed.

          Another component of some mammalian digestive tracts is the cecum. Some herbivores like rabbits and gorillas have one large cecum full of beneficial bacteria that aid in the breakdown of plant matter. Other herbivores like cows and sheep have multiple chambered stomachs to also break down plant matter including the cell wall of plants made of cellulose. Cats and dogs have very very small cecums where as in the ferret, it is non exisitant.
         Food stuff is then passed to the large intestine where moisture and liquid is removed from the remaining food stuff which is then released as fecal matter.

         Fecal matter is a big indicator of what our companions have consumed. When our companions are on dry kibble diets we notice a foul smell. This is from all the carbohydrates that have been fermented as they have not been properly digested as well as added preservatives and other unneccassary ingredients. We notice the fecal matter is large as well and frequent from all the non digestible material. Despite popular belief this isn't normal. When our companions are on a natural diet consisting of meat, their waste have little to no smell, the size is three quarters that of a kibble fed companion and they frequent the yard or litter box with feces half as much.

          As one can see nothing about a canine, feline or ferret is meant to consume a plant based or dry cereal based diet no matter what we see advertised or heard about from professionals. From the teeth down to the digestive tract it is evident that these creatures should only consume and will only truly thrive on a meat based diet. Through and through they are CARNIVORES.