Yucca schidigera and zeolite in food for adult cats and its effects in mineral excretion

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of including Yucca schidigera and zeolite (clinoptilolite) in commercial wet food for adult cats, the acceptability of the diets, fecal production and average daily percentage of water in the stool and the coefficient of apparent indigestible calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, iron and manganese. We used 21 adult mongrel male and female cats, 4.5 years old and with an average weight of 3.56kg, distributed in seven treatments (wet control diet, control with the addition of 125, 250 and 375ppm of Yucca schidigera and 0, 5, 0.75 and 1.0% of zeolite) randomly. Significant differences were not observed in the acceptability of the diets, fecal production and average daily percentage of water in the stool and the coefficient of apparent indigestible of minerals (P>0.05). Thus, we noticed that the inclusion of additives which have the main function of reducing fecal odor can be inserted into food for adult cats without negative interferences on the health of animals ready for the sight of mineral nutrition.