Cat taurine requirement matrix (form-dependent minimums)
Cats require preformed dietary taurine (an essential amino acid); dogs synthesize it, so taurine minimums apply to cats only. Minimums are form-dependent: wet/canned foods require a higher taurine minimum than dry extruded foods.
| Standard | Dry extruded (min) | Canned / wet (min) | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| FEDIAF 2025 (cat adult) | 0.20 % DM | 0.27 % DM | per 100 g DM (verbatim fediaf_2025_parsed.json) |
| AAFCO 2026 (cat) | 0.10 % DM * | 0.20 % DM * | AAFCO profiles; *see unit flag below |
| NIAS 2024 (cat) | — | — | not listed in 표 2-17 (honest gap) |
Method & honest notes
- FEDIAF values are verbatim from
pdf-parsed/eu-2026/fediaf_2025_parsed.json
(taurine_canned_min_pct_dm = 0.27, taurine_dry_min_pct_dm = 0.20), per 100 g DM.
- AAFCO canonical cat-food taurine minimum is 0.10 % DM (dry) / 0.20 % DM (canned).
The repo's cross_standard_nutrient_index.json records these as 0.1 / 0.2 g_per_kg_dm — an order of magnitude lower (0.10 % DM = 1.0 g/kg, not 0.1), i.e. a likely unit/parse discrepancy in that dataset. Use the canonical % DM figures; the g/kg values are flagged and must not be quoted as a real 10× difference versus FEDIAF. Once reconciled, AAFCO (0.10 / 0.20 % DM) and FEDIAF (0.20 / 0.27 % DM) are in close agreement, with FEDIAF's canned minimum marginally higher.
- NIAS 2024 does not list a taurine standard in 표 2-17 (dog or cat) → honest gap. This is
expected: NIAS sets species nutrient minima and taurine is not among the listed cat nutrients.
- No dog taurine comparison: dogs synthesize taurine, so neither AAFCO nor FEDIAF nor NIAS
sets a dog taurine minimum — no comparison is meaningful.
Cross-references
life_stage_nutrient_matrix— AAFCO-vs-FEDIAF protein / fat / calcium / phosphorus matrixlife_stage_nutrient_matrix_vitamins— AAFCO / FEDIAF / NIAS vitamin matrixlife_stage_nutrient_matrix_minerals— AAFCO / FEDIAF / NIAS mineral matrix/api/v1/cross_compare— programmatic comparison (same source index)