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Originally Posted by Wingnettle (Post 1227386) What's FCDR? I can tell you straightforward that a wild cat can't have this deficiency since taurine is an amino acid vastly found in prey (raw meat). I don't think either that there could be genetic/ereditary causes so I suggest that you look for another illness. @Naiad

FCDR is a retinal degeneration disease, which Abyssinian cats are prone to (he would have that breed in his bloodline), and it can be triggered by taurine deficiencies. I’m aware cats get taurine from consuming prey, the concept I have in mind is an overly stubborn cat who decides he will eat exclusively plants and suffer some health problems because of it, before begrudgingly going back to eating prey. I have no clue if I’d actually do anything with, he’s just a fun concept I’ve had bouncing around :P

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Originally Posted by Wingnettle (Post 1227394) I don't think that it would be realistic/acceptable in a roleplay, anyway a plant-based diet for a wild cat couldn't last long - a cat needs to have MANY little meals throughout the day especially because of his protein metabolism. This cat wouldn't digest nearly at all plants, so they would have digestive problems, lack of energy (from protein and fats) and lack of important nutrients such as taurina. They would rapidly lose weight and starve to death before developing other health problems such as the retinal degeneration. If we are talking about domestic cats who are fed a commercial vegan diet, that is a little different (and not always working), but wild cats? They wouldn't be able to eat any plant from the wild, since they are 1. Inadequate for consumption, 2. Not processed and 3. Honestly disgusting

alright, ty for the info! do you have any resources about retinal diseases in cats that you might be able to send me? as he could still inherit the condition, regardless of whether he has a taurine deficiency or not