The development of food preferences in cats: the new direction

Abstract

The processes of food and fluid acquisition are necessary for the preservation of the animal's integrity. This review describes behavioral investigations concerning the role of one experiential factor in early infancy, that of, prior diet and its effect on the development of solid food preferences in cats. The results are presented in a broader investigative context, which includes behavioral data obtained both on precocial and altricial species. The emphasis of this review is on the two tendencies established by prior dietary experiences with nutritionally complete foods on later food preferences: the primacy effect and the novelty effect. The primacy effect is a preference of adult animals for their rearing diet, while the novelty effect is a preference for a novel diet. The latest attempt to explain these apparently contradictory effects is described. That is, if the taste environment is rich in many tastes of food in early life, the potential palatability of some foods may be masked or overshadowed; in contrast, if that environment is restricted to one specific food, the potential palatability of some foods may be revealed.