Why do cats have a short digestive tract?

Cats have a short digestive tract because they are highly specialized, obligate carnivores whose diet consists almost exclusively of meat.12

Animal tissues are generally simpler to digest than plant tissues, which require complex fermentation processes and longer, more folded intestines to break down. Because cats consume a diet with a high proportion of meat, they do not require the specialized gut development or the extensive surface area needed for plant digestion. Consequently, the cat’s small intestine is relatively short—only about three times the length of its body—and its stomach is simple rather than multichambered. This efficient, simple gastrointestinal tract allows cats to break down chunks of meat using powerful enzymes and acids.231