obligate carnivore

An obligate carnivore is an animal that cannot obtain all the necessary nutrients from plant matter and bacteria, requiring nutrients found only in animal flesh. These animals, such as cats, lack specific enzymes needed to convert plant-based nutrients like carotene into essential vitamins like vitamin A. Instead, they obtain these vital nutrients directly from the liver of their prey. Obligate carnivores also cannot synthesize certain essential fatty acids from shorter plant-based fatty acids, a process other animals can perform. Their digestive systems are adapted for processing meat, with enzymes capable of breaking down muscle protein into amino acids.1