A peer-reviewed study published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science has found that domestic cats accepted a diet containing cultivated hamster cell biomass at least as well as one based on conventional chicken breast, with the cultivated meat diet actually generating fewer leftovers despite containing significantly less palatability enhancer.
The study, conducted jointly by researchers at Ghent University and Czech biotech company BeneMeat, is the first published in vivo assessment of cultivated meat digestibility in cats. Ten adult European shorthair cats participated in a two-day acceptance test, with eight subsequently enrolled in a five-day digestibility trial.
“This study represents an important step in evaluating cultivated ingredients for pet nutrition under standardized feeding conditions. The results confirm very good acceptance and digestibility of the tested ingredient in cats in comparison with the control diet,” said Simone Stringhetti, clinical studies coordinator at BeneMeat, who coordinated the study on behalf of the company.
What the cats ate
Both diets were formulated as complete wet foods with identical ingredient compositions, except for the protein source: cultivated hamster cell biomass in the test diet and chicken breast meat in the control. Notably, the control diet contained 10g/kg of palatability enhancer compared to just 1.5g/kg in the test diet, an adjustment introduced during development after the chicken-based formula showed poor acceptance without it.
Despite this disadvantage, cats on the cultivated meat diet left significantly less food in their bowls. Average leftovers were 2.4% for the test diet versus 8.5% for the control, a statistically significant difference. Nine of ten cats accepted the cultivated meat diet fully.
Digestibility broadly comparable, with caveats
On digestibility, protein absorption was slightly higher in the control diet (85.3% versus 83.9%), though the authors noted this 1.4 percentage point gap may be of limited clinical relevance. No significant differences were found for fat, dry matter, metabolizable energy, or carbohydrate digestibility. Fecal consistency stayed within the ideal range throughout for both groups.
The authors flagged that the cultivated cells came from hamster, not chicken, meaning the trial compares a novel ingredient against a high-benchmark conventional one rather than cultivated versus conventional meat from the same species. Short trial periods and pre-selection of cats based on acceptance test performance are also noted limitations.
“This study provides an early contribution to a broader research effort. While further studies are needed, the results so far are encouraging and highlight the potential of cultivated meat for pet food applications,” said Federica Bortolazzi, lead author of the study from Ghent University.
