Activieties of hepatic cysteine desulfhydration was assessed in cats fed one of the following diets for 5 weeks : 20% protein, 0% taurine diet(LPOT) ; 20% protein, 0.15% taurine diet (LPNT) ; 60% protein, 0% taurine diet(HPOT) ; and 60% protein, 0.15% taurine diet(HPNT). Cats fed LPOT and HPOT had been maintained on a taurine-free diet for 6 weeks prior to the experiment in order to deplete body taurine. Activities of cysteine desulfhydration were determined by measuring the production of H235S from 35S-cysteine in the presence and absence of $alpha$-ketoglutarate ($alpha$-KG) in the incubation medium. The direct pathway via cysteine desulfhydrase appears to account for the major route of cysteine desulfhydration in the cat liver since the values obtained in the absence of $alpha$-KG were between 81 and 88% of those obtained in the presence of $alpha$-KG. Mean$pm$SEM of the hepatic total desulfhydration activities(umol H2S.min-1.kg body wt-1)in cats fed LPOT, LPNT, HPOT and HPNT were 117$pm$6, 135$pm$10, 137$pm$10, and 190$pm$9, respectively. The capacity of hepatic cysteine desulfhydration (UA/kg body wt) was positively cerrelated not only with the dietary concentration of taurine but also with the concentration of protein.