Ensuring your feline companion enjoys a long and healthy life starts with proper nutrition. Selecting the appropriate diet is crucial for their overall well-being. This guide will delve into the essential nutrients cats require, explore various commercial cat food options, and provide insights into making informed choices for your beloved pet.
Understanding Your Cat’s Nutritional Needs
Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning their bodies are designed to thrive on nutrients found exclusively in animal-based products. Their evolutionary diet consisted of prey rich in protein, moderate in fat, and low in carbohydrates. This fundamental dietary requirement persists today. Beyond these macronutrients, cats need over a dozen essential vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and amino acids to maintain optimal health. While these nutrients are vital, it’s important to note that “more is not always better,” especially with vitamins and minerals. Over-supplementation can be detrimental, and any supplements should only be administered under veterinary guidance. Crucially, cats must always have access to clean, fresh water.
Exploring Commercial Cat Food Options
Commercial cat foods come in three primary forms: dry, semi-moist, and canned. Each type offers distinct advantages and considerations regarding water content, protein levels, calorie density, palatability, and digestibility.
Dry Cat Food
Dry cat food, typically containing 6-10% moisture, is manufactured by combining, extruding, and drying ingredients into bite-sized pieces. Common components include meat or poultry byproducts, grains, fish meal, fiber sources, milk products, and vitamin/mineral supplements. Often, these kibbles are coated with flavor enhancers like animal fat to increase their appeal.
The primary benefits of dry food are its affordability and the convenience of “free-choice” feeding due to its long shelf life. However, it may be less palatable to some cats than moist options and its digestibility can vary based on ingredient quality. If opting for dry food, proper storage is key. Keep unused portions in a cool, dry place, ideally in an airtight container to preserve nutrient potency and flavor, and always check the expiration date, as prolonged storage can lead to nutrient deterioration and rancidity.
Semi-Moist Cat Food
Semi-moist cat food primarily features meat and meat byproducts, with a moisture content of around 35%. Other ingredients like soybean meal, cereals, grain byproducts, and preservatives are added. This food type generally falls in a mid-range price point and can be more appealing than dry food to some cats. It can also be offered as a free-choice option. However, once opened, semi-moist food can dry out, diminishing its palatability and potentially becoming rancid.
Canned Cat Food
With a moisture content of at least 75%, canned cat food is an excellent source of dietary water. While typically the most expensive option, it is highly palatable for most cats. The wide variety of flavors and textures available can be particularly beneficial for finicky eaters. Canned food boasts the longest shelf life when unopened, but any unused portions must be refrigerated to prevent spoilage and maintain quality. High-quality canned options often feature meats and meat byproducts as primary ingredients. It is essential to carefully read nutrition labels, especially on specialty products, to ensure they provide a complete and balanced nutritional guarantee.
Making the Right Food Choice
Commercially prepared cat foods are formulated to provide the correct balance of nutrients and calories. Nutritional standards for cats are established by organizations like the Feline Nutrition Expert (FNE) Subcommittee of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). Reading the nutrition label is the most effective way to compare different cat foods. Manufacturers are required to provide specific nutritional information, and products carrying an AAFCO-approved nutritional guarantee are considered nutritionally complete and balanced.
A cat’s nutritional requirements evolve throughout its life stages, including kittenhood, adulthood, pregnancy, and lactation. The food label should specify the life stage for which the food is formulated. Some foods are designed for all life stages, simplifying choices for households with cats of varying ages. When reviewing the ingredients list, note that items are listed in order of decreasing weight. Prioritize foods where meat, meat byproducts, or seafood appear among the first few ingredients, indicating adequate animal-source ingredients for essential nutrients. Ultimately, after confirming a food is complete and balanced, the choice between dry and canned options often comes down to your cat’s preference.
Homemade Diets and Treats
While it might seem appealing to prepare your cat’s food at home, it is a challenging and time-consuming process to ensure the correct nutrient balance. Purchasing nutritionally balanced commercial foods is generally recommended unless a veterinarian prescribes a home-formulated recipe for specific medical reasons. In such cases, your veterinarian will likely provide a recipe developed by certified animal nutritionists.
Occasional treats are generally safe, but they should not constitute a significant portion of your cat’s diet, ideally not exceeding 10-15% of their daily caloric intake. Certain human foods should be strictly avoided. Raw meat, despite its nutrient richness, is not recommended due to the risk of toxoplasmosis and other infections. Similarly, some cats can develop serious neurological disorders from consuming canned fish products intended for human consumption. Milk is also not advisable, as many cats are lactose-intolerant and can experience digestive upset.
Additional Feeding Considerations
Cats can be sensitive to their dining environment. Factors like high-traffic areas, excessive noise, the presence of other animals, dirty food containers, or proximity to litter boxes can deter them from eating. Being attentive to your cat’s eating habits and making necessary adjustments can significantly improve their feeding experience.
Maintaining a healthy weight is paramount. Obesity is a common issue in cats and can lead to serious health problems such as arthritis and diabetes. Consult your veterinarian to determine your cat’s ideal body weight and follow their dietary recommendations to achieve and maintain it. To prevent finicky eating habits, consider offering two or three different cat foods to provide flavor variety. A cat that refuses to eat, especially if losing weight, requires immediate veterinary attention, as this can indicate serious underlying medical issues.
Updated July 2017
