Ensuring your feline companion lives a long and healthy life starts with proper nutrition. Selecting the right diet is crucial, and understanding what cats need is the first step towards making informed choices. This guide will delve into the essential nutrients cats require, the various types of commercial cat food available, and how to choose the best option for your beloved pet.
Essential Nutrients for Feline Health
Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning their diet must primarily consist of animal-based products to obtain vital nutrients. Their evolutionary history as hunters has shaped their dietary needs: high protein, moderate fat, and minimal carbohydrates. Beyond these macronutrients, cats also require a specific balance of vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and amino acids.
It’s important to note that while these nutrients are essential, more is not always better. Over-supplementation, especially with vitamins and minerals, can be detrimental to your cat’s health and should only be administered under veterinary guidance. Ensuring your cat has constant access to clean, fresh water is also paramount.
Understanding Commercial Cat Food Options
Commercial cat foods come in three main forms: dry, semi-moist, and canned. Each type has distinct characteristics regarding water content, protein levels, caloric density, palatability, and digestibility.
Dry Food
Dry cat food, typically containing 6-10% water, is made by combining ingredients, extruding them, and drying them into bite-sized pieces. Common ingredients include meat or poultry byproducts, grains, fish meal, fiber sources, milk products, and vitamin and mineral supplements. Flavor enhancers like animal fat are often added to increase palatability.
The advantages of dry food include its affordability and convenience, as it doesn’t dry out quickly, allowing for “free choice” feeding. However, it may be less appealing to some cats and its digestibility can vary based on ingredient quality. Proper storage is key; unused portions should be kept in a cool, dry place, and checked for expiration dates, as prolonged storage can degrade nutrient potency and lead to rancidity. Storing dry food in an airtight container can help maintain its freshness and flavor.
Semi-Moist Food
With a moisture content of around 35%, semi-moist cat food primarily features meat and meat byproducts, along with soybean meal, cereals, grain byproducts, and preservatives. This option is generally mid-priced and can be more appealing than dry food to some cats. However, once opened, semi-moist food can dry out, potentially becoming less palatable or rancid.
Canned Food
Canned cat food boasts a high moisture content, at least 75%, making it an excellent source of hydration. While typically the most expensive option, it is highly palatable for most cats and comes in a wide variety of flavors, which is beneficial for picky eaters. Canned food has a long shelf life when unopened. Once opened, any leftover food should be refrigerated to preserve quality and prevent spoilage. Gourmet options often highlight meats like kidney or liver as primary ingredients. It is essential to carefully read nutrition labels to ensure these specialty products are nutritionally complete and balanced, especially if they lack an AAFCO nutritional guarantee.
Selecting the Best Food for Your Cat
Commercially prepared cat foods are formulated to provide the correct balance of nutrients and calories. The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) sets the minimum nutritional standards for cats, which manufacturers use in their products.
Reading the nutrition label is the most effective way to compare different cat foods. Manufacturers are required by regulations from AAFCO and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to provide specific nutritional information. Foods that carry an AAFCO-approved nutritional guarantee, often called the “AAFCO statement,” are considered nutritionally complete and balanced.
A cat’s nutritional needs evolve throughout its life stages, including kittenhood, adulthood, pregnancy, and lactation. The food label should indicate the life stage for which the food is formulated. Some foods are designed for “all life stages,” simplifying choices for multi-cat households.
When examining the ingredients list, note that items are listed by decreasing weight. Prioritize foods where meat, meat byproducts, or seafood appear among the first few ingredients, as this suggests adequate animal-source ingredients for essential amino acids and fatty acids. Ultimately, after confirming a food is complete and balanced, the choice may come down to your cat’s preference.
Homemade Diets and Treats
Creating homemade cat food can be challenging, as achieving the correct nutrient balance is difficult. It’s generally recommended to opt for nutritionally balanced commercial foods unless a veterinarian prescribes a homemade recipe for specific medical reasons, usually developed by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist.
While occasional treats are acceptable, they should not constitute a primary source of nutrition and ideally should not exceed 10-15% of a cat’s daily caloric intake. Raw meat, though nutrient-rich, is not recommended due to the risk of toxoplasmosis and other infections. Similarly, human canned fish products can pose risks, and milk is often not well-tolerated due to lactose intolerance in many cats, potentially causing gastrointestinal upset.
Additional Considerations for Feline Well-being
Cats can be sensitive to their eating environment. Factors like high-traffic areas, noise, the presence of other animals, dirty food containers, or proximity to litter boxes can deter them from eating. Paying attention to your cat’s behavior and making necessary adjustments to their dining space is important.
Maintaining a healthy weight is crucial, as obesity is a common issue in cats, increasing susceptibility to health problems like arthritis and diabetes. Your veterinarian can help determine your cat’s ideal weight and provide guidance on diet adjustments.
To prevent finicky eating habits, offering two or three different cat foods can provide flavor variety and discourage an exclusive preference for one type. A cat that refuses to eat, especially if losing weight, requires prompt veterinary attention, as this can indicate serious medical issues.
Updated July 2017
