The Basics of Feline Nutrition

Because nutrition is one of the most essential keys to your cat’s health and longevity, one of your most important responsibilities as a cat owner is to be able to provide your cat with the necessary required nutrients for her growth and life maintenance.

There is a significant difference between “thriving” and “surviving”.  Please keep this in mind while you read this article and especially when you are making decisions in purchasing food for your cat.  We are what we eat is not a useless cliché, but rather a truth.  As for humans, our pets’ diets are the foundation for optimal health – not just survival.

Facts

Cats are obligate carnivores. That means that cats are strict carnivores that rely on nutrients in animal tissue to meet their specific nutritional requirements.

Facts About Dry Kibble

An increasing number of nutrition-savvy veterinarians are now strongly recommending the feeding of canned food instead of dry kibble.

The water content of dry kibble is too low and this predisposes your cat to serious and life-threatening urinary tract diseases.

The carbohydrate load is too high which predisposes your cats to diabetes, obesity, and intestinal diseases.

The type of protein in dry kibble is too high in plant-based versus animal-based proteins. Being obligate carnivores, cats are designed to eat meat, not grains and plant-based food.

There is no beneficial effect of dry kibble on a cat’s dental health and there is no scientific support for its use in preventing dental disease.  The best way to keep your cat’s mouth healthy is to brush her teeth daily.

Although a cat may be doing “fine” on dry kibble, many health problems can be avoided in the future by feeding your cat a species-appropriate diet from the start.  (And it’s never too late to start!)  This is preventative nutrition and it will pay off in your cat being healthy and living a long life with you.

Other Facts

Treats should be given in moderation and should only represent 5% or less of a cat’s daily food intake. The remainder should come from a nutritionally complete cat food.

Milk should not be fed to cats as a treat or substitute for water.  Cats do not have significant amounts of lactase (the enzyme that breaks down lactose in milk), and feeding them milk or milk-based products can cause intestinal upset.

Kittens can start the weaning process to solid food around 4 weeks old, and the process is normally completed when they reach 8-10 weeks.  There will be an article on Weaning Your Kitten coming in the next few weeks.

You should start your cat on a senior diet at about age 7 to maintain health and optimum body weight, and to slow or prevent chronic diseases.  I will be writing an article on Feeding Your Senior Cat in the near future regarding this topic.

*What About Homemade or Raw Diets?

Raw or homemade diets are not recommended for several reasons.  They are often nutritionally unbalanced and they can cause gastrointestinal upset. A cat may survive on these diets, but most often not thrive because striking the right balance of nutritional ingredients, including vitamins and minerals, and proper storage of the food is difficult and is critical in keeping your cat healthy.

How Often Should You Feed Your Cat?

Kittens require more food per pound of body weight to support their growth than do adult cats. Therefore, kittens should be fed more often. Growing kittens up to 6 months may require three meals a day, and from 6 months to maturity, most cats do well when fed two times a day. Once a cat becomes an adult, once a day feeding is alright as long as they are healthy and have no disease problems suggesting a reason to feed differently.

Cats suffering from diabetes may need to be fed based on whenever they are administered insulin. If a cat has hyperthyroidism they will want to eat all the time, but the disease needs to be treated and the cat needs to be fed normally.

Free feeding of dry food is risky and can add up to extra pounds unless the cat exercises self-control, which is rare because cats like to snack. Feeding several small meals during the course of the day may make them feel less hungry, if that works with your schedule.  The main thing to remember is to keep the meals nutritionally balanced and proportionate for your cat’s healthy weight maintenance.

What Cats Need In Their Diet

Water – Cats need plenty of water with their food as they do not have a very strong thirst drive compared to other species. It is therefore critical for them to have a water-rich diet.

Keep in mind that the cheapest canned cat food is better than any dry food on the market. Think of canned food as flushing your cat’s urinary tract several times a day.  This is very important because canned foods are better suited to meet your cat’s water needs.

A water-rich diet is important in keeping your cat from developing urinary tract problems, including urethral blockages, infection, cystitis, and possibly chronic kidney disease (which is the leading cause of death in cats).

Protein – Cats need animal-based protein in particular, and not-plant based protein. Dietary protein provides essential amino acids which are needed for the manufacture of antibodies, enzymes, hormones, and tissues for a proper pH balance. Animal-based protein provides energy for cats and is essential for their growth and development. The essential amino acids are found in foods such as meat, fish, eggs, and poultry.

Taurine –  Taurine is an amino acid that is found in animal-based protein and it is essential for your cat’s health. It is critical for normal vision, normal digestion, normal heart muscle function, to maintain normal pregnancy and fetal development, and to maintain a healthy immune system.  Taurine is found primarily in muscle meat, and is completely absent in cereal grains. The lack of taurine in the diet can cause serious eye and heart diseases to develop.

Taurine has many biological and metabolic functions within the cat’s body including:

·         Formation of bile salts which aids the digestion of fats and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.

·         It is necessary for cardiac (heart) function, brain, and nervous system function.

·         Essential for the development and function of cells in the retina of the eye,

·         Female reproduction and fetal growth.

·         Maintains a healthy immune system.

·         Helps to control blood sugar levels.

As a general guideline, an intake of 400 mg of taurine per kg of body weight is recommended for younger cats whereas for adult cats, an intake of 500 mg of taurine per kg of body weight is recommended. Studies suggest 75 to 100 mg of taurine per day should be supplied to the cat.  According to other studies, for every 2.2 pounds of food consumed, it’s recommended that cats consume 1000 mg of taurine. It’s difficult to overdose the pet as excess taurine isn’t stored, but excreted.

Depending on the nutritional values in your cat’s food, you may need to boost her Taurine levels with supplements.

Fat – Essential fatty acids are essential for your cat’s health, and cats cannot make them in their own body – they need to be supplied by the diet. The main essential fatty acids that your cat’s diet needs to include are arachidonic acid (AA), eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) anddocosahexaneoic acid (DHA).  Focus on fish oil.  Omega-3 fatty acids are most commonly found in high amounts in cold water fish such as salmon and tuna. Omega-3 fatty acids are helpful for numerous inflammatory conditions that occur in cats. These conditions include, but are not limited to, skin diseases (especially allergies), asthma, gastrointestinal disease (especially inflammatory bowel disease), arthritis, diseases of the immune system, and any kind of cancer.

Minerals and Vitamins – These are essential for metabolism regulation and normal growth and function. Minerals needed in your cat’s diet include calcium, chloride, chromium, cobalt, copper, fluorine, iodine, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, selenium, zinc, and others.  Vitamins include A, D, E, and K, which are fat-soluble (generally stored in the body), and water-soluble vitamins C and B complex.  The water-soluble vitamins pass through the cat’s system more quickly.

Please visit the site on Reviews.com for The Best Cat Food, which is a current (2016) in-depth listing and review of the best cat foods available. In reviewing the listings, you should be able to determine what brand and type of food is best for your cat.  When doing your research in finding the best canned food for your cat, remember that the cost of food may be more than dry kibble. But, do keep in mind that in feeding your cat the best possible diet, you will be preventing her from the possibility of illness and various health problems in her lifetime.

For optimal feline nutrition, read the labels of your cat’s food to ensure that she is getting all of the nutrients needed for a healthy diet.  A nutritious diet is the foundation for excellent health of any living being – including our favorite four-legged friends.