Cat Nutrition
To a large extend, the health of your cat depends on what it eats, so to taking care of your cat’s nutrition is taking care of his health.
By nature, cat are carnivores, thus to ensure their long term wellbeing, their diet should contain animal tissue. If you do not feed your cat, it hunts small prey like mice and rats, whose muscles provide them with proteins, while the viscera and bones provide the cat vitamins and minerals.
Essentially, the diet you choose for your cat should provide it minerals, fats, proteins, water and vitamins, for reproduction, healthy growth and other essential life processes. There are two essential amino acids a cat requires as well. These are taurine whose deficiency makes the cat susceptible to blindness, heart disease and reproductive system problems; and arginine whose deficiency in cats develops toxicosis.
Essential Nutritional Supplements for Cats
Cats require a diet that is rich in fats and proteins, but low in carbohydrates. The large amount of proteins required help with optimal tissue repair, source of energy and ensure optimal growth. As cats grow older, their protein requirement reduces. While kittens require high amounts of proteins in their diet to keep them healthy, adult cats only require 30-45% of proteins. To remain maximally healthy, cats also need dietary proteins, arachidonic acids, vitamins (like Niacin, vitamin A and Vitamin C) and amino acids (like arginine and taurine).
All living animal cells, including those of cats need water to function normally. Water has functions including but not limited to waste elimination, tissue lubrication, aiding food digestion, body temperature regulation, transferring electrolytes like salt to the entire body, and cushioning joints and internal organs.
Types of Cat Foods
There are three main groups of cat food; canned products, soft-moist diets and dry diet. Each aims at providing your cat with complete and balanced nutrition. Canned foods are a good choice for cats as they are highly palatable. Soft moist foods are not as palatable as canned food but they are more palatable than dry diets. Dry diets greatly reduce the accumulation, on cats teeth, of plaque and tarter. Also, dry foods last longer than canned foods and soft-moist foods. If you are sure the homemade food you prepared for your cat has all the essential nutrients, then you can serve it to your cat.
Specific Dietary Needs
A change in diet can help a cat that is suffering from some diseases. High fiber diets are helpful to cats suffering from diabetes mellitus, constipation, colitis or anal gland diseases; while diets containing highly digestible sources of proteins, carbohydrates and fats are beneficial for cats suffering from inflammatory bowel disease and colitis. Food with highly digestible proteins should be served to cats suffering from chronic kidney failure. Cats with dental problems should be served canned food which is softer because chewing hard food will be painful for them. You can also buy a special diet which has increased amounts of taurine and reduced quantities of sodium. Finally, a special diet, rich in omega-3 fatty acids and beta-carotene is required for cats with cancer.
Ensuring your cat is properly fed ensures your cat is healthy. Proper nutrition is the key to your cats’ health.