Diet & Nutrition for Cats

Feeding your cat an appropriate diet is one of the most important things you can do for his health. Understanding cats' dietary and nutritional needs can help prevent such health problems as dry skin, food allergies, urinary tract stones and crystals, irritable bowel disease and diabetes.

  1. Think Mouse

    • Veterinary endocrinologist Deborah Greco suggests thinking about the nutritional profile of a mouse when feeding a cat. A mouse, she says, is about three percent carbohydrate, 40 percent protein and 50 percent fat.

    Calories

    • An eight-pound adult cat needs about 30 calories per pound of body weight per day. Larger cats need more calories. The labels on cat food packaging express calories as Kcals.

    Obligate Carnivores

    • Cats are obligate carnivores and need protein from animal sources and moderate amounts of fat. About 20 to 30 percent of an adult cat's daily caloric intake should come from meat, poultry or fish. Another 15 to 20 percent should come from fat.

    Carbohydrates

    • While cats need some carbohydrates in their diets, they lack the enzymes to deal efficiently with the high carb content of most dry food brands, says veterinarian Susan Little. In a 2005 article for PETS Magazine, she says that cats do not burn excess carbohydrates as energy but store them as fat.

    Moisture

    • An eight-pound cat needs about eight ounces of water a day. Since cats are descended from desert animals and don't have a strong thirst drive, veterinarian Lisa A. Pierson says most of that moisture should come from wet or canned food.