Health Food for Cats

Whether commercial or home-cooked, the food you feed your cat must provide 41 essential nutrients and these may vary depending on age, breed or lifestyle. A healthy cat food is one that provides the full range of nutritional requirements.

  1. Proteins

    • Cats are carnivores. They have difficulty digesting vegetable protein, and unlike dogs, will not thrive on a vegetarian diet. You need to include a good source of animal protein in their diet such as chicken, lamb, turkey, fish or egg. The building blocks of proteins are amino acids, some being essential in the diet as a cat's body cannot synthesize them in sufficient quantity. Essential amino acids include arginine, phenylalanine, isoleucine, methionine, histidine, tryptophan, threonine, leucine, lysine, valine and taurine. Of these, taurine is only found in animal protein and is needed for prevention of eye and heart disease, as well as reproduction.

    Fats

    • Animal fat or seed oils provide a concentrated source of energy for a cat, and are involved in cell function and structure. Fats in the diet not only provide energy but also essential fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins. If your cat's diet is lacking essential fatty acids, this may lead to reduced growth or skin problems. Fat also enhances the taste and texture of the food, making it more palatable.

    Carbohydrates

    • Carbohydrates contribute an additional source of energy, and most cat foods contain cereals of one kind or another. However, just as a cat has problems digesting vegetable protein, the same is true of some fibers found in carbohydrates. For this reason it is usual to include the starchy portion of cereals such as rice, corn and barley, which is more easily digested.

    Vitamins and Minerals

    • Vitamins and minerals play their part in tens of thousands of chemical reactions in the body, and deficiencies of any in the long-term will cause health problems. A cat food which is sold as "complete" will usually contain all the vitamins and minerals necessary for health and well-being and therefore supplementation is not necessary, unless a vitamin deficiency is diagnosed by a veterinarian.

    Considerations

    • Finding a healthy food for your cat is made easier by the wide range of choices available. There are diets suitable for kittens through to seniors, as well as indoor and outdoor cats. Some manufacturers even cater to specific breeds. There are also home-cooked recipes available, although these should be checked first by a veterinary nutritionist to ensure that they are well balanced. Current pet food labeling regulations mean you can be reasonably confident about the quality of ingredients used in pet food.