Cornell Feline Diet

The Cornell Feline Diet, as provided by Cornell University College of Vetinary Medicine's Feline Health Center, provides guidelines in the types of foods cat owners should give their cats. The guidelines provide a few concrete necessities, such as making sure the food fits the lifestyle, age and needs of the cat, but overall the diet is designed to be flexible enough for any cat owner to adapt to the individual needs of their feline.

  1. Types

    • The diet allows the owner to incorporate their choice of dry, semi-moist and canned foods. The diet does not show a preference to any particular type of food, though the Cornell veterinary website does caution against the cheaper brands of dry cat food, because they may be harder to digest and less palatable to the cat. They recommend purchasing premium dry cat foods to prevent any digestion problems and to increase palatability. The diet recommends against homemade diets, unless they are specifically recommended by a veterinarian, because they are time consuming and often lack in nutrients.

    Ingredients

    • When looking at ingredients, the Cornell diet recommends that the first few ingredients listed should include meat, seafood or meat by-product. Additionally vitamin A and niacin should have been added to the cat food to compensate for the sensitivity those nutrients have to the food making process. Additionally, the cat food should have a nutritional claim label, stating which stage of the cat's life the food is intended to be consumed. The nutritional claim label also shows that the food meets the requirements for the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), which means that the food will be a complete and balanced diet and has been tested in food trials.

    Extras

    • The Cornell Feline Diet recommends incorporating variety into your cat's diet by feeding your cat at least two different types of cat food. This is recommended to provide a greater array of flavor and to make sure the nutrient requirements are met. The Cornell Feline Diet also recommends against including any mineral or vitamin supplements, as those should be obtained through the cat food. Treats, such as meaty table scraps, can be given to the cat, but those items should not make up more than 15 percent of the cat's diet.

    Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease

    • The diet recommends changes made in the food of a cat who has Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD.) According to the Cornell website, altering the cat's diet to make the pH of their urine less than 6.4 decreases the chance of the cat developing the struvite crystals present during a FLUTD. The dietary recommendations include insuring an acidic diet, but the Cornell website cautions against adding urine acidifers on top of already acidic diets. Small meals or free choice schedules should be adopted for food consumption and plenty of water should be available to the cat. Additionally, the diet recommends restricting magnesium intake to 40 mg per 100 kilocalories. Less than 200 mg per 100 kilocalories of phosphorus should be consumed.

    Warnings

    • The Cornell Feline diet recommends against overfeeding, which can lead to obesity. It also cautions against feeding dog food to cats. Dog food and cat food are formulated with different nutritional needs in mind, and dog food does not contain the key ingredients that a cat needs, such as protein, niacin, fatty acids, vitamin A and taurine. Well-meaning pet owners sometimes attempt to feed their cats exclusively meat and fish, which results in deficiencies. Contrarily, owners who provide extra dietary supplements can easily cause their pets to overdose on them. This is especially true of vitamins A and D.