Pet Food Nutrition & Health Tips for Cats & Dogs

Diet plays an important role in your cat or dog's health. Feed your pet a well-balanced diet containing the proteins, vitamins and minerals the animal needs to stay active and fit. Depending on your cat or dog's age, weight and medical condition, choose a food that meets all of your pet's nutritional requirements.

  1. Amino Acids

    • Both dogs and cats require protein in their diets and the amino acids they contain. These amino acids support the immune system, encourage growth and development, and supply the animals with calories to store as fat. Dogs and cats need the amino acids of arginine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine in their diets, according to PetEducation.com. While dogs can synthesize taurine, cats cannot and need taurine supplementation in their food. A diet that lacks any of the necessary amino acids for the animals can lead to health problems.

    Pet Food Labels

    • Choose a well-balanced diet by reading the label on the dog or cat food you purchase. Each year, the Association of American Feed Control Officials publishes definitions of ingredients and regulations for the manufacturing of pet food. Companies that follow these regulations must meet the minimum nutritional requirements that make a dry or canned pet food "complete and balanced," according to PetPlace.com. These foods contain all of the necessary vitamins, minerals, meats and vegetables in quantities that provide a cat or dog enough to meet its nutritional needs. If a pet food has a label that features the AAFCO seal, it will provide adequate nutrition for your dog or cat to keep it healthy.

    Digestibility and Ingredients

    • Manufacturers list the ingredients on a pet's food by weight. Look for the primary ingredients listed as whole meats, eggs, fish or poultry, which have the highest biological value for your cat or dog. A high biological value means the ingredients contain highly digestible amino acids, according to PetEducation.com. Ingredients with lower biological values include meat or poultry meal, by-products and grains. Cats are obligate carnivores, requiring protein from meat and poultry sources as the main ingredients in their diet. Unlike cats, you can feed a commercial diet containing only vegetarian ingredients to your dog. Young cats or dogs need greater amounts of protein and fats in their diets than older animals, to provide greater calories for growth.

    Feeding Considerations

    • When feeding your cat or dog, give it only food appropriate for its species. Dog food will not meet the needs of your cat, lacking the taurine, extra protein and fats the cat requires; cat food may make your dog obese with the extra fat and protein contained. Feed your cat or dog based on the manufacturer's feeding recommendations, dividing the daily allowance by the number of meals you feed your pet each day. Pets that suffer from a medical condition may need a special veterinary diet. Ask your veterinarian for recommendations of brands and types of food to feed a dog or cat that suffers from a chronic illness such as kidney disease or diabetes.