All cat owners want to raise a healthy, well-nourished pet. However, proper nutrition for cats, as well as dogs, is a real headache for owners. Cat nutrition is a rather difficult topic, as cats can be very picky about both foods and forms of food.
Cat nutrition in veterinary medicine is divided into different categories depending on the type of food:
- Feeding the cat with dry food
- Feeding the cat with wet food
- RAW nutrition for cats – raw meat for cats
- BARF nutrition for cats – nutrition for cats with raw meat, fruits, vegetables and berries
Regardless of the diet you choose for your cat, it is very important to maintain the daily dose of food to ensure that the animal receives all the nutrients and their optimal quantity. When feeding your cat it is very important to maintain a balance between eating habits, physical activity and the cat’s age.
When choosing the most suitable type of food for your cat, it is very important not to forget the right amount of clean water.
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Feeding the cat with dry food
When choosing to feed a cat dry food, it is very important to carefully analyze the composition of the food. Most of your cat’s food should be meat or fish. The higher the percentage of meat in the food, the higher the quality of the feed.
The meat and/or fish contained in cat food are a source of protein. Also, you should not forget about the source of carbohydrates: cereals, vegetables and fiber. They are also very important in the cat’s diet. Super Premium cat food contains at least 50% meat/fish and its additives.
How to choose dry food for a cat?
When choosing a kibble diet for your cat, it is very important to pay attention to its age. Cat kibble is divided into kittens (up to 12 months of age); food for adults (1-7 years) and seniors (8+ years).
This is important when choosing food, since food for cats of different age groups contains different amounts of nutrients and calories, which are different at different stages of the life of cats.
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If possible, we recommend super premium dry cat food.
What is the difference between dry and sterilized cat food?
We are also often asked what the difference is between dry food for adult cats and spayed/neutered cats. This is a food intended only for adult cats from 1 year of age. This type of diet helps cats maintain good urinary system health thanks to the balanced mineral content.
Furthermore, this type of cat diet is often enriched with L-carnitine, which helps maintain the cat’s optimal weight and strengthens the immune system.
When to start giving dry food to your kitten?
Veterinarians recommend starting to feed cats dry food around the sixth to eighth week of the cat’s life when choosing a suitable feed for small kittens.
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Cat nutrition: dry and wet food, RAW and BARF diets
A large selection of dry cat food can often be found in veterinary clinics. This is because almost all medicated feed, which is a special diet for cats with kidney, liver, pancreatic, intestinal or other diseases.
Feed cats wet food
Wet cat food in the diet represents a snack or one of the feeding moments. A regular cat owner chooses not to give dry food in the morning or evening, but to give wet food. Canned foods and pates are considered wet cat food.
However, it is not uncommon to receive comments that cats are very demanding and only choose canned food with pieces of meat or fish or only pate.
How to choose wet cat food?
When choosing wet food for a cat, it is important to pay attention to the cat’s age, physical activity and health status. As with dry food, wet cat food is also divided based on the age and whether the cat has been neutered/spayed.
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Veterinarians recommend starting to feed cats canned food or pate from 4-6 weeks of age, choosing feed suitable for such a young age group.
In addition, in veterinary clinics it is often possible to purchase medicinal canned food for cats along with medicinal dry food, but often it is in the form of pate. Medicated wet food is given to cats with liver and kidney disease, diabetes or allergies.
RAW miTfor cats
Type of natural nutrition for cats, otherwise known as RAW nutrition – when the cat’s diet consists of raw meat, fish and their by-products. Cat breeders switch to this type of feeding when they encounter food allergies and digestive tract diseases.
RAW feeding takes cats back to the times of their ancestors, to wild nature, though this type of diet can be very wrong if it is combined and selected by a non-veterinarian with a RAW nutritionist.
How to feed your cat a RAW diet?
When choosing RAW feeding for a cat, it is important to note that the meat or fish should not be chopped. When choosing this type of diet, the ration should consist of approximately: 80% meat or fish, 10% bones and 10% offal (birds, fish, internal organs of livestock).
Cons of RAW nutrition for cats
There are two main disadvantages of this cat diet. The first is «meat syndrome» in cats, when the cat lacks calcium in its food, the ratio of calcium to phosphorus is disrupted, affecting bone development.
The second is spoiled cat food. In frequent cases, domestic cats do not eat all the food given at once, so raw meat and fish with offal can spoil and therefore the cat can be poisoned when fed with RAW nutrients.
After choosing the principle of green nutrition, veterinarians recommend preventive deworming of your cat to guarantee the best quality of life.
BARF food for cats
BARF, translated from English, means biologically appropriate raw food.
Cats are naturally carnivorous predators, but even free-living predators tend to diversify their diet with grass and berries. Even after hunting prey, felines begin to eat it from the stomach area, which often contains digested grass and other vegetables.
Nutritional benefits of BARF
Feeding the cat according to the BARF nutritional principle not only ensures the right amount of proteins, but also carbohydrates, immune system supplements and antioxidants. Berries, fruit and leafy vegetables present in the BARF diet ensure the cat’s body has adequate quantities of vitamins B and C, supplied with iron. Products of origins other than meat or fish in the BARF diet help maintain the balance between acidity and alkalinity.
When choosing a BARF diet for a cat, you need to consider factors such as age, weight, sex, breed, health, activity and previous illnesses. Ideally, it is important to discuss this type of diet with qualified professionals.
After choosing the principle of raw feeding (RAW or BARF), veterinarians recommend preventive deworming of your cat to ensure the best quality of life and the best absorption of substances.
What can’t be given to cats?
- Alcohol
- Avocado
- Raisins and grapes
- Chocolate
- Caffeine
- Sugar and xylitol
- Salt
- Yeast
- Coconut
- Macadamia nuts
- Citrus fruits
- Garlic and onion
- Fatty dairy products
- Bone
Where should I go if I want advice on feeding my cat?
Veterinary clinic in Vilnius «Begemots» is always open to responsible owners. Veterinarians are ready to answer all owners’ questions about cat nutrition at different periods of its life.
At the Begemoto Veterinary Medical Center you will not only be able to consult a vet, but also choose and purchase the most suitable food for your beloved four-legged family member.
Our clinic uses all the most innovative and modern methods of poisoning treatment to ensure the simplest and fastest possible recovery from the animal’s condition. For your pet’s problems, you can contact us and arrange a visit at a time convenient for you.
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