I keep returning to this subject, but only because it is so important. If you do not feed you cat correctly you run the risk of doing serious damage to its health. I realise that to regular reader it must appear that I’m on some sort of campaign here, but only because the need of a cat for meat is so fundamental to its nature – and not merely a “psychology” but its physical and metabolic makeup.

Today I came across the following article, and as it expresses the facts so clearly decided to put up a link here.

Difference Between Dog and Cat Food | Difference Between

Dog vs Cat Food Most pet owners think that a dog and a cat’s food is the same. People believe that they can feed their dogs with cat food and vice versa. … dogs are omnivores and cats are carnivores. …

Tags: Add new tag, Cat, cat food

Is there such a thing as a vegetarian cat?  Well certainly there are cats which are fed by their owners with non-meat foods, but this is to go against the basic nature of the animal.

It must be remembered that a cat is by nature a hunter.  Its most ‘natural’ food is a small mammal or bird that it has caught itself.  Outdoor cats will at least to some extent provide for themselves in this way.  Indoor cats, though, do need to be fed meat.

It might, of course, seem possible to provide vegetable protein in a cat’s food just as can be done for a dog.  This simply does not work.  A cat’s digestive system does not handle vegetable protein well.  It must have meat.  Also, it is only in meat that the essential protein material, taurine, can be provided.  A    cat is an “obligate carnivore” and to force it to be anything else is an act of considerable unkindness.

In the home environment even meat is not enough, however.  The hunter catches its prey and devours not only flesh but also fur, feathers and bone.  In what is to the cat an artificial environment these must be replaced.  Well-formulated dry foods provide the combination of fibre and other material including trace elements that is missing from meat-only food

So in summary, the message is, do not attempt to make your cat a vegetarian, and provide it with a balanced mix of wet meaty and dry fibrous foods which between them approximate to what ideally they would get from hunting in the wild.

Tags: cat diet, cat food, obligate carnivore

Choosing food for a pet can be difficult, and whether or not he or she will like the flavour can be fairly well unpredictable.  From the point of view of flavour, when selecting a brand of cat food you’ll simply have to try it and see.  This, of course, assumes that you’re going to feed your cat canned food rather than provide it fresh and homemade made from left-over scraps such as chicken.

There are many factors to consider, and in our links below we give some suggestions for other sources of information to allow you to think about the subject more broadly than is possible here.

Commercially available cat foods come either in dry or wet form.  The dry foods usually contain components of both animal and vegetable origin.  In addition to flavour many owners will need to take careful account of cost.  Some makes can be very expensive.  The most important factor, however, is nutritional value.

It has to be remembered that cats are carnivores.  In cat food protein content is key.  Their digestive system is not designed to process vegetable matter efficiently, so that even though protein can be obtained from vegetable sources a cat will not digest it to the same extent as the animal proteins in meat to which it is adapted.

If you are looking at cat foods which are pre-prepared then you should examine the ingredients list on the package and ensure that not only is there a substantial proportion of protein from meat but also important components such as Vitamins A and B.  Be aware of the labelling standards in your particular legal jurisdiction. There can for example be precise rules about the meaning of words like food, formula and flavour which control the minimum amounts of an ingredient that must by law be present in a pet food.

Do not overfeed with carbohydrates.  These do not suit their metabolism and could result in obesity, which is said to be a problem with anything up to 35% of domestic pet cats.  You might also be well advised to avoid feeding your cat canned food containing a lot of preservatives.

If your animal is seriously under or over the normal weight for its age and breed, before you feed your cat diet food you should consult a properly qualified vet.  The cause may simply be one of diet, but there could also be an underlying health problem which you might make worse without professional advice.

Some Useful Links:
http://cats.about.com/od/whyfoodisimportant/a/foodfitforacat.htm
http://www.consumersearch.com/cat-food/review

Tags: cat canned food, cat diet food, cat food, cat food protein, feeding cats, food for cat, homemade cat food