Good cat nutrition is hard, and any pet owner can malnourish their cat very easily. Whether it is because of giving them dry cat food that doesn’t meet their nutritional requirements or because they gave them raw meat that upset their stomach, it is really easy to mess up a seemingly easy task.
Fortunately for every cat owner out there, the steps to feed your cat a proper diet are relatively simple. First, have regular checkups with your veterinarian. They will always give you tips to get the best food available for them. Secondly, inform yourself as much as you can about your cat’s needs. Luckily, you’ll manage to the ladder by continuing reading!
Dietary Needs for Cats
There are various nutrients that cats need to maintain a healthy diet. They include water, protein, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. Before we dig a little into all of these, it’s important to remember that cats are natural carnivores, meaning that they can’t survive properly on a vegetarian diet.
Water intake is crucial for a cat’s diet. They even absorb the majority of the water they need from the food they eat. Canned and wet food should cover this part easily as they can have up to 80% of the required amount per product serving.
Protein is incredibly beneficial in maintaining a cat’s muscles, bones, and tendons. To keep it simple, when looking for the correct amount of protein in a cat’s food, make sure that the crude protein percentage is not lower than %26.
Fats in cat food are what provides them with the energy they need. Look for products that have around 20 to 40% of the essential fats daily intake. Fats also come with some vitamins crucial for your cat’s diet. Fortunately for all pet owners, you don’t have to look for daily vitamin intake percentages in cat food as they are generally covered by ingredients targeting other nutrients.
When it comes to minerals, it is somewhat similar to vitamins. There is no percentage that you have to look out for when buying your cat food. Instead, either talk to your veterinarian to know which products are best or search for anything with the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) seal on it.
Cat Dietary Supplements
Whether your cat consumes wet food or dry food, they may sometimes need some supplemental elements in their diet. Before you make any decision on your cat’s diet, however, go see your vet at Corona del mar animal hospital. They will tell you exactly what’s missing to have a balanced diet and which product offers exactly what you need.
That last point is incredibly helpful given that, according to The Spruce Pets, many supplemental foods companies can be a little deceiving with their claims.
What Is the Best Way to Feed Your Cat?
The best way to feed your cat is to take into consideration the life stage they are in at the moment. While cats start out by only drinking their mother’s milk, they eventually get to a point when they have their own preferences for foods that even affect how many times they eat per day and how much per serving.
According to another source, cats will eat as much as 20 times a day. Although this generally happens with cats who eat dry food in small quantities. Cats who enjoy wet foods, on the other hand, are more human-like in their habits. They eat around three times a day with much bigger servings.
Kitten Food
Of course, kittens will start their lives by only consuming milk. However, once they are three weeks old, cat owners should start giving them either wet food or moisturized dry food to start weaning them from milk and begin the process of getting them used to regular pet food.
Additionally, cat owners should not only start changing the type of food the kittens consume but also how many times a day they eat it. Since their activity level is rising and they are growing incredibly fast, they should need around five meals daily as early as week eight.
Adult Cats
If you want to avoid having to take your cat to an emergency visit at the Central Emergency Animal Hospital, you’ll have to make some sacrifices and start feeding them quality wet cat food and dry food. You have to make sure the packed or canned foods contain all the necessary nutrients mentioned previously and are actually good foods for cats. Lack of doing so could lead to your cat not being able to maintain themselves properly.
Avoid Obesity With Good Cat Nutrition
Now, while we have talked about how to properly feed your cat at different life stages so that they al not malnourished at any point, you should also be very careful not to overfeed them and lead them into obesity.
It is much easier to prevent your cat from becoming obese than it is to make them lose weight. You’ll have to consider your cat’s level of daily activity. It is very easy to give your cat more calories than they actually need, so it’s best to ask your vet at the Central orange county emergency animal hospital what is the correct amount of food for your cat before they’ve reached a difficult turning back point.
Prevent an Emergency With a Simple Checkup
Avoid situations that end up requiring an Emergency pet hospital in orange county by just scheduling an appointment at the Central Orange County Emergency Animal Hospital whenever you notice something is off with your furry friend or when you have a few questions about them.
Contact us here for more information, or download our client-patient form here.
