Feline Nutrition
Why does proper nutrition matter?
Often, we forget that our feline friends are mammals just like us. When we eat healthy and fresh foods, we provide our bodies with the proper nutrients that optimize our organs' functions, thus, expanding our quality and length of life. If we choose poor eating habits, like foods filled with processed and unnatural ingredients, our bodies lack the proper nutrients and overtime, we develop debilitating diseases, such as congestive heart failure, diabetes, and cancer. This principle of a healthy diet seems rudimentary, but it firmly applies to our feline companions as well.
Cats are obligate carnivores...
Cats are considered obligate carnivores, in laymen's terms, animals who only eat meat and who cannot properly process plants. Interestingly, most carnivores are not obligate carnivores. This makes a cat's diet even more vital to their everyday function. Because of their ancestral diets, cats cannot proceed certain essential amino acids, like taurine and arginine, naturally in their body like omnivores and herbivores. Cats must rely on obtaining these acids in their pre-formed state by eating prey that have already created the acids.
More science!
Physiologically speaking, cats also have one of the shortest digestive tracts in the animal kingdom; this makes digesting raw flesh incredibly easy. Herbivores, like cows and horses, have extensively long digestion tracts that ferment bacteria needed to break down plant material. A cat's body also relies on a process called gluconeogenesis to provide energy. Glyconeogenesis is a process that turns non-carbohydrate substances (like meat) into glucose (sugar). In short, scientific evidence proves cats are obligate carnivores and need a high animal-protein diets to sustain proper nutrition.
Well, what should cats eat?
Simply put: MEAT! Cats should be eating a high-animal protein (including muscles, organs, tissues, fat, and bones) diet with low plant matter and extremely low amounts of carbohydrates. Think about what a cat would eat in the wild... a mouse or bird. These options are high in protein and moistures with moderate levels of fat and low levels of carbohydrates.
For a domestic cat, a proper diet should consist of canned, frozen raw, or freeze-dried raw diets. Never kibble.
The facts on kibble.
Kibble is notoriously high in carbohydrates and low in moisture. Kibble can have 30-50% of its calories from carbohydrates with moisture levels at 5-10%. Long-term feeding of dry food is associated with many medical problems, including crystals/UTIs/cystitis, diabetes, kidney disease, IBD, obesity, and fatty liver disease. (Kidney disease is number one medical cause of death for cats in America. Currently, 82% of cats are fed kibble. Hmmm... there's probably something there!)
Why is kibble readily available if it is not a proper diet for cats alone? That's easy: grains and other carbohydrates are cheap and it is cost-effective to make. The shelf-life of kibble is incredibly long, which is another draw. In short, it is cheap and convenient. Two things us humans like best.
In conclusion...
The best thing to fed cats is a grain-free wet diet.
Nom, nom, nom.
Our Recommended Wet Food Brands
Tried-and-true wet food options from our Lucky Cats!
- Weruva
- Tiki Cat
- Orijen and Acana
- Instinct
- Applaws*
- Lotus
- Ziwi Peak
- Stella & Chewy's
* Not a complete and balanced diet. Use only as intermittent feeding or as food topper.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I introduce new wet foods?
A slower transition to new food is usually best for cats. Tt is easier on their digestive tracts and also gets them accustomed to new flavors and textures. Begin mixing 25% of the new food with the current food. (You might have to adjust the initial amount of new food if your cat is extra sensitive.) Feed this mixture for two to three days. Gradually increase the amount of new food over a period of a week.
What are some budget-friendly wet foods?
Kindfull, I and Love and You, Fancy Feast Naturals, Kirkland brand, Wellness, Purina Beyond, Blue Buffalo Tastefuls, Authority, Love, Nala, and Rachel Ray Nutrish.
I feed my cat kibble and they drink plenty of water!
Typically, cats will drink more water to "compensate" for their diet of dry food. Yet, it is not enough water to make up the deficit. For reference, 10-pound cat needs about 2 cups of water per day. (That is A LOT!)
My cat only eats dry. How can I get them to eat wet?
Transitioning cats to need foods can be tricky! Abrupt changes can also turn cats off. Instead, try adding a little bit of water to the dry food. Start off small with a teaspoon and gradually increase the amount. Let the kibble absorb the water, not float like cereal. You could mix in a teaspoon amount of wet food instead.