Are you confident your cat is eating right? in this Rango Planet article we talk about the best diet for cat, and what foods offer a cat as well as their nutritional and energy needs according to age, physiological state, and physical activity keep reading in case your cat needs a dietary change.

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What types of cat food are there?

The diet for cat can be based on three main types: wet food, dry food, and homemade food. To best ensure proper nutrition it’s ideal if we can provide a mixture of wet and dry food.

You can alternate both options keeping in mind that they must be of quality before buying the product remember to read the label and make sure the main ingredient is animal protein. Homemade food has many benefits compared to commercial food, the most important being that we can best control quality and ensure the cat is receiving the right nutrients, if you do choose to make your cat homemade food speak to your veterinarian, they can assess the cat’s needs and advise in what diet is suitable for each individual cat.

What are the nutritional needs of a cat?

Now that you know what food you can offer your diet for cat we should know the nutritional needs so we can ensure we offer them the correct diet. Cats are strict carnivores and have high protein needs they also need the nutrients, Taurine, Arginine, arachidonic acid, and vitamin a, we can say cats have seven necessary nutrients starting with:

1- Protein

This is the most important nutrient, in terms of dry feed it is essential that it contains at least 25 percent protein but ideally around 40, in a natural diet the percentage of protein should range from 90 to 95 the remaining 10 or 5 percent can be from fruits and vegetables although these are optional.

2- Essential amino acids

The two most essential amino acids are arginine and taurine, both are found in meat and their deficiency can seriously harm the health of our feline.

3- Fat

At least nine percent of the calories of an adult cat must come from fat derived from meat, the ideal percentage of fat in their diet is between 15 and 20 percent especially in homemade diets.

4- Fatty acids

Cats need a supply of fatty acids such as omega 3 and 6 vital for their skin and coke quality as well as cognitive, cardiovascular and immune systems.

5-Carbohydrates

It has been confirmed that cats can maintain themselves with a diet very low in carbohydrates since through the catabolism of proteins they can cover their glucose needs.

The one that appears frequently in commercial feed is cornstarch since they digest it best, likewise cereals should not be added to homemade diets as carbohydrates are not part of their essential nutrients.

6- Vitamins

These are important for many vital functions of cats, vitamins c, e and beta carotene kill free radicals that cause cell damage and are involved in aging.

Vitamin a is very important for their eyesight, cell membranes, teeth and bones.

7- Minerals

Suitable diets for cats are supplemented with necessary minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, or trace elements of copper, manganese, iron, zinc and selenium. In homemade diets the food should already provide their necessary vitamins and minerals, as long as they are well formulated and balanced.

What are their energy needs?

These vary according to the cat and its characteristics, a house cat with little activity should have enough with 60 calories per kilogram per day, if they are neutered especially cam or a senior cat the amount can drop to 45 calories per kilogram per day, if they are an active cat 70 or 90 calories per kilogram per day is likely it should also be taken into account that the youngest tend to use more energy and their needs are higher than in older cats.

Pregnant cats need around 100 kilocalories per kilogram per day at the end of pregnancy, in addition it’s important that they consume more fat to accumulate reserves that they will need during the last weeks of gestation since the weight gain will go to the kittens, for this reason during pregnancy and lactation it’s a good option to feed our cat with a feed formulated for kittens due to the high amount of energy it provides.

Finally, when cats become old it is common for them to suffer from diseases and need a suitable diet to reduce their impact, a feed that is rich in vitamin c and e can be administered.