Cat Health - A Good Cat Nutrition

A BALANCED DIET

Like all animals, the domestic cat needs a diet that is properly balanced and contains all the essential nutrients in the correct quantities. These nutrients are water, protein, fat, carbohydrate, minerals and vitamins.

The wild members of the cat family, such as the lion, tiger, cheetah and European wild cats, are carnivores. Between them they hunt and kill a wide variety of other animals, ranging in size from small lizards and birds to large antelopes. They don’t just eat the meat or muscle, but consume all, or almost all, of their prey, including the skin, hair or feathers, and the internal organs such as liver kidneys and intestines. Their diet therefore contains a substantial amount of animal protein, and supplies them with all the other essential nutrients that they require.

To remain healthy, domestic cats also require a diet containing animal protein. This is because they need a particular amino acid (one of the blocks of protein) called taurine, which helps to prevent heart and eye diseases. Taurine is plentiful in animal protein, but only present in small amounts in plant protein.

While dogs are able to manufacture the amino acid taurine within their body, cats can only manufacture a little, and it is not enough to meet their needs, and plant protein cannot supply them with enough to make up the shortfall. Therefore, although a pet dog could remain healthy if fed properly balanced vegetarian diet, a cat could not. For this reason cats are known as obligatory carnivores; they must eat some animal protein on a daily basis in order to survive

WATER

Water is the most important element in a cat’s diet. Whereas most animals can survive after losing up to half of their protein and stored fat, in a cat, even a 10 per cent loss of total body water will cause serious illness, and a 15 percent loss will result in death. Animals can ingest water in 3 ways. They drink it, eat food that contains it, and their body manufactures some water as a by product during the chemical processes involved when converting proteins, fats and carbohydrates into energy.

The daily amount of water required by a cat is roughly the same amount (in mililitres) as its energy requirement (in kilocalories). A sedentary cat needs a daily intake of about 65-70ml (roughly four tablespoons) water for each kilogram of body weight, while an active cat needs about 85ml (roughly six tablespoons).

PROTEIN

Protein occurs in animals (animal protein) and in plants (plant protein). There are many different types of protein, each of which contains a particular combination of amino acids, the substances that provide the materials needed for the growth and repair of all body tissues.

Proteins vary in their digestibility. The most digestible are those contained in foods derived from animal sources, such as meat, eggs and cheese. The least digestible are those contained in foods derived from plants, such as grains and vegetables. Most domestic cats consume a diet containing a significant amount of animal protein. They do eat some plant material, either in the stomach and intestines of prey that they catch, or by voluntarily eating specific plants such as grass, but plant protein is a comparatively unimportant part of the domestic cat’s diet.

When a cat eats grass it is probably doing so to consume fibre and as an aid to digestion. Quite often a cat will vomit soon afterwards, bringing up a bolus of grass mixed with mucus, so eating grass may be a useful method of getting rid of excess mucus from the cat’s stomach.

FATS

Fats and oils contain substances called fatty acids, some of which play an important role in helping to maintain internal body functions and a healthy skin. They also act as carriers for the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K).
Fats are concentrated form of energy (for a given weight, fat provides more than twice as many kilocalories (kilojoules) as carbohydrates or protein).

If the diet that a cat consumes contains more energy than the cat needs, the excess is converted into fat that is stored in various parts of the body, such as under the skin and around the intestines. This stored fat acts as a fuel store that can be drawn upon in times of need.

CARBOHYDRATES

Carbohydrates occur in plants and include sugars, starch and cellulose. There are various types of sugars, among which are sucrose and glucose. These are two of the simplest sugars and therefore more easily digested. Cow’s milk contain the milk’s sugar lactose, but many adult cats are unable to digest lactose properly – for this reason specially formulated lactose reduced or lactose-free milk is available for cats from pet food stores and supermarkets. For cats, one of the most useful sources of dietary carbohydrate is rice.

MINERALS

Like other animals, the cat needs to consume many different minerals to ensure that its body process function normally. Some are required in comparatively large amounts, while others, known as trace elements, are only required in very small quantities. Two of the most important minerals for felines are calcium and phosphorous, which are involves in the formation and growth of bones and teeth. Minerals also play an important role in the growth and repair, skin and hair. They are also required in the formation of red and white blood cells, and in various digestive processes.

VITAMINS

Certain vitamins are essential for the proper working of body processes. Four of them, vitamins A, D, E and K, are soluble in fat, so fats and oils provide a good dietary source. Vitamin E plays an important role in normal muscle function, vision and reproductive processes. Vitamins of the B-group, and vitamins C, are soluble in water. The B-group vitamins have a variety of functions associated with the metabolism of amino acids, fats or carbohydrates. Vitamin C I involved in wound healing, preventing haemorrhages from small blood vessels (capillaries) and maintaining healthy skin. As in humans, vitamin C is important in the prevention of scurvy. Cats, like dogs, have the ability to manufacture this vitamin within their bodies and, unlike humans, they don’t need a source of vitamin C in their diet.

FIBRE

Derived from plant materials (often ingested along with prey), fibre does not provide a cat with any nutrients but it does play a very important role in digestion. It acts as a bulking agent, absorbs any toxic by products of the digestive processes, and increases the rate of passage of food through the gut.