A Balanced Diet For The Cat - Protein

Within its diet the feline demands a stability of meats, sugars, body fat, nutritional vitamins, mineral deposits as well as h2o.

If you give your pet meals at regular times, and offer a variety of fresh and commercial cat foods following the guidelines below, it should get all that it needs without the addition of any dietary supplements such as vitamin pills. Read the labels of commercial cat foods to check the nutritional contents.

Proteins for strength – Proteins are made up of amino acids which are the building blocks of the body. They are not only used for growth and repair, but they can be metabolized to provide energy.

The amount of protein in a cat’s diet depends on its age. As cats become less active with age, they need a less protein rich diet. In addition, their livers and kidneys have reduced efficiency and are less able to flush out the toxic by products produced from the body’s breakdown of proteins.

A kitten, however, because it is growing and building up its muscle mass, needs around 50 percent of protein in its diet, compared with over 30 percent for a young adult.

These levels are around 20 percent more than those required by a dog of comparable age. The cat’s digestive system processes proteins so efficiently that only 5 percent of total protein absorbed is lost through waste products.

Regular ingestion of protein must occur or the cat loses weight and condition. In the wild, feral cats acquire the essential amino acids through a variety of captured animals. Protein rich meals are generally various meats, seafood, eggs, whole milk as well as cheese.

Today, all nutritional needs are covered in the commercially available, scientifically formulated cat foods. Cats enjoy a varied diet and are not averse to raiding the owner’s food supplies to achieve it.

Natural instinct is the driving force for a cat to hunt, not hunger. Feeding your cat a healthy and adequate diet will not stop it hunting, and could improve hunting performance.