Nutriotional Counseling
Picking out the right type of food to feed your cat is an important part of pet ownership. Ensuring your cat receives a balanced diet is essential for their overall health and well-being. Similar to humans, cats require a proper diet to maintain good health.
To ensure cats receive the necessary nutrition to thrive, it's crucial to understand how their nutritional requirements have evolved over time. Cats are unique in that they are obligate carnivores, meaning they must eat meat to survive. They do not have the ability to digest vegetation, which is why some cats will intentionally eat grass to make themselves throw up. It's important for cats to consume a specific amount of protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins to maintain their health. Consuming too much or too little of these nutrients can lead to health issues.
Cats originate from a dessert enviornment and as such have a tendency to drink water in small amounts. In the wild, cats get most of their water intake through food, which can cause problems for house cats that eat dry food only. Feeding your cat a wet food diet in some capacity can help increase their water intake. If you notice your cat not drinking enough, there are a few methods you can try to increase their water intake:
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Add in a small amount of bone broth or tuna water into their water to entice them to drink more often.
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Move their water bowls away from their food. In the wild, cats tend to avoid drinking water in the same place they eat to prevent contamination.
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Place a few bowls in different areas around your house.
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Try a water fountain. A lot of cats prefer to drink from a running water source. This is because running water would be less likely to be contaminated compared to a stagnant water source.
What is the best food for my cat?
When choosing cat food, it’s important to remember that every brand is not the same, and finding a food that is both nutritionally complete and that your cat will actually eat is going to depend on your cats’ individual needs. We recommend looking at brands that work with board certified veterinary nutritionists to make sure that your cat is getting all the nutrients they need. Some of the brands we recommend are Hills Science Diet, Purina, and Royal Canin.
How often should my cat eat?
Most cats are grazers and like to consume small meals throughout the day. We recommend measuring out the appropriate amount of food for a meal in the morning and evening, that way the cat can graze, while you are still able to monitor their intake. Make sure that if you are using a free feeding method, that you do not overfeed them. Obesity is one of the leading health issues in indoor cats. Measuring out the amount of food and only giving those portions at specific times of day can help prevent obesity. If you notice that your cat eats all their potion in one sitting and then still seems hungry throughout the day, you can try feeding that measured portion over the course of the day in smaller meals.
How much should my cat eat?
The amount of food a cat needs in a day varies greatly from cat to cat. The two main factors that determine this are the size and age of your cat. For example, kittens have higher nutritional needs than adult cats, as they are rapidly growing until about 6-8 months old. Getting your kitten on a designated kitten food is the best way to insure they are getting all the nutrition they need. Size also matters in this case, as larger cats will need more food than smaller cats. You can check on the back of the bag for feeding instructions varying by weight. It’s important to feed your cat for the weight that they should be rather than the weight that they are if they are over or under weight.
What to avoid:
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No AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement for a complete and balanced diet
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Very few ingredients, especially a lack of additional vitamins and minerals
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Emphasis on ‘healthy’ trend-focused ingredients like blueberries or kale, which have not been studied for their health benefits in cats. If these are located towards the end of the ingredients list, it’s often a good indication that the quantity present is unlikely to have any nutritional significance (and is part of a clever marketing campaign)!
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Missing taurine on the ingredients list. Taurine is an essential amino acid required by cats. Without it, your cat can develop severe diseases. It would be incredibly rare to find a diet on the market that doesn’t contain taurine given its well-documented role in feline health and nutrition; however, it doesn’t hurt to check!
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Watch out for ‘exotic’ ingredients such as rabbit, venison, bison, and lentils. These ingredients are not necessarily bad for cats, but they haven’t been extensively studied. They may be appropriate for animals with allergic skin disease or dietary sensitivity as a novel protein or carbohydrate source.