Every cat parent wants their fluffies to live a healthy and long life. For this purpose, they want the perfect diet with balanced nutrients for their cats.

Healthy food not only maintains their health but also uplifts their mood, hence improving their quality of life.

Now, the question is:

What should you feed your cat?

There are many options available in the market. Also, you can make cat food at home. But, for choosing the right diet or making the perfect food for your cat, you must know about all the necessary nutrients.

Your Cat's Diet

Not every cat's diet is the same or specific. Any cat's diet depends on a lot of factors that we might overlook.

For this reason, here are some tips to help you determine your cat's diet for optimal health.

●      Cats cannot thrive on vegan diets. They need meat.

●      Their diets change with their age. The requirement for nutrients depends on the stages of the life cycle.

For example, kittens need only formula milk or mother's milk for up to three weeks. Then, they start eating soft foods. From 0-12 months, they require food rich with all nutrients for rapid growth.

For adult ones (1 year to 7 years old), the food must contain balanced nutrients for a healthy lifestyle; for senior cats (10+ years old), altered amounts of nutrients are required to protect them from organ damage.

●      It also depends on their health status (either they are under or overweight) and their medical history (if they have any disease).

●      Cat's diets also depend on their preference. Some love to eat dry food, while some prefer wet. Some cats prefer to eat small meals throughout the day, and some take whole meals two to three times a day.

It would be best to know your cat and make the food available according to its preferred timings.

What Nutrients Your Cat Needs?

Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning their body needs nutrients that are found in meat.

For example, Taurine and Arginine are proteins found only in meat. Taurine is essential for a cat's heart, while arginine is required to remove ammonia from their bodies.

Basically, cats require a diet rich in proteins and fats and lower in carbohydrates. The other necessary nutrients include minerals and vitamins.

Importance of Balanced Diet

Each nutrient is required in a certain amount for the cat's optimal health. Some are needed more, such as proteins and fats, and some are needed in less percentage, such as carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.

It is important to make sure that your cat's diet must be balanced with the required percentage of each nutrient. Imbalancing can put your cat's health at risk.

For example, most of the commercially available dry cat foods have a high percentage of carbohydrates, which makes your fluffy cat gain weight, leading to obesity and other related diseases.

If your cat is taking a complete diet, then it does not need an extra amount of supplements. When less is harmful, more can be damaging, too.

Types of Food Available

There are many commercially available cat foods, which you can choose from. Though you can make cat food at home, it is nearly impossible to measure the required percentages of each nutrient. It cannot be proven to be a perfectly balanced food.

Thus, here is the list of cat food available in the market.

Dry Cat Food

As the name implies, dry foods contain less percentage of water. The ingredients, such as meat or meat by-products, fats, and grains, are mixed and then dried.

The bite-sized chunks are often coated with flavored fats to make it appetizing for the cat. They are usually inexpensive.

There are two types of dry foods available. The packs labeled with "Complete" contain all the nutrients in balanced percentages.

In contrast, the packs labeled with "Complementary" do not contain balanced nutrients and can only be used as treats. Remember that giving more treats to your cat makes it gain weight.

Also, dry foods contain less water so your cat needs to rely only on fresh water to be hydrated. It is best if you make sure that it is drinking enough water.

Note: Always look for the expiration date whenever you pour food into your cat's bowl.

Semi-Moist Cat Food

This type of food contains a relatively higher percentage of water than the dry ones. The water content usually ranges between 30% to 35%. Meat and its by-products make up the larger portion of its ingredients.

Semi-moist foods are relatively expensive and more appealing to the cats. However, they cannot be stored as dry foods. Once you have opened the can, the remaining food can become stale.

Canned Food

The canned food contains the highest percentage of water. These are usually made up of meat, while preservatives are added to maintain their longest shelf-life (unopened). Once they are opened, the remaining food needs to be refrigerated to prevent spoilage.

They are the most expensive food category. Most cats love canned foods as they have high water content. They fulfill the cat's body's need for water.

However, most brands do not provide nutritionally balanced food, so it is good to study the ingredients before buying.

Choosing the Right Food

The right cat food is always the "Complete" food as it is nutritionally balanced. It would be best if you read the ingredients and compare the brands. Also, don't forget to take your cat's preference into account.

If you are struggling to choose, you can always reach out to your vet for recommendations.

Conclusion

A diet with balanced nutrition is like a preventive measure against many diseases. Palatable food is as important as a nutritious diet to keep your cat active and happy. Water is equally necessary as the food is.

It would be best if you know your cat and adjust its meals according to its preference. Also, always observe your cat's diet. If, at any point, you realize it is not eating much or totally avoiding it, you might want to visit your vet.