Cats eat to live, grow and to stay healthy and active. The ingredients and nutrients in the food is what keeps them alive and healthy. The individual requirements for each cat will vary throughout its life depending on the stage of development, health, reproductive status and amount of exercise.

Cats are carnivores, that’s just fact. Carnivores eat meat, and we should try our best to get as close to their natural food as we can.

Commercial wet and dry food contain meat, but in very small quantities and the meat is cooked, and preservatives are added because this is the only way this type of food can have a longer shelf life in stores. When the meat is being cooked, it is altered to a stage where it is more a treat than food for cats.





The right food for the right cat

Breed specific food; You will come across special foods for different breeds, but don’t let that fool you.

Those types of food are designed for typical health problems that these breeds usually have. So if you have a shorthaired cat with fur ball problems, you can use the type of food that is probably “best for Maine coons or Norwegian forest cats,” no matter if your cat is a domestic shorthair. Focus on the problem you want to solve, not the breed on the bag.

Different stages in life

Generally, all cats can eat the exact same food, as long as they are healthy. In nature there are no “diet mice” or “hairball preventative birds” but it is always good to keep in mind that it could sometimes help to give the right type of food for your cat as she changes stages in life.

Kittens should have a bit more fat and protein in their food, this is normally added in the “kitten formulas” of wet and dry food. Kittens are growing fast, and they use up a lot of their energy when they play and explore.

The mother cat can also eat kitten foods as long as she nurses them and up until they leave the nest, she as well need a boost in protein which gives her energy to take care of her babies.

When kittens reach the age of about one, they can start to eat regular food that is not meant for kittens.

At the age of around 7-9, the cat is a senior and might start to change its eating behavior. Depending on what behavior is changing, you need to adjust the food accordingly. The most common behavioral change due to age is lack of appetite. Change to food that has lots of taste and smell or just find a type of food that the cat really likes and stick to it.

With that said, let’s take a look at what the cat’s body tells us about what they need.

These are the nutrients that a cat need:

Protein

Fat

Vitamins

Minerals

Water

The cat’s system has used for all the nutrients above and can process them into full usage in their body. Fillers like corn, potatoes, rice, cereals, and grains will not be processed to energy because the cat’s body cannot recognise the materials, and it will be stored in the body as glycogen and fat which is how cats become obese.

This is why some low-quality food with lots of fillers make cats less active; they simply haven’t eaten food that gives them energy, which again adds to the risk of obesity.

Dry food in itself has some typical problem-building ingredients and lack of some.

This type of food is cooked, altering the main ingredients cats need. And also lots of fillers are added, making the food more economical and helping kibbles to keep its form. Besides that, dry food has added coloring, to make up for poor looking kibbles due to low-quality ingredients, they also add ingredients with lots of taste to make the cat want to eat this food.

The last but most important ingredients that is missing from dry food is water.

Cats are meant to mainly have their water intake from their food, and even though we might think that cats drink more water when they are eating mainly dry food, they still get too little water.

The risks of not getting enough water are dehydration and urinary problems.

Conclusion; When it comes to wet or dry food, wet is always better. A low-quality wet food will always be a much better choice than high-quality dry food. That is how much difference there are in what they contain (or not contains).

What to look for:

•It should say “Complete and balanced” on the package

•High % content of animal protein at the top of ingredients. Check for “named meats” such as chicken, duck, lamb, etc. Keep away from “unnamed meats” such as meat, meat-meals, animal byproduct, etc.

•For dry food: choose at least 25% animal protein and 10% fat, och grain free





How to feed your cat

Cats are more driven by instinct than hunger, in the wild, they could not wait until they are hungry to hunt because they don’t know how long it will take before they catch anything to eat.

This is why cats are better off not having food available all day long, it will take away some of their natural instincts of being a cat, and when it comes to some instincts, they are necessary for the cat’s life to be fulfilled.

Make meal times each day. 2 times a day is perfectly fine for a cat to have their meals.

Separate food from water source, this is also a natural instinct for them as they normally get the water from their food and will go to water sources if they need more of it. With separate I mean preferably in opposite sides of the room.

Answers to some questions:

– How often and how much amount should you feed your cat?

Cats are better off to have meal times 2-3 times a day.

Kittens can eat up to 10% of their weight each day because they need lots of energy to keep active and growing. An adult cat should eat around 3-5% of their weight each day. An obese cat might stick to 3%, and a normal weight cat should eat 4-5%.

– Which type of human food can they eat?

Cats can eat just about any raw meat that humans eat (we eat it cooked of course). The guideline is – Would you cook it for yourself? Then you can give it raw to your cat.

Each country have their own regulations about food handling, if you live in a country with high risk of contaminated meat – don’t give that raw to your cat.

Egg yolks are fine to give, it helps them get an energy boost, and it makes the coat shiny.

Cooked fish is okay to give, but keep it to a minimum or just when they have an upset stomach as boiled white fish can help out with that.

– What type of food can you prepare for them?

Prepared or cooked food should be categorised as treats because many of the essential nutrients are destroyed in the cooking process.

Raw bones are the only safe choice when it comes to bones.

You can absolutely make healthy treats for your cat. Use either a Food Dehydrator or your regular oven. Cut small pieces of fresh meat, you can use chicken breasts, duck, venison, liver etc. place it in the dehydrator and start a medium program and keep your eye on the meat each hour to see how fast it goes.

To cook in an oven, put the small pieces on an oven-safe baking paper/sheet and place it low in the oven. Use the lowest temperature your oven can heat up and don’t close the oven door fully, use a toothpick to keep it open and let the moisture out. Keep in the oven through the whole day and take it out before going to bed.

The meat will still feel soft to touch when it is ready, wether you are using a dehydrator or oven, so try with a few pieces until you get the hang of it.

– What foods are dangerous to cats?

Coffee and tea

Grapes and raisins

All onions

Tuna that is not prepared for cats

Chocolate

Alcohol

Avocado

Human medicine

– What type of bowls are best for cats?

Cats have very sensitive whiskers, and this should be taken seriously when choosing bowls for your cat. Their whiskers are directly connected to nerve endings in their brains; they use their whiskers to feel tiny changes in the surroundings – that is how sensitive they are.

Instead of bowls, you should choose plates that have none or low edges.

Keep a mat under the plate as food will probably fall off, but keep in mind that your cat eating with pleasure is far more important than some food on the floor!

– What happens when you give too many treats?

It is very similar as for us humans, too many treats can be harmful to your cat. The biggest struggle is to know what is too much and what is okay.

Five pieces of candies are very little for us humans, but it is totally different for cats. Five pieces might be the absolute maximum for a 2-3 day period. It all depends on the type of treat.

Dehydrated meat treats are better than the kibble type treats.

– Giving them fish, is it good or not?

Cats are from the beginning an animal from the dry desert where fish were never in their natural diet. Because of this, fish is one of the most common food allergens for cats.

Keep your cats’ fish intake to a minimum as it also tends to be addictive for them when they get a taste for it.

Boiled white fish like cod is good for an upset stomach and can be mixed with the cat’s regular food for 2-3 days, or it could also be given as it is during the 2-3 days.





– How can I get my cat to eat raw food?

If your cat is used to having food available all day, you first need to change that by making meal times 3-4 times a day in the beginning, and then move to 2-3 times a day and either stay there if it works for your everyday routine, or keep going until you give 2 times a day.

When that is done – congratulations, that is really good work!

Now you can start the real transitioning.

There are a lot of pre-made raw meals out there, just make sure they are complete and balanced. Do your research and see what other people are saying about the mix you where hoping to try out.

If your cat is eating dry food and wet food, you could start off by mixing one teaspoon of raw food into each meal, maybe mix dry and wet with the raw for each meal if that works for your cat. Do this for a week and then add two teaspoons of raw meat in each meal, and give less of the wet and dry food. Do this for another week and keep adding one teaspoon of raw each week while giving less of the wet and dry.

DO NOT RUSH THIS! Switching to raw food can be very easy and satisfying but only if you take it slow. It is a big change for your cat, even if he likes it from day one.

Your goal should be to give a complete meal of raw food not before 6-8 weeks of slowly transitioning.

– Can cats eat bones? And what type of bones can they eat?

Yes absolutely! Raw bones are the only safe choice when it comes to bones.

Never ever give cats cooked bones, it is very dangerous!. Raw bones are porous and easy for cats’ teeth to penetrate, which also make it a perfect tooth cleaning. This is how cats in the wild kept their teeth healthy.

Cats are still small animals so give smaller bones if you want them to eat it. All chicken bones are perfect for cats, as well as other small birds and of course mice. Bigger bones like ribs could be for teeth grinding only.

A little checklist for bones:

Give smaller bones and only raw.

Keep away from machine cut bones as they could be sharp from the cut.

Bigger bones are better for teeth grinding.

Bones can make the cat constipated if given too much, a piece of chicken bone 2 times a week could be a great routine.

Josephine Norman is a professional cat photographer and a cat breeder. She have studied topics like ” The Feline Mind ” and Diploma in Feline Studies ” at Oxford College and COAPE. Also she has been working as cat behaviour adviser since 2015. If you want Book a Chat with her, here is the Link . Instagram Account @fjarilflickans

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