Being a pet parent, what to feed your pet becomes a milestone in front of you. Especially when it comes to a cat, the practice can be pretty tricky. As you know, cats are food lovers; feeding them heartily is like winning a marathon. If you can fill your kitty’s stomach, you can keep her happier. Feeding your cat is one thing, and feeding nutritional food is another. Now the task is to choose a cat-friendly snack full of nutrition and necessary vitamins. So let us dive deeper into what do cats eat.
What Do Cats Eat?
Cats are unique creatures who have dietary needs that require the right balance of nutrients in order to stay healthy. Knowing what do cats eat and how much to feed them is essential for their well-being. A cat’s diet should be varied, yet consist mainly of animal-based proteins such as lean meats, eggs, and some fish. Complimented with fiber-rich carbohydrates, omega-3 fatty acids, and other essential vitamins and minerals found in fortified cat food brands. Cats are also often attracted to light snacks such as kibble or canned food although it should never make up more than 10% of their overall caloric intake. By understanding the fundamentals of what do cats eat, pet owners can ensure that their furry companions get everything they need for optimal health and warmth.
What Human Food Can Cats Eat?
- While you can always feed cat food and oatmeal to your cat, it is important to give a variety of foods. Cats are inevitably obligate carnivores, I.e. They are meat lovers and get a large amount of protein from it.
- In addition, cats also prefer eating different varieties of fish, such as tuna, salmon, trout, etc. You can also serve beef, turkey, pheasant, chicken, etc.
- Cats also like hunting and small prey. They also like waiting for rice and vegetables such as pumpkin, carrot, spinach, etc.
- It is also ideal for feeding your cat some fruits such as blueberries, melons, bananas, etc.
- To fulfill the protein needs of your cat, you need to feed her boiled or cooked eggs and cheese too.
Cats primarily depend on protein for gathering energy. Cat food and meat are the biggest sources of protein for them. Moreover, it doesn’t mean that cats cannot eat other food items. What you will your cat like and what does not also depend on the taste preferences of your kitty. Sticking to a complete and balanced diets for cats is ideal. In addition to this food, cats always like some treats or other food items once in a while.
What foods are Toxic to Cats?
There are many food cats cant eat. It is favorable to keep in mind a list of all the items that a cat cannot eat. So let us now look at what foods are toxic to cats.
- Milk is a big no-no for a cat. You can feed milk to a cat raised on it as it will have digestive enzymes. If you have never fed milk to your cat, don’t do it now.
- Thick, uncooked, raw, and bonny food is unsuitable for a cat. Such as raw eggs, as they can cause illness borne from food.
- Cats must not feed on fat trimmings, garlic, onion, and seeds.
- Along with these, they shouldn’t feed on coconut milk, alcohol, coffee, chocolate, and chives.
- There are some fruits too which cats must not eat. They include grapes and raisins.
- Don’t feed human supplements to your cat.
If you are feeding your cat any of the above-mentioned items, you must feed them at most 20 cat calories per day. A limited calorie intake won’t harm your cat, but if you start feeding her these items regularly, this will cause some issues. It can cause parasites, digestive problems, excessive weight gain in cats, etc.
General Guidelines to feed the Cat
So, you got to know what does cat eats. Now, let us see some of the foods cats can eat. You start to know with basic food requirements and preferences when you feed the cat for quite an extended period. But still, there are specific fundamental guidelines that every cat parent should follow when they are feeding their beloved cat.
- More is only sometimes good. Feeding your cat a balanced and complete diet is necessary, but that doesn’t mean you overfeed it. Give your feline enough healthy food, not an extra, and a heavy diet.
- Ideally, you must nurture your cat with the right amount of protein, vitamins, minerals and high calorie cat foods. Make it easy for your cat to have access to clean and fresh warm water all the time.
- Feeding your cat human supplements can be dangerous for your cat. It can cause weight gain; one must do this only during vet consultations.
- Preferably nurture your cat with wet food as compared to dry food. Dry food for cats is cheap; therefore, it becomes the choice of cat lovers. But cheap doesn’t always mean healthy. Thus, feed best wet cat food to your feline.
- Canned food is ideal for cats as it contains 75% water. It is palatable, and cats love this food.
- Before choosing the cat food, always read the label, which states the ingredients, instructions, and quantity to be fed. You can also refer to the cat feeding guide wet and dry foods. This will make it easier for you to narrow your choice and choose the best.
- As a cat’s nutritional necessity changes in each stage of her life, ideally, you should change the food to nurture her changing food and energy requirements.
- Giving occasional treats to your cats is not fatal. But you must ensure that the cat treats are at most 10-20 % calories.
Conclusion
Therefore, a credible pet owner must care for everything before feeding a cat. You must jot down the yes, and no of feeding your cat. In this case, it would contain human food for cats, but you shouldn’t feed them frequently or in large amounts. Also, you must note that animals, especially cats, are different from humans. Feeding human supplements shouldn’t be an option for her eating schedule. By relating to this guide, you can always distinguish between the food you feed.