Cats and humans have lived together for thousands of years, and their food habits have also evolved to a certain extent. Generally speaking, cats are still carnivores, but we will find that they are also very interested in other foods. For example, my cat loves to eat tofu. Skin. So I don’t really agree with the view of some poop scrapers who believe that cats can only eat meat because they are carnivorous.
Nowadays, people advocate balanced nutrition. For cat owners, they also hope that the nutrition of their cats can be as balanced as possible. So what nutrients do cats need?
Both cats and people need three nutritional components: fat, protein and carbohydrates. However, due to different eating habits, the required proportions are different.
protein
Due to cats’ eating habits, they have a large demand for protein. At the same time, due to their digestive system, it can almost be said that cats can only absorb animal protein. In particular, the taurine that cats need can only be obtained from animal protein.
So where do you get animal protein? They come from the meat, eggs and milk of poultry, livestock and fish.
carbohydrate
Cats in the wild hunt small animals as their main food, so most of their nutritional sources are protein and fat, with carbohydrates accounting for a small proportion. Cats’ intestines and stomach are not very good at digesting and absorbing carbohydrates, so they should be consumed in moderation. Some friends think that cats can just eat meat if they are carnivorous. In fact, this is one-sided. Even good cat food contains carbohydrates such as starch and sugar. This means that cats still need carbohydrates. It is added to cat food and generally does not require special feeding. The cat will also eat the rice mixed with meat that my family makes for the dog, but it only eats it fresh and won’t eat too much. Generally, it is mainly cat food.
Fat
Fat is an important source of energy for cats, and their demand is much greater than that of humans, so it is very important to cats.
Most of the fat in cats can be synthesized by themselves from other substances (mainly sugar), but three special unsaturated fatty acids, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, and arachidic acid, which cannot be synthesized by themselves, can only be obtained from food. In lard and chicken visceral fat.
When buying cat food, you can carefully read the ingredient list. If fat accounts for 15% to 40% of the dry matter of the feed, it is more appropriate. If it is lower than this value, you can add additional meat supplements.
In addition, cats also need vitamin B complex, vitamin A, and vitamin D. These can be obtained from meat, fish and shrimp, animal liver, milk and dairy products (unskimmed milk), and eggs. Minerals only account for 4% of a cat’s total body weight, but they are important elements for sustaining life and maintaining health. The ideal calcium to phosphorus ratio is 1:1. Excessive or insufficient intake may cause developmental disorders in cats, such as nervous system or blood abnormalities. Minerals are added to cat food, so no special supplements are needed.
Knowing this, whether you are making your own cat food or buying ready-made cat food, you should probably have an idea of what your cat needs. Although in principle, it is better for cats to eat cat food, but eating the same food for a long time will get boring, and the same goes for cats. So occasionally you can still make some complementary food for cats to improve it.
Original article author：Shit Shovel Officer，If reprinted, please indicate the source.：https://www.petcatanddog.com/article/10218.html