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Cat Diet

Best Cat Diet

 Submitted by Michael Adams on April 21, 2010


There is a variety of foods that you can feed your cats. This includes dry food, canned food, raw food or a combination of all. Different cats have different food preferences.


Some will like fish, while others will prefer chicken. Similarly, some will like canned food, while others will prefer dry. Some may like to have a combination of all types of food.




Choosing the best diet for cats can be a bit of a challenge, as you will need to ensure that they get all their required nutrients like vitamins, minerals, calories, fiber, protein and fat. When selecting food options for your cat, you will also need to consider other factors, like your cat’s -
  • Age: Cats have different nutritional requirements, depending on which stage of life they are in. For example, kittens will require a different diet, as compared to adults or old cats.
  • Body condition: Cats could be overweight, underweight or normal and therefore all of them have different nutritional needs, based on their weight.
  • Health history: In order to choose the diet that is the most appropriate for your cat, you will need to keep in mind - allergies, digestive problems or any other medical conditions.
Given below are a few guidelines that could help you in selecting the right food and diet for your cats:
  • When you shop for canned food for your feline pet, you should always check the ingredients before you make your choice.
  • Good cat food should include either poultry (chicken & turkey) or rabbit meat. The labels should mention that “muscle-meat” has been used, instead of liver or “meat by-products”. Vegetables and grains have no useful effect on a cat’s diet. Avoid cat-food that contains rice, maize or corn.
  • Canned food normally contains moisture or water content. If the moisture is too high, the cat stays well hydrated, but gets less nourishment.
  • Cats also enjoy a variety of fresh raw meats like chicken, turkey or beef. However, foods and meats with preservatives should be avoided.
  • The most nutritional diet for a cat includes “whole prey”, which consists of mice, birds and insects. Because it includes a natural diet, that a cat would normally follow if it were not domesticated, it is probably the best diet for cats. Occasionally, cat owners can buy live mice or frozen mice, to be fed to their cats. Unfortunately this may not be possible for all cat owners.
 
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