Your cat is a playful, bouncing ball of energy and is constantly licking his plate of food clean, so he must be getting enough nutrients. necessarily. A cat fed a low-quality diet every day can develop health problems in the future, even if they look perfectly fine today.
As a certified cat-friendly practice, we understand the unique nutritional needs of cats, including the benefits of a high-protein diet. Your cat’s health check will recommend the right pet food for your cat’s age, activity level, and other considerations such as weight management.
In the meantime, here is a crash course in cat nutrition to help you choose the right food for your cat.
Understanding Your Cat’s Nutritional Needs
Cats are obligate carnivores and need meat to survive. A cat’s digestive system is not designed to digest plant matter, and there are essential nutrients (such as taurine) found only in animal foods.
Nutrients in a cat’s diet fall into six categories:
- Animal protein (provides 11 essential amino acids for cats)
- obesity
- Carbohydrates (less than 10% of your cat’s caloric intake)
- water/humidity
- vitamin
- mineral
Cats consume fats, proteins and carbohydrates when they need energy, but protein is the most important source of energy. So what’s the right amount of protein for your cat? About half of your cat’s calories should come from protein. However, not all high-protein diets are created equal.
cat digestible protein
Cats need a source of high quality, digestible protein for optimal health and wellness. I mean This is especially important for older cats who are losing muscle mass due to inadequate amounts of digestible protein.
Here are some guidelines for choosing a quality high-protein diet for your cat.
- If the price goes down, the quality goes down. (But watch out for manufacturers who put high price tags on low-quality food.)
- Foods containing one protein source (such as fish) again chicken) are easier for cats to digest than foods with multiple sources listed.
- “Meat by-products,” “meat flour,” and “filler ingredients” are low-quality sources of protein.
- Look for labels that list the whole food ingredient first, such as “shredded chicken,” “offal meat,” or “lamb.”
too many good things?
There is one major exception to the high-protein diet rule. Feeding a cat with renal failure a high-protein diet can lead to a rapid decline in kidney function in the cat. This is one reason why tracking a cat’s kidney function is an important component of cat health and preventive care.
As any cat owner knows, finding a food that meets your pet’s taste and nutritional needs can take some trial and error. we are here to help. You can book a nutrition consultation by phone.
Tags: digestible protein for cats, high protein diet renal failure in cats