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Choosing the Right Food For Your Cat
Nutrition
Your cat requires a high fat and high protein diet which can be difficult to prepare yourself so we’ve helped you by providing some tips below. Cats often become fussy eaters, which leads to diet deficiency diseases so it is important to read this information.
Your cat’s basic nutritional needs are as follows:
- Protein from fish, meat or poultry
- Water
- Taurine – an essential amino acid
- Certain other vitamins, minerals, enzymes and fatty acids
- Carbohydrates
Food for cats is available in dry, semi-moist or canned forms. At PetO we realise how confusing it can be to choose the best cat food for your cat’s needs so we have made it easy and laid out the foods in clearly labelled sections. All cat foods are found in its life stage or special need so if you have a kitten, every type of food is in one section, same with adults, overweight cats, senior cats and so on.
For detailed advice for your cat, we recommend you ask our nutrition experts what is the best food and diet for your kitty.
Cats are known as obligate carnivores and they require real animal flesh to survive. At PetO we cater to every cat’s need and recommend raw meat in your cat’s daily diet, Paringa Cats Delight is a winner. If raw meat isn’t quite your thing, we also stock the Barf diet which is a raw snap frozen patty available in kangaroo and turkey flavours.
Tips for feeding your cat:
- Choose a varied complete diet. A mixture of raw meat or premium wet food and dry food is a good idea and so the cat can use its jaws and teeth on the dry food.
- feed an adult cat once or twice a day at around the same time each day and avoid giving snacks between meals. If your cat doesn’t eat the food within a short time, remove the food and replace with fresh food at the next meal
- Most cats however like to graze on their food and come back to it through out the day. Dry food is good for this as it doesn’t go stale so easily
- Kitten and food for older cats is readily available with specific nutrients for young and elderly cats, as well as food for cats with special needs
- Serve the food in the same place
- See that feed bowls are scrupulously clean and don’t leave excess in the bowl
- Don’t feed liver as a major dietary component as it may cause skeletal problems
- Don’t feed raw meat as your cat’s only diet as this can also cause skeletal problems
- Don’t feed dog food to a cat
- Cats with freedom to roam will need more to eat than an indoor cat – see manufacturers’ recommendations on the packaging for details
- Make sure the food is served at room temperature, not cold from the fridge nor heated in the microwave
- Occasional treats can be given to your cat and given in ones and twos – not a bowl full as a main meal
The majority of canned cat food is specially prepared with added vitamins and minerals. If you feed your cat dried foods, make sure the cat has access to drinking water at all times, without which the cat may develop a urinary tract problem. A ceramic water bowl is helpful for keeping water cool in summer.
Milk should be avoided as milk lactose is indigestible to most cats and may lead to diarrhoea, there are specially formulated cat milks available in store. Ensure you always provide plenty of clean water. |
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