Updated: 13/11/2020

What Do Cats Eat

Cats, like most dogs, enjoy a variety of different foods. Ideally, cats should be given a balanced nutritious diet containing fats, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, fibres, and minerals in the correct amounts. It is up to us to ensure that our pets remain healthy and get nourishing food to eat. Most people are worried about the types of foods cats eat. The best way to keep your cat healthy is to maintain a strict yet balanced diet for your cat. Avoid human junk food, sodas, and health drinks. 

Cats are carnivorous by nature. However, just because they are carnivorous, does not mean you must only feed them meat. A healthy balance between meat and veg is an ideal diet for proper growth, shiny fur, strong bones, and teeth. Since they are carnivores, their dietary requirements differ and are special and unique. It is up to pet owners to ensure that the cats also get a healthy dose of vitamins, minerals, and carbs. 

Let us look at identifying foods that cats eat. 

Wet Foods: Cats enjoy wet foods the most. Most cats hate excessive chewing and like to gulp down foods as quickly as possible. Wet cat foods smell delicious and taste yummy. Wet foods have floating chunks of meat in them that can fill any protein requirements your cat may have. Most wet foods are in the form of chicken, liver, fish (salmon, trout, mackerel, tuna, herring, whitefish), chicken, pheasant, turkey, and beef. Since cats are carnivorous, it is essential to keep them on a meat-based diet. Keeping your cat on an all-vegetarian diet will have adverse effects on his/her health. 

Dry Foods: Cats enjoy crunchy dry foods. Dry foods contain some form of vegetables like grains and other carbohydrates to help maintain a healthy and balanced diet. Basically, since dry food is high in carbohydrates, it must be supplemented with meat or wet foods. Excessive carbohydrates in cat foods may lead to pancreatitis, obesity, and diabetes. 

Since dry foods are easy to source, purchasing an automatic cat feeder is an excellent idea. Most dry foods can be safely added to the feeder for dispersal at a pre-set time. These automatic cat feeders disperse the exact amount of food that you have pre-programmed at the correct time intervals. Most working professionals who need to stay away from home during the day prefer using automatic feeders to help regulate the diets of their felines.

What do Cats Like to Eat?

Cats enjoy foods that have smell, texture, and taste. Each cat is different and has different tastes that are unique to size, breed, season, and geography. However, almost all cats enjoy meat in their diet. Most cats find fish and liver-based foods highly palatable, while some prefer white meat-based foods. However, when introducing new foods to your cat, ensure that you include the three basics of texture, taste, and smell. 

Most cats hate trying new foods and require patience and time. Avoid forcing your cat to swallow the food, and instead, mix a little of their favourite wet food with a bit of dry food to make the food taste delicious. Experimenting with different textures and smells is possible if the cat is introduced to various flavour profiles as a kitten. Mature cats tend to reject sudden dietary changes and prefer to stick to their known palates in meats.

What Else to Consider? 

• Dental Hygiene: Cat dental health is necessary, and most cats hate going to the vet to get their teeth cleaned. Instead, add a little of your cat’s favourite wet food on the cat toothbrush and manually brush their teeth to remove plaque, tartar, and bad breath.

• Store-bought Cat Foods: The easiest thing to do is pick up store-bought cat foods. However, before blindly picking up a packet of cat foods, read the label to see the percentages of fats, carbs, and proteins. Ensure that the cat foods you are purchasing are sourced correctly and contain the minimal dietary requirements you have for your pet. Fat sources should ideally come from proteins. However, some fat sources are known to come from vegetable matter. While most cats can consume these, it is best to avoid vegetable proteins if your cat has an allergy to certain veg foods or grains. Checking the labels also helps to identify the ingredients like vitamins A and B that are necessary for the development of your pet. Meats like liver have vitamin A, which may not be added on the cat food label.