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Methods of feeding cats and the most important types of nutrition

Cats are omnivores - meaning they are true carnivores and depend on the nutrients in the animal's flesh to meet their nutritional needs. Even domesticated cats will enjoy freshly killed meat from rodents, rabbits, amphibians, birds, reptiles, and fish, but cats are also opportunistic feeders and will eat cooked food as well as dry cat food when offered if that food is palatable. Therefore, the natural diet of cats does not include any vegetable matter, although cats have been known to feast on certain plants and herbs occasionally, usually by vomiting.

Cats cannot synthesize some of the essential nutrients needed for survival, including the amino acids taurine and arginine, so these nutrients must be obtained from fresh meat in the normal diet. Cats lack the specific physiology to efficiently extract nutrients from plant matter and require a high-protein diet, which is why high-energy meat from freshly killed prey is the ideal food.

In the United States, cat foods labeled "complete and balanced" must meet standards set by the Federation of American Feed Control Officials by either meeting a nutrient profile or by passing a feeding trial. Cat Food Nutrient Profiles were created in 1992 and updated in 2014 by the Afco Cat Nutrition Experts Subcommittee.

dry food

Most store-bought cat food comes in either a dry form, also known in the US as kibble, or a wet form. Some manufacturers sell raw frozen diets and ready-mix 

products to cater to their raw-feeding owners.

dry food

Dry food is generally made by extrusion cooking under high heat and pressure. Almost 95% of dry pet food is extruded. During the extrusion cooking process, the meat is first ground and then cooked under very high heat and processed until it becomes a powder. The powder is fed into a huge mixer. Once placed in this massive blender, additional supplements are added; It is then cooked again at very high heat to turn it into a paste. The dough is shaped so that it can be shaped into kibble. The kibble is again placed at a high temperature to be baked to maintain this shape. Once the piece comes out, it doesn't smell like meat. Fat can be sprinkled on food after the extrusion cooking process to increase the taste, and other minor ingredients can be added, such as heat-sensitive vitamins, which will be destroyed in the extrusion process. Dry food is often packaged in multiwall paper bags, sometimes with a layer of plastic; Similar bag styles are also used with film or co-extrusion foils.

Dry foods contain high amounts of carbohydrates to maintain their shape and structure. Concerns have been raised that there is some association between carbohydrate content and the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes in cats. It has been shown that the lifespan of cats suffering from chronic kidney disease can be extended by up to two years when receiving medicated diets instead of regular maintenance diets. Although a healthy cat's diet should be high in protein, sometimes it is medically necessary for a cat to eat a low-protein diet. For cats with chronic kidney disease, low-protein diets reduce the amount of nitrogenous waste in the body, which helps reduce stress on the kidneys. Cats with this condition should be fed a diet containing high-quality protein sources that contain adequate amounts of the amino acids taurine and arginine.

Low-protein diets have been linked to health defects such as stunted growth, decreased food intake, muscle atrophy, hypoalbuminemia, skin changes, and more. Cats on a low-protein diet are more likely to lose weight and lose lean body mass. With reduced glucose tolerance, clinical observations have confirmed that cats that consume large proportions of metabolizable energy, in the form of carbohydrates rather than protein, are more likely to develop hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, and obesity.

The benefits of fiber in feeding cats

soluble and fermentable fiber source also helps increase digestive movement through the intestines and reduce stomach emptying. This helps increase satiety in cats. Besides energy input and output, specific nutrients can be important in weight control diets. Fiber is an important component that helps control weight along with

many other benefits

The benefits of fats in feeding  cats

high-energy, high-fat diet, in general, also helps. Compared to carbohydrates and protein, fat provides significantly more energy at 8.5 kcal/g. High-energy diets generally contain more than 20% fat on a dry matter basis. A high-energy diet is appropriate for cats that are growing, recovering from illness, or are pregnant or nursing, as their energy needs are higher than others. A nursing or pregnant cat requires a dense, easily digestible diet to handle the high levels of stress on her body. These conditions are found in cat food designed for growth, performance, or high energy through all stages of life. Studies linking the number of meals given to cats per day to their daily activity levels have had conflicting results. It has been shown that cats who are given four meals a day or an arbitrary number of meals a day have similar, greater energy levels than those fed only one meal a day. It has been hypothesized that this increased level of energy could be due to an alleged spike in activity before being fed, known as food anticipatory activity. Age, sex, and whether the cats are healthy or spayed/neutered are all factors that control activity levels.

Vegetarian food

Vegan or vegan cat food has been available for many years and is primarily aimed at vegetarian and vegan pet owners. While a small percentage of owners choose such a diet based on its perceived health benefits, the majority do so due to ethical concerns. Despite this, many vegans who feed their cats a vegan diet believe that a vegan diet is healthier than a traditional diet. There is no definitive evidence of the adequacy of a vegetarian diet. Cats need the nutrients found in meat sources as obligate carnivores. Plant sources do not contain enough of these. Vegan pet food companies attempt to correct these deficiencies by adding synthetically manufactured nutrients

local food

Many pet owners feed their cats homemade diets. These diets generally consist of some form of cooked or raw meat, bones, vegetables, and nutritional supplements, such as taurine and multivitamins. Homemade diets either follow a recipe, such as the BARF diet which provides a series of choices for the pet owner to make, or rely on the constant rotation of ingredients to meet nutrient requirements.

In the end, we can say that cat food is food that cats consume. Cats have specific requirements for their nutrients, including vitamins, acids, carbohydrates, and fats for proper nutrition.