“How to feed a domestic cat?” is a question that concerns many feline owners. Should you exclusively adopt a meat-based diet? Add vegetables to your cat’s bowl or turn to fruits and grains?
How many times a day should you feed your cat, and what are the exact portions? What foods should absolutely be avoided for cats?
Meal frequency, nutritional needs, ideal diet… Discover our veterinary advice for nutrition that promotes the well-being and health of your little furball.
What Do Cats Eat?
To know how to feed a domestic cat, it is essential to understand what cats eat in the wild.
Contrary to what one might think, cats are not omnivores like dogs but strict carnivores.
This means their diet is mainly composed of meat (small prey: rodents, birds…) and animal products, with very little or no plant-based foods.
To properly feed your cat, maintaining optimal body development and normal health, you should provide a sufficiently varied diet, but mostly filled with meat, fats, and fish.
However, rich in fiber and vitamins, some vegetables (e.g., carrots) can complement this carnivorous diet, as well as some grains (e.g., sweet potatoes), which are generous in carbohydrates but should be given sparingly to your cat.
The Nutritional Needs of Cats
It is impossible to know how to feed a cat without understanding its specific nutritional needs.
The nutritional needs of a cat vary from one individual to another based on its sex, age, metabolism, health status, reproductive status (neutered or not), and many other external factors such as its lifestyle. This is known as individual variability.
A five-month-old kitten will not need the same amount of nutrients as an adult cat, nor will a pregnant cat receive the same proportions as an elderly female suffering from arthritis or a mammary tumor.
It’s also different to feed a countryside cat, which has more opportunities for physical activity by running and climbing outside, compared to an indoor cat that spends most of its time lounging on a cushion.
The nutritional needs of a cat include:
- Proteins: between 40 and 80% of the total diet. Proteins are the most important nutrients for cats.
- Fats: around 15 to 20%.
- Lipids: Lipids improve the palatability of food and provide energy.
- Carbohydrates: The percentage of carbohydrates in a cat’s diet should be low, 3 to 8%, as their digestive system assimilates them less effectively than, for example, a dog’s.
- Vitamins: Cats need vitamins A, B, D, E, etc., which play important roles in various metabolic processes.
- Minerals: These include phosphorus and calcium, essential for bone and dental health. This list can be supplemented with magnesium and trace elements like iron, selenium, copper, and zinc. Minerals are provided by meat, vegetables, and fruits.
- Essential Amino Acids: These are mainly arginine and taurine, found in meat. They are necessary for urea synthesis, ammonia elimination, and help prevent heart disorders and retinal degeneration.
- Fatty Acids: Omega-3 and 6 are essential for the immune, cardiovascular, and nervous systems, as well as for the skin and coat of cats. Fatty acids are found in fish (e.g., salmon and its oil) and shellfish.
- Water: A good diet for cats is complemented by clean, fresh water that the animal should always have access to.
Do you want to know how to feed a cat?
Don’t hesitate to consult a veterinarian who can help you calculate your feline companion’s specific dietary needs.
By respecting the quantities they advise, you will avoid overfeeding your cat and help maintain a healthy body weight.
Note: Breeding cats require more caloric food than neutered adult cats because they expend more energy.
It is generally considered that an adult cat needs a daily intake of 40 to 50 grams of food per kilogram of body weight. For example, if a cat weighs 4 kg, it should receive between 200 and 250 grams of daily ration.
What is the Best Way to Feed a Cat?
The best way to feed a cat is to alternate the type of high-quality food placed in their bowl. This alternation is called binutrition or mixed feeding. It is based on wet food (cat pate), dry food (cat kibble), and sometimes homemade meals.
The best way to feed a cat also considers two essential elements: meal frequency and the appropriate times to invite your pet to eat.
These considerations are crucial as they help prevent eating disorders and feline aggression syndrome. They are part of the answer to the question: how to feed a cat?
How Many Times a Day Should You Feed a Cat?
There are no strict recommendations regarding meal frequency for cats. While some animal nutrition professionals recommend giving your feline several light meals throughout the day, others suggest that one meal in the morning and another in the evening is perfectly adequate.
A recent Canadian study even revealed that a single daily portion might suffice to meet our furry friends’ energy needs.
What we advise is to consider (1) your cat’s age and (2) its preferences.
- Cat’s age: Is your kitten less than seven months old? Give them several small meals per day (morning, noon, evening, and before bed). This supports their rapid growth and meets their increased needs without overloading their small stomach. However, if your cat is over six months old, reduce meal frequency to two, generally in the morning and evening. This aligns with their natural activity and rest cycle, stimulates activity, and maintains metabolism.
- Cat’s preferences: Some cats are “nibblers.” They prefer to eat light and slowly enjoy their daily ration. For these cats, it is wise to leave food available or divide it into at least three portions. Having multiple bowls—placed in different locations around the house—or an automatic pet feeder dispenser may be necessary to give the cat constant access to food while controlling the quantities consumed.
Feeding domestic cats isn’t overly complicated but requires a certain level of involvement and responsibility from cat owners who need to know how to feed a cat.
When to Feed a Cat?
As mentioned earlier, you can feed your cat in the morning around 8 a.m., at noon, in the afternoon around 5/6 p.m., and before bed around 10 p.m., depending on their age and preferences.
You can also leave their daily food quantity available, especially if they exhibit snacking behavior.
Note: Cats are routine animals. Any change in their daily routine often causes stress and anxiety.
Although it is only a suggestion, feeding a cat at fixed times has many advantages. It helps avoid food-related anxiety and stress. This feeding routine also promotes better digestion, as the cat’s stomach gets used to receiving food at specific times of the day.
However, if you have irregular schedules or spend long hours away from home, avoid establishing a feeding routine that you cannot maintain and prefer a free-access approach to food.
What is the Ideal Diet for a Domestic Cat?
As strict carnivores, domestic cats depend almost exclusively on meat for their nutrition. Their ideal diet is therefore meat-based.
Typically, this diet includes wet food, dry food, and sometimes homemade food.
It is common for cat owners to alternate between dry and wet foods, which is excellent as it promotes better nutritional balance.
From a renal and urinary health perspective, mixed feeding is also advantageous: it relieves kidney function in cats with kidney failure and supports cats with urinary conditions, such as urinary stones.
Don’t know what to feed your cat? Alternate these two types of food.
However, make sure to choose high-quality products specifically formulated for cats, ensuring meat is listed as the main ingredient.
To do this, read cat food labels carefully and avoid products with too many grains or too much salt.
Wet and dry food is available in the market tailored to different feline profiles, such as kitten food, food for obese cats, and food for senior cats.
Is it Good to Give Cats Pate?
Cat pate is a food rich in water.
Due to its moisture content, it is easy to chew and digest for our feline companions and ensures water intake, contributing to their hydration.
Moreover, this wet food is particularly appetizing, making it one of the best foods to stimulate the appetite of our little furballs.
Is it good to give cats pate? The answer is yes.
Pate is an excellent meal for kittens and adult cats. It helps limit weight gain.
However, note that cat pate often has a lower nutritional quality compared to kibble, which includes all the nutrients the animal needs and is more hygienically safe.
We recommend choosing high-quality pate, free of grains, with a low fat content and at least 10% protein content.
Tip: If your cat is constipated, give them pate. If they have chronic diarrhea, give them kibble.
What Foods Are Forbidden for Cats?
Some toxic or indigestible foods for cats should be avoided in their diet.
These include:
- Chocolate: Theobromine in chocolate is dangerous for cats. This alkaloid from cocoa can cause various symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, and even heart attack in extreme cases.
- Dried fruits: Dried fruits (e.g., raisins) are harmful to cats and can cause kidney problems.
- Onions, garlic, leeks: Common in human food, these aromatics are highly toxic for cats and can cause anemia by destroying red blood cells.
- Avocado: The avocado tree, including its bark, fruit, and leaves, is toxic to cats.
- Salt: Salty foods (e.g., charcuterie) should be avoided for cats. Excess salt can cause hypertension or water retention.
- Raw fish: Raw fish can be contaminated with bacteria and cause food poisoning in cats. It should be avoided.
- Alcohol: Alcohol is dangerous for cats, even in small amounts. It can cause symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, and in severe cases, coma.
By avoiding these foods, you ensure your cat’s safety and well-being.
In conclusion, knowing how to feed a cat involves understanding its carnivorous nature, meeting its specific nutritional needs, establishing a feeding routine, and choosing high-quality food. By following these guidelines, you can ensure your feline companion’s health and happiness.