Cats are pure carnivores (meat-eaters) and require a lot of meat and a lot of protein in their diet, usually around 30%. Cats tend not to eat fruit and vegetables as they do not have an adequate digestive system to cope with that kind of food, although they occassionally chew grass to help with digestion.
A good well-balanced diet is essential for your cats health. There is a wide range of cat foods available:
Canned Food:
Canned cat foods are the most popular and contain all the necessary nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Most canned food comes in a variety of flavours, including, chicken, rabbit lamb, turkey, liver, salmon, tuna, cod and game. Canned foods are available in both gravy and jelly varieties.
Foil pouches and alu-trays:
Single serve packaging such as 100 gram foil pouches and alu-trays have become popular with cat owners due to their convenience and cost.
Most cats will only eat 100 grams of food in one serving resulting in a lot of wastage when using the 400 gram canned food. Foil pouches come in many delicious flavours including duck, turkey, lamb, liver, chicken and rabbit.
Gravy and jelly varieties are also available in foil pouches.
Dried Food:
Dried cat food is becoming increasingly popular. It contains all the vitamin and minerals necessary for a complete balanced diet.
Water should always be available when feeding your cat dry food. Dry food can always be mixed with food in gravy for extra nutrients.
Treats:
Treats can provide an extra supplement to your cats diet and provide exercise for cats teeth and gums.
Fresh Food:
Fresh food can provide an extra source of nutrition.
Cooked meat such as beef, lamb, turkey or chicken should be cooled before serving.
Dry food helps to clean the teeth and if nutritionally complete can be the bulk of the cats diet and it is easily stored. Although it must be refrigerated once opened, most cats enjoy the variety. Cats prefer their food at room temperature.
Never feed your cat food that comes directly from the refrigerator.
It is a good idea to take food out of the fridge around half an hour before serving to enable it to climatize to room temperature.
Many cats cannot digest milk and develop diarrhoea when given cows milk.
This can be particularly serious for kittens who become quickly dehydrated when suffering from diarrhoea.
Cat milk is available in small plastic bottles. Always provide clean fresh water for your cat.
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