What a cat eats and how much
The cat is an obligate carnivore: it needs animal protein and nutrients it cannot make itself. A good complete food, in the right amount, is half of its health.
An obligate carnivore
Unlike a dog, a cat cannot live without animal protein. It needs taurine, whose lack causes blindness and heart problems, preformed vitamin A, arachidonic acid and a high level of protein, which its metabolism also burns for energy. That is why it cannot be fed dog food, a vegetarian or vegan diet, or a made-up home-cooked one. The simplest and safest choice is a food labelled complete for cats, dry, wet or both, suited to its age. If you want to cook for it, have the diet formulated by a veterinary nutritionist.
Dry, wet or both
Dry food is convenient and economical; wet food provides a lot of water, around three quarters of its weight, and that helps prevent urinary problems in an animal that drinks little. Many vets recommend combining the two, or feeding mainly wet food to cats prone to cystitis or stones. What matters is that both are complete and that you add up the calories from each: the classic mistake is the full ration of dry food plus two pouches. The label says whether a food is complete or complementary; complementary foods, like many tins of tuna or treats, do not work as a diet.
How much and how often
A neutered indoor adult cat of 4 kg (9 lb) needs about 200 to 250 kilocalories a day, which in dry food is roughly 50 to 60 g (around 2 oz), although it depends on the food and the cat. The table on the pack is a starting point; what counts is its shape and its weight. In the wild a cat eats small amounts many times a day, so splitting the ration into three, four or more meals, or into puzzle feeders, suits it better than a bowl left full all day. Weigh the ration on kitchen scales: measuring cups are misleading.
What it must not eat
Onion, garlic, leek and chives, raw, cooked or powdered, damage its red blood cells. Chocolate, coffee, alcohol and raw bread dough are toxic. Cow’s milk disagrees with most adult cats, which do not digest lactose well; no milk is needed at all after weaning. Cooked bones splinter, and tinned tuna as the main diet falls short on nutrients. And watch out for the string from joints of meat and sausages: if a cat swallows a piece of string, do not pull if it is showing at the mouth or bottom, and go to the vet.
If it stops eating
In a cat, not eating is more serious than in a dog. After two or three days without food, especially if overweight, it can develop hepatic lipidosis, a build-up of fat in the liver that needs hospital treatment. That is why a cat is never put on a diet by withholding food, and a cat that has not eaten anything for more than a day should see a vet. Food changes are always made gradually, mixing over a week or more: cats are very fussy about smell and texture, and a sudden change can make them refuse to eat.
A complete cat food, ideally partly wet, with the ration weighed and split into several meals. No onion, garlic, chocolate or milk. A cat that stops eating for more than a day needs a vet.
Educational content from Michipedia. It does not replace the advice of a vet or a feline behaviour specialist. Every cat is an individual.