As a pet parent, you want the best for your little friend that you see as an extension to yourself and your family. But taking care of the cat is a challenge on its own.
They are known to be fastidious and demanding about their food and their diet has to be well balanced and thought out.

But, by following the mentioned tips, you can start to make small changes to your cat’s daily routine that will make a big difference in improving their overall health.

Copycat-ing

Most importantly, overfeeding your cat is the most important thing to pay attention to. It can negatively affect a cat’s health in many ways, including increased risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis, and more.

A study carried out by the University of Bristol found that of 300 cat owners surveyed, more than 34% feed their cats whenever they desired or by free choice. All these are previously found to have been factors in increasing feline obesity.

So, rather than free-feeding your cat, feed them smaller, frequent portions throughout the day. Just think about it – cats are hunters and carnivores and in the wild, they are eating several times a day to stay healthy so it’s important to feed them small, frequent meals that resemble their natural habits.

Always look at the guaranteed analysis and nutrition values to decide what foods would be the best for your cat while high protein and low carbohydrate levels are always recommended.

(Over) Sensitive Beings

Apart from pickiness, many cats are proven to have sensitive stomachs that may, or not, be connected to producing hairballs, sterilization, and the ways of life and bad nutrition. While some cats just catch cold, other symptoms like vomiting, refusal to eat, and diarrhea are the most common signs when it is absolutely crucial to start giving them food for sensitive cats because these foods are easier to digest. By the rule, this type of cat food includes vital nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, fatty and amino acids, and taurine.

Although you’ll have to do some investigating work to find out exactly what could be upsetting your kitty’s stomach, whether allergies, kidney diseases, parasites, or just a sudden change in diet, be sure to have an excellent start with this kind of food.

Mind the Labels

We already know that every feline is more than unique and nutritional choices should be based on what is most appropriate for your cat to ingest based on breed, age, lifestyle, health situation.

Therefore, you should definitely start to read those labels on the food cans and bags – although food labeling requirements for cat foods vary significantly from labeling requirements for human food, making them difficult to interpret. The biggest misunderstanding is the number and quality of ingredients your pet is actually going to receive concerning that “as fed” and “dry matter” are decisively different amounts.

You want to see and have the quantities in “dry matter” because removing the water from the food can make a profound difference in the percentages of specific nutrients.

Walk Like a Cat on Eggs

As mentioned, cats evolved as carnivores that consume prey with high amounts of protein, moderate amounts of fat, and a minimal amount of carbohydrates, and their diet still requires these general proportions today.

Let’s see what else you should be paying attention to:

– Avoid beef, dairy products, grains, and food with lots of additives. These foods do not come as naturally to them and are known to cause digestive problems.

– When in doubt, select wet or canned food over dry. Canned food is always a much better choice because it gravitates to animal proteins, and is high in water – lower in carbs.

– Cats do not drink water as often, but they are complete perfectionists when it comes to drinking it. They prefer it fresh, runny, and away from their food. Staying hydrated is always extremely important in nutrition so don’t think twice about their terms.

– Homemade food certainly can be a positive undergo but many vets stress out that foods you buy are already formulated to transmit the nutrients essential for your kitty’s health, and if you insist on making it on your own, it would be the best to support it with vitamins or supplements for a correctly balanced diet.

Good nutrition is essential to maintaining cats’ longer, healthier lives. It acts like prevention and will save you money in the long run by avoiding complications from an illness caused by a diet that isn’t appropriate for them. It is always best to adjust the nutrient profile to the individual cat as much as possible to avoid both deficiencies and excesses of particular nutrients.