Is Your Cat Eating Right?

Giving the right food and nutrition that your cat needs will affect your cat’s behaviour, health, and appearance. If you have given him the right food, he will look at his best. However, if you will just give him ordinary food like the family’s leftover after each meals, this will not give you assurance that he will be healthy.

Cats are unique when it comes to nutrition. Thus, you have to feed your cat with a particular food that will meet his specific nutritional requirements. Your cat should have the following nutrients:

• Protein- this is the most important nutrients that your cat should have. Protein is the major source of energy that is being used by cats.
• Taurine- since cat cannot convert amino acid in to taurine, this should be supplemented through their food. It helps in preventing visual, cardiac, and reproductive problems.
• Fats- cats should have high fat and high protein diet because they need linoleic and arachidonic acid. This is used to prevent cat from having skin, coat, and poor reproduction problems.
• Vitamins- specifically, cats need to have pre-formed vitamin A nutrient. Cats cannot break b-carotene in two molecules of vitamin A.

It is necessary to check frequently if your cat is healthy. Most especially if you are changing his food, you can see to it that he is having a well-balanced cat food through these following signs:

1. Shiny hair- If you can see that your cat is having a smooth and shiny hair, this means that he receives the right fat nutrient which is responsible for beautiful coat.
2. Healthy teeth and gums- the gums should be moist and pink in color. The teeth should be strong and white. Bleeding gums and excess gum tissue should be absent.
3. Normal weight- your cat should not be overweight or malnourished. You have to assess your cat’s diet once you see that his belly is swaying while walking. You should feel his ribs but it should not fuse.
4. Proper Digestion- the waste product of your cat should be well-formed. Small pieces of waste products may indicate that your cat is dehydrated. But if the waste product is soft and watery, you should not think twice of bringing him to his veterinarian. He may be suffering from indigestion, food intolerance, or even cancer.
5. Healthy Heart- like in humans, cats should also have healthy heart. Cat foods that have inadequate taurine may lead to heart problems or heart failure. A good shape of the heart is the basis of a healthy heart.
6. Strong bones- your cat needs to have adequate calcium for strong bones and teeth. This will help him fulfil his daily activities well. An x-ray will be done if the veterinarian suspects that your cat has bone fracture.
7. Strong immune system- strong immune system will defend your cat from acquiring diseases. Some cat foods have vitamin E that is anti-oxidant.

If you have properly determined that the signs mentioned above are all present in your cat, he is living a healthy life and is enjoying the food which you have been offering to him.