Diet and Nutrition What’s for Dinner?  Whatever brand you choose just make sure it is deemed 100% complete by the Association of American Feed Control and is the formula is appropriate for their age. Read the labels and choose the best brand your budget will allow.  Adult cat food should offer 28-32% protein and 10-12% fat. Some cats protein requirements may be higher or lower, so if you have a special needs pet check with your vet. The first ingredients should be meat.  Cats are carnivores.* If the first three or four ingredients are carbohydrates (wheat, corn ,soybean) than choose something else. Both dogs and cats evolved as *carnivores, but  cats require certain nutrients that are available only from animal sources. The feline intestine is adapted for a high fat, high protein diet. Unlike dogs, cats are unable to synthesize certain essential nutrients from other foods must have nutrients to be pre-formed in their diet.

Feed Schedule: Kittens age 6-12 weeks 4 X per day Kittens age 12-24 weeks 3 X per day Kittens age 6 mos. - 1 yr 2 X per day Adult Cats 1 - 6 yrs 1 or 2 X per day Senior Cats 7 + years 2 or 3 X per day Fresh water should be made available at all times.

Protein: Cats have the highest requirement for protein of all domesticated species.
Taurine: Cats require taurine because they cannot convert other amino acids into taurine. Taurine is important to prevent visual, cardiac and reproductive problems and is found only in meat and fish.
Fats: Cats also require both linoleic and arachidonic acids to prevent skin and coat problems and poor reproduction. Arachidonic acid is found only in animal sources of fat.
Vitamins: Pre-formed vitamin A must also be present in the cat's diet. Dogs can break b-carotene into two molecules of vitamin A; cats cannot. Pre-formed vitamin A is also found only in animal tissues.

Kittens require higher levels of calories, vitamins and minerals like calcium, phosphorus and protein than older cats. Look for packages labeled "Kitten" or "Growth" formulas. Most Supermarket foods like 9 Lives, Friskies and Whiskas are designed for adult cats (unless specifically labeled otherwise).  Adolescent and Adult cats require much lower amounts of key nutrients than kittens, so keeping them on kitten food could lead to health problems later in life. 

Once your cat is about 7 years old, the digestive system begins to show signs of aging. The kidneys begin to loose their ability to handle waste materials excreted in the urine and foods become difficult to digest. Senior foods are formulated to accommodate these changes. Your senior cat’s sense of smell may be diminishing or diminished. This can be serious for for cats, as many of them rely on the aroma of the food to stimulate their appetite. There have been cases of geriatric cats who have refused to eat once their sense of smell was gone. A more aromatic food can help, or you might try microwaving the food for a minute to stimulate the appetite.

BACK TO CATS