What your cat needs to stay healthy and happy

Feeding cats properly

Choosing the right cat food is crucial for the health and well-being of your feline friend. The right food depends on a number of factors such as age, stage of life, daily amount of exercise or individual needs (allergies, intolerances, illnesses, etc.).

What does a cat need to eat?

If you look at the eating behaviour of felines in the wild, one thing quickly becomes clear: Cats are carnivores. Their entire organism is geared towards hunting, eating and metabolising prey.

In contrast to omnivorous dogs (omnivores), cats are pure carnivores (obligate carnivores). So one thing is clear: correct and species-appropriate cat nutrition must contain meat. Feeding a cat a vegetarian or vegan diet is fatal, as it does not fulfil the cat's natural needs at all.

Natural feeding behaviour

To better understand the feeding behaviour of our felines, let's take a look at their natural habitat. In the wild cats hunt and eat small prey such as mice, birds or insects. The prey contains almost all the nutrients that velvet paws need.

they eat 10 to 20 mice a day in the wild. As a result, cats eat smaller portions several times a day. They also take in the majority of their fluid requirements through their food . This explains why cats often drink very little.

Species-appropriate cat food

The digestive system of velvet paws has specialised in protein and fat-rich but easily digestible food. Meat contains the essential nutrients for cats: proteins, taurine and amino acids. Proteins and fats are the most important energy suppliers. Carbohydrates play a subordinate role in a cat's diet.

Recognising high-quality and good cat food

There are a few parameters that make it relatively easy to recognise high-quality cat food :

high proportion of animal protein
lots of unsaturated fatty acids
a balanced combination of vitamins, minerals and trace elements
a species-appropriate proportion of taurine
sugar-free
a low proportion of digested carbohydrates

Speciality in cat nutrition

In the course of evolution, cats have lost the ability to form amino acids (components of protein) . They must therefore obtain these from their food. Meat contains the amino acids arginine, methionine and cysteine, which are essential for cats.

The breakdown product of the amino acids methionine and cysteine is taurine, which is essential for cats. They can only produce small amounts of this themselves. Mice have the highest taurine content of all cat prey.

Cats also need the vitamins niacin, vitamin D and vitamin A in their food ration. This is also unusual, as many other creatures (e.g. dogs) can produce these vitamins themselves.

Why is taurine so important in cat food?

Taurine is a so-called aminosulfonic acid (a degradation product of amino acids). Put very simply it is a component of animal protein. It is contained in muscle meat, heart and liver, among other things.
Cats need taurine for their metabolism, the entire nervous system, digestion and for fertility in female animals. The heart and eyes in particular need sufficient taurine. >A deficiency can sometimes lead to serious damage. Cardiac insufficiency, blindness, loss of hearing, infertility and immunodeficiency are possible consequences.

What nutrients do cats need?

The most important nutrients that a cat needs to consume in its food include:

Proteins
Fats
Amino acids
Taurine
Vitamins A, B, C, D, E and K

Minerals
- Calcium
- Phosphorus
- Magnesium
- Sodium
- Potassium

Trace elements
- Iron
- Manganese
- Zinc
- Copper
- Selenium

Carbohydrates

Is a pure meat or fish diet sensible for cats?

The clear answer is no. Even though cats are carnivores, feeding them only pure (muscle) meat is unhealthy. Meat does not contain all the nutrients that our furry friends need for a healthy metabolism . Among other things, it lacks certain vitamins, minerals, calcium and fibre. These components are mainly found in fresh blood, in the bones or in the stomach of prey animals. The essential taurine, , is also not sufficiently present in pure fresh meat.

To be on the safe side when feeding cats, always make sure to choose cat food labelled "complete food" ( ). High-quality food contains all the nutrients that are important for velvet paws in the correct dosage.

QUICK TIPS FOR FEEDING CATS

Rest

Quiet while eating: Cats like to be undisturbed when eating . If there are several cats, each cat needs its own food bowl - preferably separated from each other.

Fresh water

Fluid intake is immensely important, especially when feeding dry food. Drinking fountains can arouse interest here.

Wet food

Bring food stored in the refrigerator to room temperature to avoid stomach problems .

How many times a day do you need to feed a cat?

In the wild, cats catch their prey throughout the day. This is what their digestive system is designed for today. It therefore makes sense to feed your cat several times throughout the day in smaller portions. If this is not possible, it should be fed at least twice a day.

With dry food and cats that can organise their daily ration themselves and do not eat everything at once, ad libitium feeding is possible, i.e. the cat can organise its own feeding times throughout the day . Another option for controlled feeding is an automatic feeder

How much food can a cat have per day?

The amount of food depends on many different factors, such as:

Age
Daily exercise
Weight
Stage of life

Our advice is therefore always: always follow the manufacturer's feeding recommendations!
And in this context it is also important to mention that the food must also be adapted to the living conditions ! Because with adult food for a kitten, the feeding recommendation makes no sense.

Dry food vs. wet food - which is better?

Both foods have their advantages and disadvantages. We have summarised them for you in a compact and clear way

Dry food pros and cons

Advantages	Disadvantages
Easy dosing	Increased water requirement
Longer shelf life	Acceptance by fussy cats
Tooth-cleaning effect
Cleanliness
No strong odour
Daily ration can be made available to the cat for free removal

Wet food pros and cons

Advantages	Disadvantages
Is eaten with pleasure: intense flavour, smell, consistency	Shelf life of opened packaging units in the refrigerator maximum 2 days
Water content is higher	Smells more intense than dry food
High acceptance even with fussy cats	Feed small rations several times a day

Mixing dry and wet food for your cat?

Since both types of food have their advantages, doesn't it seem like a sensible solution? In principle, there is nothing to be said against feeding dry and wet food. However, there are a few things to bear in mind:

Amount of food: The different energy values must be taken into account when calculating the ration. Especially for cats that tend to be overweight.
Digestion time: The two types of food have different digestion times.

Our tip: Feedwet and dry food at intervals and divide them into several meals.
For example, offer wet food in the morning and in the evening. The calculated! remaining amount of dry food can be given to the cat as a self-service snack in the meantime.