When it comes to the health of cats, you have to pay close attention to what type of food and liquid your cat is intaking. Unlike humans, cats are pure carnivores and require foods rich in protein and healthy fats to maintain a healthy fur coat.
Besides that, cats also have an extremely sensitive digestive tract; hence, it is crucial that you feed your cat with foods from which it can accept and benefit.
We, as humans, have different chemicals/enzymes that help us digest various forms of food, but cats do not, as their stomach and intestines are pretty sensitive and can easily be disturbed if the wrong diet is given. If you are interested to know more about what cats eat, then continue reading this article.
Importance of Cat Diet
If you have a cat or cats, one important thing that you have to be aware of is their diet and how it impacts their growth and health. You might be wondering what do cats eat? Well, cats actually require a well-balanced mixture of protein, fat, and vitamins.
When it comes to protein sources, cats eat meat such as fish, chicken, duck, and beef, which are essential in adequately growing and maintaining their skin, nails, fur, tendons, muscles, ligaments, and much more.
Since cats eat in a limited amount, you have to ensure that your cats eat or consume vitamins such as A, K, E, D, as well as B and C for proper absorption of water.
Preference of Cats
Cats are pure carnivores, meaning that when it comes to what they can eat, they require a diet full of proper and balanced nutrients and minerals. However, just like humans, cats also have different preferences, which depend upon factors such as the environment they grew up in, their health conditions, and overall personality.
Some cats that are grown up in an environment where they eat wet canned cat food will not find it suitable if you try to change their diet. The same goes for another cat who eats different food flavors with various nutrients.
Is Feeding Bones Good for Cats’ Health?
By far, one of the most intriguing questions of all is whether cats can eat bones and hard non-chewable food. To put your question to answer, cats cannot and should not eat bones and other forms of “food,” which are extremely difficult to bite into and digest. Since cats have a sensitive digestive tract system, these forms of diet will cause more damage than good to your cat’s growth and health.
Besides that, when cats eat bones or leftover consumable food, it can cause their teeth to weaken or fall out and put them at risk of gaining infection due to the bacteria present in them.
What Do Cats Eat Besides Cat Food?
If you have a cat and you are wondering what cats eat besides their everyday cat foods, then you should first understand that you should stick with the regular cat foods that they have been accustomed to.
However, if your cat becomes curious or if you feel like changing their taste buds a bit, you could give them a little taste of milk, cooked eggs, or even specific light foods such as blueberries and melon.
Although these foods are to be consumed by humans, cats can still eat them in small quantities as a part of their diet, not because they taste sweet but because cats eat and enjoy bitter flavors.
Cat Treats and Their Importance
Besides ensuring that that eats proper protein, fats such as omega 3 and omega 6, as well as multiple vitamins, it is advisable that you also have a backup of various cat treats that your cat enjoys. It should be noted, though, that cat treats do not have the same nutritional values as other cat foods. Still, it is fine to feed them as it could promote calmness and help maintain good behavior.
You could easily buy different kinds of treats so that your cat eats and feels satisfied; amongst them are the most common, which are Greenies cat treats, Temptations classic crunchy and soft cat treats, Sheba meaty tender sticks, Vetri-ScienceBite sized cat chews.
Greenies Feline SMARTBITES Packs
Greenies SMARTBITES uses quality natural ingredients with added vitamins, minerals, and essential nutrients that are safe and necessary for your cat’s growth and health.
They are available in different flavors, each with its own specific features, with definitely no artificial flavors, preservatives, or fillers.
- Skin & Fur Salmon with fish oil and ground flaxseed will help nourish your cat’s skin and coat.
- Dental Tuna aims at clean teeth and fresh breath.
- Hairball Chicken with Greenies FIBERBLEND formula is intended to minimize hairball and supports a healthy cat digestion system.
Temptations Cat Classic and MixUps Variety Packs
This MixUps pack from Temptations has four flavors: Tasty Chicken, Seafood Medley, Tempting Tuna, and Creamy Dairy – all come in convenient resealable pouch.
You can reward your cat every day without worry since each treat is under 2 calories. Temptations cat treats are rich in vitamins and minerals, with no artificial flavorings. Wait no more, your adult cat can’t wait to get their paws on these scrumptious cat treats!
Sheba-MeatyTender Sticks Veritable 9 Packs
These irresistible cat snacks from Sheba are available in 3 flavors: Chicken, Salmon, and Tuna. Each contains 5 sticks of cat treats made with real meat for the delicate taste your cat will definitely love.
Every Sheba Meaty Tender Sticks use no artificial colors or flavors. Don’t worry, each of them has no corn, no wheat, and no soy at all.
VetriScience Probiotic Everyday for Cats
This everyday cat treats by VetriScience is packed with prebiotics and probiotics to support normal GI tract function and digestion. It will help relieve stress due to digestive upset.
Very useful when you are traveling or when your cat is on antibiotics or having situational digestive upset due to food sensitivities. Manufactured in the U.S.A. with high-quality ingredients and delicious duck flavored soft chew, it is definitely worth trying!
What To Do if My Cat Is a Picky Eater?
As mentioned before, cats also possess different personalities that overall reflect their ability to grow, maintain cleanliness, and affect their critical thinking. If you are someone who has a cat that just won’t eat the cat food that you buy from them, then the best thing to do is to take them to your local vet, who will properly examine to see what nutrients your cat lacks.
Most of the time, cats neglect food as they are not given nutrient-filled foods that their body craves, such as vitamins, minerals, and certain healthy fats. You could try experimenting with different nutrient-filled foods and see if your cat eats them or not.
Foods That Cats Should Avoid
Besides maintaining a good diet, it is equally crucial that you feed your cat in proper moderation and avoid foods that can cause more damage to your cat’s health than good. The most common food to be avoided from cats is chocolate, as it contains chemicals that are lethal to your cat.
Dog foods, alcohol, leftover daily products, and uncooked dough are other food types to keep away from cats. You should keep in mind that the more you expand the various food choices to your cat, the more likely it is that your cats eat, putting them in a potential danger circle.
Conclusion
So hopefully, by now, you have an idea about the kinds of food you can buy and provide to your cat. Most of the time, cats eat food presented in front of them as they do not know what is good or bad for them. Hence you should pay close attention to ensure your cat is safe and healthy.
