The Balanced Diet I.

We've established that feeding your cat with a routine instead of whenever it demands is a responsible way to take care of your cat's nutritional needs and for the most part, the modern supermarket will have almost everything you need to fulfil your carers responsibility. However, it's also imperative to understand the micro content of the diet you are feeding to your cat, particularly if it is displaying malnutrition or some other nutrition based health disorders.

Within its diet, a cat requires a balance of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and of course water. If you give your pet meals at regular times as well as offer a variety of fresh and commercial cat foods following the right guidelines, then there is no need for you to supplement their diet with things like vitamin pills.

Proteins for strength

Proteins are made up of amino acids which are the building blocks of the body. They are not just used for growth and repair (although their importance for these processes must not be diminished), they can also be metabolised to provide energy. The amount of protein in a cat's diet will depend on it's age, they need less protein-rich diets the older they become. This is because as they age, they become less active. In addition, their livers and kidneys also have reduced efficiency and are less able to flush out the by-product toxins produced by their body's when they break down the proteins.

A kitten is growing and building it's muscle mass and there for needs about 50 percent of protein in it's diet. This is compared to around 30 percent for a young adult. Interestingly, these levels of protein are about 20 percent more than a dog of comparable age.

A cat's digestive system processes proteins so efficiently that only about 5 percent of it is lost through waste products. Regular ingestion of protein is essential for the cat which otherwise would begin to lose weight. In the wild, cats acquire the essential amino acids through a variety of animals they hunt and eat. Protein rich foods are meat, fish, eggs, milk and cheese.