Proper Nutrition is Essential for your cat's health

"Ok I'm here, where's the food?"

Cats are true carnivores. Their natural food is small rodents. Cats require high levels of animal protein and some animal fats in their diet, unlike dogs they cannot survive on substitutes of vegetable origin such as soy bean meal.

Cats do not consume much of the intestinal and stomach contents of their prey, nor in their natural state do they eat other vegetables or cereals to supplement their diet.  Because there are certain elements cats must have that can only be supplied from animal flesh it is not possible to raise a cat as a vegetarian. 

The cat eats only until its energy requirements have been meet, this is on average 250 to 280 Kcal a day for an adult cat.  If the diet is well structured, or what nutritionists term balanced then by the time the cat has consumed his 250 Kcal he will also have consumed his daily requirements of protein, vitamins, minerals and fats.  Unfortunately many diets are not well balanced, if fed an unbalanced diet the cat may consume his required energy needs and therefore stop eating before he has met his protein and other requirements. 

Diets excessively rich in fats and carbohydrates can therefore lead to protein deficiencies. When choosing brands of food for your cat you might bear in mind the fact that fats and carbohydrates are cheaper than animal protein.  Some manufactured cat foods contain a relatively high percentage of these fats and carbohydrates, so although they may be cheap they are not necessarily good value . Other foods may claim high protein content, but this protein content may only limited use to the cat because cats cannot adequately digest protein of low biological quality much of it passes undigested through the gut and is wasted. 

What I choose to feed my cats

A good complete dry food such as IAMS, Royal Canin or Eagle Pack Dry Food. I always  have this available in the enclosures as cats have several meals through out the day. Cats have an extraordinarily high requirement for protein, its diet must contain 34% - 40% protein.

My Recipe

This is daily and this amount is then divided up and fed to 15 cats.

This amount changes when I have kittens as I use a lot more.

5Kg Beef mince

half kg chicken mince (bone included)

690g tin Whiskies turkey chicken or another flavour

3 table spoons Vets all natural omega blend oil

A Vitamin and mineral supplement

1 cup Vets all natural complete mix

I also add once a week

liver, heart and kidney to the mix

I give my cats chicken necks and wings  which are great for teeth and gums.  I also give my cats heart as it contains Taurine which is a must for a cats eye sight.

Vitamin and Minerals

Cats can synthesize most of there own vitamins, with the exception of vitamin A and Niacin, Both of which must be supplied in their diet.  There are many minerals that must be supplied in the cats diet.  I feed a lot of meat to my cats and will use a vitamin and mineral supplement.  

Products I use and recommend

The Missing Link

Petvite vitamin and mineral powder

Rudducks vitamin and mineral

Calcium Sandoz Syrup

When I have kittens I also add to there pet milk or food Troy calcium syrup or a calcium powder as British are a heavily boned cat and they need a little extra calcium 

Extras

• Pet milk

• Egg Yolk

• Cheese

All my cats are big, healthy and thriving on this way of feeding.