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A Healthful Diet for Cats
Dr. Sara Mousel Williams, DVM, and HPC member (reprinted from the February/March 2003 newsletter)Cat owners want what is best for their cats, including a healthful and balanced diet. With hundreds of commercial pet foods available as well as the option of homemade diets, choosing food for your cat can be confusing and frustrating. Making an informed decision with the help of your veterinarian is the best way to ensure the health and longevity of your furry companion. The following basic information is meant to educate cat owners on some common dietary issues.
Cats are strict carnivores. Cats are not able to synthesize adequate amounts of the amino acid taurine, which is only found in animal tissues. A taurine deficiency leads to serious diseases including acute blindness, immune system abnormalities and dilated cardiomyopathy (a serious heart condition that often leads to death). Signs of taurine deficiency may take months to years to develop and once clinical signs appear, significant damage has likely already occurred. Cats also require animal protein to meet their Vitamin A and methionine requirements.
A homemade diet is an option, but very difficult to formulate. Homemade diets often lack the necessary vitamins and minerals required to keep cats healthy. The lack of a commercially available supplement that can be added to a homemade diet to provide the right amount and the right combination of vitamins and minerals makes homemade diet formulation very challenging. Owners must carefully select and weigh ingredients, giving careful consideration to calcium levels, calcium-phosphorous ratios and fat and energy densities. An excess of some vitamins and minerals can be harmful to cats. Homemade diets should never include onions or garlic as these are potentially deadly to cats. If a homemade diet is your preference, work carefully with your veterinarian to ensure your cat is getting the nutrition he needs.
Raw meat diets may cause serious illness in cats. Cats that are fed raw meat diets may develop foodborne illnesses similar to those seen in humans. Cats can become infected with Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter and Listeria when they are fed animal products that have not been cooked properly. Not only can these pathogens make cats very ill, but pet owners may also become infected after coming into contact with the cat feces or vomit.
Commercial pet foods are the best choice for most cats. Commercial foods are formulated to meet all of the nutritional requirements for your cat. AAFCO, the Association of Feed Control Officials, proposes rules for pet food manufacturing and labeling in the United States. The AAFCO Web site lists definitions for commonly used terms on pet food labels (www.aafco.org). Reading your cat food label and understanding label terms is essential for choosing a nutritious food for your cat. For example, "beef" indicates 100% beef in a product, whereas "beef entrée/ dinner" implies only 25% beef and "with beef" means only 3% or less beef in the product.
Cats have different nutrient requirements at different stages of their lives. Kittens have a very different nutrient requirement from older cats. Cats with certain diseases like kidney disease also have very different requirements. Feeding your cat a commercial diet labeled specifically for your cat's age or condition is highly recommended. Also, keeping your cat at a healthy weight is really to his benefit. Cats are much more likely to develop diseases such as diabetes when they are severely overweight.
If you'd like more information on nutritional requirements or commercial pet foods, please visit these Web sites:
Editor's Note: As you can see from the articles on this and the preceding page, the issue of what to feed your pet is a complicated one when you are trying to be kind to the environment, farm animals, and your pet all at once. When deciding what to feed your pet, do your research carefully and consult with your veterinarian, so as not to endanger your pet. The only household pet with a digestive system similar to our own is the pig, so unless you're the proud owner of a Vietnamese Potbellied Pig, your pet needs a different diet from you.
If you are interested in joining the discussion on food choices and environmental justice, talk to me or send me an e-mail (naomijx@juno.com). Thoughtful, well-researched articles for the newsletter are always welcome.
- Naomi Jackson