Monitor his weight – if he’s becoming too fat, consult your veterinarian. Most young cats (one to four years of age) are very active and self-regulate their food intake, thereby maintaining a healthy body weight.Īs your cat ages, he may slow down and begin putting on extra weight. In order to fulfill his needs, feed him one ounce of canned food daily, or 1/3 ounce of dry food, per pound of body weight. You can either feed him at least two meals a day or leave food out for snacking. Fat also adds to his needed calories, a daily requirement of about 35 kilocalories per pound of body weight. Fat gives him needed energy, assists the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, such A and E, and adds taste.

Unlike you, your cat does very well on a high-fat diet. In addition to these dietary peculiarities, your cat requires a high amount of protein in his diet, about 12 percent in comparison to 4 percent for adult dogs. Besides CRD, deficiency symptoms of taurine include poor reproduction and dilated cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease).

Taurine deficiency can produce central retinal degeneration (CRD), a form of blindness. Fish and shellfish are also exceptionally good sources. Naturally he’d obtain taurine, an amino acid, from muscle meats. Your cat’s taurine requirement is quite high. Dermatitis and poor reproductive performance are among the deficiency symptoms. Therefore, he requires some animal fat in his diet. Your cat requires sufficient arachidonic acid, a fatty acid found only in animal tissue. Deficiencies include weight loss, loss of appetite, unkempt fur and wounds around the mouth. Therefore, unlike other animals, his requirement for niacin must be met entirely from niacin present in animal tissues (plants are low in niacin). Your cat is unable to synthesize niacin from the amino acid tryptophan, due to an excess of a certain enzyme. More importantly, female cats may fail to cycle, the embryo may fail to implant or the pregnant cat may abort or produce kittens with abnormalities, such as a cleft palate. If a cat lacks vitamin A in his diet, poor growth, weight loss, damage to cell membranes and decreased resistance to disease are among the possible consequences. His source of vitamin A must come from liver, kidney and other organ meats. Your cat doesn’t have the ability to convert the carotene found in plants to vitamin A. Working cats need more calories, while the “couch potato” needs less (just like us).Ĭats have particularly unusual nutrient needs. Special situations such as pregnancy and nursing kittens can dramatically affect nutritional needs. “semi-moist” is an individual one, but most cats enjoy eating a combination of a dry food along with supplemental canned food.Ĭats in the various life stages, including kitten (“growth”), adult and senior (“geriatric”), require different amounts of nutrients. Inadequate or excess intake of nutrients can be equally harmful.ĭry cat foods have greater caloric density which means simply, there is less water in a 1/2 cup of dry food as compared to a canned food diet. Your cat should be fed amounts sufficient to meet energy and caloric requirements. The ideal diet for your cat includes a good quality food and plenty of fresh water. Good nutrition and a balanced diet are essential elements for good health.

Symptoms of taurine deficiency in cats