In order to be healthy, a cat needs to have a high quality and well-balanced diet. If you have a dog and a cat, it is not at all advisable to feed them in the same way. The cat is a strict carnivore, which should nevertheless eat a small amount of products other than meat or fish, such as some vegetables. In any case, it is very important to take care of his mineral and trace element intake. Let's take stock.
What is a balanced diet for cats?
Today, the domestic cat does not eat as it used to, if only because it no longer hunts for food. His master provides him with the food he needs on a daily basis, but does it meet all the animal's needs? Not so sure.
In order for the body to be able to provide the energy necessary for the cat, but also to meet the needs essential to the proper functioning of its organs, to the maintenance of the good condition of its cells or to the oxygenation of its blood for example, and thus to allow the cat to fight against numerous pathologies, it is absolutely fundamental that its food provides it with all the essential nutrients. Among them, minerals and trace elements have a preponderant role to play. They are :
- Calcium, essential for bone metabolism,
- Copper, essential for the bone marrow,
- Magnesium, which plays an active role in the proper functioning of the cat's body and strengthens its muscular elasticity, among other things,
- Phosphorus, essential for the cat's body to benefit from the calcium contained in the food, which proves how essential minerals can be linked to each other,
- Potassium, which is crucial for the cells,
- Sodium chloride, because it ensures good hydration,
- Zinc, which limits skin problems, helps maintain cells and is essential for the proper functioning of the nervous system.
But beware, if a deficiency in minerals / trace elements leads to health problems, an excess is not more beneficial to the cat since it can also be the cause of all kinds of disturbances. Thus, when a cat suffers from urinary problems, depigmentation of the hair or digestive problems or even muscle weakness, perhaps the mineral or trace element content of its diet is unbalanced. It is indeed necessary to be extremely rigorous in the dosage of minerals and trace elements so that your cat does not suffer from them.
For example, a good proportion between phosphorus and calcium must be respected, which must be of the order of 1 to 1.2 so that there is no imbalance at this level and thus to preserve the good bone metabolism.
The master must also do everything possible to maintain the water balance, which is possible if the diet provides the right daily intake of potassium and sodium chloride. This helps to stimulate thirst. Sufficient water intake promotes urinary dilution and therefore diuresis (or urine excretion). We know that cats are particularly prone to urinary tract infections. Feeding him food that is well supplied with essential minerals (but not too much either) protects him in part against this problem, which can jeopardize the health of his kidneys.
Feeding your cat the right food on the advice of a veterinarian
If you want to give your cat a homemade diet, that is to say one prepared at home, why not? But this requires a good knowledge of the cat's vital needs on a case-by-case basis. A consultation with a veterinarian is necessary in order to know first of all what are the specific needs of the animal according to its age, sex, breed, lifestyle and health condition.
Then, the veterinarian can give valuable advice to the owner so that he can prepare his pet's daily rations himself without ever deviating from his vital needs. Many owners prefer to buy industrial cat food, of very good quality, well supplied with all essential nutrients. They can buy dry food in the form of kibble and wet food such as canned or freshly packaged pate.
Protein, carbohydrates, fat, minerals, trace elements, vitamins and water are what our cats need every day of the year. Meat, fish, vegetables and fruits (peas, pumpkin, zucchini, carrot, sweet potato, green beans, strawberry, watermelon, melon, apple and banana) are necessary for him. But be careful because cats are sensitive. There are many foods that he cannot eat.
It is highly recommended to buy from specialized distributors who offer Premium food for all cats, or even ultra premium, i.e. for kittens, pregnant or nursing females, adult cats, but also for sedentary, active, convalescent, obese, sick, Persian, spayed cats... It is a tailor-made food that should not be neglected because by preparing your cat's food yourself, you risk having the least amount of weight on certain components or too little on others and, without any intention of harming your cat of course, exposing your cat to very serious health problems.
