Whole-grain foods may be healthy for humans, but when it comes to cats, a meat-based, high-protein diet is the key.

For many Americans, healthy eating has become a top priority. Whole grains and vegetables are the superstars of the holistic diet—but not for cats. Cats are true carnivores. Though many commercial cat food companies promote “gourmet cuisine” that includes grain and vegetables, a meat-based diet is best for a cat’s special dietary needs.

Cats require twice as much protein as dogs. For cats, protein, not carbohydrates, fuels the cells with energy. High-carbohydrate cat food, on the other hand, can cause digestive problems for cats and may even lead to obesity and feline diabetes. Commercial cat food is often moderate to high in carbohydrates, but low-carbohydrate, meat-based cat foods best support a cat’s unique biology.

When pet owners feed homemade cat food, vegetable- or grain-based foods, or food designed for dogs to their cats, deficiencies can occur in the health of their cats. Cats require several essential nutrients that their bodies do not make—nutrients that can only be found in meat. Cats adapted to a small-prey diet and have no dietary requirement for carbohydrates. Their livers are unable to break down large amounts of carbohydrates to produce glucose, which is the energy source of the body. If cat food has more than 40% carbohydrate levels, the result can be poor digestion which causes diarrhea, gas, bloating and changes in a cat’s metabolism to a pre-diabetic or diabetic state.

In my professional opinion, for your cat’s best health, a natural cat food diet should be composed of 35-50% protein, 10-30% fat and 20-25% carbohydrates. For strong bones, healthy digestion and a beautiful, full coat, cats require a well-balanced diet.

Dr. Donna Spector , DVM, DACVIM
Dr. Donna Spector is a board-certified veterinary internist who practices in New York City. She has written and lectured extensively on nutrition, diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders and other animal health issues.

Do you need vet advice? Post a comment with your veterinary questions and we will send them to Dr. Donna Spector to be answered in a future column.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 28th, 2008 at 12:49 pm and is filed under Ask a Vet, Dr Donna Spector, Holistic Cat Food, Cat Food, Feline Diabetes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.