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Cats are carnivores, thus they require foods such as meat and fish to maintain a healthy, active lifestyle. It is important to feed your cat a varied diet at regular times to ensure a balanced, healthy diet. Do not feed your cat dog food as dog food is specially formulated for a dog's needs, which are not the same as a cat's nutritional requirements.
There are basically three types of commercially available cat food: wet/moist (cans), semi-moist (pouch), and dry (box or bag). Canned foods contain about 60-80% water, which should just about satisfy the fluid requirements of a cat. Dry cat food contains only roughtly 10-15% water, thus if your cat is on a mainly dry food diet, it is even more important to ensure a constant available source of fresh, cool water. It is often safer and better to feed high quality commercial cat food to your cat as opposed to home-made recipes. Though well intentioned, home-made recipes can be deficient in certain dietary requirements, which will lead to health problems.
How much should you feed your cat?? The following is a quick reference chart showing the different Ages/Life-Stages and the suggested feeding regimen for each age/stage.
AGE/LIFE-STAGE |
FEEDING REGIMEN |
0-8 weeks (4 oz) |
Kittens should drink their mother's milk and go on to solid food when they are about 8 weeks old. They should be gradually weaned from mother's milk at 4-5 weeks. |
8-12 weeks (2 lb) |
4-5 meals a day. Each meal should be roughly 30 grams for a daily total of 150 grams. |
3-6 months (4 lb) |
3-4 meals a day of about 50 grams each. Daily total should be about 200 grams. |
7-12 months (7 lb) |
Work from 3-4 meals a day down to 2 meals a day of about 80 grams each. Daily total should be about 300 grams. |
1-10 years (10 lb)
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Feed 2 meals a day of about 150 grams each. Daily total should be around 300 grams. |
11+ years (10 lb)
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3-4 meals a day of roughly 50 grams. Daily total should be about 200 grams. |
Neutered Males (9 lb) |
2 meals a day of roughly 100 grams each. Daily total should be about 200 grams. |
| Pregnant Queens (8 lb) |
2-3 meals a day of rougly 120 grams each. Daily total should be about 250-350 grams. |
| Nursing Cats (6-7 lb) |
3-4 meals a day of roughly 120 grams each. Daily total should be about 400-500 grams. |
When to feed
Most owners feed either morning or evening, and sometimes both depending on the cat's age, needs or preference. Try to encourage your cat to eat his food at a single feeding rather than leaving uneaten food out all day, wet food will especially spoil quickly. Restrict you pet's daily rations to the manufacture's or your vet's guidelines on feeding. Treats should be included as a feeding, not an extra.
Water
Try to offer your pet filtered or softened water and avoid hard water or bottled mineral water. Both contain a high concentration of minerals that some cats dislike and won't drink as much as they should for good health.
Milk
Cow's milk is very high in lactose (milk sugar), which some cats find difficult to digest and can cause diarrhea. Some cats are also allergic to the protein in cow's milk. Instead, give special “cat milk” which is lactose-reduced available from pet stores.
Homemade food
You can make occasional homemade meals as a treat, but basing an entirely balanced diet around them is very difficult. Items such as cooked cereal, rabbit, poultry, fish, and scrambled eggs are often appreciated, but be sure to remove all bones from meat or fish before feeding. A varied diet helps keep him interested and content.
Example of varying your cat's diet over 5 weeks
Week |
Total amounts (to be split into daily feedings) |
1 |
7 small cans/pouches wet/semi-moist cat food plus 1 pt (600 ml) cat milk |
2 |
1 lb (450 g) dry food plus ½ pt (300 ml) cat milk |
3 |
2 lb (900 g) cooked rabbit meat, 8 oz (225 g) cooked liver, and ¾ pt (450 ml) cat milk |
4 |
1 lb (450 g) beef, 1 lb (450 g) melts (spleen), 8 oz (225 g) oily fish, and ½ pt (300 ml) cat milk |
5 |
4 cans/pouches wet/semi-moist cat food, 4 oz (112 g) dry food, 8 oz (225 g) white fish, and ¾ pt (450 ml) cat milk |
Feeding Guidelines
- Feed you cat in the same place and at the same time every day.
- Place a feeding mat or newspaper under bowls, as many cats like to drag their food from the dish and eat it on the floor.
- Don't disturb the cat when he is eating.
- Leave wet or semi-moist food out for at least an hour before disposing of leftovers, as most cats eat slowly.
- Introduce any changes to the diet gradually to avoid digestive upsets.
- Never give spiced food or anything to which alcohol has been added.
- To prevent choking, remove bones from fresh meats and fish.
- Always provide fresh, clean drinking water.
- Don't give you cat cow's milk; provide special cat milk or goat's milk instead.
- Keep food and water bowls clean.
- Never allow your cat to eat chocolate intended for human consumption.
- Consult your vet if your cat shows any reluctance to eat or drink.
Food Hygiene Guidelines
- Most cats prefer their food at room temperature, so always allow refrigerated foods to warm up before serving.
- Canned foods deteriorate quickly once opened, so refrigerate and use within 24 hours. Put leftover food into ceramic, stainless steel, or plastic food containers, just as recommended for human foods.
- Place your cat's food and water bowls well away from his litter box.
- Household disinfectants and detergents can taint food and water bowls, so use salt solution (1 teaspoon to 1 pint/ ½ liter of water) or a commercial pet bowl cleaner, and rinse thoroughly in clean water. Clean bowls daily, as cats are very fussy abut food hygiene, and it's essential for their health.
- Wash pet-feeding utensils separately from your own.
- When feeding semi-moist food, reseal the packet tightly in order to retain freshness and prevent moisture loss until the next meal.
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