What do cats eat?

 

If your cat has a healthy appetite and is not overweight, she may eat both wet and dry food. Cats need a specific balance of nutrients in order to stay healthy, so it's important for them to get the right diet.

A cat’s natural diet includes raw meat and whole prey, but many modern cats now live exclusively on commercial diets of canned or dry cat food. One thing that all these diets have in common is an imbalance of essential amino acids (the building blocks of protein). Carnivores are naturally low in arachidonic acid (AA), which humans obtain easily from animal sources like meat or eggs.

A cat’s digestive system is carnivore-like, so the meat it eats should contain a lot of arachidonic acids.

Arachidonic acid (AA) is an essential fatty acid that's been associated with many health benefits. AA can be obtained from either plant or animal sources. Antioxidants in plant sources are usually very low in AA, and meat contains relatively high levels of AA. It's therefore important for cats to get adequate amounts of arachidonic acid from their diet.

Raw meat is a good source of AA because it contains unsaturated fat and protein - that is, both vegetable oil and protein are technically "unsaturated.” It also contains a lot of the antioxidants eicosanoids, which are altered when cooked to make AA.

Heat has the opposite effect on AA in comparison to food, so it's important for a carnivore to consume at least some raw meat or other organic sources of AA from plants or animals.

The best way to ensure that cats obtain adequate arachidonic acid is by feeding them foods rich in arachidonic acid and low in linoleic acid (LA). While it's not possible for humans to get sufficient LA by eating only plants, most cats can consume sufficient LA if they eat only cooked vegetables.

This is especially important for obese cats, as many commercial diets have a much lower ratio of LA to AA than nature intended.

Humans are naturally low in CLA, which is essential for the health of most mammals. This can be obtained from either plant or animal sources. The best sources of CLA are from foods high in PUFA and low in saturated fat: meats, fish, and eggs. Unlike AA, CLA can be obtained from both plant and animal sources. The main difference between LA and CLA is the level of saturated fat they contain; LA has a lot more saturated fat than CLA.

The most common source of AA in dogs and cats is meat or poultry.