How does nutrition impact the health and wellbeing of my cat?
Like in us, good nutrition typically leads to a healthier, longer life. So it's really important to feed a proper diet to your cat.
Dr. Catherine MacLean
Sugar River Animal Hospital
What are the nutritional requirements for a cat?
They need a combination of protein, carbs, and fiber. I know there's this misnomer that they should are mostly carnivores, but they do need some grain in their diet.
Will my cat's nutritional requirements change throughout their life as a kitten, adult, and senior cat?
They will. Kittens need a lot of calories because they're growing, and they tend to be very active. When they become adult cats, that calorie requirement decreases. Then, when they become a senior kitty, they tend to need even fewer calories but more fat in their diet and more protein to help with muscle mass loss.
What are some signs and symptoms of poor cat nutrition in your pet?
Failure to grow is one possibility. Sometimes we will see hair loss, hair thinning, or hair falling out, or they have what we call an Iill thrift look where they look sickly. But there's really nothing else going on except that their nutritional needs aren't being met.
What are some common food allergies in cats, and how can I tell if my cat is suffering from them?
Food allergies can be caused by a number of things, including different types of proteins. Oftentimes you'll know because the cat becomes really itchy or they start losing hair. That doesn't necessarily mean that they have that food allergy, but that's something that will definitely be on the list of ruling out.
When it comes to cat food, what and how much should I be feeding them?
It depends on the food. The average adult cat that weighs 10 pounds eats about half a cup of dry food per day. Sometimes it goes up to three-quarters of a cup, but it really depends on activity level and what foods you're feeding. We have to remember too, that treats have a lot of calories. So ten little kitty treats are equal to about a donut in calories, and I think that's easy for us to forget.
If you still have other questions and you'd like to reach out to us, you can call us directly at (603) 865-5532, you can email us, or you can reach out on social media. But please do reach out, and we'll get back to you as fast as we can.