Your cat’s nutrition is an important part of your cat food-buying process, however, it wouldn’t be long before you believe you’re in over your head. You see with the sheer amount of formulas and brands out there, pet parents get easily confused and hence put their furry friend’s wellness and health in jeopardy.
Instead of sifting through the options, you should start asking the right questions. For example, “What cat food do cats like best?”
Are Cats Carnivores or Omnivores?
Unlike their hoomans, both dogs and cats have been through a long evolutionary process, which in turn, resulted in unique dietary needs. This diet is specifically suitable for carnivores (meat eaters) and quite like their larger and undomesticated cousins, domesticated felines have adapted to a diet that mainly comprises of:
- Low carbohydrates
- Rich fats
- Protein
In the wild, felines only consume plants (typically grass) to regulate their digestive process and support their dental hygiene. Still, experts cannot decidedly say that cats do not prefer plant or vegetable matter to boost nutritional intake and overall energy.
The Ideal Diet For Your Felines
Ideally, cats prefer a diet that has plenty of animal-based proteins. For instance, Taurine is just one ingredient that supports every cat’s brain and heart health, and of course, is sourced from animal-based proteins.
Ideally, felines that have always lived in their natural habitat will not prefer to consume commercial canned and dry foods. You see, most cats don’t naturally have the potential to stomach dietary carbohydrates in their enzyme pathways, as is the case with most mammals.
For this reason, high carbohydrate diets usually cause feline diseases such as obesity, diabetes, etc. Most cats that follow a strictly carnivore diet prefer moderate amounts of fat along with their meat. This fat tends to provide the most fuel for their energy.
Since you asked the question, “What cat food do cats like best?”, it is worth mentioning here that out of all the carnivorous animals, cats prefer fat because of how it tastes. Fat is usually available in unprocessed meat-based diets and therefore, it also consists of everything cats need for their health and nutritional needs.
In a Nutshell
A diet that is designed to fit into a feline’s unique nutritional needs will typically consist of animal-based proteins, has a low level of carbohydrates and a moderate amount of fat. Naturally, since water is known as the source of life, it is also essential that you provide your cat with enough water. However, since these fur-balls are historically a desert species, they are less sensitive to thirst and therefore, respond to thirst very differently.
Of course, most of this species’ requirements for water are fulfilled when they consume their prey. This is usually where commercial available cat foods trump animal meats because the former increased a cat’s consumption of water, which in turn promotes health – especially the health of a urinary tract.
You should also know that cats are also attracted to only a specific texture of food and therefore it can be difficult to change their preferences. Cat food tends to be a better choice here as well unless your cat has been fed meat in the initial stages of their life. Similarly, if you feed them a mix of dry and canned food in their first year, your cat will easily accept them with open paws.
Age is an Important Consideration
During the 1st month of your feline friend’s life, they prefer their mother’s milk or commercially available formula, possibly after every two to four hours, Once your cat has outgrown this period, their food may become their dietary staple as follows:
Three to Five Weeks
During this period of their lives, feeding an orphaned kitten will involve testing milk replacement formula by pouring it into a dish and to encourage weaning. Alternatively, you can also start introducing them to a diet of warm formula and high quality dried or canned kitten food, about 4 to 6 times a day.
Five to Eight Weeks
At this point in time, your cat will now be able to easily chew mature cat food and should be introduced to an energy-boosting and protein-rich diet. Ideally, feedings should be taking place about 3 to 4 times on a daily basis.
You may feel, at this point, that you are back to square-one, however, you could just as simply ask your veterinarian for a recommendation on your first appointment. Usually, experienced vets recommend canned cat food because it is a close representation of their natural carnivorous diet – both in terms of formulation and consistency.
Of course, the perfect diet would entail a combination of dry and canned kitten foods. You wouldn’t prefer your favorite food thrice a day and would settle for your mom’s best greens after only a week of such a diet!
Our Final Thoughts
To sum up everything we have discussed up till now, dry cat foods may be a popular choice among pet parents, but that is not really an answer to your question, “What cat foods to cats like best?”
In reality, commercially available dry cat food should be your second option. This is mainly because of the fact that cats have historically been considered athletic creatures and the higher than necessary carbohydrates in these products is not good for their health.
In addition, your feline’s favorite animal-based protein is usually the one thing missing from dry cat foods because they are manufactured with plant-based proteins. As a result, these foods may inevitably lead to digestive issues and abnormal weight gain.
So basically, a CHUNKY cat.
