Cat food is currently the healthiest and most suitable food for pet cats. Cat food is developed according to the nutritional needs of cats for growth. Cat food contains the nutrients cats need for growth. However, it is worth noting that although cat food is the healthiest food for cats, you also need to pay attention to its feeding. Eat an appropriate amount of cat food every day to help your cat grow. favorable. Feeding too much or too little cat food is a threat to the health of pet cats. Today let’s talk about how much cat food should a cat eat in a day?

How much cat food should a cat eat in a day?

What cats need Required nutrients

Although cats are carnivores, they also need the three major nutrients of protein, carbohydrates, and fat like humans. However, the proportion of required nutrients is quite different from humans.

As a carnivore, cats require much less protein than humans, and what cats need is animal protein. Because cats’ body structure prevents them from obtaining essential nutrients from plants, such as taurine, which is necessary for cats’ bodies and cannot be synthesized by themselves, they need to obtain it from beef, mutton, fish, chicken and other meats. Excessive sulfonic acid deficiency can cause visual impairment and heart disease in cats.

Although cats also need carbohydrates, the amount required is very small. Unlike humans who mainly rely on carbohydrates for nutritional sources, cats’ gastrointestinal capacity is also relatively weak in digesting carbohydrates.

Therefore, it is incorrect to feed cats human meals. Maybe the cat is hungry or has been raised by humans and thus accepts food eaten by humans. In fact, the cat's body does not allow this. This is like feeding rice, white mask, radish, green vegetables, etc. to tigers and lions, which is obviously not in line with the status of carnivores.

Fat is also an important nutrient needed by cats. Compared with protein and carbohydrates, cats require a lower fat content, only 20%. OMEGA-3 (ω-3/Ω-3) and OMEGA-6 (ω-6/Ω-6) in fat are very helpful for cats with enteritis and dermatitis. In addition, fat also plays an important role in the intake of some fat-soluble vitamins. Cat's food contains a moderate amount of fat, which can improve the palatability of the food, but excessive fat can easily lead to obesity in cats.

In addition to protein, carbohydrates, and fat, the indispensable nutrients for cats’ bodies include vitamins and minerals. Most vitamins can be obtained through food or synthesized by themselves. There are also some vitamins that cats cannot synthesize, such as vitamin A and vitamin D, which can only be ingested through food. Minerals are important elements needed for cat growth and play an important role in cat bone development and tooth growth.

In some high-quality cat food, various vitamins and minerals have been added, and they are all set according to the amount required by the cat. In daily life, eat high-quality foodCats fed cat food do not need to add additional nutrients, but sick cats or frail elderly cats need to supplement vitamins according to actual needs. For example, cats suffering from cataracts can be supplemented with vitamin B, while cats suffering from liver disease or anorexia need to be supplemented with vitamin E and vitamin K.

Through the above content, we understand the nutrients needed by cats’ bodies. Here’s a look at how many calories a cat needs every day and how to calculate it. By calculating the required calories, you can know how much cat food your cat needs to eat every day.

Daily caloric requirements for cats of different ages:

Calorie calculation method:

Weight (kg)* caloric value corresponding to age = daily caloric requirement;

For example:

A 1-year-old cat weighing 4kg, daily The required calories are:

4kg * 70 kcal = 280 kcal / day;

The calculation formula for how much cat food a cat needs to eat every day is:

Daily caloric requirement/metabolizable energy value * 1000g = amount of cat food/day;

It should be noted that due to different formulas, the feeding amounts of different brands of cat food are not exactly the same. You need to refer to the labeled feeding amounts of the cat food you use.

The best number of times a cat should be fed every day

When it comes to the frequency of feeding, I think most cat parents give their cats enough food at one time. For cats to eat freely 24 hours a day. Although this approach is more trouble-free, it is not good for the cat's health. It is easy for cats to eat too much in a short period of time, which increases the burden on their gastrointestinal tract and causes them to suffer from vomiting and diarrhea.

How many times a day should be fed to a cat, which is related to the cat’s age, personality, and gastrointestinal function. Because the gastrointestinal function of kittens is not yet perfect and the amount of activity is large, kittens need to eat small meals frequently, 3 to 4 meals a day.