Mineral Requirements In The Cat’S Diet
What Is A Balanced Cat Diet?
Today, the domestic cat no longer feeds as it once did, if only because it no longer hunts to eat. His master provides him with the food he needs on a daily basis, but does she meet all the animal’s needs? Not so sure.
For the body to be able to provide the cat with the energy it needs, but also to meet the essential needs for the proper functioning of its organs, the maintenance of the good condition of its cells or even the oxygenation of its blood, for example, and thus enable the cat to fight against many pathologies, it is absolutely essential that its diet provides it with all the essential nutrients. Among them, the minerals and trace elements have a major role to play. It’s about :
- Of Calcium Essential For Bone Metabolism,
- Of Copper Essential For The Bone Marrow,
- Of Magnesium Which Actively Participates In The Proper Functioning Of The Cat’S Body And Strengthens, Among Other Things, Its Muscular Elasticity,
- Of Phosphorus Essential For The Cat’S Body To Benefit From The Calcium Contained In The Diet, Which Proves How Essential Minerals Can Be Linked To Each Other,
- Of Potassium Crucial For Cells,
- Of Sodium Chloride Because It Ensures Good Hydration,
- Of Zinc Which Limits Skin Problems, Participates In The Maintenance Of Cells And Is Essential For The Proper Functioning Of The Nervous System.
But be careful, if a mineral/trace element deficiency leads to health problems, excess is not more beneficial to the cat since it can also be the source of disturbances of all kinds. Thus, when a cat suffers from urinary problems, depigmentation of the hair or even digestive problems or even muscle weakness, perhaps the mineral or oligo content of its diet is unbalanced. In fact, you have to be extremely rigorous in the dosage of minerals and trace elements so that his cat does not suffer.
Thus, for example, it is necessary to respect a good proportion between the phosphorus and calcium intake, which must be of the order of 1 to 1.2 so that there is no imbalance at this level and therefore to preserve good bone metabolism.
The master must also do everything so that the water balance is maintained, which is possible if the diet provides the right daily intake of potassium and sodium chloride. This helps stimulate thirst. However, sufficient water consumption promotes the urinary dilution and therefore the diuresis (or excretion of urine). We know that the cat is particularly prone to urinary infections. Giving him food well endowed with essential minerals (but not too much either) partially protects him against this problem which can put the health of his kidneys at risk.
Feed Your Cat Well On The Advice Of The Veterinarian
If you want to give a household food to her little pussy, that is to say prepared at home, why not? But this requires a good knowledge of vital needs of the cat on a case-by-case basis. A consultation with the veterinarian is essential in order to know first what are the specific needs of the animal according to its age, its sex, its race, its way of life and its state of health.
Then the veterinary can give valuable advice to the master so that he can prepare the daily rations for his little companion himself without ever derogating from his vital needs. Many masters prefer to buy commercial cat food, of very good quality, well supplied with essential nutrients in all categories. They can buy dry food in the form of croquettes and wet food such as tinned pâtés or fresh sachets.
Proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, minerals, trace elements, vitamins and water: this is what our cats must receive every day of the year. Meet fish, vegetables and fruits (peas, pumpkin, zucchini, carrot, sweet potato, green beans, strawberry, watermelon, melon, apple and banana) are necessary for him. But be careful because the cat is sensitive. There are lots of foods that he can’t eat.
It is strongly recommended to obtain from the specialized distributors who offer Premium food for all catsor even ultra premium, i.e. for kittens, pregnant or lactating cats, adult cats, but also for sedentary, active, convalescent cats, obese cats, sick cats, Persian cats, sterilized cats, etc. a tailor-made food not to be neglected because by preparing your kitty’s food yourself, you risk having the least heavy on certain components or too light on others and, without the intention of harming it of course, exposing your cat to very serious health problems.