Cats have evolved to become so highly efficient hunters, and because of their success in feeding themselves on prey, they have not heeded to rely on vegetable matter as a source of nutrition. They do, however, require very specific forms of nutrients found only in animal tissue (examples are vitamin A and niacin). They also need high levels of dietary protein with the correct balance of amino acids. For example, the animo-acid derivative taurine is vital for a cat's eyesight, and this must come directly from an animal source - it cannot be manufactured from other materials.
Like humans and most other mammals, cats use protein in food to build their body tissue and carry out 'repair jobs', and for other biological actions such as making hormones. However, they also use protein in the way that we use carbohydrates - as a source of daily calories, or energy, so the type, quality and proportion of protein in their diets, which can only be obtained from animal tissue, are very very important. Certain fats must also be provided directly in the diet from animal fat in milk, meat or fish. In short, cats are what are known as 'obligate carnivores', they must eat meat and cannot live on a vegetarian diet.
WHEN TO FEED
When a pet cat feeds herself by hunting, it is unlikely to kill prey large enough to allow it to eat only once or twice a day, as most catches will be small rodents or birds. Cats are more natural 'snackers', and will eat 15 to 20 small meals a day.
If you give her dry food on an 'ad lib' basis, you will notice her returning to the bowl several times during the day for a quick top-up, rather than working her way through the food at one sitting. Cats fed on moist food do tend to eat bigger meals (this type of food dries out quickly and is more likely to go off if left uneaten, so your kitten may choose to eat more when the can is freshly opened and the flavour, taste and smell of the food are at their most potent.), but most would probably prefer small and frequent meals to one large serving given at the end of the day. In fact, cats often do not let us get away with infrequent feeding and demand more every time we go into the kitchen.
A kitten will need small, frequent meals in order to be able to ingest and digest enough nutrients to grow rapidly, and must therefore be fed much more frequently than an adult cat. When you first get your kitten at 6 to 12 weeks of age it will need to eat about 5 to 6 meals a day. If you are out most of the daytime, one way to manage this is to provide dry food, which can be left out so that she is able to help herself. If you prefer to use canned (moist) food, you may prefer to invest in an automatic feeder, which is a dish in which the food remains covered until a pre-set time, when the lid opens and allows the kitten access to it.
By the time she is about 6 months old, and about 75 per cent of her full size, you can reduce mealtimes to twice a day.
The writer has 7 cats in his household, all of whom were rescued from the street, some of whom whose eyes were not even open at the time. Through nurturing and taking care of them from kittenhood, the writer has learned a lot in cat care from reading resources on cats, and having interviewed several veterianians in cat care and health issues related to cats.
The writer is the owner of the site: [http://www.catsandsuch.com]
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