The Ultimate Guide to Cat Nutrition: Ensuring Your Feline’s Health and Happiness

Most people land here because they’re staring at a cat food label, a half-eaten bowl, or a widening waistline and trying to answer a practical question: what, exactly, should I be feeding my cat? The stakes are quiet but real. Small nutritional gaps can build over months, affecting weight, urinary health, skin and coat, teeth, and long-term disease risk.

Cats aren’t small dogs, and they aren’t people either. Their bodies are tuned for animal prey, and that shapes everything from protein needs to the way they handle vitamins and fats. The guide below keeps things grounded: what cats need, how to choose a “complete” food, when homemade diets make sense, and which everyday human foods are risky.

Understanding feline dietary needs

What makes cats different

Cats are obligate carnivores. That isn’t a lifestyle label; it’s physiology. They rely on nutrients that are naturally found in animal tissues, and they need particular amino acids and fats in their diet rather than “making do” with plant ingredients.¹

Essential nutrients cats must get from food

Animal protein supplies the amino acids cats use to maintain muscle, immune function, skin, and organs. One of the key ones is taurine, which cats must eat in adequate amounts. Diets deficient in taurine have been linked with serious eye disease and taurine-responsive heart disease in cats.^{1, 2, 3}

Fats provide concentrated energy and carry fat-soluble vitamins. Cats also require specific fatty acids, including arachidonic acid, which is naturally present in animal fats.¹

Vitamins and minerals matter because cats can’t simply “balance it out later”. Vitamin A, calcium, phosphorus, iodine and others need to be present in the right range for the cat’s life stage, and excess supplementation can also cause harm.^{1, 5}

Types of cat food

Commercial diets (dry and wet)

For most households, a reputable commercial diet labelled as complete and balanced is the simplest way to reliably meet nutritional requirements day after day.⁶

Dry food (kibble)

Dry food is convenient, stores well, and can work well for many cats. Its main limitation is moisture: cats often don’t drink enough to compensate for a very dry diet, which is why many vets and welfare organisations recommend including some wet food in the routine.⁶

Wet food (cans and pouches)

Wet food contributes significant moisture, which can help overall water intake. It’s also often easier to portion precisely for weight control, and many cats find it more appealing.⁶

Raw diets (a caution)

Raw feeding is sometimes marketed as “natural”, but it comes with two practical risks: pathogens (for cats and people) and nutritional imbalance if the recipe isn’t carefully formulated. If you’re considering raw, treat it like a medical-style diet decision: discuss it with your vet first, and don’t rely on guesswork.⁴

Choosing the right food (quick checks)

• Life stage match: kitten, adult, or senior needs differ. Kittens, for example, should be fed kitten-formulated diets and offered food multiple times per day.⁷
• Look for “complete and balanced” wording on the pack (not “supplementary” only).⁶
• Calorie density matters: two foods can look similar but deliver very different energy per serve, which changes portion size and weight outcomes.⁴
• If your cat has a health condition (kidney disease, diabetes, urinary issues, food allergy), ask your vet before changing diets.

Reading cat food labels without getting lost

Ingredient list: useful, but limited

Ingredients are listed by weight, and it’s reasonable to prefer clearly named animal ingredients. But ingredient lists don’t tell you whether the overall diet meets nutrient requirements, or whether the manufacturer’s quality control is strong. In other words: the ingredient list can be reassuring, but it isn’t proof of nutritional adequacy on its own.⁴

The part that matters most: the nutritional adequacy statement

Use the label to answer three quiet questions:

• Is it complete and balanced (not just a topper or treat)?
• Which life stage is it designed for?
• Was it supported by a recognised standard or feeding trials?

This approach is consistent with WSAVA guidance on choosing diets using objective label information, not marketing language.⁴

Homemade cat diets

Benefits and challenges

Home-prepared food can be helpful in very specific situations (certain allergies, strong food aversions, complex medical needs), but it’s also easy to get wrong. Cats don’t tolerate “nearly balanced” for long, especially when taurine, calcium-phosphorus balance, iodine, or vitamin A drift out of range.^{1, 5}

If you cook for your cat, do it with a plan

• Use a recipe formulated for cats by a qualified professional (not a generic internet template).
• Don’t add vitamin/mineral supplements unless the recipe calls for them; excess can be harmful, particularly in kittens.^{5, 7}
• Book a check-in with your vet to review body condition and adjust portions over time.

Feeding schedules and portion control

How often to feed

Kittens should be offered food at least four times per day, supporting rapid growth and small stomach capacity.⁷

Adult cats often do better with smaller, more frequent meals rather than one or two large feeds, which also aligns with their natural grazing-style hunting pattern.^{6, 8}

Portion size: the simplest reliable method

• Start with the pack’s feeding guide, then adjust based on your cat’s body condition and weight trend.
• Weigh food with kitchen scales for a week. Small “eyeballed” differences add up.
• If weight is drifting up or down, ask your vet to assess body condition and set a target intake.⁶

Foods to avoid

Human foods that can poison cats

Keep these away from cats (including powders and cooked forms where relevant):

• Onion and garlic (and other alliums), which can damage red blood cells and lead to anaemia.⁹
• Chocolate, due to methylxanthines (including theobromine and caffeine).⁹
• Grapes and raisins, which are treated as unsafe due to reports of severe toxicity in pets.⁹
• Alcohol, caffeine products, and xylitol-containing products (sugar-free gums and some sweets), all of which can cause serious illness.⁹

Milk isn’t a health food

Many cats don’t tolerate lactose well. Milk can cause gastrointestinal upset, so fresh water is the better default.^{7, 8}

Special dietary considerations by life stage

Kittens

Use a kitten diet and feed frequently. Growth is a fast, demanding phase, and “adult” food may not provide the right nutrient balance for development.⁷

Adult cats

Maintain a steady routine, keep an eye on body condition, and consider including wet food to support water intake.⁶

Senior cats

“Senior” isn’t one neat category; some older cats gain weight, others lose it. If appetite, thirst, or weight changes, treat it as a veterinary question first, not a diet trend.

Final thoughts

A good cat diet is rarely mysterious. Look for a complete and balanced food that matches your cat’s life stage, feed measured portions, and make water easy to reach. If you’re unsure, your vet can help you read the label, assess body condition, and choose the simplest diet that meets your cat’s needs without drifting into deficiency or excess.⁶

References

1. WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines
2. Retinal degeneration in cats fed casein. I. Taurine deficiency (PubMed)
3. Merck Veterinary Manual: Overview of cardiomyopathy in dogs and cats
4. WSAVA: Nutrition on the internet and food label guides (Global Nutrition Committee resources)
5. RSPCA Pet Insurance: Common feeding mistakes and foods to avoid for cats
6. RSPCA Australia Knowledgebase: What should I feed my cat?
7. RSPCA Australia Knowledgebase: What should I feed my kitten?
8. RSPCA Australia Knowledgebase: Do cats have special nutritional requirements?
9. RSPCA Pet Insurance: Foods to avoid (toxins and problem foods)