The shelves of your supermarket and local pet store are full of cat food. Not only is there a wide choice of cat food brands, but these brands also all have different types of cat food. That’s not without reason. During your cat’s life, depending on his stage of life and physical condition, the type of food your cat needs will change. Keep the following in mind when choosing food for your cat.

Stage of life, a kitten needs different food than an adult cat

A kitten is discovering the world around him, full of enthusiasm he runs after a ball and climbs on the couch. Growing up also costs a lot of energy. The energy requirement of a kitten is 3 times greater than that of an adult cat. Extra calcium and proteins ensure that the bones and muscles can grow in a healthy way.

On the other hand, an adult cat needs food that is containing more omega 6 fatty acids and zinc. This ensures that the coat and skin remains healthy. An adult cat needs less energy than a kitten, so adult food contains fewer calories.

If your cat gets older and is in the senior phase you will notice that your cat is even less physically active. This reduces the energy requirements of an older cat even further. More minerals, vitamins and taurine are often added to senior food to keep the organs as healthy as possible.

The different cat breeds need different food.

Breed cats not only look very different, they also have different nutritional needs. This is mainly related to the build of the breed (the weight) the coat (and the chance of hairballs). For example there is special food for maine coons, or special food for short hairs.

An indoor and outdoor cat have different nutritional needs

An indoor cat generally uses less energy than an outdoor cat. Is your cat an indoor cat and does it gain  a lot of weight? Then consider switching to food that meets the needs of an indoor cat.

The portions. Which portion of food do you feed your cat?

The portion indicated is mentioned on the animal nutrition packaging. This is a guideline. You can choose to stick to this. But you can also choose to give your cat several smaller portions per day. For example, if there is a portion on a package 2 or 3 times a day, this is not very natural to a cat. Originally cats hunt several small portions per day. You would do your cat a greater pleasure when feeding him a smaller portion 5 or 6 times a day.

Give your cat the right type of cat food, dry, wet food or maybe even raw food?

Most cat owners choose a combination of dry food and wet cat food. Keep in mind that it is good to give your cat the basic dry food and to supplement this with occasionally wet food. You can even surprise your cat every now and then with raw fish or raw meat. (Give your raw fish or raw meat for the first time, do not give too large a portion so that your cat can get used to it. And you can see how your cat reacts to this).

The taste of cat food

Both dry and wet food is available in different flavors. If you switch to different flavor foods, do this in phases (here you will find a step-by-step guide on how you can best do this). The most common flavors are chicken, tuna, beef or salmon. But there are of course other food flavors such as shrimp available. What your cat prefers is of course very personal. (Do not immediately buy a very large amount of a new taste in one go, there is a chance that your cat will not like it and will not look at his food bowl with new taste chunks).

It is important that your cat gets the right food

Not getting the right food can cause annoying problems, for example your cat can get bald spots. Sometimes your cat comes to sit comfortably while humans are eating. Don’t be tempted to give him your food. Some meals and nutrients that we eat are toxic to cats.

Not sure if your cat has the right food? Consult this with your veterinarian, who can recommend a suitable diet.