Choose a food that is made to meet the specific nutritional requirements for the stage of life of your cat. Kittens have higher nutritional demands needed to develop and grow. As a cat enters its golden years, it can suffer from age-related problems including a weaker immune system, less efficient digestive system, decreasing senses of smell and taste, arthritis and urinary problems. Senior cats may benefits from a diet lower in phosphorus and with a moderate level of fiber to help prevent constipation and cat foods for older cats are often formulated to stimulate the senior cats' appetite.
Lifestyle Diets
Cats that go outdoors may need a food higher in protein and calories than cats living exclusively indoors. Some studies suggest as many as one but out of 4 pet cats are overweight. Commercial foods are available with reduced fat content and high protein levels that help the obese feline lose weight without losing muscle mass.
Special Diets
There are different cat foods specifically for felines with food allergies, sensitive stomach, heart or urinary problems, dental disease and coat or skin problems. Hairballs can cause vomiting and diarrhea, but specially formulated food helps improve digestion and movement is the intestines. Foods are available to meet the nutritional needs of specific breeds of cats, including Persians, Maine Coons and Siamese. There are even cat foods that claim to reduce the amount of stool and its door.
Home Made Diets
Some cats owners believe in homemade or raw meat diets. Care must be used if preparing homemade meals for your cats. While you can easily control the quantity of ingredients, you can never be entirely sure if its nutritional balance. Home-prepared food is usually more expensive than commercial, perishable and time consuming to prepare.
Supplements, Treats and Table Scraps
If you are feeding a good quality food, it is not necessary to add a supplement. An occasional treat from your plate shouldn't hurt, as long as it does not take the place of a cat's normal food. Several human foods are very toxic or dangerous to cats. Never feed pork, chocolate, onions, green tomatoes, raw yolk, raw potatoes, grapes, raisins, bones or dog food to your cats, just to name a few.
Water
Your cat should always have access to fresh water. Water bowls should be cleaned and refilled daily. Contrary to popular opinion, cow's milk is not good for cats. Not only it is difficult for a cat to digest, it often causes diarrhea.
I would like to suggest this website to all cat owners and cat lovers. It teaches us on the right way to feed the feline friends:
http://www.catinfo.org/
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