Feeding your Cat

By Sophie Kininmonth · 1 Nov 2025 (updated 21 Jul 2026) ·8 min read

Feeding a cat well is mostly about getting a few essentials right, not chasing a perfect ingredient list. Cats are obligate carnivores with specific needs, and a food labelled "complete and balanced" covers most of them straight out of the tin or bag. The best test of a diet is the cat in front of you: body condition, muscle, coat, teeth, energy, and litter tray habits. People often reach for a guide like this when something feels slightly off, such as weight gain, food left in the bowl, more hairballs, or soft stools. This is a manageable part of cat ownership once you know the markers to watch.^{1, 2}

What a healthy cat diet looks like

Cats are obligate carnivores, so their nutrient needs are most naturally met by animal tissues. That includes taurine and arachidonic acid, which are essential for cats and must come from food.³ Rather than aiming for a home-made "protein versus carbs" ratio, use a sensible product standard and a few practical markers.

Choose "complete and balanced" cat food as the foundation, especially for kittens, pregnant or lactating queens, and cats with health issues.²
Keep your cat lean, with a visible waist and ribs you can feel under a light layer of flesh, not a soft pad.²
Watch the basics: steady weight, glossy coat, normal stools, bright eyes, and comfortable movement.

If your cat has persistent diarrhoea, vomiting, itching, weight loss, marked hair loss, or a sudden change in thirst or appetite, book a vet check rather than reaching for supplements first. Nutrition is part of the picture, but illness can look like a diet problem from a distance.²

Wild cats eat small prey, mostly mammals and birds, taking muscle meat, organs, fat, and bone in a rough balance. Domestic cats have the same underlying needs, but the safest way to meet them at home is a commercially prepared complete diet, wet, dry, or a mix, rather than trying to rebuild prey from table scraps.² Cats also do not chew the way we do. They slice, tear, and swallow, so texture matters: some prefer minced or pate-style food, others larger meaty pieces, and dental disease, missing teeth, or arthritis can quietly shift those preferences over time. One thing to be clear on: turning a domestic cat out to fend for itself is not a kindness. Abandonment is treated seriously under animal welfare law and can lead to prosecution.⁴

Water: the quiet essential

Fresh water should always be available. Many cats drink small amounts, especially if they eat mostly wet food, but the risk of dehydration rises with dry-only diets, hot weather, illness, and some medications.

Offer multiple bowls in different spots, since some cats avoid water placed right next to food.
Keep bowls clean and refilled daily.
If your cat is reluctant, try a pet fountain or switch some meals to wet food.

Increased thirst, very large clumps in the litter tray, or weight loss are worth veterinary advice. Kidney disease and diabetes are common culprits in older cats.

The nutrients cats cannot skip

With vitamins and minerals, more is not safer. The simplest way to avoid both deficiency and excess is to feed a diet formulated to recognised standards and to be cautious with supplements unless your vet recommends them.²

Vitamin A. Cats cannot convert beta-carotene from carrots and other vegetables into vitamin A efficiently. They need preformed vitamin A from animal sources, which is one reason complete and balanced foods matter, especially for kittens and breeding cats.³

Vitamin C. Unlike humans, cats can make their own vitamin C, so healthy cats do not usually need it added to the diet.³

Vitamin D. This is where old advice often goes wrong. Cats do not reliably make enough vitamin D from sunlight the way people do, so it must come from the diet. Because vitamin D toxicity is possible, any supplementation should be guided by a vet rather than improvised at home.³

Protein and fats. Cats need a protein-rich diet, but the useful target is not a home-made percentage. It is whether the overall diet is complete, appropriate for life stage, and keeping your cat lean with good muscle. Look for foods formulated for kitten or growth, adult maintenance, or all life stages.² Dietary fat supplies energy and essential fatty acids, and cats also require arachidonic acid, found in animal tissues, which is another reason they cannot thrive on a plant-only diet.³

Carbohydrates, vegetables, fruit and grass. Cats have no nutritional requirement for carbohydrates, though small amounts appear in commercial diets for processing and energy. Vegetables and fruit are optional extras: keep portions small and avoid anything known to be unsafe for cats. Many cats nibble grass, which may act as roughage, and vomiting afterwards is common. Repeated vomiting, gagging, constipation, or signs of pain are not normal hairballs and deserve a vet check.

Real foods: meat, fish, eggs, cheese and milk

Plain, cooked meats can work as occasional toppers or treats, but they should not displace a balanced diet. Meat alone, even good meat, is not complete for cats, and without careful formulation deficiencies can develop while some nutrients drift dangerously high. Liver and other organs are nutrient-dense and can cause problems if fed often in large amounts, especially vitamin A excess, so keep organ meats small and occasional unless your vet advises otherwise.³ If you handle raw meat for any reason, practise strict kitchen hygiene and keep cat utensils separate from human food.

Many cats love fish, but it comes with traps. Certain raw fish contain thiaminase, which can reduce thiamine, and fish-only diets can become unbalanced. Fish works best as a flavour, a rotation option within complete foods, or an occasional treat rather than the whole menu.

Cooked egg is an occasional high-quality protein treat, though raw egg white fed regularly can interfere with biotin over time. Cheese is rich and salty, tolerated by some cats in small amounts but best kept as an occasional treat rather than a protein strategy. Many adult cats are lactose intolerant and may get diarrhoea from cow's milk. If you want to offer something milky, use a cat-specific lactose-reduced product, or simply add wet food for hydration.⁵

Prepared foods and raw diets

Commercial cat foods, wet or dry, are formulated to meet nutrient requirements when labelled complete and balanced. This matters because cats have very specific needs, including taurine, and deficiencies can cause serious disease over time.^{2, 6}

Wet food increases water intake and is often useful for cats prone to urinary issues or constipation, though your vet can advise for your cat.
Dry food is convenient and keeps longer once out, but it is calorie-dense, so measure portions rather than free-feeding by default.
When you change foods, transition gradually over several days to reduce stomach upset.

Raw feeding is popular but carries two recurring risks: pathogens, for people and pets, and nutritional imbalance, especially with home-made recipes. If you choose a raw diet, look for a clear nutritional adequacy statement and discuss the plan with your vet, particularly for kittens, pregnant or lactating queens, senior cats, or immunocompromised pets and people in the household.⁷

Treats, supplements and foods to avoid

Supplements are not automatically harmless. The safest approach keeps treats and extras in their place.

Use treats to build routine and enjoyment, not to patch nutrition.
Keep treats to a small share of daily intake, especially for indoor cats.
Only add vitamins or minerals when a vet has identified a need.²

Chocolate is toxic to cats and should never be offered as a treat.⁸

How much to feed

Portion size depends on age, body size, desexing status, activity level, and the energy density of the food, so a single grams-per-kilo rule will not do. Use two anchors instead.

Start with the feeding guide on the packet, which is based on the food's calorie density.
Adjust every 2 to 3 weeks based on body condition score and steady weight trends.²

If weight is creeping up, reduce calories gently and add play and foraging-style feeding. If weight is dropping without a deliberate diet change, treat it as a medical clue and see your vet.

Feeding by life stage

Kittens. Kittens need high-energy, nutrient-dense food formulated for growth, offered in several small meals a day. Choose a complete kitten diet and keep fresh water available.²

Pregnant and lactating queens. Queens need markedly more energy in late pregnancy and especially during lactation. Feed a complete growth or reproduction-appropriate diet, offer food more often, and monitor body condition so she does not become depleted.²

Neutered cats. After desexing, many cats need fewer calories. Keep meals measured, prioritise play, and watch the waistline rather than the bowl.

Senior cats. Older cats lose muscle more easily and may develop dental disease, arthritis, kidney disease, or hyperthyroidism. Soft textures help when teeth are sore, but appetite or weight changes should be assessed by a vet rather than written off as just age.²

Sick cats and prescription diets. For conditions such as kidney disease, diabetes, urinary crystals, pancreatitis, or food allergy, diet can be part of treatment, but the right plan depends on diagnosis and the individual cat. Do not trial restrictive diets without veterinary guidance, since well-meant changes can backfire.

References

Sophie Kininmonth

Dog lover and writer at My Pets Australia, sharing practical breed guides and care advice for Australian pet owners.