Bengal Cat Nutriton

While some cats are on very specific diets that address certain medical issues, here is a discussion of the more general recommendations for feeding your bengal cat.

Should My Cat Be Eating Canned or Dry Food?

The cat, especially the cat more genetically close to the wild cat should eat food that more closely resembles what she would eat in the wild. ( Minus the parasites and disease causing agents). When we look at the things wild cats eat, and at the metabolism of the domestic cat we see that they are strict carnivores. To illustrate the difference between cats and humans you might consider the following; humans need carbohydrates because we use them to produce glucose, but cats can produce all the glucose they need out of the protein they eat, in fact, cats  lack  the enzyme needed to process carbohydrates. So over time they tend to put the carbohydrates into storage (fat) and use protein for energy (muscle wasting). If not provided with the proper amount of high quality protein, their bodies may use their own muscle for energy. It is common for a cat who is sick to lose muscle mass before using his or her fat stores. A cat may actually be a bit chubby, but have very little muscle.This is why, as veterinarians, we not only look at a cat's weight, but at the body condition score (fat) and muscle condition score.

Cats do not usually eat fruits, vegetables, grains, or sugars unless they are part of the predigested content of their prey. The only real non-protein source of food would be contained inside the wild prey they are eating. If we were to take a classic feline prey item like a mouse and analyze the amount of carbohydrate we would find that the mouse contains about 7% carbohydrate. This is significant when we look at how manufactured cat diets are formulated. There are some major differences between dry and canned food. Dry feline diets were developed  for their convenience and marketability. In order for a manufacturer to mold protein into dry crunchy “nibblets” they have to add carbohydrates like sugars, grains, and vegetables. The added carbohydrates take the total carbohydrate levels up as high as 30% or more. Why is this a problem? Imagine wrapping everything you ate from breakfast to bedtime in a donut. Imagine your everyday nutritional requirements plus at least three donuts. It might be a yummy idea, but few of us would be able to maintain our figures not to mention our health.  Many cats prefer dry food, but with the dry kibble diet comes risks of weight gain and diabetes and a list of health concerns. Think of the kibble as cookies and donuts, and you will know what to do with them. Keep it to a minimum, use it as a treat or reward.

Canned cat food has a few advantages over dry cat food. First, canned food tends to have fewer carbohydrates and much more protein. Veterinarypartner.com has links diet resources for cats including lists of carbohydrate contents of foods. Also catinfo.org has good information on feline nutrition if you want to dive in deeper. 

 Since cats, and I would say especially Bengals, are obligate carnivores their bodies are able to metabolize the protein efficiently. In most cases, cats who eat only canned food maintain appropriate body weights. They are much less likely to develop diabetes. So it is not surprising that overweight cats that are switched from dry food to a low carbohydrate canned food tend to lose fat easily. Secondly, canned diets are full of moisture which is great for your cat's hydration and urinary system. Many bladder issues can be simply avoided by feeding a wet or canned diet.Also, a large number of cats develop kidney disease as they get older. The extra moisture helps to support the kidney function. In the debate between dry and canned cat foods we see that the medical benefits of canned food outweigh the commercial benefits of dry food in a big way.

When trying to decided what brand of food to feed your cat we have a couple suggestions. The percent carbohydrates should be around or below7%. This will eliminate most dry foods from your available choices (if your cat insists on dry food EVO Cat and Kitten dry has only 8% carbohydrate). Keep in mind that high carbohydrate canned food is just as unnecessary as high carbohydrate dry food. Also, you certainly want a diet that is nutritionally balanced. (There are some canned products out there that are not meant to be fed as a sole source of nutrition.) Good quality grain free canned or wet diet is optimal. Even the lower carbohydrate dry foods lack the moisture content of canned and wet diets and are associated with several health risks. 

What about feeding a raw-food diet to your cat?

If you are interested in feeding a raw diet we recommend that you schedule a consultation with Dr. Nancy Matthews to discuss the raw food diet options and precautions for your kitty.

Do dry diets help with your cat’s dental health?

Dental disease mainly happens under the gum-line. Dry diets cannot scrape underneath the gums and do very little to prevent dental disease.

If you would like more information about what cat food brands we can recommend, or information on how to switch your cat from dry to canned food, please feel free to email us at junglemusicbengals@aol.com.