{"id":689092,"date":"2025-02-18T22:48:05","date_gmt":"2025-02-18T22:48:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.catster.com\/?p=689092"},"modified":"2025-02-19T04:13:53","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T04:13:53","slug":"essential-nutrients-your-cat-needs-updated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.catster.com\/nutrition\/essential-nutrients-your-cat-needs-updated\/","title":{"rendered":"What Do Cats Need in Their Diet? 6 Vet Verified Essential Nutrients"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n <\/span>\n \nEssential Nutrients Your Cat Needs in Their Diet<\/a>
\nWhat to Avoid in Cat Food<\/a>
\nFrequently Asked Questions<\/a>
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Cat owners want their beloved felines to live a long, happy life, and that long and happy life starts with nutrition. Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they require nutrients found in animal meat to thrive. A critical aspect of being a responsible cat owner is ensuring your cat receives all necessary nutrients through the cat food you feed, and knowing what to avoid is also crucial for your cat\u2019s overall well-being.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s dive into the six essential nutrients your cat needs to be healthy to ensure you are providing all necessary components for optimum health.<\/p>\n

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The 6 Essential Nutrients Your Cat Needs in Their Diet<\/h2>\n

1.\u00a0Animal Protein<\/h3>\n

Protein is an important source of energy for cats, and felines require more protein compared to other animals. Dietary protein enables a cat to develop and maintain healthy skin, fur, muscle, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, nails, hormones, enzymes, antibodies, and more.<\/p>\n

Cats need animal protein rather than plant protein due to the nutrients animal protein provides. A cat\u2019s digestive tract breaks protein down into amino acids, or building blocks, and there are 11 essential amino acids cats need in their cat food derived from meat and other animal tissues:<\/p>\n

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