Proteins for Cats: which ones are essential for their well-being


Protein is an essential component of a cat’s daily nutritional requirement. Let’s find out which ones are essential for your well-being!

When it comes to cat nutrition, we often get confused. Proteins, vitamins, minerals: we know that they are all essential but we do not know in which foods they are contained and to what extent they should be administered to the cat. In this article we will see together which proteins are essential for our cat.


The importance of protein for the cat

Proteins are nutritional substances composed of amino acids joined to each other by means of peptide bonds. They perform many essential functions for the body and are present in large quantities in many components of our body, such as musclesbones and skin.

However, proteins are not only important for humans; they are just as fundamental for our cat, indeed, we can say that for our baby tiger at home they are more important. The reason?

Because they represent the main food source from which the feline draws daily energy. Instead, we also take it with carbohydrates, which instead have a lower incidence in the cat’s diet.


The daily requirement of the cat

Obviously, since this is the main source of food from which to draw their energy, it goes without saying that the cat needs to take in protein every day. But to what extent? The answer is not simple precisely because there is no unique result.

The daily amount of protein that the cat must consume can vary according to several factors, such as age for example: a kitten will need a greater amount of protein than an adult cat. Other parameters that affect the cat’s need are the size, the breed, but also its habits.

A very active cat will need more protein than a sedentary one; even if it is important to let a lazy cat play, just to allow him to consume more energy and help him maintain an ideal weight.


What are the essential proteins for cats

There are some proteins that can never be lacking in a diet that can be said to be balanced. An excessive deficiency or even failure to take it could cause very serious, even irreversible, damage to your cat’s health. Here’s what they are:

  • Taurine: Taurine in cats is simply essential: the feline cannot do without it, and can only absorb it through an adequate diet. It is found in large quantities in meat, especially in red ones, but is also present, albeit to a lesser extent, in fish and eggs. It is not present, even to a small extent, in plant foods, which not by chance are substantially not part of a cat’s diet;
  • Arginine: it is another essential amino acid for the feline’s diet, which can never be lacking, as its lack would most likely favor the onset of very dangerous and potentially lethal pathologies for the animal. The cat is unable to produce this amino acid on its own, and therefore always needs to take it through food. It is found in meat, but also in fish (tuna above all), as well as cereals and cooked vegetables.

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