Are cats omnivores?

2967 Views 5 Replies 4 Participants Last post by Shamboo, Feb 12, 2012

Shamboo

Discussion Starter · Feb 11, 2012

Are cats supposed to be omnivores? I thought that they basically only ate meat but my cat doesn't really like meat, worse still with fish and chicken. I usually just feed it cat food (whatever that is) but it likes pasta and flour (!) and will basically eat a bit of whatever you're eating.

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CJinCA

· #2 · Feb 11, 2012

Cats are obligate carnivores, they can only get the nutrition they need from meet. Pasta and flour are not good for them. Did you give raw or cooked meat? There is great advice on raw diets in the health and nutrition forum. That is supposed to be the best for them, although I feed canned cat food to mine. Not sure what kind of cat food is available in China, but look for some that is at least 90% meat without fillers like grain. BTW, limit fish, its not so good for them.

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MowMow

· #3 · Feb 11, 2012 (Edited by Moderator)

Cats are obligate carnivores. That does not mean they won't eat things that are not meat, it means that they cannot properly utilize the nutrients in non meat foods to thrive properly. Their bodies are made to process other animals for optimum health..muscle meat, secreting organs, non secreting organs and bones (raw bones only, never give your cat cooked bones).

That said, my little guy is a major food pig. He eats *EVERYTHING* with extreme gusto.. I've even had to wrestle a raw chewed up potato away from him.

but since i know it's not good for him he eats only canned foots that are made from whole meats (no by products) and that are grain free.

Also, CJ is correct. Fish is not good for cats so feed only occasionally.

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jusjim

· #4 · Feb 11, 2012

I recently discovered that Missy ate better if the food was cut into quite small portions. Quarter inch. I've read that fish, which Missy loves is lacking in Taurine an essential chemical similar to an amino acid that cats cannot make (we can). I add taurine to Missy's fish. I suggest you keep feeding cat food and limit the human food. For reasons I won't go into, I'm opposed to raw food, but am willling to admit it may be OK.

Bits and pieces of what you're eating may not be healthy for it. Cats are copyists, though, and may eat what you eat to copy you.

You didn't mention your cat's age. An older cat may have more difficulty changing its diet.

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MowMow

· #5 · Feb 11, 2012

MowMow said:
he eats only canned foots that are made from whole meats (no by products) and that are grain free.

I don't actually feed canned feet. That should have read canned FOOD.

Although, if someone put some gravy on an old foot and tossed it to Shepherd Book, I have no doubt he'd eat it.

jusjim said:
I've read that fish, which Missy loves is lacking in Taurine an essential chemical similar to an amino acid that cats cannot make (we can). I add taurine to Missy's fish.

It's not just the lack of taurine. THe high mineral count can caused problems in cats and the mercury levels can be dangerous. It's also QUITE addictive to most cats and once they start eating fish flavored food refuse everything else.

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Shamboo

Discussion Starter · #6 · Feb 12, 2012

Thanks for the comments. My cat's about 6 months old so shouldn't have fixed habits yet. But all she wants is dry cat food (freshly put out, Whiskers only). I tried her on canned food but she only ate it the day it was opened and then refused to eat the rest of the can the next days. Besides dry cat food she tries to eat anything I'm eating. She just had a corner of my piece of bread and I had to move the jam away quickly or she would have licked the jar as well. I've tried it on raw and cooked meat - beef, lamb, fish and cooked pork and chicken. I've also tried her on milk and cream. Most things she'll only take the smallest taste and then leave it - that or just prod it with a paw or sniff it from a distance and run. I thought that what she's doing is getting a bit of whatever she needs but doesn't get from dry cat food from the human food.

She enjoys drinking my green tea. She'll stick her whole head in the cup to drink (I drink from tall glasses) and if she can't reach it, she'll stick a paw in then suck the tea off her fur. She also drinks toilet bowl water and shower water, both from the floor and off my feet (she doesn't mind getting a bit wet).

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