Proper nutrition is essential for a long and healthy life for your cat. Your feline friends will live longer, and happier lives if you pay attention to their diet. Maintaining a healthy diet is a preventative measure that can save you a lot of money by avoiding illness and its consequences. For your cat to stay healthy, their diet needs to be balanced. Cats are carnivores as they need certain nutrients, including taurine and arginine, which are found in meat. They are at risk of developing serious health problems, including heart disease and blindness, if they don’t get these nutrients.

It’s also important to give your cat the right amount of food to prevent obesity-related diseases such as diabetes and arthritis. By weighing your cat regularly, you’ll know if they’re gaining weight, so you can adjust their diet if necessary. (Also read: Thinking about getting a cat? Here are some essential pros and cons to help you decide )

Common Cat Diseases and Dietary Tips for Prevention

“Cats are obligate carnivores, they need meat protein in their diet to survive. Generally recommended diets for cats if fed fresh would comprise muscle meat, organ meat, some fatty fish, some bone matter and a small amount of fibre. There are many factors that have led pet parents to gravitate towards dry food some being just the sheer ease of it, and others being the fact that cats are nocturnal animals and after all the activity they do whilst their humans are asleep and start vocalising for food making dry food an easy solution,” says Anjali Kalachand, Nutritionist and Co-Founder, A Petter Life.

Anjali further shared with HT Lifestyle some common diseases in cats and dietary guidelines to prevent them.

1. Hairballs

These are common in longer-haired cats and those who overgroom. Prevent this by grooming your car regularly. Feeding a balanced diet that minimises hair fall caused by deficiencies, add an oil supplement for skin and coat health to your kitty’s diet.

2. Skin issues and allergies

These can be because of ticks and fleas, or even food or environmental allergies. Ticks and fleas can be controlled by medicated baths and appropriate medication. Food allergies would mean looking into your pet’s diet, and slowly making changes to what you are feeding to gauge whether there is a difference. Adding healthy fats can also help with skin support.

For environmental allergies, change your floor cleaner to a natural pet-friendly one, as our animals spend a lot of time on the floor and could be inhaling chemicals used in regular floor cleaners. Don’t use synthetic candles, air fresheners, or incense sticks as those are very strong and since our cats have a very heightened sense of smell, this can cause irritation to them.

3. Digestive issues

Cats are obligate carnivores and can be picky with their vegetables, so we omit adding vegetables to their diets. Along with including small amounts of fibre, feeding moisture-rich diets (cats are desert animals and sometimes will not drink water; try encouraging drinking by adding bone broth to the diet or providing water fountains for a continuous source of water), and adding healthy fats for system lubrication greatly helps with constipation.

If your cat experiences recurring diarrhoea, get a stool test to establish if it’s due to bacteria or worms; a vet can help treat that. If you suspect a food intolerance, we recommend gradually changing your cat’s food and selecting something with a novel protein.

4. Dental Disease

Data shows that more than 50% of cats over the age of 5 have dental disease. The best way to prevent dental disease is by de-sensitising your cat to brushing early on in life, or if your cat enjoys chewing, allowing them to chew on meaty bones as well. Otherwise, other solutions exist in the form of natural dental supplements and even water additives. Watch out for water additives- always look at the ingredients carefully and pick the one with natural and safe ingredients

5. Obesity

A sedentary lifestyle and feeding starchy food is what has led to obesity being such a common issue in cats nowadays.

6. Diabetes

Generally obese cats are more likely to develop diabetes. If your cat is diagnosed with diabetes, the first thing you do is avoid food with processed starch which is present in most dry and commercial foods and try and switch your pet to a fresh food diet where you have full control of the ingredients so you avoid all starchy carbs which cause glucose levels to shoot up. Obviously, work with a qualified veterinarian to monitor your cat’s blood sugar levels and insulin, if he or she needs it.