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Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Esther Plantinga and colleagues, we have a visual summary of cat predation research and we know exactly what the average nutritional make-up of that diet is. In the meta-study published in the British Journal of Nutrition in 2011, the Estimation of the dietary nutrient profile of free-roaming feral cats: possible implications for nutrition of domestic cats, the entire body of feral cat diet studies (of which there is a very large body) was parsed to eliminate studies of wildcats vs domestic feral cats; all studies with a small number of cats; and all studies where cats had access to more than 5% human provided food (even if garbage). This yielded 27 studies. Analysis of those studies found the natural diet of a domestic feral cat, on average, is (on a dry matter basis)
62.7% protein
22.8% fat
11.8% minerals
2.8% carbohydrates
As-fed at 73% moisture (about that of a cat's natural prey), this works out to about
17% protein
6.2% fat
3% minerals
0.75% carbohydrates
The "Guaranteed Analysis" on pet food provides the "as fed" information (though with minimums and maximums, not average nutrient content).
As you can see, the amount of carbohydrates cats naturally eat is very, very small. Where does it come from?
21 of 27 studies reported small amounts of plant material found in the diet. One of the studies reported that cats "frequently" consume vegetation consisting mostly of a few strands of grass (frequency of occurrence: 26.3% of cats). The authors concluded that plant material is a minor component of the diet of feral cats, and that ingestion is likely to occur "incidentally while foraging for invertebrates." So for the most part, carbohydrates from plant matter are not a meaningful or intentional part of the diet. In fact, those carbs come from what their prey has eaten: "...when consuming whole prey, as cats naturally do, the digesta [stomach contents and nutrients in the intestines] of prey items may contain some starch." The authors note that the digesta mass of mice and rats is a very small component of the cat's diet, being just 0.5% - 2% of the body weight of the prey.
So cats do not naturally - intentionally - eat carbohydrates. The study authors indicate "Almost all of the metabolic adaptations related to the carbohydrate content of the diet indicate the lack of this nutrient in the evolutionary diet. It could be argued that the shift from an obligatory meat-based natural diet to a meat-based and grain-based pet food rich in carbohydrates may place the cat's metabolism under stress, and might have unwanted negative health effects in the long run."
62.7% protein
22.8% fat
11.8% minerals
2.8% carbohydrates
As-fed at 73% moisture (about that of a cat's natural prey), this works out to about
17% protein
6.2% fat
3% minerals
0.75% carbohydrates
The "Guaranteed Analysis" on pet food provides the "as fed" information (though with minimums and maximums, not average nutrient content).
As you can see, the amount of carbohydrates cats naturally eat is very, very small. Where does it come from?
21 of 27 studies reported small amounts of plant material found in the diet. One of the studies reported that cats "frequently" consume vegetation consisting mostly of a few strands of grass (frequency of occurrence: 26.3% of cats). The authors concluded that plant material is a minor component of the diet of feral cats, and that ingestion is likely to occur "incidentally while foraging for invertebrates." So for the most part, carbohydrates from plant matter are not a meaningful or intentional part of the diet. In fact, those carbs come from what their prey has eaten: "...when consuming whole prey, as cats naturally do, the digesta [stomach contents and nutrients in the intestines] of prey items may contain some starch." The authors note that the digesta mass of mice and rats is a very small component of the cat's diet, being just 0.5% - 2% of the body weight of the prey.
So cats do not naturally - intentionally - eat carbohydrates. The study authors indicate "Almost all of the metabolic adaptations related to the carbohydrate content of the diet indicate the lack of this nutrient in the evolutionary diet. It could be argued that the shift from an obligatory meat-based natural diet to a meat-based and grain-based pet food rich in carbohydrates may place the cat's metabolism under stress, and might have unwanted negative health effects in the long run."
While cats vary exactly what prey they hunt based on where they are, one thing does not deviate: they consume small prey. The summary of what they eat was provided:
Cats eat small prey animals. Not grains. Not legumes. Not vegetables. Not fruit. So why, then, do so many cat foods contain soy, corn, wheat, rice, peas, spinach, kale, blueberries, cranberries - tomato?
This is why EZcomplete fur Cats contains nothing but animal-tissue based ingredients, enzymes - and a small amount of vitamins needed to provide what is missing by not feeding whole prey.
- Mammals – 78% (Most often rabbits and rats, though there is a large variation between studies based on location)
- Birds – 16%
- Reptiles/amphibians – 3.7%
- Invertebrates – 1.2%
- Fish – 0.3% of items consumed in just 3 studies
Cats eat small prey animals. Not grains. Not legumes. Not vegetables. Not fruit. So why, then, do so many cat foods contain soy, corn, wheat, rice, peas, spinach, kale, blueberries, cranberries - tomato?
This is why EZcomplete fur Cats contains nothing but animal-tissue based ingredients, enzymes - and a small amount of vitamins needed to provide what is missing by not feeding whole prey.