
What Do Cats Need to Thrive?
Giving cats what they need for a long, healthy life starts with nutrition. But if you want your cat to thrive, you will want to provide more than just food and water. As long-time feline fanciers know, many cats are quite social and enjoy daily attention from their owners, no matter how self-reliant they may seem.
Here’s an overview of the essentials — with an emphasis on nutrition — so you can help your cat thrive.


Key Messages
- Adult cats have higher dietary protein requirements than dogs and require taurine, arginine, arachidonic acid, preformed vitamin A and niacin (vitamin B3) in their diets.
- Some nutrients required by cats (i.e., taurine, arachidonic acid and preformed vitamin A) are found naturally only in animal tissues.
- Feeding adult cats to maintain ideal body condition can help them live long, healthy lives and avoid obesity-related health problems, such as diabetes mellitus and lower urinary tract disease.



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