Like all cats, the domestic cat is a carnivore (primarily a meat eater) and is adapted to a hunting lifestyle. In fact, cats are extremely well adapted predators and they not only eat meat, but in fact have become dependent on a meat diet (they are obligate carnivores) and actually cannot thrive or survive without meat in their diet. Because cats are obligate carnivores, their digestive system, physiology and biochemical pathways have become adapted to a meat-based diet. Therefore they have some very different dietary requirements compared with dogs and humans

This is a simple and understandable adaptation for a hunting animal like the cat – there is no need for them to have special enzymes or metabolic pathways to digest and convert nutrients in plants to what they need, when it is present already in the animals they prey on!

However, this adaptation to become strict carnivores means that cats have a number of special dietary requirements that do not apply to many other animals (humans and dogs for example), and it means that feeding a proper balanced diet to a cat can be much more challenging.

Overeating can lead to obesity, which is detrimental to the health of cats . Furthermore, most cats are fed their food in a bowl in the same location day in, day out, meaning little or no exertion is needed in order to obtain food. Gone are the opportunities to search for, capture and kill their food – all of which involve mental and physical exertion. A lack of mental stimulation can lead to boredom, apathy, anxiety, frustration and stress in cats.

In order to tackle these problems, it is best to feed cats little and often, dividing a cat's daily food ration into at least five portions, and feeding this throughout the 24-hour period using puzzle feeders and timed feeders. Puzzle feeders are objects which hold food and must be manipulated to release this food. These help meals last longer, increase physical exertion needed to obtain food, and provide a fun 'brain-teaser' for your cat!

Offering different foods with different flavours and textures can be good for cats. Good quality dry and tinned/sachet foods are both suitable to be fed to cats. Both types of food are considered to have benefits. For example, dry food may help improve oral health in cats. Wet food has a much higher water content than dry food, and so can help ensure adequate water intake, especially as cats naturally obtain much of their water intake from their food (meat has a high water content). In some situations, especially some medical conditions, it may be important maximise a cat’s water intake, and therefore feeding a wet food is better.