Everyone wants to know what the “ideal” diet 
for cats may be.
Cats evolved as carnivores that eat other animals; and that because of this history, cats have more specific nutritional requirements than dogs or people. There are serious nutrition-related diseases associated with diet, including obesity, diabetes, and urinary tract problems.
On the other hand, there is plenty of research showing that the more prey-like the diet, the better for the cat. Certainly dry cat food has no place in the diet if longevity is the goal.
Thirty million years of evolution have structured the cat to eat a diet comprising 65% moisture, with a dry matter composition of 50-55% protein, 35-40% fat, and <10% carbohydrate.
Coincidentally, when cats were offered their choice of foods, the ones with those nutrient proportions were exactly what they picked.
And when you analyze the nutritional composition of the typical prey animal (rodent), that just happens to be what they’re made of! Surprise!
So what we really want to do is build a better mouse! Foods that accomplish this are: most canned cat foods, commercial raw diets (freeze-dried or frozen), and a balanced homemade diet using raw or cooked meat.
For more information than you ever wanted to know about cat food, check out my ebook What Cats Should Eat: A Holistic Veterinarian’s Guide to Feeding Your Cat, newly updated for 2026!)
If you’re up for making your cats food (it isn’t necessary but it can be a very good option), it’s not easy to find a truly good, balanced recipe, but start here: catinfo.org/making-cat-food/).
So that’s the quick and dirty summary… keep exploring this website for tons more information about feline nutrition!
What should cats eat? Click here to find out!