Largest Study EVER Confirms What Cats Really Want to Eat…

A two-year research project conducted at the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition in Leicestershire, England indicates that healthy pet cats regulate their nutrient intake to mimic what they would eat in the wild.

The study demonstrated kitties have a daily calorie ‘intake target’ that is equal to 52 percent protein, 36 percent fat and 12 percent carbohydrate.

According to lead study author Dr. Adrian Hewson-Hughes:

“This is a fascinating discovery and we are intrigued to know more about why cats have the ability to do this. It is particularly remarkable that, even after thousands of years of domestication, cats still select a diet nutritionally similar to their natural prey.”

Fascinating Results

* The cats in the study demonstrated a maximum tolerable level (ceiling) of carbohydrate intake that is under 25 percent.
* Given the option, the cats exclusively chose high-protein food over high-carb food even when there was less of the high-protein food available.

Cats offered a choice of three foods with variable amounts of protein, carbs and fat mixed them to achieve a daily intake as follows:

* 100 calories or 52 percent from protein
* 67 calories or 35 percent from fat
* 24 calories or 12.5 percent from carbs

When the cats were restricted to a high-carbohydrate food, they did not eat enough of it to get the targeted amount of protein (52 percent). The same happened with cats confined to a high-fat food – the target intake of protein was not achieved.

Cats restricted to a high-protein diet ate more than the target protein intake, probably to gain energy. This suggests cats are able to eat even higher levels of protein than the target 52 percent.
Experienced cats eating dry food increased protein intake and ate less carbohydrates than naïve cats offered the same choices. This indicates given the option, cats learn to avoid eating excessive amounts of carbs.

To read more: What Pet Cats Really Want to Eat