Throughout a cat's life, there are stages in which the cat requires different nutrients. Those include kittenhood, pregnancy, lactation, and finally, old age. Excessive body weight can increase the risk of liver disease, heart disease, respiratory problems, and constipation. Furthermore, fat cats are at a greater risk of developing diabetes and arthritis. Pet food manufacturers have formulated diets that have fewer calories per gram that may be helpful in treating obese cats.
F eeding dog food to cats is a common error, especially if dogs and cats are in the same household.
Dog foods are developed for the nutritional needs of dogs, not cats. There can be serious consequences if a cat's diet is deficient in protein, taurine, niacin, vitamin A, and fatty acids. O verdosing with vitamin and mineral supplements has been known to cause severe medical problems in cats. Physiological imbalances caused by excess vitamins and minerals can lead to the binding of other nutrients. A and D are more common than deficiencies of those vitamins, because of unnecessary supplementation of an already balanced diet.