Cat food is a type of food specially engineered for the feeding of cats.

Cats are carnivorous by nature and need many essential nutrients, such as taurine, in their food. Commercial cat food contains these supplements, which is why other pet foods are not recommended for cats.

Ingredients of Cat Food

Many popular brands of cat food are made from what would otherwise be waste products of the meat industry. Some cat experts claim that this practice, as well as the overly processed nature of dry cat food, is responsible for many of the age-related ailments of cats. Additionally, many major brand-name cat foods are primarily grain-based, often containing large amounts of corn or rice supplemented with meats and essential vitamins, and usually saturated with 'digest,' a euphemistic term for real or synthetic cat vomit, to attract the cat as cats are prone to re-eating previously swallowed and vomited foods.

Some less well-known pet food manufacturers offer more 'natural' formulas of cat food that contain fewer grains and by-products. A few pet food brands, such as Innova EVO, are even made without any grain products at all. Natural cat food brands are often claimed to have cuts of meat closer to those that humans eat, with some manufacturers offering meat that is claimed to be 'human grade'. Many brands of such cat foods are made from raw ingredients intended to provide nutrition as close as possible to the cat's natural diet. These brands generally include raw meat with organs, ground bone, some raw vegetables, and some dietary supplements.

Many pet owners feed cats homemade diets. These diets generally consist of some form of cooked meat or raw meat, ground bone, pureed vegetables, taurine supplements, and other vitamin supplements. Some pet owners use easily digested human vitamin supplements, and others use vitamin supplements specifically engineered for cats. Veterinarians sometimes recommend including Digestive enzyme supplements in a homemade diet.

Vegetarian cat food, made with no animal products, has been available for many years, and is aimed primarily at animal rights activists. Vendors of vegetarian cat food claim it is nutritionally sound in some cases, and in other cases the food is intended to be supplemented with other cat foods. Some veterinarians recommend against exclusively vegetarian diets for cats, as they must eat certain amino acids not found in vegetables to remain healthy. Vegetarian cat food either includes these nutrients or the cat's food must be supplemented with them.

In some countries, feeding vegetarian food to cats may constitute not feeding an appropriate diet. If the cat requires veterinary treatment for dietary deficiencies, the owner risks action under animal care legislation.

Forms of Commercial Cat Food

Store-bought cat food generally comes in either a kibble form, often called dry cat food, or a canned form. Very few brands of cat food come in semi-moist form, which is generally reserved for treats.

Dry food is generally sold in bulk, with a bag of dry food lasting days, months, or even years. Canned food generally comes in much smaller serving sizes, and common can sizes are 3oz, 5.5oz, and 13oz.

Many cat enthusiasts and veterinarians recommend a diet consisting largely or entirely of canned cat food. One of the reasons for this is the high water content of canned food, which is thought to be a healthful amount of water compared to the amount that cats will drink when eating dry food. Canned food also generally contains significantly less grain or other carbohydrate foods. This is thought to reduce the chances of diabetes and maintain a healthy weight. In general, most canned foods are formulated to resemble a cat's natural diet more closely than dry food, where the focus is often shelf life and price.

Other enthusiasts and veterinarians recommend a diet consisting mostly of dry food. Often this recommendation is based on the idea that cats must break apart dry foods with their teeth, which causes the food to scrape off dental calculus, although the degree of benefit this provides has been disputed in recent years.

Pet owners often prefer dry cat food due to the convenience and price. Dry cat food is generally significantly less expensive than canned cat food. Dry cat food can also be left out for the cat to eat at will over the course of several days, whereas canned cat food spoils or becomes unappetizing after several hours.