More Slideshows From petMD What's New Dog Cat The Differences
Between Cat Food and Dog Food Brought to you by petMD in
partnership with Hill’s® Science Diet Ideal Balance® Cats are
categorized as “obligate” carnivores, a term that indicates that
cats must eat some animal-derived protein to remain healthy, or
receive dietary supplements to supply them with these crucial
nutrients. Approximately one-third of a healthy, adult cat’s
diet should consist of protein, although not all of it needs to
be supplied in the form of meat. 2. Amino Acids Proteins are
made from only 22 building blocks called amino acids. Cats can
make some of these amino acids themselves; these are called the
non-essential amino acids. Conversely, essential amino acids
must be supplied by the diet. Cats have 12 essential amino
acids, while dogs only have 11. One of the most crucial of the
essential amino acids is taurine. Cats that don’t get enough
taurine in their diets can eventually become blind, deaf and
develop heart failure. Because cat