The Domestic Shorthair cat breed is a friendly and fun-loving cat. If you’re looking for an excuse to stop neighbors from coming over, this is perfect! To keep them calm and easily pleased you should follow the food Guide for domestic shorthair cats.
The Domestic Shorthair is not a specific breed but rather a classification of mixed-breed cats with short coats. Their ancestors can be traced back to ancient Rome, where they were valued for their hunting skills and ability to control pests. Over centuries, these cats spread throughout Europe and eventually made their way to other parts of the world, including Australia. Their genetic diversity has resulted in a strong and healthy breed that can thrive in various environments. Being a mixed-breed cat, their food habits may vary, but here is a common guideline that you can follow for all breeds.
Basic Nutritional Requirements
Domestic Shorthairs need a balanced diet rich in high-quality protein, healthy fats, and essential vitamins and minerals. Choose high-quality commercial cat food that meets nutritional standards. Make sure fresh water is always available for the cat.
Domestic Shorthairs are not predisposed to any specific health conditions, so they don’t have any specific nutritional requirements. Like all cats, kitties are obligate carnivores and need high-quality animal protein food to thrive and flourish. Make sure you feed them complete cat food with at least 70% named high-quality animal protein.
Domestic Shorthair cats need food that provides nutrition without any fillers and carbohydrates. Fresh cat food is best. One bag of KitKin fresh cat food per day will satisfy your domestic shorthair cat. We know this because we make it for every cat we see. Our vet-formulated recipes contain your domestic shorthair cat’s daily calorie and nutritional needs, making feeding easy for everyone.
Domestic Shorthair kittens have different nutritional needs than adult cats. During their rapid growth phase, they need protein, fat, and calorie-rich food to support healthy development. Look for kitten-specific formulas that provide the right balance of nutrients for growth and development. Kittens typically need to be fed multiple times a day – three to four small meals are ideal until about six months of age, then you can gradually transition to two meals per day.
Senior cats may need lower-calorie food to prevent weight gain and provide adequate protein. Senior cat food often includes nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids for joint health. Regular veterinary checks can help adjust their diet as needed.
Feeding Schedule
Generally, an adult Domestic Shorthair cat eats two meals per day. For dry cat food, you can leave kibble in their bowl and let them graze throughout the day. It’s not unusual for cats to prefer multiple small meals throughout the day.
For example, if your veterinarian recommends giving your cat 250 calories per day, you would need to feed them two meals with 125 calories each.
When feeding wet food, it needs to be consumed within half an hour or less to prevent spoilage. If you want to split their wet food into two meals, you’ll need to determine their total required daily calories and divide that number by how many times you want to feed them.
If you plan to feed your cat a combination of dry and wet food, the math gets a bit more complicated. You’ll need to look at the calories on both dry and wet labels to calculate total calories in each and reduce portion sizes to meet the total daily calorie recommendation.
You can also try a refrigerated food bowl with a timer. You can program the bowl to dispense fresh wet food for your cat at specific times throughout the day.
Portion Guidelines
The amount of food your cat needs will depend on their nutritional requirements and food quality. High-quality commercial foods have higher nutritional density, so you may need to feed less per day. This is particularly important for cats who struggle to get adequate nutrition, such as growing kittens, high-performance or senior cats, and means the daily cost of premium food is often less than you might expect.
To help you, high-quality cat food will list recommended daily amounts to feed your cat. This is an effective starting point but not suitable for every animal – just like us, cats have different metabolisms and nutrition is not ‘one size fits all’. With this in mind, monitoring your cat’s condition is the best way to control how much you feed them, ensuring you’re always giving enough to maintain your cat’s weight at its optimal size. However, packet guidelines can give you a helpful starting point.
Just like us, weight alone is not an appropriate measure of how healthy a cat’s diet is. Body condition scoring can be used to ensure your cat is a healthy size.
Regardless of food type and cat type, it should be part of your daily routine. This is much more accurate than feeding by eye, keeps food stable, and means food is more easily adjusted.
Dry and wet cat food have different calories as well as portion sizes. You’ll want to make sure you’re feeding appropriate amounts whether you feed dry, wet, or a combination of both.
Food packaging labels can give you a general idea of how much your cat needs. Recommendations may include ranges, so you’ll need to figure out where your cat fits within this range. You can always adjust to meet your cat’s needs.
If you have questions about how much to feed your cat, you can also visit the manufacturer’s website or contact them directly. As always, your veterinarian can also help determine how much to feed your cat.
After determining how much to feed your cat, use it as a guide for a few weeks. Then, evaluate how your cat is doing. Here are some things to observe:
Leaving food in the bowl, being hungry at midnight, clearing the bowl but gaining weight, eating with enjoyment, and maintaining weight and activity levels.
Cats can go without food for up to 48 hours. If your cat goes longer than 48 hours without eating, contact your vet to evaluate why they’re not eating.
Wet vs Dry Food
Either wet or dry form. While both have the same nutritional value, what are the advantages and disadvantages of wet vs dry food?
Advantages of Wet Food:
1.Contains water, good for extra hydration
2.Soft texture, easy to eat for animals with mouth pain or dental issues
3.Strong smell makes it more appealing to sick animals
4.Can help entice animals who need encouragement to eat
Disadvantages of Wet Food:
1.Strong smell can be unpleasant in the home
2.Creates more mess
3.Less economical due to small packages
4.Short shelf life
5.Can be poor for dental health
Advantages of Dry Food:
1.Can be left out longer without spoiling
2.Clean and convenient
3.Good for dental health
4.Can be used as treats
5.Stores well
6.Can add water if needed
Disadvantages of Dry Food:
1.Lower moisture content
2.May be less appealing due to lack of smell
3.Often contains slightly less animal protein
Special Life Stage Considerations
Most kittens rely on mother’s milk as their sole nutrition source. For orphaned kittens, bottle feeding with kitten milk replacement formula is necessary. Never feed cow’s milk to kittens.
Kitten milk replacement formula is available as powder form (mix with water) or ready-to-feed liquid and can be purchased from veterinarians or pet supply stores. Reconstituted milk replacer can be stored up to 24 hours in the refrigerator, while opened ready-to-feed liquid lasts up to 72 hours in the refrigerator. Always warm formula before feeding.
The weaning process begins at 4 weeks as kittens transition from milk/formula to solid food. At 4-5 weeks, kittens still need milk replacement formula but can begin eating wet kitten food mixed with formula. By 5-6 weeks, bottle feeding can stop if the kitten is eating well. At 8-10 weeks, kittens should be fully weaned and eat meat-based kitten food with protein, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals.
Young kittens require 4 small meals daily. By 4 months, this reduces to 3 times daily, and at 6 months, feeding can decrease to twice daily. Over 6 months, continue twice daily feeding and offer varied foods to prevent fussiness. Wet/canned food contains 70-80% moisture while dry food contains 6-10% moisture.
At 12 months, kittens can begin transitioning to adult food, though large breed cats may continue growing food until 3-4 years of age. Consult a veterinarian for guidance on transitioning large breed kittens to adult food.