One of the best ways to keep cats healthy and happy is to feed them well. Cats need all the right nutrients in just the right proportions to grow, maintain their bodies, be active, and prevent and recover from illness or injury.
With healthy eating being so essential, pet parents need to know what goes into a nutritional cat food. Here is breakdown of what you need to know about cat nutrition.
健康饮食是让猫保持健康快乐的最好方法。 营养全面、配比均衡的猫粮可以促进生长、维持身体、保持活跃、预防疾病或恢复机体损失。正因健康饮食如此重要，宠物主人需要知道营养猫粮的成分，以下是有关猫咪营养的详细信息。

What Are the Essential Cat Nutrients?
猫咪所需基本营养素是什么？

Nutrients are components of the diet that perform specific jobs in the body. Cats can get the nutrients they need from a variety of ingredients. For example, calcium (a nutrient) can come from ingredients like bone, bone meal, dairy products, organ tissues, meat, legume plants, and a mineral supplement.
营养素是饮食的组成部分，在体内起着特定作用。 猫咪可以从不同食材中获取所需的营养，如，钙来源于骨头、骨粉、乳制品、器官组织、肉类、豆类植物和矿物质补充剂等途径。
Nutrients fall into one of six categories营养素可以分为以下六类:

• Protein
  蛋白质
• Fat
  脂肪
• Carbohydrate
  碳水化合物
• Vitamin
  维生素
• Mineral
  矿物质
• Water
  水

Energy is not technically a nutrient, but it is still an important part of a cat’s diet. Dietary energy, measured in kilocalories (also called calories), comes from fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.
理论上，能量不算营养素，但仍然是猫饮食的重要组成部分。日粮能量，以千卡（也称为卡路里）为单位，主要来自脂肪、蛋白质和碳水化合物。

Now let’s take a closer look at the role that nutrients play in a cat’s body.
现在让我们仔细看看营养素在猫体内的作用。

Protein in Cat Food
猫粮中的蛋白质

Cats are carnivores and need to eat a lot of protein in comparison to many other animals. Dietary protein is used to develop and maintain muscle, skin, fur, nails, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, enzymes, hormones, antibodies, and more. In cats, protein is also an important source of energy.
与许多其他动物相比，猫是食肉动物，需要吃大量的蛋白质。 膳食蛋白质用于发育和维持肌肉、皮肤、皮毛、指甲、肌腱、韧带、软骨、酶、激素、抗体等。蛋白质也是猫咪重要的能量来源。

Plant vs. Animal Protein
植物蛋白与动物蛋白

Cats need animal protein because their bodies need the nutrients it provides. When a cat eats protein, their digestive tract breaks it down into building blocks called amino acids, which are then reassembled into the type of protein that the cat needs at that time.
猫需要动物蛋白，因为蛋白可以提供机体所需营养。当猫咪摄入蛋白质时，消化道会将其先分解成氨基酸，然后将其重新合成猫所需蛋白质类型。

A cat’s body can make many of the amino acids they need (nonessential amino acids) from other amino acids, but there are 11 essential amino acids for cats that must be supplied in a cat’s diet:
猫咪身体可以从其他氨基酸中产生许多机体所需氨基酸（非必需氨基酸），但猫粮中这11 种必需氨基酸是必不可缺的：

• Arginine
  精氨酸
• Histidine
  组氨酸
• Isoleucine
  异亮氨酸
• Leucine
  亮氨酸
• Lysine
  赖氨酸
• Methionine
  蛋氨酸
• Phenylalanine
  苯丙氨酸
• Taurine
  牛磺酸
• Threonine
  苏氨酸
• Tryptophan
  色氨酸
• Valine
  缬氨酸

These essential amino acids, as well as other essential nutrients for cats, are best supplied by meat and other animal tissues, which makes sense when you think about it. Why should the body waste resources making nutrients that are abundant in the prey animals that cats evolved to eat?
这些必需氨基酸，以及猫的其他必需营养素，最好由肉类和其他动物组织提供。仔细想想，也是有道理的。既然在猫咪进化中就可以从这些猎物身上获取丰富的营养，为什么还要浪费自身的资源去合成相关的营养素呢？

What Does Crude Protein Mean?
何谓粗蛋白？

Protein, especially animal protein, is expensive. Some cat food manufacturers keep costs low by including only the minimum amount of protein that cats require to survive, not more to help them thrive.
蛋白质，尤其是动物蛋白，价格昂贵。一些猫粮制造商仅添加猫咪生存所需的最少量蛋白质来控制成本，无法使猫咪茁壮成长。

A cat food’s crude protein level should be included in the guaranteed analysis section on the label. Crude protein is an estimate of a diet’s protein level that is determined by measuring the amount of nitrogen present.
猫粮的粗蛋白含量应包含在标签上的保证分析一栏中。粗蛋白是对饮食中蛋白质含量的估计，通过测量存在的氮量来确定。

By looking at crude protein levels, you can compare how much protein different cat foods contain. However, you’ll need to do some calculations to compare a dry food to a wet food. You’ll also need to do some simple math to see whether a cat food meets or exceeds the amount of protein a cat needs.
通过查看粗蛋白含量，您可以比较不同猫粮含有多少蛋白质。但是，您需要进行一些计算才能将干粮与湿粮进行比较。您还需要做一些简单的数学运算，看看猫粮是否满足或超出猫咪所需的蛋白质含量。

How Much Protein Does My Cat Need?
我的猫咪需要多少蛋白质？

To be considered nutritionally complete and balanced, AAFCO mandates that a cat food for adult maintenance contain a minimum of 26% crude protein on a dry matter basis. The minimum for growth and reproduction is 30%.
为了保证饮食营养完整均衡，AAFCO 规定成猫期猫粮以干物质计至少含有 26% 粗蛋白。生长期和繁殖期最小值为30%。

You’ll need to do some math to convert the “as fed” crude protein levels listed on most cat food labels into dry matter levels: Find the percent moisture in the guaranteed analysis and subtract that number from 100. This is the percent dry matter for the food. Divide the crude protein percentage by the percent dry matter for the food and multiply by 100.The resulting number is the crude protein percentage on a dry matter basis.
通过做一些数学运算可以将大多数猫粮标签上列出的粗蛋白水平转换为干物质水平：在保证分析中找到水分百分比，然后从 100 中减去该数字。这是食物的干物质百分比。将粗蛋白百分比除以食物的干物质百分比，然后乘以100，所得数字是基于干物质的粗蛋白百分比。

When it comes to protein, more than the AAFCO minimum is almost always better for cats. Research has shown that a diet that provides around half of its calories from crude protein fits with what cats seek out when left to their own devices.
就蛋白质而言，超过 AAFCO最低要求量对猫来说肯定更好。研究表明，可以从粗蛋白中获取50%能量的猫粮更符合猫自生状态下觅食的需求。

Can Cats Be Allergic to Certain Proteins?
猫咪会对特定蛋白质过敏吗？

Protein can be problematic; too much protein, particularly low-quality protein, can worsen symptoms associated with kidney disease in cats.
蛋白质会造成一定的问题；过多的蛋白质，尤其是劣质蛋白质，会加重猫肾脏疾病的相关症状。

Proteins are also the primary trigger for food allergies in cats. If your cat has health problems, be sure to discuss what type of cat food would be best with your veterinarian.
蛋白质也是猫咪食物过敏的主要诱因。如果您的猫有健康问题，请务必与兽医讨论哪种类型猫粮更合适。

Fat in Cat Food
猫粮中的脂肪

While proteins are an important energy source for cats, fat is the most energy-rich nutrient in the diet. Fats also act as transport molecules, and they help conduct nerve impulses.
虽然蛋白质是猫的重要能量来源，但脂肪是饮食中能量最丰富的营养素。 脂肪还充当运输分子，有助于传导神经冲动。

Essential omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are also important for skin and coat health, wound healing, and inflammation.
必需的omega-3和omega-6脂肪酸对皮肤和皮毛健康、伤口愈合和炎症也很重要。

Sources of Fat
脂肪来源

Fat and essential fatty acids are part of ingredients like salmon, chicken, liver, or beef that are included in cat foods.
猫粮中三文鱼、鸡肉、肝脏或牛肉等成分提供脂肪和必需脂肪酸。

Sometimes extra fat is added to a diet, and in these cases, you will see fat sources specifically noted in the ingredient list—beef fat, fish oil, or soybean oil, for example.
有时会在饮食中添加额外的脂肪。此时，成分表中会特别注明脂肪来源——如牛肉脂肪、鱼油或大豆油。

What Does Crude Fat Mean?
何谓粗脂肪

A cat food’s crude fat level will be listed in the guaranteed analysis section on the package and is estimated by extracting the fats that are present using ether.
猫粮的粗脂肪含量一般列在包装上的保证分析部分，是通过使用乙醚提取存在的脂肪进行估算。

How Much Fat Does My Cat Need?
猫咪需要多少脂肪？

The AAFCO minimum for fat in all cat foods is 9% on a dry matter basis.
AAFCO规定所有猫粮中脂肪最低含量为 9%（以干物质为基础）。

Significantly higher levels of fat may be appropriate for cats who are highly active or have trouble maintaining their weight. Diets designed for weight loss will usually contain less fat in comparison to adult maintenance cat foods.
对于高度活跃或难以维持体重的猫来说，脂肪含量较高更为合适。为控制体重而调配的猫粮通常比一般成猫猫粮含有更少的脂肪。

Carbohydrates in Cat Food
猫粮中的碳水化合物

For many animals, carbohydrates are important sources of energy, but this is less true for cats since they have evolved to get most of their energy from protein and fat.
对于许多动物来说，碳水化合物是重要的能量来源，但对猫来说却不是这样，因为它们已经从蛋白质和脂肪中获取大部分能量。

Even though cats can digest small amounts of carbs and use them for energy, they should play just a small role in a cat’s diet.
尽管猫可以消化少量碳水化合物作为能量，但它们在猫的饮食中只扮演一个小角色。

Sources of Carbohydrates
碳水化合物来源

A diet containing large amounts of carbohydrates is not natural for cats and may promote weight gain and related health problems, like diabetes. Studies have shown that cats with food allergies may also react poorly to certain carbohydrates, although this is less common than being allergic to ingredients like beef, chicken, or fish.
含有大量碳水化合物的猫粮可能会促进体重增加和引发相关健康问题，如糖尿病。研究表明，对食物过敏的猫也可能对某些碳水化合物反应不佳，尽管这比对牛肉、鸡肉或鱼等成分过敏要少见。

How Many Carbs Does My Cat Need?
猫咪需要多少碳水化合物？

Ideally, cats should get less than 10% of their calories from carbohydrates.
理想情况下，猫从碳水化合物中获得的卡路里应该少于 10% 。

Dry diets require relatively high levels of carbohydrates to maintain their form, so this level can only be met in wet foods. Feeding wet food only is a simple way to reduce your cat’s carb intake.
干粮需要相对较高水平的碳水化合物来维持其形状，因此这一含量只能在湿粮中实现。仅喂湿粮是减少猫咪碳水化合物摄入量的简单方法。

Vitamins in Cat Food
猫粮中的维生素

Vitamins are organic compounds (meaning they contain carbon) that are necessary in small amounts in the diet. Without vitamins, many enzymes (substances that promote chemical reactions) that are essential for normal feline metabolism could not function.
维生素是饮食中少量必需的有机化合物（含碳）。如果没有维生素，许多对猫科动物正常代谢至关重要的酶（促进化学反应）就无法发挥作用。

Sources of Vitamins
维生素来源

Vitamins are found naturally in many cat food ingredients, including animal tissues, vegetables, fruits, vegetable oils, seeds, and grains.
维生素天然存在于许多猫粮食材中，包括动物组织、蔬菜、水果、植物油、种子和谷物。

However, it is almost impossible to provide all the vitamins a cat needs at just the right levels without including a vitamin supplement in the manufacturing process.
然而，如果不在生产过程中添加维生素补充剂，很难让猫咪所需的所有维生素达到适量。

Which Vitamins Do Cats Need?
猫咪需要哪些维生素？

According to AAFCO, cat foods should contain the following vitamins:
根据 AAFCO规定，猫粮应含有以下维生素：

• Vitamin A: Important for vision, bone and tooth growth, reproduction, and maintenance of skin and mucous membranes
  维生素 A：对视力、骨骼和牙齿的生长、繁殖以及皮肤和黏膜的维护很重要
• Vitamin D: Increases blood calcium and phosphorous levels to support growth and maintenance of bones
  维生素 D：增加血液中钙和磷含量，支持骨骼生长和维护
• Vitamin E: An important antioxidant
  维生素E：一种重要的抗氧化剂
• Vitamin K: Necessary for normal blood clotting
  维生素 K：维持正常凝血
• Thiamin: Plays a role in carbohydrate metabolism
  硫胺素：有助于碳水化合物代谢
• Riboflavin: Releases energy from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins
  核黄素：从碳水化合物、脂肪和蛋白质中释放能量
• Pantothenic Acid: Needed for metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and some amino acids
  泛酸：有助于碳水化合物、脂肪和一些氨基酸的代谢
• Niacin: Necessary for processing fats, carbohydrates, and protein
  烟酸：处理脂肪、碳水化合物和蛋白质所必需的
• Pyridoxine: Helps metabolize amino acids, glucose, and fatty acids
  吡哆醇：帮助代谢氨基酸、葡萄糖和脂肪酸
• Folic Acid: Needed for synthesis of DNA and the amino acid methionine
  叶酸：有助于合成 DNA和氨基酸蛋氨酸
• Biotin: Helps make fatty acids, some amino acids, and DNA/RNA
  生物素：帮助生产脂肪酸、一些氨基酸和 DNA/RNA
• Vitamin B12: Required for fat and carbohydrate metabolism and nerve conduction
  维生素 B12：有助于脂肪和碳水化合物代谢和神经传导
• Choline: Essential as a neurotransmitter, as part of cell membranes, and for lipid transport
  胆碱：必要的神经递质，细胞膜的一部分，有助于脂质传输

Do Cats Need Vitamin Supplements?
猫咪需要补充维生素吗？

As long as a cat is healthy and eating a nutritionally complete and balanced cat food, additional vitamin supplementation is not necessary, and under some circumstances, may actually be dangerous.
健康的猫咪每日摄入营养均衡的猫粮，就不需要额外补充维生素，而在某些情况下，可能存在危险。

Talk to your veterinarian if you think your cat could benefit from a vitamin supplement.
如果您觉得猫咪可以从维生素补充剂中受益，请咨询相关兽医。

Minerals in Cat Food
猫粮中的矿物质

Minerals are inorganic compounds (meaning they do not contain carbon) that are required in the diet if the body is to function normally.
矿物质是猫咪饮食中必需的无机化合物（不含碳），维持身体的正常运作。

Sources of Minerals
矿物质来源

Some of the minerals that cats need can come from animal and plant-based ingredients (bone meal, for example), but to be nutritionally complete and balanced, cat food manufacturers almost always have to add mineral supplements to their formulas.
猫咪所需矿物质一部分来自动物和植物原料（如骨粉），但为了营养完整和均衡，猫粮生产商必须在其配方中添加矿物质补充剂以满足需求。

Which Minerals Do Cats Need?
猫咪需要哪些矿物质？

According to AAFCO, the following minerals must be present in a cat food in sufficient amounts:
根据 AAFCO 规定，猫粮中必须含有以下矿物质：

• Calcium: Vital for the growth and maintenance of bones and teeth and as an intracellular messenger
  钙：有助于骨骼和牙齿的生长和维护以及细胞内通讯
• Phosphorus: Essential for the growth and maintenance of bones and teeth and vital to normal metabolism
  磷：对骨骼和牙齿的生长和维持至关重要，有助于正常新陈代谢
• Potassium: An electrolyte that’s important for nerve function, muscular contraction, and heart rhythm
  钾：一种对神经功能、肌肉收缩和心律很重要的电解质
• Sodium and Chloride: Electrolytes that help with hydration, acid-base balance, transmitting nerve impulses, and muscle contraction
  钠和氯化物：有助于水合作用、酸碱平衡、传递神经冲动和肌肉收缩的电解质
• Magnesium: Important for enzyme function and the metabolism of carbohydrates, protein, and fats
  镁：有助于酶功能和碳水化合物、蛋白质和脂肪的代谢
• Iron: Needed for oxygen transport throughout the body
  铁：有助于全身氧气运输
• Copper: Plays roles in iron absorption and transport, skin pigmentation, and skeletal growth
  铜：在铁的吸收和运输、皮肤色素和骨骼生长中发挥作用
• Manganese: Important for metabolism, immune function, and bone formation, as well as acting as an antioxidant and more
  锰：对新陈代谢、免疫功能和骨骼形成很重要，还可以作为抗氧化剂等
• Zinc: Necessary for carbohydrate, lipid, protein, and nucleic acid metabolism
  锌：有助于碳水化合物、脂质、蛋白质和核酸代谢
• Iodine: Needed to make thyroid hormones
  碘：产生甲状腺激素
• Selenium: An important antioxidant that works in conjunction with vitamin E
  硒：一种重要的抗氧化剂，可与维生素 E 结合使用

What Are Chelated Minerals?
什么是螯合矿物质？

Minerals are inorganic substances that are sometimes difficult for animals to absorb from food.
矿物质作为无机物质，动物有时很难从饮食中吸收。

Chelation is a process that binds a mineral to an organic substance like an amino acid. Chelated minerals may be more easily absorbed and used by cats than nonchelated minerals.
螯合是一种将矿物质与氨基酸等有机物质结合的过程。 螯合矿物质比非螯合矿物质更容易被猫咪吸收和利用。

Water in Cat Food
猫粮中的水分

Now on to the most important nutrient for cats—water.
现在来谈谈猫最重要的营养素——水。

Water makes up most of a cat’s body and is essential to almost every metabolic function. Domestic cats have evolved to get most of their water from their food, not from a water bowl. 水占了猫身体的大部分，几乎对所有新陈代谢功能都至关重要。 家猫已经习惯为从食物中获取大部分水，而不是从饮水器。

Cats will typically let themselves become more dehydrated (8%) in comparison to dogs (4%) before seeking out a drink of water.
与狗 (4%) 相比，猫(8%)只有在很渴的时候才会去找水喝 。

Some ingredients, like whole meats, are rich in water. Water is also added to commercial cat foods as part of the manufacturing process to facilitate mixing. Most of the water is subsequently driven out of dry foods to make them more shelf stable.
一些原料如全肉，本身就富含水分。在商业猫粮制作过程中，会添加一部分水，以方便原料混合。随后将大部分水分从干燥食品中排出，以使猫粮颗粒更稳定。

Canned foods contain much more water than do dry foods, which makes canned food a better match for the way cats prefer to get their water and an overall healthier choice.
罐头食品比干粮含有更多的水，所以罐头食品是更符合猫咪获取水分的方式，是整体更健康的选择。

How Much Water Does My Cat Need?
猫咪需要多少水分？

Healthy cats generally need to take in around 4 to 5 ounces of water per 5 pounds of body weight, but this includes both what they get from their food and from a water bowl. Cats who eat canned food only may need to drink very little supplemental water.
对健康的猫咪来说，每5磅体重需要摄入大约4到5盎司的水，这包括它们从食物和饮水器中获取的水。 只吃罐头食品的猫可能很少需要补充水。

Can I Make My Own Nutritional Cat Food?
我可以自己做营养猫粮吗？

The safest and simplest way to meet a cat’s nutritional needs is to feed them a high-quality, AAFCO-approved canned cat food.
全面满足猫咪营养需求的最安全和最简单的方法是喂它们高品质猫粮。

But what about making your own cat food? Yes, homemade cat foods can be a nutritious option, but they require a lot of extra effort, time, and money. If you’re interested in a homemade diet for your cat, schedule a consultation with a veterinary nutritionist or make use of services like Petdiets.com or BalanceIt.com that are run by veterinary nutritionists. Do not make cat foods from recipes you find online or in books. Research has shown that they are rarely nutritionally complete and balanced.
但是如何自己制作猫粮呢？ 是的，自制猫粮或许是一种营养丰富的选择，但需要大量准备工作、时间和金钱。如果您对自制猫粮感兴趣，请咨询兽医营养师。不要根据您在网上或书中找到的食谱随意制作猫粮。研究表明，这些食谱营养一般无法满足猫咪的全面营养需求。