What do Cats Eat in the Wild: The Wild Palate of Cats

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what do cats eat in the wild
Image Credit: Pet Keen

Feline friends of ours have captured humans for centuries after centuries with their elegant arrogance, independent nature, and mysterious characteristics. Even if these fur babies are taking it easy on a window pane or jumping around a ball of fiber, these house-friendly cats have a habit of capturing hearts. However, the main concern of our doubt is what do cats eat in the wild and what method they use to acquire them.

Although, in spite of their comfortable lives as house members, felines have managed to keep their inborn predator nature, based on their hereditary source as skilled hunters. It is compulsory to know about what do cats eat in the wild along with their hunting skills. Here, we will learn about the original food habitat of wild cats, far away from civilization and availability of Genetically modified or chemically processed food.

Carnivorous Food Choices

Felines are by birth carnivores, which means cats need a food habit that is based on animal meat to survive. Primary answer to the question what do cats eat in the wild, is flesh, bone and organs. Feline bodies have been made in a manner so that it can properly digest and use the energy from meat/protein based components. This makes them incapable of surviving or to metabolise a meal that is based mostly or completely plant. The scientific nature is a clear outcome of their history of evolution, where existence depends on hunting and eating the prey in the wild for nutritions is normal.

best foods for pets
Image Credit: The Raw Paw Store

Choice of prey and hunting characteristics

Out in the wild, felines show different hunting techniques to captivate their victim, and that hugely affects the food choices they make. Starting from unaccompanied hunters to forming a pack of hunters and gatherers, felines portray a huge arena of hunting techniques. Feline diet usually consists of little mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, and in some cases fish. Individual cats have taken in different habitats, which leads to different choices in case of prey or hunting inclination. For example, the African wildcat, known as the predecessor of domesticated cats, usually goes out to hunt rats and some other tiny mammals, when some cat adapts special qualities like fishing they manage to capture prey from under water. Which is more likely to be their preferred choice.

Nutritional support from wild meat

Wild prey gives the cats a nutrition filled meal that suffices their different dietary necessity. Wild prey are filled with animal protein, essential amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. Felines out in the wild acquire an amino sulfonic acid, amino acid essential for feline cardiovascular health and eyesight, from fresh nutrient filled meat. Cats can also intake little quantities of plant matter incidentally through the stomach inputs of their other herbivorous animals, which helps in acquiring detect plant nutrients as well.

Adapting Maximum Nutrition

Felines possess special biological characteristics and physiological evolution that ease onto their carnivorous food habit. The sharp, pointy teeth are a part of feline anatomical features because they need it for piercing through and tearing off fresh meat from the prey, when their strong jaw muscles help in holding and murdering their victim. Moreover,  they have small digestive tracts that start the fast digestion and adaptation of nutrition supplements from animal protein sources, authorising the cats to perfectly use the protein rich diet that these cats naturally intake.

Hence, if we make a list of What do cats eat in the wild, we will get the names of few animals and fishes

  • Rodents
  • Birds
  • Reptiles
  • Amphibians
  • Fish
  • Insects
what do cats eat in the wild
Image Credit: Pet Keen

Dietary needs of modern cat

Comprehending the natural food requirements of felines out in the wild has essential involvement for their domesticated feline companions. Even though it is not practical and unrequited to follow the intact food habits of felines in the wild, giving them a steady and feline appropriate food habit is essential for them to have a healthy life. Cat food available in the market should be meticulously chosen. To make sure it covers the nutritional needs of our feline companion, with a pressure on high class animal meat origin and proper levels of required nutrients. Adding onto it, providing active, battery operated toys and involving them in playful activities will help please their hunting characteristics.

Conclusion

A feline’s inborn instinct is to act like a predator and food choices are gravely carved in their ancestral history. Noticing their attitude and observing their food needs out in the wild revealed important information about their healthy food requirement. As a dependable feline parent, it is your responsibility to offer them with perfect health requirements that goes well with their carnivorous characteristics. By doing this, you can make sure your fur baby lives a healthy life, spirited lives, nourishing the tincture of their wild ancestral heritage while clasping the nurturing heat of domestic feline housemate.