Nutrient Database
Key nutrients cats specifically need, and why.
Protein
Cats need substantially more dietary protein than dogs or humans, and use it as a primary energy source, not just for tissue building. Adult maintenance diets typically run 26%+ protein on a dry-matter basis; kitten/growth formulas run higher.
Taurine
An amino acid cats cannot synthesize in adequate amounts and must get from diet — deficiency causes dilated cardiomyopathy and retinal degeneration. It's abundant in animal muscle meat and organs but easily reduced by heat processing, which is why commercial cat foods are required to have it added back in.
Arachidonic Acid
An essential fatty acid cats can't synthesize from other fats the way most mammals can — it's found only in animal fat, which is part of why cats can't thrive on a vegetarian diet the way some other species can.
Vitamin A
Cats can't convert plant-based beta-carotene into vitamin A the way humans and dogs can, so they need preformed vitamin A directly from animal sources.
Fat & DHA
Fat is a dense energy source and carries fat-soluble vitamins. DHA (an omega-3 fatty acid) supports neurological development in kittens and is commonly added to kitten formulas and senior/joint-support diets.
Calcium & Phosphorus
Needed in a specific ratio (roughly 1:1 to 2:1 calcium:phosphorus) for proper bone development and maintenance — an imbalance, more common in poorly-formulated homemade diets than commercial food, can cause skeletal problems.
Water
Not a "nutrient" in the traditional sense but critical — cats evolved from a desert-adapted ancestor with a low thirst drive relative to their fluid needs, which is part of why wet food (with its high moisture content) is often recommended for urinary and kidney health. See Wet vs. Dry Food.