Menu
When it comes to Bengal cats or another domestic cat for that matter, food is vital to their overall health. If you want your Bengal cat to live a long and healthy life then it’s very important that they are provided the things that they need to keep them healthy. In this post we will cover the following:
When it comes to the diet of a Bengal cat, they are not really any different than any other domestic cat. So this means that if you have other cats in your home there should be no need to buy your Bengal cat anything different than you already have for your existing cat or cats. This is because they typically don’t require a special diet.
However, like any other cat or dog that you might own, it is important that you feed your Bengal cat a high quality food. It is very important that you make sure that the very first ingredient that is listed on the food label is meat. This most often means that you should try to avoid the cheaper brands of cat food.
The reason for this is that these cheaper brands more often than not will use a lot of filler in them that include, corn, corn glutten and by products. Corn is something that you should try to avoid at all cost. Just as wild cats would never eat corn of any kind, our own pets, including Bengal cats simple aren’t designed to eat things like corn or fillers. When cat food has more fillers than the meat they need it can often cause your cat to have a need to eat more food. This is because the food they are eating doesn’t have the nutrients that their bodies need, so they crave more food and this can lead to an overweight problem.
Another thing that is unpleasant about the cheaper cat foods with those useless fillers is that the food will actually make is smellier when your cat uses its litter box. Something that’s not pleasant to begin with, so there’s no reason to make this issue any worse.
Finally, your Bengal cat is part of your family, this means would you give other family members cheap and non-nutritional food to them? So, it’s really important that you try your best to make sure that your Bengal cat is given high quality food.
There is one difference that Bengal cats seem to have, they do seem to have a bigger craving for more meats in their diet than that of other domestic cats. Whether it’s raw or cooked it really doesn’t matter because they have the ability to digest either type of meat. Try to avoid giving them cheap hamburger if you decide to give them meat on occasion. This is because there’s too much fat in it. You should stick with the leaner hamburger. A really good option that Bengals tend to really like are beef hearts, so you might consider adding that to their diets if you want.
In an effort to make sure that you give the best food to your Bengal, we’ve written two blog posts to help.
First, we have a post about the best dry food for Bengal cats, then we wrote a second post which dives into the best wet food for Bengal cats. Beyond that, we also wrote this post which says what the best treats are, which may also help.
Anyone who owns a pet knows just how difficult it can be sometimes for you to resist giving into them when it comes to food, that’s human food of course. Just like all pets, Bengal cats want to share everything we share and it stands to reason they’re going to want to eat what we’re eating. However, when giving your cat human food you need to be careful and know what’s OK and what isn’t.
Before considering sharing some of your human food with your Bengal, always follow this rule of thumb for a healthy cat, never allow human food to make up more than 15% of their daily diet.
Even though Bengals and all cats are obligate carnivores which means they require meat to thrive they still tend to sometimes have an urge to eat vegetation. This is why sometimes you might find your cat nibbling on a houseplant. This is why it’s a good reason to make sure you keep houseplants away from them or at least make sure they’re harmless ones. But, because of these urges that cats might have there are some great veggies that are good human food for them:
Even though dairy products can often be found on the do not feed list for pets (see list below), for some cats it doesn’t affect them in a negative way. A lot of cats, including Bengals as they become adults will become lactose intolerant. Even though they love dairy, especially cheese, some can’t handle it. But, if you do want to try to give your Bengal a cheese snack just try a tiny bit at first to see if their digestive system can handle it. If there are issues, you could please your Bengal by giving them low-lactose or lactose free dairy products, this should make them quite happy.
Most vets agree that it’s alright to give your cat a few nibbles of that canned tuna that you’re fixing into a tuna salad for yourself. There’s no doubt that they’ll be begging for it the minute you open it up, so feel free to give them a nibble or too. Just don’t make it a regular part of their diet. Heavy amounts of tuna can actually deplete their vitamin E.
A really good treat for your Bengal cat would be eggs. Some vets even encourage pet parents to make sure eggs are included in their diets. They can be scrambled or hard boiled and they are a nutritious treat for your cat. Some even recommend raw eggs added to their food because of the benefits they would get from the eggs and in the wild this would be the form they’d get eggs in. But that is up to the individual.
Finally, chicken and other cooked poultry tends to be one of the best choices when it comes to giving them some of our human food. It gives them some good nutrition and they really enjoy it. Just make sure that you give it to them in moderation because of fat content. You don’t want an overweight Bengal walking around the house. Here’s a cute video of a Bengal enjoying a piece of chicken:
No matter how much your Bengal might be cutely pleading with you for food off your plate, and it can be hard to resist them, it’s very important that you realize that there are a lot of human foods that can not only make your Bengal sick, but can actually be fatal.
Here is a list of some human foods that can harm your Bengal:
So, did this help you understand better what foods are good and bad for your Bengal cat? Please let us know what you think by including your comment below!
Resources
Affiliate Disclosure
BengalCatClub.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Additionally, BengalCatClub.com participates in various other affiliate programs. This means that when you purchase certain products through our recommendations, at no additional cost to you, we receive a monetary reward for referring you.
*Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates.
