American Shorthair - Breed Facts & Characteristics

Tailored health nutrition has a fundamental role to play in maintaining the health and beauty of American Shorthair cats. Food provides energy to help with vital functions and a complete nutritional formula for cats should contain an adapted balance of nutrients. Feeding them in this way will offer a diet that’s neither deficient nor excessive, both of which could have adverse effects on your cat’s health. Clean, fresh water should be available at all times to support good urinary regularity. Cats are also naturally adapted to eating small servings – between 7 and 10 times a day. Giving them the recommended daily ration of kibble once a day will let the cat regulate their own consumption; ironically, when they have only one or two servings a day, their weight increases more than a cat who eats on demand. The following recommendations are for healthy animals. If your cat has health problems, please consult your veterinarian who will prescribe an exclusively veterinary diet.

Growth is an essential stage in the kitten’s life: it is a time of big changes, discoveries and new encounters. An American Shorthair kitten’s requirements, in terms of energy, protein, minerals and vitamins, are much greater than those of an adult cat. They need energy and nutrients to maintain their body, as well as to grow and build new cells. A kitten’s growth can be divided into two phases:

Construction

From birth to 4 months

Weaning is the transition a kitten makes from liquid – or maternal milk – to solid food. This period naturally corresponds to the time when they cut their milk teeth, at 3 to 6 weeks old. At this stage, kittens are not yet able to crunch, so a soft meal (rehydrated kibble or an adapted wet food) helps facilitate the transition between liquids and solids.

Between 4 and 12 weeks after birth

the natural immunity a kitten receives from the mother’s colostrum - or first milk - decreases while the kitten’s immune system gradually develops. This critical time, called the immunity gap, requires a complex of antioxidants, including vitamin E, to help support their natural defences. Kittens go through an intense and particularly delicate period of growth during which they’re prone to digestive upset. Their diet at this time should not only be rich in energy to meet their increasing growth needs but should also contain highly digestible protein to cater to their digestive system that’s still maturing. Prebiotics, such as fructo-oligosaccharides, can also support their digestive health by helping to balance intestinal flora. The result? Good stool quality, all the time. The kitten’s food should contain omega 3 fatty acids - EPA-DHA - which helps support the proper neuro-cerebral development.

Consolidation and Harmonisation: from 4 months to 12 months

From the fourth month, a kitten’s growth slows down, so a food lower in fats is recommended. This is particularly important after a cat is neutered. Between 4 and 7 months, a kitten’s milk teeth fall out and are replaced by permanent ones. When the adult teeth have come through, a kitten needs to eat kibble that’s big enough so they’re encouraged to crunch. Until they’re 12 months old, an American Shorthair kittens’ immune system is still gradually developing. A complex of antioxidants, including vitamin E, can help support their natural defences during this time of big changes, discoveries and new encounters. The digestive system matures progressively, with digestive ability reaching full maturity toward twelve months of age. A cat is then able to consume adult food.

On top of maintaining a healthy urinary function as for all cats, the main nutritional goals for adult American Shorthairs are:

Contributing to maintaining an ideal body weight for this strongly built and powerful cat, by combining a moderate fat level with balanced fibres with adjusted content of high-quality proteins enriched with L-carnitine, which is important for healthy fat metabolism.

Helping to preserve the health and beauty of their skin and their short lustrous coat, with the enriched addition of targeted nutrients such as specific amino acids, vitamins and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

Supporting optimal digestion and balancing intestinal flora by using highly digestible proteins and prebiotics

Supporting good oral hygiene thanks to a kibble shape adapted to their medium-short muzzle, and a texture that encourages them to chew

A senior cat – one over the age of 12 – may sometimes have difficulties with digestion. To maintain the weight of the ageing cat and minimise the risk of deficiencies, they should be given an extremely digestible food filled with essential nutrients.

As they get older, cats increasingly suffer from teeth problems, and in some senior cats, the sense of taste and smell may decline as well, which leads to a lowered intake of food. To ensure they continue to eat enough, the shape, size and hardness – meaning texture – of their kibble needs to be tailored to their now potentially more fragile jaw.

Note that the best energy level for any cat still depends on their lifestyle, even those who are ageing. A senior cat that continues to go out regularly will benefit from a diet with a slightly higher fat content. On the other hand, ageing does not reduce an indoor cat’s risk of obesity. Their calorie intake should still be closely monitored. A food with a moderate fat content then may be optimal.