AAFCO Recommended Daily Vitamins for Cats
Before you try to figure out what food is best for your cat, it's important to know what vets feel is best for cat nutrition! The AAFCO is the Association of American Feed Control Officials. This nutritional survey was last updated in 1995.Remember, if you are feeding your cats wet food, be sure to do the calculations to "account for the water" before you compare values. Read Calculating Nutritional Content in Wet Food
Also it is important to remember these are MINIMUM values. These are the bare minimum amounts that your cat should be getting to maintain proper health.
Protein Values
| Nutrient | Kittens | Cats |
| Protein (total) | 30.0% | 26.0% |
| Arginine | 1.25% | 1.04% |
| Histidine | 0.31% | 0.31% |
| Isoleucine | 0.52% | 0.52% |
| Leucine | 1.25% | 1.25% |
| Lysine | 1.20% | 0.83% |
| Methionine-cystine | 1.10% | 1.10% |
| Methionine | 0.62% | 0.62% |
| Phenylalanine-tyrosine | 0.88% | 0.88% |
| Phenylalanine | 0.42% | 0.42% |
| Taurine | 0.20% | 0.20% |
| Threonine | 0.73% | % 0.73 |
| Tryptophan | 0.25% | 0.16% |
| Valine | 0.62% | 0.62% |
Fat Values
| Nutrient | Kittens | Cats |
| Fat (total) | 9.0% | 9.0% |
| Arachidonic acid | 0.02% | 0.02% |
| Linoleic acid | 0.5% | 0.5% |
Vitamins
| Nutrient | Kittens | Cats |
| Biotin | 0.07 mg/kg | 0.07 mg/kg |
| Choline | 2.4 g/kg | 2.4 g/kg |
| Folic Acid | 0.8 mg/kg | 0.8 mg/kg |
| Vitamin A | 9,000.0 IU/kg | 5,000.0 IU/kg |
| Vitamin B1 / thiamin | 5.0 mg/kg | 5.0 mg/kg |
| Vitamin B2 / riboflavin | 4.0 mg/kg | 4.0 mg/kg |
| Vitamin B5 / pantothenic acid | 5.0 mg/kg | 5.0 mg/kg |
| Vitamin B3 / niacin | 60.0 mg/kg | 60.0 mg/kg |
| Vitamin B6 / pyridoxine | 4.0 mg/kg | 4.0 mg/kg |
| Vitamin B12 / cyanocobalamin | 20.0 µg/kg | 20.0 µg/kg |
| Vitamin D | 750.0 IU/kg | 500.0 IU/kg |
| Vitamin E | 30.0 IU/kg | 30.0 IU/kg |
| Vitamin K | 0.1 mg/kg | 0.1 mg/kg |
Minerals
| Nutrient | Kittens | Cats |
| Calcium | 1.0% | 0.6% |
| Chloride | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Copper | 15.0 mg/kg | 5.0 mg/kg |
| Iodine | 0.35 mg/kg | 0.35 mg/kg |
| Iron | 80.0 mg/kg | 80.0 mg/kg |
| Magnesium | 0.08% | 0.04% |
| Manganese | 7.5 mg/kg | 7.5 mg/kg |
| Phosphorous | 0.8% | 0.5% |
| Potassium | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| Selenium | 0.1 mg/kg | 0.1 mg/kg |
| Sodium | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Zinc | 75.0 mg/kg | 75.0 mg/kg |
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