Shelter Nutrition for Cats and Dogs

a tabby cat sits in her kennel in front of a meal of wet cat food

Proper nutrition is an essential component of any shelter wellness program. Learn what’s needed for a comprehensive shelter nutrition program.

Proper nutrition is an essential component of any shelter wellness program. Food can also be a powerful enrichment tool. As with other components of shelter operations, every shelter should have written protocols detailing the specifics of their nutrition program. These include:

Species-specific instructions
Amount and frequency of feeding (by product and animal weight)
Staff roles and responsibilities related to feeding
Appetite monitoring plan
Weight and body condition score (BCS) monitoring plan

Diet Basics

Many components go into creating a shelter feeding plan for individual animals and populations. Factors include the nutritional composition of chosen diets; species; and quality, quantity, and frequency of feeding. All animals need to be fed a complete, nutritionally balanced, and age-appropriate diet.

The selected diet should remain consistent as changing the diet frequently can lead to gastrointestinal upset, especially in dogs. Participation in a shelter feeding program can help organizations access consistent high-quality diets at a reduced cost. For shelters that rely on donations for some or all of their food supply, a wish list indicating specific products can be helpful to reduce variability in the types of available food.
Home-cooked or raw diets may not be nutritionally complete and can be contaminated with bacteria, posing a public health risk.

Life-stage impacts diet choice. For example, puppies and kittens require diets formulated for growth and development until skeletal maturity. Small breed dogs and cats mature around 1 year of age, whereas large or giant breed dogs mature between 16-24 months of age. Large and giant breed puppies require diets limited in calcium and should not be overfed. During physiologically stressful periods, such as pregnancy or lactation, female cats and dogs have an increased need for carbohydrates (e.g., glucose). Cats are “true carnivores”, meaning they obtain their nutrient requirements from animal proteins. Therefore, cats have a much higher protein requirement than dogs. Cats should be fed a nutritionally complete, commercially prepared, feline-specific diet. Whenever possible shelters should strive to implement a feeding program that helps meet cats’ normal feeding behaviors and environmental needs.

Diet Quality

The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) establishes standard ingredient definitions and nutritional requirements for pet food. Their guidelines establish what is considered a complete and balanced animal diet.

Pet food companies use third-party testing agencies to analyze their diets and show they meet AAFCO guidelines. Verified diets have an AAFCO label stating the diet is adequate for the life stages and breeds indicated. Shelters should select food brands that meet AAFCO guidelines.

Several commercial pet food brands work closely with shelters to provide low to no-cost food. These programs allow shelters to provide high quality diets at a low cost, which opens economic resources for other essential daily shelter functions.

Shelters must stay up to date on new and ongoing recalls of diets. Shelters that use donated pet food often have a variety of diets and may not be in direct communication with pet food companies; therefore, they may miss important recall notices. All shelters should regularly check the FDA’s website for a list of pet food recalls and withdrawals.

Animal diets must also be properly stored to prevent spoiling, contamination, and introduction of pests. Food should be stored in airtight plastic or metal containers at the manufacturer’s recommended temperatures and humidity and in alignment with local shelter regulations. Expired products should be discarded.

Feeding Amount

Ideally, feeding charts for standard diets by species and weight should be used to clarify and simplify individual feeding allotments. Diets can differ radically in calorie counts per cup, so feeding charts should be based on the specific diet being fed and not assumed to be the same across manufacturers or flavors. Staff feeding animals should use measuring cups to ensure standard, consistent amounts are being fed. 

The most accurate way to determine how much to feed individual animals is by calculating their metabolic energy requirement (MER) and adapting that calculation to the animal’s life-stage and body weight. This calculation is difficult to apply across a population when there are many animals and different species in care, and for most animals, adherence to the product-specific feeding chart will provide a reasonable approximation. However, when feeding overweight or underweight animals, individual animal calculations can be useful. For more information on how to use a food calculator, please see the ASPCA's Food Calculator. 

Feeding Frequency

All animals should be fed on a predictable schedule to provide enrichment, reward, and to reduce stress. Ideally, all animals are offered food at minimum twice daily with food intake monitored throughout the day. Uneaten food should be discarded and replaced at least every 24 hours.

In breeds like deep-chested or large breed dogs, feeding two smaller meals may reduce risk of life-threatening bloat and gastric torsion which occurs when an animal eats quickly and takes in excessive air.
Puppies and kittens less than 6 months of age and animals undergoing metabolically stressful periods (e.g., pregnancy, lactation, emaciation) should be fed more frequently. 
Many cats will self-regulate and seem to prefer small meals throughout the day when offered dry food. Cats can also be trained to be meal-fed or fed-ad lib.

Water

Fresh, clean water should be always available to shelter animals unless otherwise advised by a veterinarian for individual animals. Water consumption is affected by many conditions including the ambient temperature, exercise, and diet. A deficiency of water may have serious repercussions for pets.

Feeding Tips

All feeding dishes need to be easily cleaned and disinfected. They should be made of indestructible, non-porous material, such as stainless steel. If this is not possible, shelters should consider using single-use disposable plates or bowls.
Dishes and bowls should be selected based on the size and the species of the animal. For example, cats prefer shallow dishes or plates. These bowls or dishes should be wide enough to accommodate the cat’s face and whiskers. Many shelters utilize paper plates to offer canned food as they are easy to use, affordable, and easy to dispose of. 
For many animals, food also serves as an opportunity for enrichment. Dry food can be hidden in tissue paper, puzzle toys, cardboard boxes, or feeder balls to provide opportunities for foraging and play.

Animal Monitoring

Daily monitoring of food and water intake helps ensure each animal is getting the nutritional support they require. Regular monitoring of body weight and BCS are crucial components of this monitoring and should be obtained through the use of a consistent scale. This is especially critical for co-housed animals where individual food intake is harder to measure.

Animals should be weighed at intake and those staying long-term should be weighed monthly. Those who are co-housed or who have underlying medical conditions will need to be weighed more regularly. Animals with unique nutritional needs, such as emaciated or obese animals, should have a diet formulated with veterinary input.

Animals that are not eating regularly or who are losing weight, even when offered preferred diets, may have underlying medical conditions or be experiencing significant stress. These observations should prompt further evaluation by medical and behavior staff.