{"topic_id":"nrc_2006_cat_nutritional_needs","category":"nrc-2006","context":"---\ntopic_id: nrc_2006_cat_nutritional_needs\ncategory: nrc-2006\ntitle: \"NRC 2006 — Your Cat's Nutritional Needs (public-education booklet)\"\nlang: en\nsource: \"NRC public-education booklet 'Your Cat's Nutritional Needs — A Science-Based Guide For Pet Owners' (landed pdf-raw/nrc-2006/cat_nutrition_final.pdf; C1 anchor txt pdf-raw/nrc-2006/cat_nutrition_final.txt)\"\nsource_file:\n  - pdf-raw/nrc-2006/cat_nutrition_final.txt\n  - pdf-raw/nrc-2006/cat_nutrition_final.pdf\ndate_parsed: 2026-08-11\ntokens_estimated: 1100\nverified: true\nverification: paraphrase\nsource_document: \"Your Cat's Nutritional Needs — A Science-Based Guide For Pet Owners (NRC, 2006 public-education booklet)\"\ncitation:\n  authority: \"National Research Council (NRC)\"\n  title: \"Your Cat's Nutritional Needs — A Science-Based Guide For Pet Owners\"\n  url: \"https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10668/nutrient-requirements-of-dogs-and-cats\"\n  retrieved: \"2026-08-11\"\n  ref: \"NRC 2006 public-education booklet — cat\"\n  doc_type: \"NRC public-education booklet (NOT the 2006 monograph)\"\n  needs_review: false\nlicense: paraphrase\n---\n\nThe NRC booklet *Your Cat's Nutritional Needs — A Science-Based Guide For Pet Owners* is a consumer-level pamphlet written by Dale Feuer based on the 2006 report `Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats`. It is explicitly `2006 release of Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats` and frames cats as `carnivorous animals` whose protein is best derived from animal-based sources.\n\nOn macronutrients, the booklet states that `provide the most concentrated source of energy in the diet` and that `At a minimum, cat foods should have a fat content of about 9% of dry matter`. For protein it stresses that `acid taurine is a dietary essential for cats` and that `Strict vegetarian diets are not appropriate for cats` unless supplemented with the nutrients not found in plants. The booklet notes that `neither cats nor dogs can make on their own` the ten specific essential amino acids. On label reading it observes that `Pet food labels must list the percentage of protein, fat, fiber,` and that cats `approximately 2 milliliters of water for every` gram of dry food eaten.\n\nThe booklet also reproduces `DAILY RECOMMENDED ALLOWANCES` tables for an adult 9-lb cat (250 kcal/day) and, for crude protein/total fat, separate rows for kittens (1.8 lb), adult cats (9 lb), and nursing cats (9 lb with 4 kittens). These are selected single-point allowances only.\n\n**HONEST SCOPE NOTE:** This topic was built from the NRC *public-education booklet*, **not** the full 2006 NRC monograph `Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats`. The complete NRC 2006 requirement matrix — the minimum/maximum nutrient concentrations tabulated by life stage (growth, gestation, lactation, adult maintenance) and expressed per 1000 kcal and per kg of diet — was **NOT obtained**. The numeric tables below list the booklet's single-point **Daily Recommended Allowances** for the reference adult animal only (9-lb cat at ~250 kcal/day); crude-protein/total-fat rows additionally give kitten and nursing values where the booklet prints them. These are selected single-point allowances, **not** a life-stage min/max matrix. Sub-life-stage min/max values, AAFCO/FEDIAF-style nutrient profiles, and the safety (maximum) tolerances across all nutrients therefore remain **pending** and must not be inferred from this booklet.\n\n## Daily Recommended Allowances (NRC 2006 booklet)\n\nSingle-point daily allowances for an adult 9-lb cat at ~250 kcal/day (kitten/nursing values given where the booklet lists them). Figures are verbatim from the booklet's DRA tables.\n\n### Protein and Fats\n\n| Nutrient | Kittens (1.8 lb) | Adult cat (9 lb, 250 kcal) | Nursing cat (9 lb, 4 kittens) |\n|---|---|---|---|\n| Crude Protein | 10 g | 12.5 g | 41 g |\n| Total Fat | 4g | 5.5 g | 12 g |\n\n### Vitamins\n\n| Nutrient | Allowance |\n|---|---|\n| Vitamin A | 63 µg |\n| Vitamin D | 0.4 µg |\n| Vitamin E | 2.5 mg |\n| Vitamin K | 82 µg |\n| Vitamin B1 (thiamin) | 0.33 mg |\n| Riboflavin | 0.27 mg |\n| Vitamin B6 | 0.16 mg |\n| Niacin | 2.5 mg |\n| Pantothenic Acid | 0.4 mg |\n| Vitamin B12 | 1.4 µg |\n| Folic Acid | 47 µg |\n\n### Minerals\n\n| Nutrient | Allowance |\n|---|---|\n| Calcium | 0.18 g |\n| Phosphorus | 0.16 g |\n| Magnesium | 25 mg |\n| Sodium | 42 mg |\n| Potassium | 0.33 g |\n| Chlorine | 60 mg |\n| Iron | 5 mg |\n| Copper | 0.3 mg |\n| Zinc | 4.6 mg |\n| Manganese | 0.3 mg |\n| Selenium | 19 µg |\n| Iodine | 88 µg |\n\nSource: `pdf-raw/nrc-2006/cat_nutrition_final.txt` (extracted from NRC PDF, landed 2026-08-11).\n## Claims (verified C1 substrings of source_file — paraphrase mode)\n- `At a minimum, cat foods should have a fat content of about 9% of dry matter.`\n- `acid taurine is a dietary essential for cats.`\n- `Strict vegetarian diets are not appropriate for cats`\n- `approximately 2 milliliters of water for every`\n- `Pet food labels must list the percentage of protein, fat, fiber,`\n- `neither cats nor dogs can make on their own.`\n- `Crude Protein`\n- `10 g`\n- `12.5 g`\n- `41 g`\n- `Total Fat`\n- `4g`\n- `5.5 g`\n- `12 g`\n- `Vitamin A`\n- `63 µg`\n- `Vitamin D`\n- `0.4 µg`\n- `Vitamin E`\n- `2.5 mg`\n- `Vitamin K`\n- `82 µg`\n- `Vitamin B1`\n- `0.33 mg`\n- `Riboflavin`\n- `0.27 mg`\n- `Vitamin B6`\n- `0.16 mg`\n- `Niacin`\n- `Pantothenic`\n- `0.4 mg`\n- `Vitamin B12`\n- `1.4 µg`\n- `Folic Acid`\n- `47 µg`\n- `Calcium`\n- `0.18 g`\n- `Phosphorus`\n- `0.16 g`\n- `Magnesium`\n- `25 mg`\n- `Sodium`\n- `42 mg`\n- `Potassium`\n- `0.33 g`\n- `Chlorine`\n- `60 mg`\n- `Iron`\n- `5 mg`\n- `Copper`\n- `0.3 mg`\n- `Zinc`\n- `4.6 mg`\n- `Manganese`\n- `Selenium`\n- `19 µg`\n- `Iodine`\n- `88 µg`\n","sources":["nrc-2006 — Your Cat's Nutritional Needs — A Science-Based Guide For Pet Owners (retrieved 2026-08-11)"],"source":{"authority":"nrc-2006","title":"Your Cat's Nutritional Needs — A Science-Based Guide For Pet Owners","url":"https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10668/nutrient-requirements-of-dogs-and-cats","retrieved":"2026-08-11","ref":"","doc_type":"official PDF","source_document":"Your Cat's Nutritional Needs — A Science-Based Guide For Pet Owners (NRC, 2006 public-education booklet)","verification_file":"NRC public-education booklet 'Your Cat's Nutritional Needs — A Science-Based Guide For Pet Owners' (landed pdf-raw/nrc-2006/cat_nutrition_final.pdf; C1 anchor txt pdf-raw/nrc-2006/cat_nutrition_final.txt)"},"source_document":"Your Cat's Nutritional Needs — A Science-Based Guide For Pet Owners (NRC, 2006 public-education booklet)","source_file":"NRC public-education booklet 'Your Cat's Nutritional Needs — A Science-Based Guide For Pet Owners' (landed pdf-raw/nrc-2006/cat_nutrition_final.pdf; C1 anchor txt pdf-raw/nrc-2006/cat_nutrition_final.txt)","trust":{"authority_tier":"ungraded","fidelity":"paraphrase","license":"paraphrase","display_grade":"pending"},"tokens_estimated":290,"generated_at":null,"tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}