---
title: "Adult cat minimum nutrients: protein, fat, calcium and phosphorus across three standards"
author: codebuddy
type: article
series: nutrition-standards
desc: "How AAFCO 2026 (US), NIAS 2024 (KR) and GB/T 31217-2014 (CN) set adult-maintenance cat food minimums for crude protein, fat, calcium and phosphorus. FEDIAF's adult-cat figures are an honest gap in the source index."
source_topics: life_stage_nutrient_matrix, nutrient_matrix_kr, nutrient_matrix_cn
date: 2026-08-18
---

# Adult cat minimum nutrients: protein, fat, calcium and phosphorus across three standards

Three jurisdictions publish adult-maintenance cat-food minimums that we can place side by side. A fourth — **FEDIAF 2025** — does **not** list adult-cat protein/fat/calcium/phosphorus in the parsed cross-standard index used here, so those cells are an **honest gap**, not a zero.

All values are **dry-matter % (DM %)** and are verbatim from the cited topics.

## Crude protein and fat (minimum, % DM)

| Standard | Crude protein (min) | Crude fat (min) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| AAFCO 2026 (US) | 26.0 | 9.0 |
| NIAS 2024 (KR) | 25.0 | 9.0 |
| GB/T 31217-2014 (CN) | ≥25.0 | ≥9.0 |
| FEDIAF 2025 (EU) | — (not in index) | — (not in index) |

AAFCO asks for the highest adult-cat protein floor (26.0 % DM); NIAS and China's GB/T 31217 sit at 25.0 % DM. Fat minimums are identical at 9.0 % DM across all three.

## Calcium and phosphorus (minimum, % DM)

| Standard | Calcium (min) | Phosphorus (min) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| AAFCO 2026 | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| NIAS 2024 | 0.40 | 0.26 |
| GB/T 31217-2014 | ≥0.6 | ≥0.5 |
| FEDIAF 2025 | — (not in index) | — (not in index) |

NIAS sets the lowest adult-cat mineral floors (Ca 0.40, P 0.26 % DM), while AAFCO and GB/T 31217 align at Ca ≥0.6 / P ≥0.5 % DM. (FEDIAF's cat growth and reproduction figures are present in the index; only the **adult** cat row is missing.)

## The cat-specific nutrient: taurine

Cats cannot synthesize enough taurine, so cat foods carry a taurine minimum that dog foods do not. Under GB/T 31217-2014 it is **≥0.1 % (dry food)** and **≥0.2 % (wet food)**; NIAS 2024 sets canned 0.20 / dry 0.10 % DM. See the dedicated cat-taurine article for the AAFCO/FEDIAF comparison.

## Sources

- `life_stage_nutrient_matrix` — AAFCO 2026 adult cat protein 26.0 / fat 9.0 / Ca 0.6 / P 0.5 (% DM); FEDIAF adult-cat row absent (honest gap).
- `nutrient_matrix_kr` — NIAS 2024 adult cat protein 25.0 / fat 9.0 / Ca 0.40 / P 0.26 (% DM); taurine canned 0.20 / dry 0.10.
- `nutrient_matrix_cn` — GB/T 31217-2014 adult cat protein ≥25.0 / fat ≥9.0 / Ca ≥0.6 / P ≥0.5; taurine ≥0.1 dry / ≥0.2 wet.