Food for Thought Before Feeding Your New Cat

Choosing the right cat foodfor your special pet's specific needs is one of the most important choices you'll ever make. Work with your veterinarian to validate your choices to ensure your cat will receive the correct balance of nutrition. When it comes to feeding, you also might be interested in learning a little about how nature has equipped your cat for eating. Take this short quiz to discover some fun facts.

QUESTION 1: Cats love a tasty dish. Does that mean they have a lot of taste buds? Guess how many.

ANSWER 1: 473 — Cats only have 473 taste buds, mainly because useful barbs in the middle of their tongues contain no taste buds.

QUESTION 2: Taste is the most important sense when it comes to your cat's dining pleasure. What's a close second?

ANSWER 2: Smell — Cats rely heavily on their sense of smell to help determine what's edible. In fact, a unique set of organs lets your cat "taste" air drawn into the mouth.

QUESTION 3: True or false — cats are known for their good taste, but some taste sensations are stronger than others. Your cat's tongue is probably least sensitive to "sweet."

ANSWER 3: True — Very few taste receptors on a cat's tongue are sensitive to sweet.

QUESTION 4: Cats won't eat just anything. In fact, many reject food of a particular temperature range. Cold, room temperature or warm — which is it?

ANSWER 4: Cold —Cats do not prefer cold food. Room temperature or warm food is generally more appealing, probably because it echoes instincts for eating fresh prey in the wild.

QUESTION 5: More teeth does not necessarily mean better chewing. Which one of the following has the least teeth: person, cat, crocodile, dog.

ANSWER 5: Cat — The average cat has 30 teeth, specially designed for ripping and cutting. What goes into your cat's mouth doesn't stand much of a chance.