猫粮 (māo liáng) literally combines 猫 (māo), meaning 'cat', and 粮 (liáng), meaning 'grain' or 'food'—historically referring to staple food for humans, but extended in modern usage to denote specially formulated food for pets. It is a compound noun used exclusively for commercially produced or homemade food intended for domestic cats, typically available as dry kibble, wet canned food, or freeze-dried varieties.

This term appears frequently in pet care contexts: shopping, veterinary advice, feeding routines, and online discussions among cat owners. Unlike generic terms like 食物 (shíwù, 'food'), 猫粮 implies nutritional appropriateness for feline biology—high protein, taurine, and specific vitamin balances. It is rarely used metaphorically and almost never applied to food for other animals, making it a precise, domain-specific term within the broader category of pet supplies.