How to Choose the Best Food For Your Cat
Despite its surface appearance as an ordinary task, choosing the right food for your cat can be crucial for its health, longevity, and overall well-being.
Many factors come into play when selecting the proper nutrition for your cat, such as age, environment, nutritional needs, and cost.
To determine the right food for your cat, it's helpful to understand what your cat needs, and what your choices really are when you're standing in the pet food aisle at your local supermarket or pet store, examining all the selections.
First, cats differ from humans in that they do not require carbohydrates.
The corn, wheat, and barley that is found in so many cat foods is filler, used primarily for binding, flavoring, and coloring the food.
All your cat really needs is protein, water, Taurine, and various vitamins and minerals.
Understanding this helps eliminate the cheaper cat foods high in those "fillers", and zero in on the foods that provide what your cat really needs.
The next decision is frequently whether to feed your cat moist food or dry food.
There are pros and cons to each.
While dry food can be left out for the cat to graze throughout the day, it lacks the water content of moist food-something from which cats benefit, since they rarely drink enough water on their own.
In addition, a diet of nothing but dry food can lead to a number of health problems for your cat, including feline diabetes, dehydration, and chronic renal failure.
Moist food, however many preservatives it contains, should not be left out for an extended period of time, as anyone who has walked past a day-old plate of moist cat food can attest to.
The solution, according to many experts, is a mixture.
This not only provides the benefits of both, but also prevents food addictions and, on the other end of the spectrum, food allergies.
Now it's time to move on the brand itself.
With so many out there to choose from, which is right for your cat? First, take a look at the ingredients.
A good cat food will not simply contain protein, it will also list a specific protein source, such as chicken, fish, or beef.
Just as important is the placement of that ingredient on the label.
It should be the first one listed, since-just like in human food-ingredients are listed in the order of their percentage of content.
Also, be aware that the label of "human grade" protein on any cat food label should be viewed with caution, as the advisory body for pet food production, the American Association of Feed Control Officials, or AAFCO, does not make any determination as to this designation on pet food.
With all of these factors to consider, many cat owners may wonder if raw food might be a better alternative.
After all, if cats in the wild can eat their food raw, isn't it good for domesticated cats as well? Yes and no.
Switching a cat that has been eating nothing but kibble its entire life to a strictly raw diet with no transition may lead to some unexpected digestive mishaps and a possible need for a carpet cleaner.
Some form of segue needs to take place to ensure that your cat can make the switch to raw food in a healthy and comfortable manner.
Also, you can find prebiotics at your local pet store that will help maintain digestive enzymes.
Creating a raw food diet for your cat requires more than simply throwing some raw chicken livers into a bowl and sliding it under your cat's nose.
Including all of the ingredients required for your cat's dietary needs, such as raw organ meat, raw nuts and seeds, ground (non-splintering) bone, vitamin C, and fatty acids, can be time consuming.
You also have to make sure that what you've made is something that your cat will find appetizing, otherwise all of your hard work has gone for nothing.
This is not to say that raw food does not have its benefits.
The most obvious positive aspect of a raw food diet is the peace of mind that comes with knowing that the food your cat is consuming is free of preservatives, fillers, or unhealthy additives.
If you have the time to put together a raw food diet for your cat, the rewards can far outweigh the effort.
When examining all the available options for feeding your cat, it is clear that each type of cat food has its advantages and disadvantages.
What is most important is taking the time to make sure that, no matter how you feed your cat, it is receiving all of the nutrients it needs for proper growth, development, and maintenance.
Learn more about choosing the best cat food here.
Many factors come into play when selecting the proper nutrition for your cat, such as age, environment, nutritional needs, and cost.
To determine the right food for your cat, it's helpful to understand what your cat needs, and what your choices really are when you're standing in the pet food aisle at your local supermarket or pet store, examining all the selections.
First, cats differ from humans in that they do not require carbohydrates.
The corn, wheat, and barley that is found in so many cat foods is filler, used primarily for binding, flavoring, and coloring the food.
All your cat really needs is protein, water, Taurine, and various vitamins and minerals.
Understanding this helps eliminate the cheaper cat foods high in those "fillers", and zero in on the foods that provide what your cat really needs.
The next decision is frequently whether to feed your cat moist food or dry food.
There are pros and cons to each.
While dry food can be left out for the cat to graze throughout the day, it lacks the water content of moist food-something from which cats benefit, since they rarely drink enough water on their own.
In addition, a diet of nothing but dry food can lead to a number of health problems for your cat, including feline diabetes, dehydration, and chronic renal failure.
Moist food, however many preservatives it contains, should not be left out for an extended period of time, as anyone who has walked past a day-old plate of moist cat food can attest to.
The solution, according to many experts, is a mixture.
This not only provides the benefits of both, but also prevents food addictions and, on the other end of the spectrum, food allergies.
Now it's time to move on the brand itself.
With so many out there to choose from, which is right for your cat? First, take a look at the ingredients.
A good cat food will not simply contain protein, it will also list a specific protein source, such as chicken, fish, or beef.
Just as important is the placement of that ingredient on the label.
It should be the first one listed, since-just like in human food-ingredients are listed in the order of their percentage of content.
Also, be aware that the label of "human grade" protein on any cat food label should be viewed with caution, as the advisory body for pet food production, the American Association of Feed Control Officials, or AAFCO, does not make any determination as to this designation on pet food.
With all of these factors to consider, many cat owners may wonder if raw food might be a better alternative.
After all, if cats in the wild can eat their food raw, isn't it good for domesticated cats as well? Yes and no.
Switching a cat that has been eating nothing but kibble its entire life to a strictly raw diet with no transition may lead to some unexpected digestive mishaps and a possible need for a carpet cleaner.
Some form of segue needs to take place to ensure that your cat can make the switch to raw food in a healthy and comfortable manner.
Also, you can find prebiotics at your local pet store that will help maintain digestive enzymes.
Creating a raw food diet for your cat requires more than simply throwing some raw chicken livers into a bowl and sliding it under your cat's nose.
Including all of the ingredients required for your cat's dietary needs, such as raw organ meat, raw nuts and seeds, ground (non-splintering) bone, vitamin C, and fatty acids, can be time consuming.
You also have to make sure that what you've made is something that your cat will find appetizing, otherwise all of your hard work has gone for nothing.
This is not to say that raw food does not have its benefits.
The most obvious positive aspect of a raw food diet is the peace of mind that comes with knowing that the food your cat is consuming is free of preservatives, fillers, or unhealthy additives.
If you have the time to put together a raw food diet for your cat, the rewards can far outweigh the effort.
When examining all the available options for feeding your cat, it is clear that each type of cat food has its advantages and disadvantages.
What is most important is taking the time to make sure that, no matter how you feed your cat, it is receiving all of the nutrients it needs for proper growth, development, and maintenance.
Learn more about choosing the best cat food here.
Source...