Cat food is a very confusing business these days, and we are constantly bombarded with adverts for this new food or that new food. There are also so many types available now, from dry kibble to raw food and every stage in between!
It can be very hard to know what to feed your cat but most owner's choices are based around a few core questions:
Will they eat it
Composition/Storage
Cost
Convenience
Cats are termed "obligate carnivores" which means they have to eat meat to live - this is because they cannot synthesise certain amino acids from the food they take in so it must come from their diet. A deficiency in these amino acids leads, to among other things, poor heart health. Over time this deficiency can cause heart disease; and ultimately heart failure.
When choosing a diet, there are a few main things to consider:
Is the diet a complete or complementary food?
Dry vs. wet: the great debate!
What is the protein percentage and source?
Are there lots of additives?
Complete vs. Complementary:
Complete diets are, as the term suggests, diets that contain everything a cat needs to maintain a healthy body and contain all the necessary proteins, vitamins, minerals and fats to keep their systems in tip top condition.
Complementary diets are foods that consist generally of just a protein source with added gravy, liquid or jelly. They lack the vitamins, minerals and fat etc that the cat needs to be healthy. Over time, feeding just a complementary food causes serious nutritional imbalance so when choosing foods it is important to check the label for "complete" or "complementary".
NB: Feeding home-cooked chicken, fish or meat muscle i.e. chicken breast or thighs, steak, mince and tuna etc also fall in this category! We as owners need to ensure that some form of complete food is available to our cats to allow them to maintain a healthy heart and body.
Dry vs. wet:
In the past, dry only diets were advocated by many people as they are convenient, cost effective and easily available in a huge array of options. Dry food was also advocated as dental disease prevention- something that has been disproven for some years now. Only dental care specific diets carry this benefit. One of the main considerations with dry food is fluid intake- dry only feeding does encourage less fluid intake and does have links to urinary disease because of this as strong, concentrated urine that does not need to be passed frequently is often produced by dry fed cats. This retention of the urine can, in some cats, encourage crystals and stones to form; which can at the minimum be uncomfortable and in some extreme cases, life threatening. Obesity is also a side effect of many dry fed cats, as the calorie to weight ratio is ten-fold vs. wet food.
Wet food only has traditionally been seen as an expensive and less convenient way of feeding, and also was thought to encourage dental disease in pet cats. It does however tend to keep cats leaner and they don't suffer with urinary problems with the frequency of their dry fed counterparts. It is costly, and can cause over-attachment issues though, as the cat quite naturally learns to associate owners with food. Some out-of-the-box thinking can be necessary to handle these kinds of issues.
These days, many people feed a mix of wet and dry foods which is a sensible approach, provided the quality of the food being fed meets the necessary nutritional requirements of the cat. We do also have to take into account the cat itself. Some cats simply will not eat one type or the other, so the choice comes down to what will be eaten!!
Protein content and source:
A main source of those amino acids we mentioned earlier. It's source is also important, ideally we want it to be from good quality muscle meat rather than from the other less valuable parts of the animal such as the tendons, feathers/hair and other gristly bits. These are often termed "meat derivatives" and "meal" on the ingredients list. Your proteins source should be listed as one of the first items on the ingredients list too- the manufacturers show the items in descending order of volume contained within the food.
When selecting a food, the percentage of protein is important too - ideally you would look for a minimum percentage of 30% but the higher the better generally. Some of the dry foods available these days have as much as 80% protein! This ensures a good level of protein available for growth, cell renewal and development, or healing of injuries etc.
Additives:
Foods nearly all come with some sort of additives these days, from joint supplements to behaviour support; but the key is knowing which ones aren't good - cats do not require sugar in any form, and colourants are simply not required. Colours in pet food are there purely for our benefit, not your cat. The cat's eye does not even process most of the colours we see! Vegetables are also another unnecessary item as cats cannot digest cellulose at all, and cellulose is the main building block of vegetables. E numbers are also often present in lots of pet foods, generally there as preservatives or flavourings but again they are not required by the cat.
A note on grain free & raw diets:
"Grain free" is a big money term these days for pet food, but it's not always the cause of digestive upsets and other issues. In certain cases it can be very beneficial for the diet to contain grain, but if you have dietary issues with your cat consider speaking with your vets first, and there are also qualified veterinary nutritionists available that can give you advice on diets should you require it.
Raw food is the other big controversy currently around. Raw has many benefits for many pets, but in certain circumstances it is not advisable due to the potential for human health concerns and other issues, particularly in immune-compromised people and pets.
There are arguments for and against all types of foods but the number one thing is to ensure you are doing your research into the foods you use and their contents. Whether the diet is complete or complementary, it's protein levels and additive contents are the top items on my checklist when I am looking at foods. There are good diets available at all budgets, and yes, compromise can be necessary sometimes. A little of something naughty occasionally is not the end of the world, but in moderation!
Seek advice from experienced and qualified nutrition experts if you want to find out more about the foods you use. In the case of gastrointestinal issues, please seek veterinary advice regarding treatment and food options.
Comments