Selecting the proper cat food can be daunting. No matter if your feline suffers from digestive or urinary tract issues or any other health concerns, there are solutions available that offer solutions.
Some cat foods offer specific health benefits (like weight management formulas or high protein diets) while others focus on offering additional nutrients that support specific areas. When selecting food for your pet, focus first on its nutritive value.
Protein
Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning that their diet must include meat as the primary source of protein. Their teeth have evolved specifically for meat eating and their digestive tract has come to depend on animal tissues for essential nutrients like amino acids that make up protein, arachidonic acid and preformed Vitamin A.
When selecting food for your cat, take careful note of its ingredients list and guaranteed analysis. These should provide valuable insight into its overall quality; in most cases, the first ingredient should be either an animal product (e.g. chicken meal or salmon meal).
Food should be designed by qualified pet nutritionists in order to meet your cat’s individual nutritional requirements, for instance an active feline may need larger kibble sizes with higher protein levels to support energy. Some foods also may include additional vitamins and minerals designed to promote optimal health.
Fat
As cats are carnivorous creatures, animal protein is vital for their wellbeing and survival. Protein provides energy, supports metabolism and aids digestion – thus making a high quality diet contain at least 26 percent protein on a dry matter basis.
Quality cat food should also contain enough fat to meet your pet’s energy requirements, and look for foods that list specific types of fat like chicken fat instead of generic terms such as “fat” or “meat by-products.” For optimal health benefits, opt for food with higher levels of Omega-3 and Omega-6 essential fatty acids – these will support more balanced metabolisms as well as healthier skin and coat.
Make sure the food contains essential minerals, vitamins and carbohydrates based on your cat’s age, breed and health considerations; consult with a veterinarian if needed for guidance.
Fiber
Cats are obligate carnivores and depend on animal protein for essential amino acids, while fats provide energy as well as carrying fat-soluble vitamins A, D and E which cannot be stored in water.
When selecting dry food for your pet, look for products with meat as the first ingredient and moderately fermentable fiber that supports digestive health. Green beans may provide such fiber; however, as they pose a choking hazard when consumed raw or must be cooked or pureed before feeding to your cat.
If your pet has a sensitive stomach, consider foods with limited ingredients, like the wild Alaskan pollock found in Go! Solutions Sensitivities Limited Ingredient Pollock Pate or Sheba’s Gentle Diner Duck Duck Goose Dinner from Sheba’s Gentle Diner. These options contain less ingredients which could cause allergies. Plus they come in multiple formats including kibble, stew and jelly to make sure there is something suitable for everyone’s lifestyle and vet recommendations.
Minerals
Your cat needs vitamins and minerals in their diet for proper health. Without enough of these vital components, diseases could develop. A poor diet could also increase free radical formation within their bodies, contributing to premature aging and disease.
Your cat needs water, proteins, fats and minerals when eating food; in particular, protein plays a significant role as it forms muscle, bones and other vital organs. Therefore, the ideal cat food will have a high protein percentage to ensure their development and overall wellness.
Minerals are essential to your cat’s wellbeing, including calcium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium chloride and magnesium. You’ll find them in foods like fish, meat, liver and grains; most cat foods also feature chelated minerals, which have organic molecules attached to make absorption simpler for cats.
Vitamins play an equally essential role in cat food. Look for products with short ingredient lists to reduce the likelihood of your cat developing allergies.
Taurine
Cats are obligate carnivores and require taurine for vision, digestion and heart muscle function. Unfortunately, animal protein is the only source of taurine; without enough taurine in their diets they may develop blindness (feline taurine retinopathy), heart failure due to dilate cardiomyopathy or nervous system abnormalities that require medical intervention.
To identify cat food with high concentrations of taurine, search the ingredients list for meat sources derived from chicken, lamb, fish or egg as the protein source. Avoid products containing plant proteins or minerals like calcium phosphate iron and magnesium as these may contain added synthetic vitamins or mineral preservatives that mask their levels.
When purchasing commercial cat food, always check for AAFCO compliance statements on the package to ensure it’s “complete and balanced.” Look for food with long ingredient lists but avoid foods containing too many chemicals or unpronounceable names; shorter lists could indicate lower quality; however some brands reduce allergies with limited ingredients.
