Cat Food Analysis

Since the pet food recalls several years ago, cat owners are more interested in high quality cat food. High quality ingredients especially proteins and few preservatives and artificial ingredients are most desirable.A cat is a carnivore and meat should be its primary source of protein. If the food label says beef, 95% of its ingredients should be beef. If labeled chicken or lamb, only 25% is recommended. If labeled chicken or beef flavored, it may not contain any meat. Food containing meat byproducts, grains and glutens are a less healthy diet.A cat needs more protein than carbohydrates in its diet. Besides meat, protein is added to the food using meat byproducts, animal digest, meat meal and bone meal. With chicken, necks, feet and intestines are used. Although these provide some protein, they are not as healthy as meat. Carbohydrate fillers require a cat to eat more food to get the necessary protein. This can lead to obesity and health problems.Artificial preservatives may have a long term effect on a cat's health. The more common chemicals use are BHA/BHT, ethoxyquin and propyl gallate. Vitamin C or E is a much better alternative as a preservative.Dry cat food stores easier, is more cost effective and makes litter box cleaning easier. Canned food is more like raw food, usually has less filler and carbohydrates and contains water which aids in hydration. Experts recommend that wet food be the primary diet.Another alternative is a raw food diet reflecting what a cat eats in the wild. This can be messy, expensive and time consuming to prepare. It is believed that the food has better nutrients leading to better health and more energy. The right amount of food and supplements is required to insure the cat is getting a balance diet.Some owners use a vegetarian diet for their cats. This can be effective if the diet contains enough protein. There is some concern that a cat's lifespan must be impacted by this diet.There are many types of dry and wet food on the market. From the commercial grade to the premium or natural, the impact on a cat's health will vary. The premium or natural foods cost more but a cat usually eats less making it as cost effective as the commercial grades. The label describes what is in the food and a veterinarian can recommend the best diet.

Cat Nutrition - The Top 3 Reasons Why Canned Food is Better For Your Cat Than Dry

There has been an ongoing discussion among cat owners about whether dry or canned food is better. Do you feed your cat canned food? Should you? The answer is a big YES, and here are the top 3 reasons why.1. Water Content.In canned cat food, the main ingredient is water. This means that canned food is closer to what your cat would eat in his natural habitat. When a cat kills and eats prey, the animal flesh contains the water required to meet the cat's nutritional needs. This is not the case with dry food.Because cats have evolved to get most of their water from the prey they hunt and eat, they are not well accustomed to drinking water from a bowl. Many cats do not get enough water if they are on a dry food diet, and easily become dehydrated. This can contribute to common feline diseases such as Urinary Tract Crystals, which often lead to kidney and liver problems.2.    Animal ProteinMost canned cat foods contain significant amounts of animal protein, and this is generally the second ingredient, after water, and before any carbohydrate content. Canned cat foods do not generally contain much carbohydrate, while dry foods usually contain a great deal.Is this important? Very much so! Too much carbohydrate for a cat can cause all sorts of problems, including a higher chance of developing Diabetes, more likelihood of becoming obese, and greater risk of Pancreatitis. A better understanding of cat nutrition tells us that lower carbohydrate and higher animal protein is a much healthier diet.3. DigestionCanned food is already partially broken down when the cat eats it. This makes it much easier to digest in the cat's stomach and intestines. What this can mean for your cat is reduced incidents of vomiting and intestinal gas, and less risk of Bloat.I know it can seem inconvenient to deal with canned food, when with dry all you need to do is pour a little into a bowl each day. Maybe you dislike the smell of canned food. The tins and bowls are messy and they need to be cleaned or recycled. But once you know what your cat really needs for optimum health, you understand that it's worth it. And think how much more inconvenient it would be if your cat develops diabetes or kidney problems, and you need to give him insulin injections or subcutaneous fluids each day! Not to mention how this would affect your cat's happiness and sense of well being.So keep your cat's health in mind, and consider making the switch if you have not already!

Feeding Your Cat - What You Should Know

You would think that feeding your cat would be the one part of act pet care that would be easy, but there are so many choices of food out there, that it can be downright confusing. You want to feed your cat the best food, the food that can provide the most vitamins and nutrients so that you can stays healthy and happy for a long time to come. So, how do you know what type of food to feed your cat? How much food should you allow your cat to eat at one time? How many times a day do you need to feed your cat? If you make the wrong choice, you could severely impact your cat's health, so as you can see, feeding your cat may not be as simple a task as you first thought it would be.The majority of the cat food that you can purchase today has been specially formulated specifically for your cat's health. It has the correct amount of vitamins and nutrients, with just the right number of calories, to ensure that your cat stays healthy, and doesn't become overweight. Your veterinarian should be able to suggest the best brand of cat food for your cat, as well as help answer any cat feeding questions that you may have. If your cat has health problems, or is overweight, he may require special food.When purchasing cat food, you shouldn't grab the cheapest bag that you can find and think that it is okay for your cat. When it comes to cat food, you really do get what you pay for. If you can't afford the most expensive brands, that is okay, but you should try to mix it up, maybe buy a more expensive, higher-quality brand one week, and then go for a cheaper brand the next week.Your veterinarian will also be able to tell you how much your cat should weigh, and make suggestions to help you get your cat to that weight. Obesity is a major problem for cats just as it is for people, and significantly raises their risk for developing serious health problems as they grow older.Try not to feed your cat the same type or brand of food all the time. Just as you would get bored and tired of eating the same thing everyday, so does your cat. Feed your cat a mixture of dry and canned cat food, and change flavors often. Most veterinarian's will suggest that you give your cat canned food as much as possible, as it has higher nutrient content than the dry food, and is easier for your cat to digest.You should never, ever give your cat or allow anyone else to give your cat table food or scraps. The food that you eat could cause serious problems with your cat's delicate digestive system, damaging her health, and costing you major money in veterinary bills.You should, however give your cat fresh water each time you feed it. Water is crucial in keeping your cat hydrated, and in helping her digest her food. If your cat doesn't get enough water, it could develop bladder and kidney problems, again detrimental to your cat's health and your wallet.Feeding your cat the right foods isn't really all that difficult, just do your homework and follow your veterinarian's advice.