How to choose the Best Food for your cat?

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Everyone that has a cat knows that apart from veterinary care, the most important expense is the food. This has a direct impact on how much energy your cat has, how shiny its fur looks, and how much it sheds.

The better the diet, the fewer veterinary expenses and serious medical conditions you and your cat will have to deal with. When it comes to what type of food to choose for your cat, you might have to be careful with reading the food label.

First of all, you need to know what the cat needs for a proper diet. There is a certain food mix for your cat, for her to stay healthy. Among the basic nutritional needs of a cat, there are the following: protein from meat or fish, taurine, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and water. In comparison with other animals, cats do not eat so many carbohydrates.

Dry food or wet food?

When it comes to choosing between canned food or kibble, the opinions are quite divided. The best choice would be to combine the dry food with the canned one, as there are advantages on both sides. You can go for Purina Fancy Feast Grilled Feast for canned food and Purina ONE Indoor Advantage Adult Cat Food for the dry one.

Purina Fancy Feast Grilled Feast in Gravy Canned Wet Cat Food

Cats need to drink a lot of water. As they usually don’t drink on a regular basis, it would be helpful to provide them with canned food and thus enable them to take their nutrients. Sometimes cats have a tendency to get dehydrated and some might have urinary tract issues.

Purina ONE Indoor Advantage Adult Cat Food

In order to avoid it, canned food or wet food might keep your cat on a normal level of hydration. Please note that wet food is perishable and you have to open it right before you feed your cat.

Keep a varied diet

The food should have the right amount of nutrients, meaning enough minerals and vitamins. You also need to be able to vary the food of your cat, so that it doesn’t get boring. Particularly important are the foods which are high in proteins and fat. These diets should be oriented towards supporting growth.

Choose the food against which your cat is not allergic and try to keep it as varied as possible, so as to prevent any food addictions.

The food must be “Complete and Balanced”

Another thing to consider when reading the label from the cat food is if this is compliant with the AAFCO requirements for “Complete and Balanced”. This text can be printed on the cat food labels only if the food has passed the feeding tests for the life stage and the nutrient levels set by AAFCO are met or exceeded.

Preservatives do not have too much influence on cat food and recently many manufacturers have gone anyway for natural ones, such as vitamin C and E.

Your cat might as well need to eat food rich in vitamin A, B, folic acid, and vitamin B12. Watch out for food that contains calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, sodium, and zinc.

These will enable your cat to have strong bones and healthy teeth. Some good dry food is Merrick Purrfect Bistro Grain-Free Dry Cat Food, which is very rich in vitamins.

Merrick Purrfect Bistro Grain Free Dry Cat Food

Check the protein source

The name of the protein source is as well relevant. It should be a specific animal, not just “meat” or “meat-by-Item”. Look for tuna, beef, chicken, or turkey. For example, Blue Buffalo Wilderness High Protein Grain Free Natural is rich in real chicken.

The protein source is easy to identify, as it is the first one listed on the can, followed by organs, grains, and vegetables. Don’t forget to check the expiration date.

Blue Buffalo Wilderness High Protein Grain Free Natural

Very important for your cat’s health are the taurine and arachidonic acid levels. These are found in the meat and if you change your catsʼ diet you might pay attention to choosing food that has meat.

If the food label has words such as “By-Items“, “animal digest” or anything that includes “digest“, then you should avoid this type of food. You should as well stay away from any chemical preservations and any excess carbohydrate fillers.

Choosing the right food for your cat is not so difficult if you carefully check the food label, the protein and combine the wet food with a dry one.

What is your kitten’s favorite food?

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