Cats rank among the most popular kinds of pets, which isn’t surprising. Hardly any other animal is as independent, self-sufficient, elegant, and loving yet crazy at the same time. Keeping cats as pets isn’t complicated if you can offer them enough space to frolic or to discover – and food, of course.
When it comes to cat food, there’s a lot of uncertainty as to which brand is good and healthy. Some brands advertise a lot. Most people assume that those are automatically good, but many of them don’t keep their promises.
The wrong cat nutrition can lead to medical issues, which is why you should make sure to find a brand that is healthy and that supplies your cat with everything it needs.
In the following sections, you’ll learn how to recognize good cat food.
Cats and Their Nutritional Needs
If you want to buy the best cat food for your pet, make sure to educate yourself on cats’ nutritional needs. Only then will you be able to check whether a specific brand meets those needs.
Proteins
In nature, felines are predators that eat meat only. A normal house cat might catch and eat birds, mice, snakes, or bats occasionally if you let them run free. But what does that mean for you and your cat? Your cat is a carnivore. Its body is made to process meat because it needs a lot of proteins.
So, when looking to buy cat food, make sure to check for proteins first. Chicken, salmon, and beef are great protein suppliers. Also, check how high the percentage of meat in the food is. Good cat foods come with a meat percentage of 70% or more.
Less nutritious foods, in turn, come with a lower percentage and are stuffed with unnecessary fillers. Those fillers don’t contribute anything to your cat’s health and are usually used by manufacturers to save costs.
Fatty Acids and Amino Acids
The building blocks of proteins help your cat grow and maintain muscles, create blood, and renew the coat and skin. To make sure they’re in the food, check for Lysine and Leucine. Favor foods that come with taurine and arginine.
Vitamins
Cat food is healthy if vitamins, minerals, and amino acids are contained in the right proportion. Make sure to check your cat food for the following: vitamin A, B, and C, B12, folic acid, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, and sodium. These nutrients help your cat with essential bodily functions, with healthy joints, teeth, and bones.
Cats Are Individual
Just like people, cats are individual. That’s why you shouldn’t just educate yourself on the universal nutritional needs of cats, but also your cat’s individual needs. Kittens need to grow, build muscles and learn. They also play a lot more than adult cats. That’s why their need for proteins is twice as high.
Senior cats, who don’t move around a lot anymore and who might even suffer from chronic illnesses, have nutritional needs that are completely different from those of young or adult cats. If your cat has an illness, it’s best to ask your vet for advice on what to look out for in good cat food.
Allergies are another issue that you should have in mind when buying cat food. If your cat has a lot of sores, seems to scratch itself a lot, or has trouble with its bowel movements, it’s a strong indicator of an allergy. In that case, it’s smart to stick with mono-protein foods, where proteins come from only one source – for example, beef. That way, you can eliminate ingredients that your cat might be allergic to.
Good cat food is the base for a long and healthy cat life. That’s why it’s your responsibility to give your best when feeding your beloved pet.