Cat food
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Ruth B
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Re: Cat food
if you are in the UK then all cat food has to meet a certain standard, so there is no really bad food, like you can get in some places, that said there is definitely some foods that are better than others.
Firstly any wet food is better than dry. Cats naturally get most of their water from the prey they would kill and eat in the wild and so they are not the most natural of drinkers. As dry food means that the cat has to drink more than they naturally would there is some thought that it can lead to problems later in life. Dry food can help if you cat is a grazer and you don't want to leave wet food down in hot weather or for flies to get at, but it is better to feed a mix of wet and dry not just wet.
Secondly watch out for foods that mention they are supplementary or complimentary. There are certain trace minerals and vitamins that are vital to a cats health and that aren't always naturally found in cat food. Some manufacturers will add them to the food and label it as 'Complete' others will add it but don't always say so. However there are a few brands that don't put in the additives and these are the ones that are labelled as supplementary or complimentary. They can be fed every now and then with out a problem, but shouldn't make up the cats entire diet.
Thirdly there is your cat. If a cat doesn't like what is on offer they will leave it, and a cat that refuses to eat can end up making themselves ill. Don't leave food down thinking they will eat it when they are hungry enough, that won't always happen. It is normally best to have set meal times, and leave it down until the next meal time and then change it for something else. This is the reason so many cat owners will have half empty boxes of several different types of cat food stored around the house. In the end, no matter how high quality a cat food is, if your cat won't eat it and prefers a lower standard of food, then the high quality one isn't good for your cat. With cats, eating something is better than eating nothing.
Next there is your wallet or purse. I'm sorry to have to mention this one, but it has to be thought about. There is no point in buying the highest quality cat food you can find, if you can't really afford to do it regularly. Getting it occasionally as a treat is fine, but in the end the stress of not being able to afford things for your self or your cat will be detrimental to them. It is possible to buy good food for your cat without breaking the bank, still leaving you able to afford everything you need and luxuries for both you and your cat, which makes for a far happier stress free environment.
As to what to buy. All i can tell you is what mine have, and seeing as my oldest is now 19 and i've had her for 17 years, they can't be doing badly on it.
The main stays of the food cupboard are Felix as Good as it Looks (I know some people have had problems with it, but mine still seem to like it best), Gourmet Pearl and Purina One dried food. In addition they get some Thrive Complete, Applaws (complimentary food), and other things on occasion depending on what Zooplus have on offer when I put an order in or what I spot in the supermarket.
I will also mention raw diets, but having never tried them I really can't say one one or another about them, some people seem to think they are the best option as they are the closest to what a cat would naturally eat, and there are some good frozen ones available now that you can buy and keep in your own freezer which have all the nutrients included. it is possible to make your own but you do have to be careful not to just give the cat the best part of the meat, they need all the skin, bone etc to make sure they get all the minerals and vitamins they need or you have to add it to the meat yourself.
In the end we all want to do the best for our cats, but that can sometimes turn out to be a compromise between our life styles, what we can get easily, what we can afford and what the cat will eat. Some people will no doubt be on and giving a different opinion, cat food is one of those areas where you ask 10 people what is best and get 12 different answers.
Firstly any wet food is better than dry. Cats naturally get most of their water from the prey they would kill and eat in the wild and so they are not the most natural of drinkers. As dry food means that the cat has to drink more than they naturally would there is some thought that it can lead to problems later in life. Dry food can help if you cat is a grazer and you don't want to leave wet food down in hot weather or for flies to get at, but it is better to feed a mix of wet and dry not just wet.
Secondly watch out for foods that mention they are supplementary or complimentary. There are certain trace minerals and vitamins that are vital to a cats health and that aren't always naturally found in cat food. Some manufacturers will add them to the food and label it as 'Complete' others will add it but don't always say so. However there are a few brands that don't put in the additives and these are the ones that are labelled as supplementary or complimentary. They can be fed every now and then with out a problem, but shouldn't make up the cats entire diet.
Thirdly there is your cat. If a cat doesn't like what is on offer they will leave it, and a cat that refuses to eat can end up making themselves ill. Don't leave food down thinking they will eat it when they are hungry enough, that won't always happen. It is normally best to have set meal times, and leave it down until the next meal time and then change it for something else. This is the reason so many cat owners will have half empty boxes of several different types of cat food stored around the house. In the end, no matter how high quality a cat food is, if your cat won't eat it and prefers a lower standard of food, then the high quality one isn't good for your cat. With cats, eating something is better than eating nothing.
Next there is your wallet or purse. I'm sorry to have to mention this one, but it has to be thought about. There is no point in buying the highest quality cat food you can find, if you can't really afford to do it regularly. Getting it occasionally as a treat is fine, but in the end the stress of not being able to afford things for your self or your cat will be detrimental to them. It is possible to buy good food for your cat without breaking the bank, still leaving you able to afford everything you need and luxuries for both you and your cat, which makes for a far happier stress free environment.
As to what to buy. All i can tell you is what mine have, and seeing as my oldest is now 19 and i've had her for 17 years, they can't be doing badly on it.
The main stays of the food cupboard are Felix as Good as it Looks (I know some people have had problems with it, but mine still seem to like it best), Gourmet Pearl and Purina One dried food. In addition they get some Thrive Complete, Applaws (complimentary food), and other things on occasion depending on what Zooplus have on offer when I put an order in or what I spot in the supermarket.
I will also mention raw diets, but having never tried them I really can't say one one or another about them, some people seem to think they are the best option as they are the closest to what a cat would naturally eat, and there are some good frozen ones available now that you can buy and keep in your own freezer which have all the nutrients included. it is possible to make your own but you do have to be careful not to just give the cat the best part of the meat, they need all the skin, bone etc to make sure they get all the minerals and vitamins they need or you have to add it to the meat yourself.
In the end we all want to do the best for our cats, but that can sometimes turn out to be a compromise between our life styles, what we can get easily, what we can afford and what the cat will eat. Some people will no doubt be on and giving a different opinion, cat food is one of those areas where you ask 10 people what is best and get 12 different answers.
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Mollycat
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Re: Cat food
Ruth really covers it all there.
Some will tell you grain-free because cats don't eat grain and you will see a lot of that on the internet, but grain-free foods tend to have potato instead. I read in a book years ago, I think it was Catwatching by Desmond Morris (lovely book) that the cat's gut has grown in the 9000 years of living with us from 5ft to 7ft in length to adapt from purely raw meat to the cooked meats and non-meat foods that have been included in their diet in that time. So perhaps raw was the only way 9000 years ago but that doesn't necessarily mean it's the best now, it has its pros and cons like all other foods. Raw meat is not a complete food unless it has the right amount of bone, fat, skin and organ meat, as Ruth says.
My girl is 15 now and has had various foods over the years, both off the shelf and special formula for 3 different health conditions at different times, but I don't give cats commercial treats like Dreamies I give titbits of the meat I prepare for my own meals and as I feel it's needed one or two meals a week of raw or rare-cooked real meat. That's really my insurance policy against foods that are great for her but I don't feel there is enough protein in them.
Also try no to get into a rut of always the same food. Recipes can change, lines get discontinued, and the more different brands, quality, flavours and textures your cat is exposed to from a young age, the more flexibility you have when these things happen. Don't get stuck in one brand and then something like the current Felix debate kicks off but you're stuck with it because cat won't eat anything else!
For more science-ish (scientists don't all agree) I like this one https://www.nap.edu/resource/10668/cat_ ... _final.pdf and also I found this a few days ago making the case about grains and other items people don't like to see on the ingredient list https://www.bestfriendsvet.com/library/ ... and-grain/
Neither to be taken as gospel, just the quieter voice on the www.
Some will tell you grain-free because cats don't eat grain and you will see a lot of that on the internet, but grain-free foods tend to have potato instead. I read in a book years ago, I think it was Catwatching by Desmond Morris (lovely book) that the cat's gut has grown in the 9000 years of living with us from 5ft to 7ft in length to adapt from purely raw meat to the cooked meats and non-meat foods that have been included in their diet in that time. So perhaps raw was the only way 9000 years ago but that doesn't necessarily mean it's the best now, it has its pros and cons like all other foods. Raw meat is not a complete food unless it has the right amount of bone, fat, skin and organ meat, as Ruth says.
My girl is 15 now and has had various foods over the years, both off the shelf and special formula for 3 different health conditions at different times, but I don't give cats commercial treats like Dreamies I give titbits of the meat I prepare for my own meals and as I feel it's needed one or two meals a week of raw or rare-cooked real meat. That's really my insurance policy against foods that are great for her but I don't feel there is enough protein in them.
Also try no to get into a rut of always the same food. Recipes can change, lines get discontinued, and the more different brands, quality, flavours and textures your cat is exposed to from a young age, the more flexibility you have when these things happen. Don't get stuck in one brand and then something like the current Felix debate kicks off but you're stuck with it because cat won't eat anything else!
For more science-ish (scientists don't all agree) I like this one https://www.nap.edu/resource/10668/cat_ ... _final.pdf and also I found this a few days ago making the case about grains and other items people don't like to see on the ingredient list https://www.bestfriendsvet.com/library/ ... and-grain/
Neither to be taken as gospel, just the quieter voice on the www.
Re: Cat food
Great question! Something we all should ask and many I don’t feel so.
I got two kitties last summer and food was the number one thing I researched. I wanted as species appropriate and natural to their what a cat would eat on its own, as possible. I learned to make my own with whole raw chicken (sometimes other animals or birds), organ meats and supplements. My cats loved it. But my boy has a sensitive tummy and is picky at times. Maybe sometimes the bacteria load is different and he can’t handle it, I’m not sure. But my girl is still good with it, even though they both went through a picky phase. I currently use Instinct brand to supplement because they have raw versions also. I don’t believe dry food is a very good cat food (I equate it to a human eating dry snacks all day), but my boy currently won’t eat wet for some reason so I’m working on weaning him back into my raw homemade food little by little, which incorporates at least wetting dry food. He is at least really into drinking from my sinks, so he is drinking, but his bowl would be more convenient! Anyway, if you search online and on YouTube, you can find instructions on homemade food if you’re interested in that, but also, Dr. Marty (is maybe his name), Dr. Karen Becker and maybe Dr. Jones (just found him on YouTube and he’s holistic but don’t know much about his work) all seem to be good places to start for information.
I got two kitties last summer and food was the number one thing I researched. I wanted as species appropriate and natural to their what a cat would eat on its own, as possible. I learned to make my own with whole raw chicken (sometimes other animals or birds), organ meats and supplements. My cats loved it. But my boy has a sensitive tummy and is picky at times. Maybe sometimes the bacteria load is different and he can’t handle it, I’m not sure. But my girl is still good with it, even though they both went through a picky phase. I currently use Instinct brand to supplement because they have raw versions also. I don’t believe dry food is a very good cat food (I equate it to a human eating dry snacks all day), but my boy currently won’t eat wet for some reason so I’m working on weaning him back into my raw homemade food little by little, which incorporates at least wetting dry food. He is at least really into drinking from my sinks, so he is drinking, but his bowl would be more convenient! Anyway, if you search online and on YouTube, you can find instructions on homemade food if you’re interested in that, but also, Dr. Marty (is maybe his name), Dr. Karen Becker and maybe Dr. Jones (just found him on YouTube and he’s holistic but don’t know much about his work) all seem to be good places to start for information.
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Mollycat
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Re: Cat food
Dry has its good and bad points, like any other food, but be careful "equating" cats and humans, especially when it comes to nutrition and digestion.
A cat is an obligate carnivore, a human is an omnivore. Their teeth and ours reflect this. Theirs are optimised for meat and bone, have space between, and fit together like cogs, the top ones between the bottom ones. Ours are all nicely lined up close together just perfect for food to get trapped between them and in the gum line and are for crushing and grinding.
If cats get raw bones in their diet, the teeth and jaws have some work to do, but a cat fed only wet mush as most of ours are because nutritionally it's better than dry, can miss out on this important function. Dry isn't as good as bone but it's better than wet for at least giving the teeth, gums and jaw a little work to do.