Pets are a source of joy, comfort and security in a hectic and fast-paced life. We let these furry creatures into our homes, into our lives and into our hearts and we treat them like members of the family – because they are. It’s easy to peruse the stocks of feline food available on any supermarket shelf anywhere in the country and believe that you are giving your cat adequate nutrition in order to encourage and support a long and healthy life – but does this diet really support their dietary needs sufficiently? Are there requirements that are often overlooked? When it comes to the best cat food to feed your beloved pet, experts disagree. One thing is certain. Giving your pet adequate cat food to suit their unique dietary requirements should not be overlooked if you want to maintain a long, happy and prosperous life with your feline companion.

Dry cat food is often the go-to substance. It’s easy, it’s quick and it’s tidy. But is it sufficiently nutritious to provide a happy and healthy life? Cats dietary needs have been examined for years, and a lot of veterinarians are turning away from the standard dry-food varieties for several reasons. Dry cat food often is not well-balanced, and it lacks in several nutrients that are required for a healthy and long life. Cats are predators at heart – they are hunters, and they require a very specific diet if their lives are going to be prolonged and enjoyable. Many dry cat foods lack in several key elements for a balanced and healthy diet. While there are proteins associated with dry cat food, the majority of the protein is derived from plants – not from animals. This deprives a cat of their natural, normal diet and can lead to health problems if the diet is not adequately corrected.

The cat’s dietary system is designed to be carnivorous. They simply are unable to digest plant-based proteins as well as they are able to digest animal proteins. Not all protein is identical, and if you unknowingly deny your cat the nutrition that their bodies require (as designed by nature and natural instincts), you may ultimately dictate that their nutritional needs remain unmet, and they’re far more likely to succumb to many natural diseases that may otherwise be kept at bay.

Additionally, the prolonged use of dry cat food has been irrecoverably linked with several common health problems like diabetes, hairballs, unnecessary obesity (a particular concern with indoor cats), kidney disease and more. Transitioning a cat away from dry cat food to canned or homemade cat food can act as a preventative measure to ward off a lot of these common – and often fatal – diseases before they ever appear. Because dry cat food is lacking in sufficient water levels, urinary diseases are far more prevalent in felines that subside on a solely dry diet. A cat’s instinct to drink is much lower than their instinct to eat. In nature, cats derive most of their water from their diet – and a diet of dry food alone does not provide adequate water levels to sustain a cat’s well-balanced nutrition.

Many cat owners are transitioning away from store-bought cat food brands altogether and focusing on a purely homemade diet for their loyal feline companions. While making cat food at home can be a time-consuming and intricate process, it also ensures (when practiced correctly) that your cat is receiving the nutrients, vitamins and minerals that they need to sustain a long and healthy life, while avoiding much of the filler associated with store-bought brands. Packaged cat food contains unknown ingredients, while a homemade diet ensures that you know exactly what your cat is consuming – and you can strive to provide a well-balanced, thoughtful diet.

Natural cat foods can be purchased from holistic sites and are loaded with the nutrients that are required for a long, healthy and balanced life. These products provide exceptional levels of protein as well as vitamins not often found in dry, canned or processed brands.

It’s only natural that you would want your pet to live a happy and long life so that they can remain with you as long as possible. Taking appropriate steps to ensure that their dietary and nutritional needs are met is the first step towards overall health. It can provide you with peace of mind, which simultaneously ensuring that your cat is receiving exactly what they need to achieve optimal health. Adequate diet plays a vital role in overall health. When combined with regular checkups, lots of love and affection, your feline can enjoy a life full of fun and health.

This is an interesting article on the topic of whether to feed your cat canned or dry food. I have recently been researching the subject myself and to my surprise found that the experts seem to be saying that you should be feeding your cat canned food exclusively. I’ve always been under the impression that a dry food diet was good for your pet, because it promotes healthy teeth and gums. The experts are now saying that cats don’t drink the water needed to sufficiently keep their bodies hydrated and that a diet consisting of all canned food would provide your cat the proper hydration needed for optimal health.  

What You Should Feed Your Cat
by Monica E Salois

Veterinarians say that cats can live up to 30 years on a natural diet, but most domestic cats only live for 14 to 18 years on average. Why is that? The difference has a lot to do with diet.

Dry cat food has been found by the American Veterinary Medical Association to be less nutritious than canned food. There are several major reasons why dry food is not as good for most cats:

1. The main, and sometimes only source of protein, is usually from animal by-products, which is not the best quality. These are the parts of dead animals considered unfit for human consumption such as feet, intestines, feathers, pieces of fur, egg shells, and sometimes even include organs from diseased animals.

2. They actually contain an insufficient amount of animal based protein most of the time compared to the vegetable protein content. Most dry cat food consists of vegetable based meal flavored with meat flavorings and it usually has a high gluten content. As with humans, there are many cats that are allergic to gluten.

3. Most dry cat foods contain too much starch, or carbohydrate. Cats are pure carnivores that do not need, nor thrive on, the excessive carbohydrate based formulas commercially available. The average dry food contains from 35% to 50% carbohydrates and some of the cheaper brands contain even higher levels. Cats simply have no dietary need for high carbohydrates and food with too much starch can actually be very detrimental to their health.

4. Cats sometime do not drink enough water to compensate for the lack of moisture in their dry food. Insufficient fluid from their food source can cause bladder infections and kidney stones. This is why it is so important to always serve fresh water with any form of dry cat food. Be careful not to give them milk once they have reached adulthood. Most cats become lactose intollerant as they age and milk gives them diarrhea. They may like it and drink it, but it has no nutritional value for them. It is better to use a milk substitute if they like the taste, such as Cat’s Sip, or something similar.

5. Most brands of dry cat food use unhealthy preservatives such as BHT, BHA, and ethoxyguin to prolong shelf life. Generally, BHA is used to keep fats from turning rancid and it is also used as a yeast de-foaming agent. BHT also prevents oxidative rancidity of fats and is often used to preserve food odor, color, and flavor. Preservatives that prolong shelf life of a product are not healthy for any living creature.

6. Most dry cat food loses nutrient value due to the long cooking times used in their processing, and very high temperatures. Dry cat foods tend to be little more than non-nutritious, flavored bulk meal.

7. The dry food formulas that contain oils can often become rancid over time when stored on warehouse and supermarket shelves. Generally, most cats refuse to eat rancid food and it can make them ill.

8. Some dry cat foods often contain a life-threatening and extremely dangerous fungal toxin caused during transportation or storage, and this can poison your cat.

In the wild, a cat will eat high protein, high moisture foods, mostly from meat-based sources such as mice, moles, bats, rats, small birds, insects, worms, slugs, and small snakes. Only 3% to 5% of a cat’s natural diet contains starch, or carbohydrate. On occasion, cats will eat grass because the enzymes aid in digestion and are a natural laxative. Overall, mice are the best form of food for cats because they have muscle meat, pre-digested stomach contents, calcium from the bones, and moisture from the fluids.

The next best form of food for domestic cats is canned or frozen food with a strong content of animal or fish protein, mostly from muscle meat, not organ meat, such as liver; nor from any animal by-products. Good quality canned cat food should not contain any “meal” or “grains” either. Fat, and some organ meats such as liver and heart, are good for flavoring, but they should not be the main ingredient. Never use any cat food that contains soy, wheat, corn, or yeast. If it does contain a grain, then rice is the safest for cats.

Although cats are carnivores, they can’t survive purely on meat alone. Quality cat food should contain supplements such as oils, vitamins, and minerals. Cats should be fed fish at least once a week, such as canned tuna, cod, or salmon. Cats will also eat spam, ham, raw hamburger, hotdog wieners, and any form of beef, chicken, turkey, and most lunchmeats and cold-cuts. It is good to give your cat a treat once in awhile such as “Temptations”, but don’t let them make a meal out of them or demand them excessively. They are high calorie, dry snacks not intended for meal substitutes. When serving a canned meat, the patte kinds are generally the best because the cat will lick the gravy off the other varieties and leave the meat to spoil. When the cat doesn’t eat it, the owner generally throws it out, which is very wasteful.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

I currently feed my cats both canned and dry food, but after reading this article, it may be a good idea to transition my kitties onto a diet consisting of all canned food. I have one cat who eats dry food only and will not touch the wet stuff, which is going to be quite a challange making the switch. I found a few sites with recipes for making homemade wet cat food which I’m considering adopting in the future. Hopefully these recipes will help me get my all kibble eating addicts to switch to wet food exclusively.