Tips on Cat Food

Holla catlovers!

This time around, I will share some tips/info on cat food. Basically, the basic nutritional needs for your cats are:
-Protein (from fish, poultry etc)
-Taurine (an amino acid)
-Certain Vitamins, Enzymes, Fatty Acids, Minerals
-Water

Cats dont really need carbohydrates, but carbo does exist as fillers for both canned/dry foods available for the cats.

I give my cats IAMS dry food; combined with WHISKAS canned food. They tolerate well with the combination. Its important for you to mix-and-match their meals from time to time, so they wont get bored over time.


Some facts on Dry Food VS Canned Food:

• While dry food is convenient, and can be left out for "free feeding,"
• Canned food contains water, and many cats do not drink water regularly
• To ensure that your cat gets the right amount of nutrients. That "near-perfect" food you've selected might be adding too little (or too much) of certain minerals and/or vitamins.
• Cats may actually become bored with the same food day in and day out, and simply quit eating. Face it, would you enjoy pizza morning, noon, and night, for years?
• To head off possible allergies to certain ingredients. Cats (like humans) develop allergies over a period of time. Although the incidence of food allergies in cats is rare, cat owners might want to err on the side of caution, particularly if their cats have shown evidence of allergies in the past.
• To prevent "food addictions." The Whole Cat Journal, in its October, 2001 issue, cites the case of a cat that was addicted to a particular flavor of a particular brand of cat food, right down to a specific factory and lot number! This kind of addiction can be difficult to deal with when that last can is gone, but can be easily avoided by feeding a variety of foods from the start.

Cheap Brands No Good?
Many owners do opt for cheap foods (as cheap as it can be) for their cats. For them, "hey! its only an animal!" But, if you're a serious cat-lover or pet owner, you'll think beyond that.Well, studies have shown that cats eat as much as they need to get the nutrients they require. Therefore, they might eat twice as much of that generously-carbohydrate-filled store brand to get the nutrients they need in a normal feeding of premium food. Second, the continued feeding of substandard foods over a period of years will heavily contribute to, or even cause, serious medical conditions that will require expensive veterinary care.


Avoid this on the label!

• Words such as "By-products," "meat and/or bone meal," "animal digest," most other descriptions including "digest" or "meal," and added sugars.
• Chemical preservatives, including BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin, and propyl gallate
• Corn meal as a filler
• Excess of carbohydrate "fillers" (Dry food can contain as much as 50 percent grain)

So, all in all..it all depends on you...Dry or Canned? Cheap or Expensive? Good or Bad? Hmmmmm......miaoowssss!