Showing posts with label cat food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cat food. Show all posts

Friday, February 19, 2010

Some Dos And Don'ts of Cat Food and Feeding


Food for cats is of course one of the most important needs of your cat which has to be provided by you, the owner. I think everyone agrees that this is the number one need of animals like cats and the kind of food you feed them should also reflect the nutritional contents of the food intake.

We have to feed our pets with the most nutritious food so that they have the ability to grow well and be free from possible sickness. There are guidelines to remember about cat feeding. Of course be sure to give a balanced-diet to your cat and do not allow your cat to run out of drinking water. What then are those other reminders about cat feeding? Here are some suggestions to keep in mind:

•Avoid giving to cats meals that include By-products," "meat and/or bone meal," "animal digest," most other descriptions including "digest" or "meal," and added sugars. These won’t be good for them and would be of no use for them too.

•Do not give food that includes corn meal as filler.

•Avoid giving meals that conation like almost 50 percent of carbohydrates fillers.

•Food with too much preservative is highly-discouraged.


Remember these tips when cat food shopping so that you do not purchase the wrong food.


What is good for cats to eat?
Always bear in mind the basic nutritional needs of your cats. This includes Protein from a meat, fish, or poultry source, Taurine, an essential amino acid, certain other vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and fatty acids and of course Water.


Do cats need carbohydrates?
Well, they do not need such as much as we do. We could not get away from those carbohydrates fillers especially in canned cat food but it has to be ensued that it does not reach or exceed 50 percent of fillers. One big tip is feed your cat varied food from time to time; cats could get easily bored if you feed them with the same food all the time. It would plunge down appetite and of course, the total nutrition of the animal.

I hope that with these few pieces of advice help you to make the right food choices for your pet cat.
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Wednesday, February 17, 2010

What Does Your Cat Eat?: A Healthy Cat Knows What Tastes Good


As all cat owners know, a feline can be a wonderful addition to any family. One of the most basic aspects of cat ownership is proper health care for the cat so that he can stay healthy for many years. Health care for a cat encompasses a wide array of vaccine shots, flea protection, vet visits, medications, and even proper exercise.

However, the most important aspect of cat health is also often overlooked. People spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars over the lifetime of a cat to keep it healthy, but most cat owners don’t pay nearly enough attention to the proper cat food which the pet is ingesting daily.

The right cat food is absolutely essential to a healthy, happy cat.

But what is the best cat food for your cat? While each cat will have lightly different nutritional needs, there are some general rules that must be considered when looking for cat food.

First of all, cats (just like their human owners) need a high quality diet. This means the best types of protein, fats, carbs, and the less preservatives and chemical additives, the better...just like humans! Most of the research available online does not compare specific brands of cat food, as much as specific ingredients to feed your cat, and which to stay away from!

Cats need a high protein diet. Wild cats are very carnivorous, and cats derive a great deal of their nutritional needs from protein. House cats, while not wild, still have many of the same nutritional needs as their wild feline ancestors. So, the most important ingredient in any cat food is protein.

Carbohydrates are also an important part of a cats diet, though not as important as protein. Cats really should derive the majority of their nutritional needs from protein, so cat foods that are high in carbohydrates may not necessarily be the best for them.

Interestingly enough, many of the premium brands of cat food, such as Eukanuba and Innova, for example, offer exactly what most cats need, and aren’t necessarily more expensive in the long run. This is because high end cat foods need a smaller serving amount than the low end cat foods to give a cat all the nutrients they need to be satisfied and healthy.  You can often times buy these premium brands at your local vet if you cannot find them in a pet store or local grocery store.

When comparing a premium brand such as Eukanuba, to a lower cost brand such as Purina, the cost difference for the recommended serving size is only a nickel a day. Furthermore, because a cat will eat less of the high end cat food, their waste will be reduced. This can cut down on the frequency of litter replacement and litter box related chores.

Another aspect of cat food to be considered is the quality of the protein in the cat food. Because of the way many pet food companies describe the meat in the food, it can be difficult to figure out exactly what the difference between “chicken flavored”, and “chicken dinner” is.  Here's some advice:

Food that contains “chicken meal” can only be made from the skin, flesh, and bones only. This is really the best type of protein for a cat. Food that has “meat byproducts” can contain nearly any animal parts, and are of lower quality than “chicken meal”. Food that is “chicken flavored” only has to taste like chicken, but may not contain any animal meat
at all. Also, chicken is generally better than beef for cats.

And it goes without saying, preservatives, as well as artificial colors, should be avoided whenever possible for your cat. Although specific research is lacking on this subject, we do know that preservatives and artificial colors can have a negative impact on human health. It is only logical that cats will also be negatively affected by artificial colors and preservatives in their cat food, so please remember that when choosing cat food.

Don't forget to talk to your vet. about any changes in your cat's diet and to ask for suggestions for the best pet food.  Dietary changes should always be discussed with a professional.
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