My Feline Friends

In order to make it easier to sort through the myriad of cat foods that are available on the market, they can be divided into three main categories.

1. Generic – This type is usually sold in supermarkets and department stores, and is significantly lower in price than foods from the other two categories. The reason for the lower price is evident in the ingredients. The manufacturers of these foods depend on the cheapest ingredients that will pass government pet food standards, mainly plant and animal by-products. They also tend to use toxic preservatives, and additives, such as colouring and flavouring. There is often no real meat in these foods, only low quality meat products. The main ingredient is often processed grain, such as corn, wheat or soy. The preservatives are added in small amounts, but the cumulative effect of consuming them daily will eventually take a toll on your cat’s health. The food is often sprayed with animal fat to make it more appealing to kitties. The result is that they tend to eat a lot of it, but ultimately end up with nutritional deficits, due to the poor quality of ingredients.

1. Premium- This is definitely a better choice than the generic brands for feline health. At least there should be an animal source of protein listed as the main ingredient. And a natural preservative such as Vitamin C and E would be used rather than the cheaper chemicals that are found in the generic brands. However, these foods usually contain processed grains, and also some sort of meat by-product. This is where the importance of label reading must be emphasized, otherwise you could be paying a premium price for only a small improvement on generic food.

1. Natural or Holistic -These brands are formulated for optimum nutrition with a high percentage of good quality protein. They contain no artificial flavours or colours, and use natural preservatives, and human grade ingredients, from unrendered meats. Some brands contain no grains, substituting vegetables such as sweet potato, carrot and broccoli as carbohydrate and fiber sources. Whole grains are favoured in brands which contain grains. Barley, oats and rice are preferred, rather than the allergy producing wheat, soy, and corn. Probiotics are added to the ingredients to help promote digestive health. It seems that a lot of pet food companies are jumping onto the natural bandwagon, so it is still necessary to read the labels, to ensure that your kitties are getting the best possible nutrients.

When considering feline nutrition, it is important to understand that unlike dogs, cats are obligate carnivores. This means that being true meat eaters, that meat protein must comprise a large part of their diet. It is desirable for cats to eat greens, but as a secondary part of their diet. Greens supply some plant protein, as well as anti-oxidants, which help protect against various diseases.

Just as we humans are rarely able to obtain all our nutrients from diet alone, so it is that even the best holistic food may fall short in providing everything our kitties need for optimum health. Particularly for older cats, or those with specific health needs, supplements should be considered.

That covers the basics of choosing a cat food. There is also the raw food diet, which is another topic altogether. It is important that we become educated consumers, and no longer allow the pet food companies to dictate what we feed our beloved little friends. It is not acceptable that they maximize their profits at the expense of our pets’ health.

(For part 1 click here)

In times past, I never gave a lot of thought about what I was feeding my cats. I figured that feeding them a moderately priced, reputable cat food would ensure they received all the nutrients necessary for good health. After all, cat food was made for cats, and after consulting with vets and scientists, the manufacturers know what is best for our feline friends.

The age of innocence is gone. The tainted pet food scandal of 2007 has changed my thinking about feline nutrition. At first, I wasn’t overly concerned, as I assumed that after the media exposure the pet food industry would rectify the situation. For a few years, I had been feeding my cats a high end supermarket food, a brand which comes in an orange package. I would occasionally supplement their diet with canned food. One day I fed them their usual brand in the canned variety. When they both threw up the next day, I realized that the food must be the culprit behind this sudden upchuck.

After this experience I decided to switch brands. I found this to be a rather daunting task, as I attempted to navigate the maze of cat foods at the local pet store. Among the numerous brands were an array of flavours such as, beef, chicken, duck, lamb, turkey, shellfish, herring, and whitefish. To add to the assortment, each brand offers a variety of formulas: hairball control, kitten, adult cat, senior cat, multi-cat and indoor cat. In addition, most brands give the options of dry or canned food.

Reading through the list of ingredients on the various brands of cat foods, brought about confusion rather than clarity. What exactly are chicken by-products? Chemicals and additives with unpronounceable names surely could not be good for feline health. So how do I make a choice?

Add a tight budget to my decision-making process; after all I want the best bang for my buck. There seems to be no standard sized bags, volumes vary between brands. How can I possibly calculate the best value between brands of similar quality?

I finally settled on a bag of premium dry food, of a brand that has been around for a long time, and is sold only in pet stores. As I carted my purchase home, I must admit I was less than confident about my choice. Besides the challenge of persuading the kitties to accept a new food, I felt uncertain as to whether my choice would provide them with optimum feline health.