Choosing Cat Food
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.
