There are many competing cat food products on grocery store shelves vying for your attention and asking you to buy them. I’m sure you understand what I mean because they eat XYZ branded cat food so their colorful photos look very satisfying and are in the best health condition. But are you also getting the best cat food for your pet?
None of these fancy packages tell you that cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they must have the nutrients in animal protein to survive. Protein refers to meat, chicken and fish. The flesh of this meat is not a by-product. In the wild, cats eat the meat of their prey like mice found in the home.
High quality cat food should list the actual meat in the cans or packages you purchase, such as beef, lamb, tuna, turkey, salmon, chicken, etc. In fact, chicken meal is considered the best source of protein in commercial pet food. If you only see the term “meat and / or meat and bone meal” on the packaging box, keep in mind that it may legally apply to street killing animals, animals euthanized by veterinarians and bred in factories. Some refineries also use sick, dying and decaying animals to supply feed companies.
Dry food for cats
Cats don’t have teeth to properly chew food, like we do. Their teeth are designed to bite and swallow, so eating dry cookies will be a problem for them. Not only can they not chew cookies, but their body lacks specific enzymes for the digestion and metabolism of carbohydrates. Cats lack a salivary enzyme called amylase, which is used to digest carbohydrates. Almost all cat food biscuits are mainly carbohydrates. Cats can use carbohydrates, but their body and digestive tract are suitable for proteins and fats.
Cats fed dogs, rabbits, or other foods are at high risk for blindness and heart disease due to inadequate taurine diet. Taurine is a very important amino acid found in commercial cat food. Obesity, food allergies, diabetes and heart disease and other illnesses are just many diet-related illnesses, some of which occur in cats around the world as a result of malnutrition.
Are you saving money by providing cheap food?
If you feed your cat cheap, low-quality food, you will need more of this food to get the nutrients it needs. As a result, you will end up buying more food, which will end up costing you the same price as a quality food, or in many cases more than feeding a cat food with healthy, high-quality ingredients.
Another idea to keep in mind is that cats that eat more food produce more waste, which means you need more work to clean the litter box and thus spend more money on the litter box.
Cheaper but less healthy diets can also cause serious health problems, which can end up costing you hundreds or even thousands of dollars in veterinary expenses and prescription feline drugs.
Remember that the cat is a member of your family and depends on you throughout its life. Compared to heartache and shortened life caused by shorter cuts or poor quality food, the best quality cat food that is affordable is a better choice. Cats are the source of life, and the joy and love it brings to you and your family cannot be underestimated.
