Types of feed
There are two types of food - dry and wet (canned). The first is made from products that are exposed to high temperatures. Then they are passed through a special machine (extruder), where they are twisted in a similar way to a meat grinder. The strips that come out of the nozzle are cut into pellets, dried and sold.
Dry granules are more convenient to store and take on the road. If you follow the dosage, the risk of obesity in your cat is minimal. The downside is that the animal needs a lot of water. If your pet drinks little fluid, dehydration and urolithiasis may occur.
Canned food is easily digestible and satisfies the cat's need for water. They contain whole pieces of meat that pets like, and they eat them with pleasure. The downside is that canned goods of the same class as dry granules are more expensive, and the consumption is higher; the shelf life after opening is a couple of days in the refrigerator.
Wet or dry - which is better?
Both canned food and dry food have their pros and cons. For example, dry kibble causes increased alkaline urine production. This stimulates the formation of struvites (a type of stone) in the urinary system.
Manufacturers take this fact into account and add substances that oxidize urine. This leads to the formation of other stones - oxalates. To avoid problems, when purchasing food, you need to pay attention to the acidity of the food consumed.
It’s not easy with canned food either. Some products may contain soy, which causes allergies in cats. In addition, you need to pay attention not only to the composition, but also to the packaging. Cans with “POP” lids can cause hyperthyroidism (thyroid problems) in cats due to bisphenol A. This substance is part of these lids and can end up in canned food.
How to choose food?
If you want your cat to be healthy, active, and live long, buy a quality product. It should contain meat, taurine (an essential amino acid), vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and fats that are beneficial for pets.
Studies have shown that food containing more meat is much superior in digestibility and nutritional value to products based on grains. Thus, “meat food” allows the owner to save money, since less granules need to be given.
Also make sure that the granules do not contain flavorings, preservatives, or dyes. Manufacturers add them to satisfy the aesthetic needs of the cat's owner, but they are of no benefit and are even harmful.
Classification of cat food by class
When choosing wet or dry cat food, consider the quality classification:
- economy;
- premium;
- super premium;
- holistic.
Economy class food for cats
Economy class food is cheap (Whiskas, Kitekat, Friskies, Felix, Sheba, Meow), and in most cases this is their only advantage. Then everything depends on the integrity of the manufacturer. The composition may be good, but unstable. Its contents vary depending on what product the manufacturer was able to obtain at a cheap price. Therefore, the composition on the label often does not correspond to the real one.
But in most cases, economy-class food cannot boast of a good composition, and there is little meat in it. The problems are:
- Food contains flavorings, preservatives, and additives that cause stomach irritation, vomiting, and diarrhea.
- Economy class feeds are characterized by low nutritional value. Therefore, the cat, in order to get enough, eats several times more, and constantly walks around hungry. This contributes to obesity due to a lack of nutrients that the cat absorbs from food.
- If a cat is regularly fed a bad product for several years, serious diseases may develop that will require expensive treatment.
- Allergies due to large amounts of cereals, preservatives, and flavorings.
If you still want to buy an economy product for your cat, study the composition. A specific source of protein must be indicated there - not meat, but chicken, turkey, beef. He should be in first position. The amount of grains should not exceed more than 50%. Cats are carnivores and cannot live on a vegetarian diet. Therefore, there should be few grains and vegetables.
Premium cat food
Premium class (SPORTMIX Gourmet Mix) has a balanced composition that fully corresponds to the inscription on the label. It is much more nutritious than economy class - the products included in its composition are absorbed by 70%. Medium-class cat food contains meat, vitamins, minerals, omega-3 fatty acids, and other beneficial substances. However, the proportion of grains in them is large, so they can cause allergies.
The premium line includes products for sick animals. For example, Farmina Matisse food prevents obesity, is recommended for the prevention of urolithiasis, and is beneficial for neutered cats. Moreover, the line includes both premium and super-premium food.
Super premium cat food
Super premium cat food is hypoallergenic. They contain a lot of meat and nutrients. They contain few or no grains, no flavorings, or other harmful substances. The composition fully corresponds to that indicated on the packaging. The body absorbs it by 90%, so you can give your cat a smaller portion in grams compared to premium.
Inexpensive premium cat food includes products produced under the following brands:
- Acana;
- Pronature Original;
- Eminent.
Good premium cat food from the Dr. Clauder's brand. They are recommended for pathologies of the digestive tract, for the prevention of urolithiasis, and other problems. Their line includes food for pets who do not go outside, as well as premium hypoallergenic cat food.
Why industrial feed is the best choice for owners
Many owners of mustachioed pets, having got a four-legged friend, initially choose natural food for him, and then face many problems:
- difficulties with choosing quality products (free from GMOs, hormones and pesticides);
- the need to constantly cook for your pet takes a lot of time and effort;
- it is extremely difficult to provide the animal with all the necessary vitamins and minerals;
- Taken together, natural feeding is more expensive financially and is not always healthier for the pet.
Industrial feeds are superior to natural foods in all respects. However, in order to provide your cat with everything necessary, you need to know how to choose them correctly.
Holistic class cat food
Holistic (Orijen, PureLuxe) is made from the meat of farm animals and birds that have had the opportunity to freely graze. They were not injected with antibiotics or given hormones. The vegetables and grains that make up the food were grown without pesticides. Such products are as balanced as possible and fully meet the nutritional needs of cats.
For example, the PureLuxe line of food does not contain grains, to which animals often develop reactions. PureLuxe is easily digestible, has a good effect on the gastrointestinal tract and joints, and contains little fat, so the animal does not risk gaining weight.
How to feed a cat correctly - general information
For your cat's health, well-being and energy, as well as to prevent obesity or disease, it is necessary to choose the right food, alternate liquid and dry diets and divide food intake into 3-4 meals a day, taking into account the peculiarities of leisure time. If a cat goes outside, then, accordingly, it spends more strength and energy on games and hunting. Stay-at-home pets, on the other hand, mostly sleep and lead a sedentary lifestyle.
To maintain balance, it is necessary to use high-quality food, preferably from the same manufacturer, and select it in accordance with the stage of the cat’s life, taking into account the following:
- pregnancy and lactation - protein should predominate in the composition;
- body weight – feed with a lot of protein and fiber;
- health status - use manufacturers’ lines in accordance with the animal’s disease or prevention of such diseases;
- age - a line of food for kittens, adult and elderly cats;
- variety of breeds - rulers for different types of breeds, taking into account the features of development and structure;
- activity level.
It is necessary to choose the right diet for cats
Cats are very selective and capricious. They will not eat food that is spoiled or too cold, and will select and exclude large pieces in liquid food, so it is necessary to monitor their behavior and prevent food spoilage. It is necessary to supply clean water at room temperature and change it at least 2 times a day.
For woolly animals that are actively engaged in licking themselves, probiotics and prebiotics are needed in the food composition, which accelerate the process of removing hairballs from the body that it consumed during washing.
If the pet owner insists on feeding natural products rather than balanced food, then it is not easy to comply with and combine all the necessary elements for the animal; the process of absorption of nutrients will increase. In any case, feeding the animal what is left over from the dinner of family members is prohibited. Cats have difficulty digesting carbohydrates that humans consume in large quantities.
Absolutely forbidden:
- legumes, onions, garlic;
- salted, smoked, spicy and fried foods;
- food with spices;
- pastries, sweets.
With natural homemade food, it should include:
- 60-70% meat: chicken, turkey, veal, beef, lamb, rabbit - raw or boiled;
- offal: heart, lungs, stomachs, liver, tongue - boiled;
- fermented milk products: cottage cheese, kefir;
- eggs;
- boiled sea fish;
- vegetable and animal fats;
- greens, vegetables, grains, cereals.
It is quite difficult to take into account all the needs of an animal in homemade natural food.
But balancing natural food for an animal and serving it in the right quantity is a financially and energy-consuming activity, since the animal has to cook separately.
Cat food classes: rating
On the Internet you will find different ratings, where the same product can top the first or last line of the list. The fact is that the cat’s body perceives the same food differently. Suitable for some pets, not for others.
Granules should be selected not so much by rating, but by quality:
- The first place will always be super holistic class cat food - PureLuxe, Orijen.
- In second place are super-premium products. This is Dr. food. Clauder's, Pronature Original, Eminent, Acana, etc.
- In third place is premium – SPORTMIX Gourmet Mix.
Economy feeds occupy the last positions. You cannot give them to your pet regularly - he can get poisoned, get sick, or die prematurely.
Results
Let's summarize briefly about the types of cat food. They are dry, wet and raw. As a rule, only dry food and raw food are intended as the main diet, and canned wet food is only used as a supplement to the diet.
At the same time, dry food is not always complete and good - economy class cannot provide your pet with all the substances its body needs. The PetObzor website has already described how to determine whether cat food is good, we recommend that you read it in order to learn how to quickly distinguish frankly bad food from good food.
- Cat food
Rules for feeding cats
- Buy food products only in specialized stores and veterinary pharmacies. Ignore bazaars - storage conditions there are poor (rats, mold, humidity, etc.).
- Feed your pets 2 times a day, morning and evening. Do not give food at other times.
- Never mix food with natural food, otherwise it will disrupt the digestive tract.
- You can alternate dry granules with canned food (one type in the morning, another in the evening), but do not mix them.
- Make sure there is fresh water in the bowl at all times, especially if feeding pellets. They cause extreme thirst and can cause dehydration. In addition, water is needed so that the granules are digested better and faster.
- Feed the cat following the dosage indicated on the package. If you give more, you can provoke obesity in the cat, less - hunger. When calculating the dosage, pay attention to the weight, age, and activity of the animal.
- There is no need to give vitamin-mineral complexes if you feed your pet kibble or canned cat food.
- Check the expiration date on the packaging. If it has expired, do not feed it.
- Opened canned food can be stored in the refrigerator for no longer than 5 days if transferred to a glass jar.
Premium class
Premium is the middle class of cat food. It is better than economy because it assumes a minimal predominance of preservatives and various chemical additives in the feed. The protein of premium feed is mainly represented by poultry meat, carbohydrates - corn. You need to be careful with foods that contain predominantly grain structures, because they are the ones that most often cause allergies in your pet and are much less digestible. Of course, this class of food is much less likely to cause addiction and allergies, but despite this, if you feed your pet premium food on an ongoing basis, do not forget to monitor its health.
The line is most often divided according to taste and age. The most popular brands are Perfect fit, Sheba, Purina one./
Cat and vegetarian diet
Doctors do not recommend giving your pet a vegetarian product. The cat is a carnivore. It needs substances that it extracts only from meat - taurine, niacin, vitamins A and B12, anachidonic acid. He cannot extract these substances from plant foods in the required quantities.
If you only buy him vegetarian food, it will be bad for his health. Most recipes are not well thought out or are focused on averages, while each pet requires an individual approach.
