If you own a cat, you probably want to secure a healthy environment for your feline friend. Well, what most cat owners often neglect is the decision what kind of food they’ll give their furry friend. Choosing the best food for your feline friend might sound like a difficult task, but what you use for your cat’s meals is an integral part of that healthy environment you want to create.
The internet has been abuzz about the dietary needs of cats. However, most of this information sounds confusing. To make things easier for you, we’ve decided to list all the things you have to consider when selecting the best cat food for your feline.
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Try Homemade Meals
If you decide to feed your cat with homemade meals, you should make sure the food meals are always fresh, especially when raw. To protect your feline from bacterial infection, never give them bad meat. If you decide to add meat in the cat food meals, make sure it is lean cuts of beef, or chicken and turkey. What’s more, you can even use minced meat.
Another great idea is adding a small number of whole grains. Hence, you can cook your meat with a little cornmeal or polenta. However, you should keep the grain portions small to avoid allergies.
Feeding your cat with homemade meals is recommended, but it should be done carefully. Make sure you pay extra attention to the type of nutrition you provide as you want to avoid having a malnourished cat.
Source: Prima Medica
Raw Fish and Milk Might Not Be a Good Idea
We’ve seen in cartoons that cats love milk and fish. However, it is a little-known fact that raw fish and dairy products can be bad for a cat’s digestive system. If you decide to give fish as an occasional treat, you should always cook it first. What’s more, you can also give tinned fish such as tuna as it contains omega-3 fats, but make sure you don’t exaggerate it.
When it comes to dairy products, you can give them cooked eggs as they’re a great source of protein. Never give too much dairy products as these products are only safe in small amounts. If you have an adult cat, never give it milk to drink. Milk is bad for the teeth and it’s difficult to digest it.
Source: Cat Health & Behavior
Add a Source of Vitamins
The fruit isn’t recommended for your feline friend as it doesn’t have the taste buds to taste anything sweet. On the other hand, cats can benefit from eating vegetables. A small portion of cooked vegetables alongside home cooked meal is a great source of vitamins and antioxidants, which are great for cats.
Source: Cuteness
Get Canned Cat Food
What most cat owners usually give their feline friends to eat is canned, or wet, food. So, if you decide to feed your cat with canned food, you should get high-quality tinned cat meat. When purchasing it, make sure it has a label of the Association of American Feed Control Officials. Additionally, to select a great tinned food, you should always read the labels which contain listed ingredients. Get tinned foods which are low in grains and high in protein. There should be around 5-10% of carbs. You should only get a tinned meal with low protein level if your cat experiences kidney issues.
Some of the best tinned food labels include:
- Nature’s Logic Cat food: Comes with 70% human-graded meat. It is free of grain, gluten, sugar or artificial fillers.
- Tiki Cat: The highest quality cooked meat or fish-based product. It is high in protein and moisture.
Other great wet cat foods are Hound and Gato, Bravo, Merrick and Ziwi. Note that you should always read the label before purchasing a meal for your cat.
Some of the ingredients you should avoid include the words formula, dinner, platter, or entrée. Additionally, your cat’s food shouldn’t contain ethoxyquin, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), and minimal or no grains.
Source: Pet-Product
Give Your Feline Friend Dry Cat Foods
Feeding your cat with dry food all the time might not be the best idea. However, you should definitely give them some dry cat food once in a while. Note that dry food has been linked to obesity in cats and it can lead to overeating.
On the other hand, feeding your cat with dry food occasionally does come with certain benefits. Dry cat foods are a great source of vitamins and extra calories, which you can’t find in tinned foods. Hence, a perfect meal for your cat would be a balanced mixture of dry and wet food.
Check these detailed reviews to find the best dry cat food to give your feline friend.
Source: Futterautomat für Katzen
Keep a Bowl of Fresh Water
Your cat needs water to satisfy their nutritional needs. Even though most of the cat foods contain water, those quantities aren’t enough for your cat. Dry cat foods contain only 10% of water, while wet food has between 60%-80%. That’s why it’s important to always keep a separate bowl of fresh water around for your cat.
Source: YouTube
Age and Disease-Related Dietary Needs
This is another important thing to consider regarding the dietary needs of your cat. The age of your feline friend plays a crucial role in determining what they should eat. Hence, an adult cat needs fewer nutrients than a kitten. That’s the reason why most cat foods available these days are graded by age.
If your cat has a specific disease, you should get a disease-related food. So, if your cat suffers from sensitive stomach, obesity, or arthritis, you should meet their dietary needs with the food you give them. What’s more, you can also get dental treats which your cat will chew and eliminate the excess plaque.
Learning all these things about choosing what to feed your feline friend is very important if you want to ensure a healthy environment. However, note that every cat is unique and might be a fussy eater. Choose a more natural diet as possible and always include meat in their meals if you want to have a happy and healthy cat.
