How to Choose a Cat Food

HOW TO CHOOSE A CAT FOOD

It can sometimes be difficult to find a good quality cat food to feed your cat. Choosing a better quality diet will help maintain the health and life of your pet. The benefit of a good quality food is that your cat will eat less of the food and will have less fecal output. It will also help extend the life of your cat by putting less stress on the kidneys and liver that are responsible for processing the protein and artifical ingredients.

When you are looking at the ingredients of the food, make sure that the first ingredient is a protein source (meat). There are differences in the quality of the protein source as well. If you were looking for a food with chicken as the primary protein source, you may see the following things listed: chicken, chicken meal, or chicken by-product meal. A food with “chicken” as the protein source is going to be of higher quality than one with “chicken by-product meal”. “Chicken by-product meal” could be any part of the chicken like bones, feathers, skin, or [if you’re lucky] meat. Sticking to whole chicken is better for your pet.

Here is a list of high quality foods that be fed on a daily basis or can be used for diet trials if your cat has allergies to certain foods. These foods are in no particular order and all are of high quality. Keep in mind that each cat is individual and may do better on one food than another. Your goal is to find the food that works best for your cat. The foods listed below are a little more expensive than the grocery store brands, but are well worth the price – especially if your cat has allergies because you will save money on veterinary visits for itchy skin and diarrhea! You will also feed less of the food to your cat.

Super-Premium Cat Foods (These foods can be purchased at Petco, Pet Food Warehouse, Animal Crackers, or Petsmart.)

·  Natural Balance - Ultra Premium Formula

·  Wellness - Fish and Sweet Potato, Lamb and Rice, or Chicken and Rice

·  Solid Gold - Lamb and Rice

·  Nutro Natural Choice - Lamb and Rice, Chicken and Rice

·  Nutro Max - Lamb and Rice, Chicken and Rice

·  Eagle - Lamb and Rice, Chicken and Rice, Holistic Formula, Adult Cat

·  Innova- Adult and EVO

·  Felidae

Premium Cat Foods (These can be purchased at Petsmart, Petco, and Pet Food Warehouse. Iams can also be purchased at the grocery store and Walmart.)

·  Hill’s Science Diet

·  Iams- Lamb and Rice, Chicken and Rice

·  Eukanuba- Lamb and Rice, Chicken and Rice

Middle of the Road Brands (Can be purchased at Petsmart, Costco, and the grocery store)

·  Purina One - Lamb and Rice, Chicken and Rice

·  Pro Plan - Chicken and Rice, Turkey and Barly, Lamb and Rice

·  Authority (Petsmart brand) - Chicken and Rice, Lamb and Rice

·  Kirkland (Costco brand) - Lamb and Rice, Chicken and Rice

Here are a few low quality foods that you will want to avoid. Some cats may get by on these brands of food, but they certainly won’t thrive. Their coat may be dull, dry and itchy and their stool may be loose and malodorus. You will also have to feed more of these foods to deliver the same amount of nutrients as a higher quality food would deliver in a smaller portion. Your cat may also defecate more often when eating these foods – more of the food comes out in the feces rather than being assimilated into energy for your pet.

Low Quality Foods (These can be purchased at the grocery store, Walmart, or the grain/feed store.)

·  Blue Seal

·  Meow Mix

·  Purina- Kitten Chow

·  Friskies 9 Lives

·  Chef’s Blend

Your food type should also depend on the age, weight and overall health of your cat:

·  Kittens should be fed a good quality kitten food until about 8 months – 1 year of age. If they start to get a little overweight on the kitten food prior to 1 year of age, simply switch them over to adult food early.

·  Overweight cats may benefit from a special prescription diet to help them lose weight (called Purina OM or Hills Science Diet DM). Putting them on canned kitten food (1 can/day) may also help to shed some pounds. Overweight or obese cats are at risk for diabetes! Ask your veterinarian to help you formulate a plan for weight loss.

·  Senior cats (8 years and older) benefit from the extra fiber and lower fat content of a “senior” or “geriatric” diet.

It is important to always wean a cat onto a new food slowly, over about 1-2 weeks. Mix the new food into their old food a little at a time until they are eating only their new diet. If your cat vomits or has diarrhea soon after eating the new food, you may have switched them over too quickly. Take them off the new food and put them back on their old food. Begin again in a few days by adding a few kibbles of the new food to their regular diet, going more slowly this time. Keep in mind that if your cat has skin problems that are relating to their diet, it can take up to two months to see changes in their skin and hair coat. Be patient and give the skin time to heal. Ask your veterinarian if you have any more specific questions regarding choosing a food for your cat.