What to Feed Your Cat???

Category: Cat Care, Pet Health | Tags: Tags: bad cat food, cat food, cat nutrition, good cat food, kitten food, senior cat food, what to feed your cat

Date: March 5th, 2013

Following my blog post last week about what to feed your dog, this week we will talk about your cute feline friend!

Similar to a dog’s diet, ingredients matter too for cats!!

INGREDIENTS ARE KEY

Feeding your cat proper nutritious food is one of the most important things you can do as a cat owner.  Think beyond the grocery store cat food.  Some good brands to buy are:  Wellness, Weruva, Best Feline Friend, Natural Balance, Innova, Nature’s Variety, Orijen, & California Natural.  These are just some examples of high quality food.  If you are feeding your cat a brand that is not listed, just take a look at the ingredient list.  Ingredients that should be high on the list are: some sort of protein (meat, fish, poultry, not just “meat product”), Taurine, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, enzymes and water.  Fillers such as corn, rice and wheat should be limited.  Ingredients to avoid are:  by-products, bone meal, added sugars, BHA, BHT, corn meal and excessive carbohydrate fillers.

WATCH OUT!

Avoid giving your kitty the following:

(1) Canned tuna too often can lead to malnutrition

(2) Milk

(3) Alcohol

(4) Raw eggs

(5) Yeast dough

(6) Onions, garlic

(7) Grapes/Raisins

(8) Chocolate

(9) Coffee/Tea

(10) Candy or gum

VARIETY IS IMPORTANT

Add variety to your cat’s diet.  I would feed a combination of wet and dry food.  Wet food is important because the water content is high and a lot of cats don’t drink water regularly so this added source of hydration is great.  Also, alternating food choices may provide your cat with a more balanced diet.

AGE DOES MATTER

Also, make sure your cat is getting the proper food for his or her age, either kitten, adult or senior food.  I would buy food for your kitten that is specifically labeled for “kittens.”  However, make sure once your cat reaches adulthood to change food types (read the directions on the bag of food).  A lot of adult cats, especially overweight cats should be on weight control food because they are not as active anymore.  In addition, senior cats are usually more sedentary and should be on low fat diets, or on foods labeled specifically for seniors.

CAN I FEED MY CAT DOG FOOD?   cat2

Keeping your cat away from your dog’s food is a good idea.  Cats need a lot more protein in their diet, so feeding your cat strictly dog food will create a nutritional deficiency.

And of course, none of the advice we give, trumps the advice from your vet, about your pet’s specific diet!   We advise everyone to talk to their vet about their pet’s nutritional needs.  🙂