If you are a cat owner, the well-being of your beloved companion is always a priority. Like many cat owners, you probably spend a lot of time searching for the most nutritious meals for your feline friend. Unfortunately, this task is more difficult than it seems.
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There are a number of cat foods available that unhealthy or even dangerous for your cat. The right food is necessary to keep your cat happy, healthy, and active. Let’s take a look at how to tell good cat food brands from bad ones, to make sure you give your furry pal the most nutritious meal possible.
Bad Cat Food vs Good Cat Food
Like their fiercer cousins in the animal kingdom, cats love (and need) meat. That is why you should look for cat food with higher meat content. Avoid less meaty cat foods that contain more grain.
Ideally, completely avoid three types of grain: corn, wheat, and soy. Many cats are allergic to these ingredients.
Keeping this in mind, it is wise to buy wet cat food, which usually contains more meat and other forms of protein. Even if your cat seems fine with only dry food, eating only dry food could lead to health issues (such as urinary blockages) if your feline friend does not drink enough water. Wet food, on the other hand, also helps your cat stay hydrated.
Stick to cat food brands that have a reputation of high quality. Often, the better cat food brands are more specific when listing their ingredients. If meat is included, these brands will specify exactly what kind of meat it is. Lesser-known brands may be vague about it.
Identifying Bad Cat Food
There are certain easy-to-spot warnings to see whether certain cat foods could be harmful to your cat. For starters, avoid grain-heavy foods. Also, stay clear of strong preservatives such as BHA, BHT, and ethoxyquin.
Some of the most important ingredients to avoid are:
1. Plant Proteins
While it is correct that protein is important for cats (amino acids a prime energy source), healthy protein for cats comes from meat, not plants. Plant protein can result in digestive issues for your cat and cause them to gain excess weight.
2. Carbohydrates
Cats are not adapted to naturally consume carbohydrates; they do not have the enzyme pathways to handle them. Carbohydrates do not even possess health benefits for cats. While low levels of carbohydrates are acceptable, avoid cat foods with excessive carbohydrates (some have up to 50%).
3. Unidentified By-products
These are unidentified ingredients that are found in cat food. They could include animal meat, but there is no way to be sure. Make sure that such ingredients are mentioned far down the ingredient list if they do appear on the packaging. This will ensure that they only make up a small proportion of the food.
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