|
In our foster homes, our cats eat several quality pet store foods: Nutro Natural, Felidae, Max Cat, Nutro, Triumph. Both canned food and dry.
|
|
Canned food is fed twice daily, about 3.5 ounces at each meal
|
|
Any uneaten canned food is discarded after about an hour at room temperature, because the bacteria level grows to unsafe levels.
|
|
The dry food is generally presented in a separate bowl, where more than a day's allowance is left out for the cat to "free feed".
|
|
Dry food keeps better than canned at room temperature, but it does go stale after many days exposed to air. So, don't put out too much at once!
|
|
Why feed canned food? Isn't it more fattening?
|
|
Many people think canned food is richer, but it's actually 78% water. Dry food is 98% calories! So,calorically, canned food is the "lettuce" while dry cat food is the "potato chips"!
|
|
Canned food is ALSO beneficial because it boosts your cat's water intake, protecting its urinary tract health. Studies have shown that cats who eat only dry food drink more water than cats who eat canned food but their total dietary moisture is still LESS.
|
|
Why? Cats evolved getting much of their dietary moisture from their prey, so they don't instinctively drink sufficient water.
|
|
Isn't dry food better for cat's teeth?
|
|
Ok, you've been talking to those DOG vets! As anyone knows who has seen cat barf, cats generally swallow kibble like pills! If they're not chewing the kibble the way a pup crunches a Milk Bone, then there's not much beneficial abrasion to wear away plaque and tartar. That's why cat barf often looks like you could just "put the untouched kibble back in the box". Well, we don't actually recommend that! If you're concerned about your cat's teeth, brush or wipe their teeth weekly or more often!
|
|
Isn't cat food I buy in the Supermarket basically the same as those brands sold in Pet Stores?
|
|
Pet Store cat foods are preferred to Supermarket brands because they have fewer by-products, preservatives, artificial colorings, and ingredients.
|
|
Supermarket brands use "reclaimed fats" which are rancid grease collected from restaurants because it's no longer safe for human consumption. To keep your cat from getting sick immediate, this fat is treated with preservatives. The long term effects of this reclaimed fat is unknown.
|
|
Supermarket brands use meats which are too putrid for human consumption. If it smells rotten, why would you want your cat to eat it?! "Pet store" brands are much less MALODOROUS !
|
|
Supermarket brands often list ingredients like "meat, beef, poulty, lamb, .." Well, what kind of meat isn't beef, poultry, or lamb?! The answer is sometimes horsemeat, which is better for your pet than the horse, but the answer can ALSO be dogs and cats killed at the pound and shipped to a rendering plant. YUCK! Cats do not normally choose to consume other cats. Nature MUST have a good reason for this, as eating one's own kind causes ailments like mad cow's disease and kuru.
|
|
Supermarket dry foods often include corn or corn gluten meal as a top ingredient. While this boosts the Crude Analysis protein percentages, it doesn't actually benefit your cat. Your cat doesn't digest vegetable protein unless it eats the mouse who has the corn in its stomach! The corn (or soy) protein in supermarket cat food actually is just LITTERBOX FILLER! Why feed more to scoop?
|
If you're not feeding a quality pet food already, then here is another reason:
You BREATHE what your cat EATS!
We've seen in rescue that cats fed Meow-Mix, Deli-Cat, and Tender Vittles cause allergic or asthmatic reactions in sensitive humans, but these same cats don't cause any response after a week on quality foods!
|
What should you feed your cat?
