“The McDonalds of Cat Food”
What should you really feed your cat?
I received a lot of feedback on my first post here on Medium, How I Learned Dry Food Was Killing My Cat, and while I’m still striving to improve my cat’s diet since his FLUTD diagnosis, I’ve learned a lot in the past few months about what truly matters when you’re choosing food for your cat. For those who, after my last post, are interested in transitioning their cat off dry food onto something better for your cat’s digestion, come along with me on this journey!
If you’ve ever walked the aisles of colorful cans at your local pet store, you may not know where to start on choosing a wet food, especially if you’ve been feeding dry for a long time, like I had with my Ziggy. I had some preconceived notions about what brands are “healthy”: Wellness, Blue Buffalo, Weruva…..and also which ones were bad; I’ve heard Friskies described as “the McDonalds of cat food”. But after a deeper dive into what nutrients cats really need in their diet, I’m finding my choices a lot easier.
The Feline Lower Urinary Tract group I mentioned in my first post was a good jumping-off point into learning about specialty diets for cats with Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD), and led me to another Facebook group, Feline Nutrition. Through this group, I’ve learned a lot about what to look for in a cat food, and the most prominent thing I’ve learned is that the food that is the best for cats with FLUTD is the same best food for cats with diabetes, for those who are overweight, and those without any health issues.
I won’t discuss raw feeding in this article, as I don’t feel I can speak with authority on it, and I know that it is a contentious issue for pet owners. Many members of the Feline Nutrition group mentioned above promote it, but my bottom line is that if it provides proper nutrition and moisture in a pet’s diet, I don’t care whether it’s raw or commercially produced.
Here are a few things you should check for on a cat food label that make a big difference in their quality, regardless of price:
- Water Content
For those who have read my first article, this may come as no surprise. Dry food is dehydrating to cats, which can exacerbate other underlying health issues, such as urinary tract disease. Our cats’ wild ancestors would meet most of their water intake through their diet of raw meat, but our domesticated feline friends still need that same level of hydration, even if they’re eating processed foods. If your cat doesn’t drink a lot of water on their own, a wet food’s water content may be a deciding factor in what you feed them. Dry pet food only contains roughly 6% to 5% water, whereas wet food can contain 75% or more.
2. Phosphorus
Phosphorus is a necessary nutrient for both cats and humans. However, for cats with urinary problems, especially kidney disease, it’s important to monitor the amount they’re taking in through their diet. This is one reason why some types of fish high in phosphorus, such as tuna and salmon, are not recommended as a cat’s main protein source. I have seen recommended values of below 2% phosphorus on a dry matter basis.
3. Vegetables/Carbohydrates
Cats, unlike dogs, are obligate carnivores. Thus, they don’t need that many grains or other carbs in their diets. You may have heard of the recent discovery that grain-free food may be associated with heart problems in dogs, because dogs actually do need some carbohydrates in their diet to be healthy. Grain-free cat food, on the other hand, is not something to shy away from.
While the majority of wet cat food options do have some fruits and vegetables in their ingredients lists, just check to be sure that the first few ingredients are high-quality proteins, instead of common fillers like corn meal or rice. While carbs are not necessarily bad for cats, the bulk of a cat’s diet should consist of protein, with reasonable amounts of carbs and fats. Catinfo.org suggests 10% or less of a cat’s diet should come from carbohydrates, but generally the less, the better.
4. Protein Type
Although we know that cats need to eat meat, not all protein sources are created equal. As mentioned above, many types of fish contain high levels of phosphorus, and the taste can even become addicting to cats. It’s a good idea to expose your cat to various sources of protein, and different brands of food, so they don’t become too finicky. This is also a good idea just in case you aren’t able to find your cat’s preferred protein, or their favorite food is discontinued.
Although there isn’t a clear consensus on what protein source is the best for cats, some common ones are chicken, turkey, duck, rabbit, lamb, fish and beef. Lately I’ve been buying small cans of wet food with new proteins for my cat to try. My goal is to rotate between several that he likes, to broaden both his palate and nutrition profile. This can also be beneficial in the case that your cat has or develops an allergy to certain types of protein.
As with all other aspects of feline health, I encourage you to do your own research when selecting food for your cat. While I don’t claim to be an expert, my cat Ziggy has had no recurrences of the urinary issues he had late last year (which can happen in 40% to nearly 60% of FLUTD cases) so far. While that can be chalked up to any of the lifestyle changes we implemented after his first flare-up, I can at least rest easy that I’m feeding him a species-appropriate, nutritionally-dense diet.
I hope that the lessons I’ve learned about cat food can help make shopping for your fur-babies a bit easier. Making a conscious choice to want to feed them better is the most important step!
