CANNED CAT FOOD
No single decision a pet guardian makes has more impact on cat health than the type of cat diet offered. Whatever type of cat food you choose, the guiding principle to remember is that felines eat meat. They are not vegetarians, and so should not consume many grains or vegetables. Their body and short digestive tracts were specially designed for eating and digesting small animals.
The options for a healthy cat diet are canned cat food and a specially formulated raw diet for cats. Dry cat food should only be used occasionally, as it eventually causes feline health problems.
Protein quality
Canned cat food varies wildly in quality. All of the processed food at the average grocery store is chock full of by-products, which are protein sources that have been deemed unfit for human consumption. By-products could include perfectly acceptable protein sources such as organ meats, but more likely will include diseased organs and other unpalatable ingredients, such as beaks, feathers, hides and feet. Any dead meat, no matter how rotten or malodorous, can fall into the by-product category. Since there is no way of knowing for sure what constitutes a manufacturer’s definition of a by-product, it’s best to avoid any canned cat food that lists it as an ingredient. A healthy cat diet includes lots of high quality protein that is easily assimilated into the housecat's system.
Hydration, hydration, hydration
The main ingredient in canned cat food is usually water or broth and for that reason, it’s better for your pet than dry cat food, which has a dehydrating effect that stresses the kidneys.
Veterinarians’ Seal of Approval
Animal doctors don’t always make the connection between food and ill health. That is why they sometimes recommend pet food products that contain harmful ingredients. One leading brand, promoted by many veterinarians, sells canned cat food that contains species-inappropriate ingredients, such as wheat flour and corn:
Water, Chicken, Turkey Giblets, Meat By-Products, Liver, Powdered Cellulose, Corn Starch, Wheat Flour, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Soybean Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken Liver Flavor…
Another of that company’s canned cat foods contains pork by-product. Pork fat globules are too large for pets’ small arteries, and that is why pork is never used as an ingredient in healthy cat food. One can only imagine the horrible glop that pork by-product must be.
Healthier canned cat food
A healthier brand of canned cat food, such as Evo, lists these ingredients on the first part of their Chicken & Turkey label:
Chicken, Chicken Broth, Turkey…
These are muscle meat protein sources and are better for your cat than poor sources like meat by-products. They will not be as readily assimilated as raw meat, but they will not dehydrate your cat like dry cat food.
The rest of the label contains all the cat-specific vitamins, minerals and taurine, which are needed for optimum cat health. Herring oil is included for fatty acids. These are the types of ingredients that you would need to add to raw meat to provide a completely balanced meal.
Healthy cat food is available through specialty pet stores, health food stores, and online pet stores that have the advantage of delivering right to your door.
Canned cat food comes in a wide price range, from the poor quality by-products at the grocery store to organic blends that cost a small fortune.
When choosing a canned cat food for your pet, go with a variety that avoids grains and by-products, and you will put your cat on the road to good health.
CANNED CAT FOOD VS. RAW DIET FOR CATS
No single decision a pet guardian makes has more impact on cat health than the type of cat diet offered. Whether you choose to feed processed meals or a raw diet for cats, the guiding principle to remember is that felines eat meat. They are not vegetarians, and so should not consume many grains or vegetables. Their body and short digestive tracts were specially designed for eating and digesting small animals.
The options for a healthy cat diet are canned cat food and a specially formulated raw diet for cats. Dry cat food should only be used occasionally, as it eventually causes feline health problems.
Protein quality
Canned cat food varies wildly in quality. All of the processed food at the average grocery store is chock full of by-products, which are protein sources that have been deemed unfit for human consumption. By-products could include perfectly acceptable protein sources such as organ meats, but more likely will include diseased organs and other unpalatable ingredients, such as beaks, feathers, hides and feet. Any dead meat, no matter how rotten or diseased, can fall into the by-product category. Since there is no way of knowing for sure what constitutes a manufacturer’s definition of a by-product, it’s best to avoid any canned cat food that lists it as an ingredient. A healthy cat diet includes lots of high quality protein that is easily assimilated into the housecat's system.
Canned Cat Food
The main ingredient in canned cat food is usually water or broth and for that reason, it’s better for your pet than dry cat food, which has a dehydrating effect that stresses the kidneys. Healthy cat food is available through specialty pet stores, health food stores, and online pet stores. Companies like petfooddirect.com carry a wide range of pet products and deliver right to your door.
Veterinarians’ Seal of Approval
Animal doctors don’t always make the connection between food and ill health. That is why they sometimes recommend pet food products that contain harmful ingredients. One leading brand, promoted by many veterinarians, sells canned cat food that contains species-inappropriate ingredients, such as wheat flour and corn:
Water, Chicken, Turkey Giblets, Meat By-Products, Liver, Powdered Cellulose, Corn Starch, Wheat Flour, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Soybean Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken Liver Flavor…
Another of that company’s canned cat foods contains pork by-product. Pork fat globules are too large for pets’ small arteries, and that is why pork is never used as an ingredient in healthy cat food. One can only imagine the horrible glop that pork by-product must be.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Feeding a Raw Diet for Cats
Since cats in the wild eat raw meat, it’s easy to understand why many cat lovers advocate a raw diet for cats as healthy cat food. In the wild, the cat’s prey contains all the enzymes and other components necessary for optimum health.
When feeding a raw diet for cats, pet guardians ensure the purity of their pets’ food. Their companion animals were unaffected by the melamine scandal of 2007, when a Chinese supplier boosted the protein content in cat food ingredients by adding plastic.
Creating a raw diet for cats isn’t as simple as grinding up some meat. When a feline eats a rodent, it’s getting lots of extras, such as hair (fiber) and bone (calcium.) Protein is composed of amino acids. Different types of meat tissue contain various amino acids. Some are found in the muscle meat, some in the organs and other tissue. A mouse offers a balanced smorgasbord of amino acids. Quality canned cat food supplies a variety of protein sources, as well as other necessary ingredients, such as calcium, taurine and a long list of other vitamins and minerals that have been deemed essential to feline health. When feeding a raw diet for cats, you must ensure that your pet is receiving all the necessary components of a balanced meal.
Procuring raw meat is another challenge on the path to optimum pet health. Some specialty pet stores display freezers filled with conveniently portioned frozen raw entrees -- these contain various sources of protein and include all the required feline-specific vitamins and minerals. There are also online sites that will prepare raw meat and ship it frozen to your doorstep.
A raw food diet for cats can actually cost less, pound for pound, than processed food. Some enterprising guardians purchase a meat grinder, and grind their own free range or organic chicken, bones included. Large quantities of food can be made ahead of time and frozen in small containers for future use.
For some pet guardians, feeding a raw food diet for cats simply isn’t feasible. The process can be rather tough on vegetarians, who suddenly find themselves elbow deep in raw flesh for the sake of their pet. Other pet guardians move back and forth between the two options, offering a high quality canned cat food when their schedules become too demanding.
Raw Diet for Cats and Dental Health
Processed foods lead to tartar deposits on the teeth, especially the molars. Often, guardians don’t notice there’s a problem until the pet’s gums are sore and an expensive cleaning session at the veterinarian’s office is required. A bright red line on the gums near the cat’s teeth indicates feline dental problems.
The process of chewing on raw meat naturally cleans a housecat’s teeth. Organ meats, such as chicken hearts and gizzards, are especially effective as a passive cleanser, but will not undo tartar buildup already present. A cat with sore gums will not be able to chew anything but finely ground food. Following up a processed meal with a chunk of raw meat maintains feline dental health. Parboiling the meat for one minute will kill surface bacteria.
Pathogens
Another factor to consider when switching to a raw diet for cats is that raw meat carries a parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, which reproduces in the cat’s gut and is shed in the feces. Not only is the resulting disease, Toxoplasmosis, terribly dangerous for human fetuses, babies and people with compromised immune systems, it has also been implicated in the deaths of otters and other ocean life off the coast of California, due to cat guardians flushing cat poop down the toilet. The parasites are not eliminated at the water treatment plants and wreak havoc on water supplies. Guardians who feed a raw food diet for cats, or whose pets roam free where they may pick up the parasite from rodents and birds, should never flush the feces down the toilet. Instead, the waste should be double bagged and discarded in the trash, since landfills are equipped to handle toxic waste. Any cat with access to the outdoors should be assumed to have exposure to the parasite via rodents and birds. Indoor cats on a processed food diet do not shed Toxoplasma gondii.
Got Mice?
Songbird populations have been decimated by free-roaming felines and should be protected in every way possible, but rodent removal will always be a positive perk of owning a cat. A mouse meal designed by Mother Nature outranks any contrived diet. Be aware that housecats may not eat the mice they catch, unless they have been brought up to do so by their mothers. Of course, rat poison should never be used when allowing your cat to clear a garage, shed or bodega of unwanted rodents.
A healthy cat diet will translate into excellent skin and coat health, improved feline dental health, fewer veterinary bills and a calmer and happier companion animal.
