Basic Feeding of Cats

I've recently got a cat and would like to know more about what to feed it! I currently feed him a wet food pouch in the morning and one at night. I also have biscuits down all day. I am quite happy feeding the mixture between wet and dry food as I thinks this provides the best balance for him. However I don't feed that I am feeding him the most nutritious food as I just use the aldi brand and was wondering if you would be able to provide me with some information on foods I could feed him or what I should look for in food to find the best food for my new cat.

I recommend this website for absolutely anyone starting to learn about feline nutrition: www.catinfo.org

Basically, raw food is probably the healthiest but it can be expensive (if commercial) or difficult for beginners (if homemade). Canned/wet food comes closer to mimicking raw food than dry food does, so that is the next best option. Wet food is also really important because cats rely on their food for most of their water intake.

When it comes to ingredients, cats are obligate carnivores, so the more meat and the fewer plant-based items in the food, the better. Even fancy, expensive specialty brands can still contain unnecessary fillers, so it's always important to read your ingredients. Many of us on the site live in the US so we can help you out with brand recommendations that are available here, but there are plenty of members from the rest of the world if you need recommendations for another country.

Congratulations on your new cat!

Thank you!

Are you in the UK? I beleive Aldi is a UK / European brand. There are a few active UK and European members here who can suggest brands of food@Columbine @MServant

Aldi is in the US too but since the OP says "biscuits" instead of "kibble" I suspect he/ she is not in the US. So, yes, it would help to know your location!

Here in the UK I used to feed Mouse the trays of wet food Aldi sell, it was a very good price for high protein food and Mouse loved it - lots of chewy offal in there.   I didn't look at their dry food as he was on kitten stuff at that point - all changed after he had his mouth infection and stopped eating wet food.  As this is now a prescription dental food household I'm not great on the general cat foods available here but have tried to give Mouse the Thrive complete and Lilly's Kitchen grain free foods which both look good ingredient wise.  Lilly's kitchen is more readily available and not as costly.

Generally I find ZooPlus have a wide range of choice at good prices and compete well against any of the supermarkets here- with added bonus of free delivery as long as it's a decent size order.

Thank you everyone! And yes I do live in the uk I apologise for not making that more clear. What sort of is most important in the composition of cat food!

Hello from Dublin, BBP!  First of all, I agree with the Zooplus recommendation - they are by far the cheapest supplier that I've found, online or offline, and have a much wider (and healthier) selection of cat food than most places. Hint: sometimes you can get even cheaper by shopping on zooplus.de, although you have to spend quite a bit to compensate for higher delivery charges.

Now then: I think a mainly wet food diet is healthier, but that's assuming you're feeding good wet food. If you can't afford it, then you're better off with a good dry food than a supermarket quality wet. But make sure your cats are getting enough water, which is often a problem for them. A water fountain (you can also get these on zooplus) is usually more attractive to them than a water bowl - and keep it away from their food. Cats in the wild don't like to drink water near their food, because it's more likely to be contaminated, and many domestic cats are the same.

In terms of ingredients, look for something that is grain-free, and has actual meat (not "meat byproduct") as its first ingredient. Make sure it's "complete" and not "complementary".

As someone feeding two cats on a budget, I do a wet food/dry food split as a compromise on price. My kitties get Bozita (tetrapaks) wet food and Applaws dry food. (NB the Applaws wet is complementary!) They love it, but then, I have the least fussy cats in the world when it comes to food!

Good luck and happy catparenting!

Thanks so much that's a load of really hopeful Info will look at zooplus then!