What To Look For In Cat Food?

[Katosaurus]

hey everyone! recently i've been thinking about getting a cat of my own! while i grew up having cats (mostly outdoor due to family allergies) i've never had a cat as an adult, and therefore think it would be best to do my research before committing to getting a cat for 15-20 years!

the question i always seem to ask whenever i begin to research pets is what i should be looking for in their food! are they like dogs where the best food you can buy (if you go for a dry kibble) is one that lists real meat as the first ingredient rather than meat by-products? is there a recommended amount of protein or fat their food should contain like when you purchase food for smaller animals like rats? as you can tell, i'm not sure what to look for!

i'd also be open to hearing about which brands y'all buy or recommend! do you feed your cat dry food, or is a wet food diet better?

thanks!

 

[cheeser]

Congratulations on wanting to open your heart and your home to a cat, and for doing your research ahead of time!

I highly recommend CatInfo.org for learning some basics about feline nutrition. It was literally a life saver for our cat with chronic urinary tract problems.

Up until then, we pretty much fed our cat whatever the vet recommended, which was often one of the Hill's Science Diet dry foods. You know, because 'science'.

But after reading some of the articles at CatInfo.org, it suddenly made a lot of sense why nearly every one of our cats over the past thirty years wound up developing the serious health problems that they did. Cats are obligate carnivores, and as Dr. Pierson said on her website:

In their natural setting, cats—whose unique biology makes them true carnivores–would not consume the high level of carbohydrates (grains, potatoes, peas, etc.) that are in the dry foods (and some canned foods) that we routinely feed them. You would never see a wild cat chasing down a herd of biscuits running across the plains of Africa or dehydrating her mouse and topping it off with corn meal.​

So because of our experiences, we're now firm believers in a wet food diet.

 

[jen]

Wet is definitely better in the long run but as a kitten many people feed canned meals with dry in between or available all the time while they are growing. As adults wet is best as cats are strict carnivores and so the non-meat items in their food (grains, vegetables, etc) are completely unnecessary and often lead to kidney disease and diabetes when older. One thing to note, it isn't as simple as looking for "grain free" because usually that is just replaced with potatoes and peas and other starchy carbs. Carbs=sugar=diabetes...

Cats are not naturally interested in drinking water from a bowl, this is another reason why canned diet is so important. To keep them hydrated. Which in turn will keep urine issues away. But always have water available.

And I second catinfo.org as a wealth of information to read up on.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Welcome!
Another vote for catinfo along with the great comments you're getting here.

After you have a chance to look at that website, here are a couple others;
CatFoodDB - Cat Food Reviews to help you find the best cat food for your cat

Pet Food Guide

 

[abyeb]

Some things that I like to recommend looking for when choosing a quality cat food:
- meat listed as the first ingredient
- carrageenan-free
- grain-free
- ideally potato-free, and low in other starchy vegetables like carrots

This is because cats are obligate carnivores, so they don't necessarily need vegetables. However, some veggies (like pumpkin especially) can help to promote regularity. Additionally, while fish-based food is okay once in a while, it's best not to feed it all the time, due to the mercury content. Feeding wet food can help to prevent dehydration, which, in turn, will help to prevent urinary issues.

Here are some helpful articles:

How To Choose The Right Food For Your Cat

Choosing The Right Food For Your Cat - Part 2

Top 5 Brands Of Wet Cat Food Our Members Love The Most

Best Cat Food Of 2015: Tcs Member Choices

 

[cheeser]

Just wanted to add this article to your reading list: Why Fish is Dangerous for Cats.

Besides the health issues, fish can be like crack to some kitties, and once they get hooked, it can be a real challenge to get them to eat anything else.

 

[abyeb]

Just wanted to add this article to your reading list: Why Fish is Dangerous for Cats.

Besides the health issues, fish can be like crack to some kitties, and once they get hooked, it can be a real challenge to get them to eat anything else.

TCS has an article about fish in cat food as well.

Can I Feed My Cat A Fish-based Or Fish-flavored Diet?

 

[cheeser]

To borrow a phrase from Lt. Columbo, "One more thing..."

IMHO, it's a good idea to offer your cat a variety of proteins, brands, flavors, and textures. We learned the hard way that cats can develop food allergies if they eat pretty much the same thing all the time. So now we try to rotate menu options to try to reduce our chances of that happening again.

Plus, that really comes in handy if a kitty's favorite food is suddenly unavailable, e.g., a recall, a particular flavor or product line is discontinued, a company goes out of business, etc.

 

[Katosaurus]

thanks for all your answers! i'm now looking into wet food diets (and more importantly, to see if they really cost more than i've always been told growing up!)

often when buying food for dogs, i've always liked to change up the flavors (usually sticking with the same brand of course) just to keep things exciting. i know i don't like eating the same foods day in and day out haha.

something i'm a little unsure of is... how much wet food do you feed a cat a day? my guess is you feed them 1 can at a time, once in the morning and once at night. is this correct?

 

[cheeser]

something i'm a little unsure of is... how much wet food do you feed a cat a day? my guess is you feed them 1 can at a time, once in the morning and once at night. is this correct?

It's been so long since we've had a kitten, I've forgotten how much food they need to grow and have all that energy to drive you nuts.

Our cats are quite a bit older, and average about 180-200 calories a day, which can be anywhere from a total of 1 can a day, to a can and a half, depending on how many calories there are in a particular flavor. We're retired folk, so we divvy that up into three meals a day because it's convenient for us. But twice a day works quite nicely, too.

 

[LTS3]

Here's another one about fish: https://web.archive.org/web/20060129154159/http://www.gorbzilla.com:80/all_about_tuna.htm

Seafood once in awhile is ok.

something i'm a little unsure of is... how much wet food do you feed a cat a day? my guess is you feed them 1 can at a time, once in the morning and once at night. is this correct?

It depends on the can size, the amount of calories per can, age of the cat, and how many calories the cat needs daily to maintain good body weight. Adult cats are typically fed 20 to 25 calories per pound of ideal body weight daily. Kittens are fed as much as they will eat often multiple times a day because they need a lot of food in order to grow. 3 oz cans of food usually have under 100 calories while 5.5 oz cans are around 150 calories or so.

One 3 oz can twice daily is not enough for adult cats unless you are also feeding dry food. One 5.5 oz can daily, split into two or more portions, may be enough for some adults but not for others. Some adults may need one 5.5 oz can plus one or two 3 oz cans (or part of another 5.5 oz can) daily.

There's a chart on the Catinfo.org web site that lists calorie content for many brands of canned foods.

 

[maggiedemi]

I agree, canned food is really important to avoid urinary problems. If I was feeding only canned food, I would feed between 6oz and 9oz per day. I feed both wet and dry, so I feed 4 1/2 ounces of canned, then I measure out the dry food with my 1/8 cup measuring cup 3 times. (3/8 I guess that would be called?) That is per cat.