The most important thing to keep in mind when thinking about the best composition of a cat food is that all cats are strict carnivores. That is, they are forced to obtain all their food from meat. In other words, the entire nutritional spectrum necessary for the proper functioning of the cat's body is contained in fresh meat. This includes everything: the mineral s alts, the vitamins and the wide spectrum of amino acids necessary for the elaboration of all its proteins.
So that you have no doubts about whether your cat is having the best diet, in this article on our site we will detail the best composition of a good cat food.
Interpretation of the cat food label
Trademarks are required to indicate the composition of all products on the packaging, so knowing how to interpret it is essential:
- Products will appear named according to their proportion within the composition. They are arranged in descending order. The main ingredient will be the first to appear.
- Being clear that felines are carnivores, we must observe that the highest percentage, that is, the ingredient that comes out first, is meat.
Types of meats that make up cat food
It is very important to note the difference between reading 30% fresh chicken meat and 30% animal by-products. In the term by-products of animal origin, manufacturers can include any type of waste from the cutting of meat or fish. Human food factories generate waste that is not fit to feed humans, which is later sold to animal feed factories. This includes heads, beaks, nails… parts that a cat would not normally eat.
Types of protein found in cat food
Felines should eat proteins of animal origin which are those that have all the amino acids they need. Plant-based proteins do not provide all the amino acids necessary for the synthesis of their proteins. For better understanding, it should be noted that proteins are made up of amino acids. After digestion, the animal recovers the separated amino acids and synthesizes new proteins. A simile could be made that amino acids are letters and proteins words, after digestion the separated letters are obtained and organizing them new words are composed.
Ingredients not necessary in the cat's diet
Another ingredient not needed in the diet is beet fiber, which only provides structure to feces This fiber comes from the sugar companies that once they have extracted all the juice from the beets, they obtain a paste of vegetable fibers, which the animal feed companies end up buying again.
By providing greater structure to the feces, it makes us think that our animal has optimal intestinal transit with this type of feed.
Example of labels on a high quality cat food
This label specifies what type of meat makes up each percentage Most are ingredients that we associate with a balanced diet. They are easy-to-interpret names that leave us with no doubts about what we are buying to feed our cat.
Example of labels on low quality feed
On these two labels we can see that the first ingredient is no longer of animal origin, which would be what our cat needs. And most animal components are listed as animal by-products, not fresh meats or dried meats.
The State University of Costa Rica has verified extensive studies collected in Animal Nutrition[1] in which they give great importance to the use of different flavorings at different ages of the animal in order to make the feed more palatable according to the biological demands of the individual's age. This study is something that the big animal feed brands are surely aware of.
The importance of water
We cannot forget that the fresh meat that a feline would ingest in its natural environment contains 70 to 80% water. When feeding our cat with dry feed, we only provide 5-10% water. Animals do not feel thirsty like humans and therefore do not drink enough water to make up the difference. Thus, feeding a cat only dry food is not recommended, as it would be poorly hydrated and this will lead to kidney problems in the future. Experts in feline nutrition insist on this topic the most, such as Dr. Lisa A. Pierson in her studies[2], specialized veterinarian in cat nutrition.
Having said this, we hope that this article has helped to solve your doubts about a correct diet for cats and that you know how to choose a good cat food. You may be interested in knowing some recipes for homemade wet cat food or the article on "How to detect kidney stones in cats".
