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Cat Owner's Manual › Chapter 5: Cat Food & Nutrition › Selecting a Commerical Brand of Cat Food ›Selecting a Commerical Brand of Cat Food
Cat food makers are required to post nutritional information about their products on their containers. Such labels must list, among other things, the ingredients and a statement of nutritional purpose and adequacy (essentially, an explanation as to what sort of cat the food is meant for). Examine the statement of nutritional purpose and adequacy first. A product for kittens might say it offers "complete and balanced nutrition for early development." Or a food for full-grown cats might say, "complete nutrition to support the health of adult cats." The best products will state that they are "Formulated to meet the AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) Cat Food Nutrient Profile for . . ." Do not buy pet foods that do not mention the AAFCO on their labels. After selecting a balanced, nutritionally complete product fine-tuned to your cat's needs, examine the ingredients. The heaviest by weight is listed first. Wet foods almost always list a meat product first, while in dry preparations meat may appear farther down the roster. This is because in wet foods the meat is hydrated and therefore heavier. Dry products may contain just as much meat, but because it weighs less it sits slightly lower on the ingredient list. In general, one or even two meat products should be at or near the top of the list. Meat by-products (these can range from bonemeal to fish skin) are generally of lower quality. Also study the "guaranteed analysis" section of the label, which among other things states what percentage of the food is composed of such important elements as crude protein, crude fat, and crude fiber (an adult feline-maintenance food should ideally contain a minimum of 26 percent protein and 9 percent fat; a formulation for kittens and pregnant or lactating females should contain no less than 30 percent protein). It is also vital to examine the wording on the front of the label. If a product advertises itself as "chicken cat food," then at least 95 percent of the product must be composed of the named item (or 70 percent, if moisture content is included). If the product contains more than 25 percent but less than 95 percent of its signature item, then it must be called "chicken formula," "chicken platter," or use some other qualifier. And foods incorporating the word "with" (as in "cat food with chicken") may include as little as 3 percent of the named ingredient. Chapter 5: Cat Food & Nutrition
Comments for This Page (9) | Post a Commentwith dry foods, ideally the first several ingredients should be meat. Corn, brewers rice, and wheat/ sorghum are all undesirable ingredients that will just fill up your cat and make it poop more. Try brands like Innova Evo and Wellness Core (my cat loves both) and always read the ingredients to compare with cheaper (and poorer quality) brands. Your cat will thank you! I have 14 cats and they eat wet food twice a day. I've been feeding my cats with the "Opticat" brand. In the composition it says: Meats and animal byproducts (cow meat 4%, kidneys 4%), cereals, vegetables 4%, mineral substances, sugars, vegetal protein extracts. It has - Protein - 7.5% + Fat - 4% + Ashes - 2% + Celulos - 0.4% + Humidity - 80% Is this safe? I also complete their feedings with Friskies dry food and they always have some to nibble when they want (as they are so many cats, it's hard to control who eats when). Am I doing the right thing???? I am very disapointed :( , I examined my cats food (Purina Cat Chow) only to discover that it is full of corn products to fill her up , the first 6 or 7 ingrediants are of this nature and then it says meat byproducts. Unfortunatley , i live outside the us , and the pet food selection is very , very limited, this fopod is supposed to be the best , it is the most expensive on the market other than science diet which I would like to buy , but here they sell it at ridiculously high prices. Cats dont have the 'thirst instinct' as other animals (and human) have. Therefore, dry cat foods are gnerally considered the worst choice because chronic dehydration causes several diseases in cats. I believe the best food is fresh. My cat recently got cystitis and I started reading as much about cat food as I could. i threw away all of his dry food, and bought the best quality 90% meat wet food i could find. he will never eat dry food again, it is not good for cats and the myth it cleans their teeth is just that, a myth. cats need meat not grain, rice, corn, vegetable fillers. Post a Comment for This Page
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The Cat Owner's Manual is a basic guide to cat care.
i have been trying to find a moist catfood called tender vittle..anyone know where i may find it?thank you...Michele