I’ve been reading many reports lately on the state of the pet food industry. Though some major manufacturers are selling off their pet food lines, others seem to be thriving and expanding. I’m seeing more and more premium brands being introduced by all types of manufacturers, from big-name conglomerates to small independent companies and even smaller family-owned businesses.

I believe this is a good thing, though admittedly it can be overwhelming. There seems to be more focus on dog food rather than cat food in most of reports that I’ve read. Also, there seems to be a lot more premium dog food commercials. However, I know that cats face a lot of the same health challenges that dogs do. They too need a healthy diet and a broad selection of food from which to choose. It made me wonder: What do most people feed their cats?

Though my cats are feral or semi-feral, I still provide them with excellent food. Each morning they receive a premium hard food with lean proteins and limited grains. Each night, they receive the same hard food topped with a wet canned food that contains excellent proteins like fish or poultry. I occasionally supplement their diet with some fresh boiled or baked chicken, which they absolutely love. However, they tend to eat too much of the freshly made chicken and will sometimes leave me a little present to clean up. I certainly don’t enjoy cleaning up regurgitated chicken. However, I enjoy even less the fact that the chicken may have been a little too rich for their stomachs and made them sick.

I’ve asked a lot of my clients, friends and family about the types and brands of food they feed their cats. Often, they will tell me it’s hard food from a bag with the occasional wet canned food. They will tell me what color the bag is and sometimes the name. However, they rarely know what type of protein is in the food and seldom the overall ingredients. The only ones that seem to know are the ones who have their cats on a prescription diet that the vet prescribed, because their cat had a particular type of health issue for which the food is targeted. Even then, they don’t realize that there are different manufacturers of prescription diets and they may be able to find one that works better or tastes better for their cat.

I do believe it is extremely important to find a top-quality food that is healthy for your cat and that they also enjoy. Supplement their food with some fresh or steamed vegetables. This will provide them with additional fiber, allow them to feel fuller and provide them with nutrients that they may not receive in your typical bagged hard food or wet canned food. As the options for premium cat foods increase, so should our knowledge of what’s available. It can be a challenge to keep up with, but we owe it to our cats to provide them with the best options.

The better the food now, the better chance they will have a healthy life. It’s better to pay for a premium healthy cat food today than to pay more money in the future for prescription foods, medications and veterinarian visits.

I’m sure that our wonderful Catster readers have been through all of this through their many years of loving and providing for their cats. What do you feed your cat? Let us know in the comments!

Read more by Tim Link: