Don't Let Your Cats Go Astray: Feed Them Feline-Friendly Foods
Written by Peter Atkins. Reprinted from the April/May 2007 Cat Fanciers' Almanac Mewsline.
Cat owners everywhere say that their pets are the most wonderfully unique and special animals on the planet. In their own, biased way, these feline fans are completely correct. Cats ARE different from any other pet. Since we have no problem acknowledging that cats have an unrivaled place in our hearts, why do we insist on feeding them as if they were just any other animal?
Cat got your tongue? You are not alone. Many cat owners are unaware of the special dietary needs of their favorite feline companions. Cats are carnivores by nature - technically "Obligate Carnivores" with even stricter nutritional needs than dogs. They require a consistent consumption of protein because of their inability to conserve nitrogen. Cats also do not have the levels of digestive enzymes to handle carbohydrates. In fact, a high carb diet for cats can lead to obesity and high blood sugar, which can cause diabetes.
When picking out your cat's cuisine, choose a healthy and wholesome pet food rich in protein and low in carbohydrates. This may be easier said than done. Unfortunately, many cat foods on the market these days are packed with cheap protein fillers, such as corn gluten meal, wheat gluten and low quality meat by-products, which boost up the "crude protein" percentage without adding health benefits. Even more disturbing are the unnamed food ingredients that come along with some major brands - these UFIs can include feathers, heads, feet, and entrails - certainly things neither you nor your cat should be eating. Also, be sure to watch out for carb over-load with ingredients such as refined flours, mills runs, wheat and/or corn.
So what is a health conscious kitty to do? Fortunately, there are plenty of nutritional options available to address the specific nutritional needs of cats and kittens. For example, Natura Pet Products has eliminated the cheap filler ingredients and low-grade proteins that are so common in commercial cat foods, creating foods that are more dense and richer in nutrients without added bulk. This means your cat gets more nutrition from less food, with calories and fats in each formula balanced to fit his or her individual needs. To find good protein sources, check out the ingredients for named protein sources (turkey, lamb, beef, etc.) or concentrated named meat proteins (chicken meal, turkey meal, herring meal, etc.)
The high protein, low cal "raw" diet is a healthy way to find a nutritional balance. Since we know our pets evolved from wild animals and survived on raw meats, it is nutritionally beneficial to mimic this "evolutionary" diet as closely as possible. Although touted for its nutritional benefits, the raw diet is often difficult to prepare and costly. Most cat owners don't know how to feed raw or are simply turned off by the effort associated with a raw diet. Embracing this diet wholeheartedly means a big hassle during preparation and dealing with the potential dangers of bacteria.
In order to provide the nutritional benefits of a raw diet without the cost and mess, choose a dry pet food that approximates the nutrient percentages of wild and raw diets. Look for those that include fresh meats, meaty bones and fresh veggies with no cereal grains. Natura's EVO Cat & Kitten, for examples, approximates the ingredients, nutritional profile and feeding benefits of the typical raw food diet in a safe, sanitary, nutritionally complete and low cost manner. EVO meets the specific nutritional needs of felines while also creating a food that takes preventative measures in keeping your cat healthy. In fact, recently published research offers convincing evidence that the high meat protein, low carb combination featured in EVO may help to maintain weight and treat obesity, trigger satiety, increase water intake and urine excretion, treat chronic diarrhea and prevent struvite crystallization (FLUTD).
Whatever diet you choose for your cat, make sure to read the nutritional labels carefully. Remember that, for humans, a diet of natural, wholesome food is essential to living a long, healthy life; this fundamental principle is true for your cat, too.
Peter Atkins is vice president of Natura Pet Products.
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