Your adorable cat undoubtedly needs a Cat Food Advisor who will hold a notable place in your heart. So, it’s quite obvious that you want to give it the best thing. You will always want to feed it high-quality nutritional food to ensure its sound health. Each cat food brand claims that they are offering the best quality but you should always check consciously what the food offers in real.
Not sure about how to do it exactly? No worries, we are here as your cat food advisor to help you out. Our pet food advisors have thoroughly researched the healthiest cat food, the best cat food for indoor cats, the best dry cat food for indoor cats, homemade cat food, and different cat food brands to advise you to choose the best cat food. We have tried our best to be your best cat food advisor.
Cat Food Type
Cats are a bit choosy regarding their food. If your cat eats a particular food and doesn’t feel good after having it, it won’t have that food anymore. You need to study a little about different types of cat food to choose the best one for your pet. So, let’s start studying the types.
- Wet food
Wet food’s soft consistency and smell make it irresistible to many cats.
Wet foods differ in their textures and flavors and are available in pouches or cans. Some varieties are as follows:
- Flaked: Generally, fish pieces in gravy or broth.
- Broth: Mostly, available in pouches with a syrupy consistency. Also, use it as a topper or other dry or wet cat food to attract cats to eat.
- Heavy Gravy: This food is for those cats that won’t like having food without a good amount of gravy. It also helps them to hydrate.
- Chunky: Protein chunks in dense gravy.
- Pate: Spreadable smooth consistency, generally in gravy.
- Puree: A puree is formed by blending the food with water. It is ideal for adult cats or the ones with dental problems. Also, use it as a topper on kibble or dry food to attract cats.
- Shredded: Thin, small protein strips in gravy.
- Sliced: Thick, long protein strips in gravy or broth.
- Semi-moist Food
This food is made of brightly colored chewy, soft pieces. The bright color is generally used for customer attraction. Cats aren’t bothered about what color food they are having, what they like is the taste of this semi-moist food. Generally, this food has sugar and salt in higher amounts and also contains added flavors and colors.
Many cats have no issues eating this food, but it may cause issues for your cat based on its health condition.
- Dry Food
Dry foods or kibbles are available in bags and include crunchy, dry, small bits. Mostly, cats enjoy having this food. These are manufactured with the required nutrients for your cat. While some kibbles are too sharp making it the worst dry cat food.
So, as your cat food advisor, we will recommend you choose carefully the food your cat can have without any issues. If your cat has dental issues or missed its teeth, kibbles can be hurting its mouth. In that case, soak the dry food in bone broth or hot water to make it softer.
Some cat owners prefer kibble because it is easy to store for long in an air-tight container. Just dump the correct amount in your pet’s bowl, and you are done. If you are solely depending on kibbles for your cat’s nutrition, ensure that your cat is drinking enough water. Because usually, cats don’t drink much water and there is a chance of your cat getting dehydrated.
This cat food advisor suggests you add broth or water to kibble regardless of whether your cat is suffering from any dental issues or not just to ensure it’s enough hydration.
- Freeze-Dried Raw Food
You don’t need a freezer to keep this food. It comes with high protein. You just need to soak this food in warm water or broth before serving it.
- Frozen Raw Food
Frozen raw food is manufactured with raw frozen meat and closely resembles the wild diet of your cat. Generally, it’s tougher to prepare and costlier than different branded cat foods. You need to measure the exact food amounts and defrost that before serving. It comes with high protein and minimal processing.
- Vegetarian or Vegan Cat Food
Many cat lovers amongs prefer vegetarian or vegan food to feed their adorable pets, often because of ethical reasons. You need to understand that these felines require specific nutrients such as taurine, that they can’t have from this type of food. So, it will be crucial you find food for supplements.
Age of Your Cat
You must have seen that the departmental stores keep cat foods based on different ages. Generally, they are classified into three separate age groups:
- Kitty or Kitten
- Adult
- Senior
This is because, like human beings, cats’ nutrition requirements also vary at different phases of their lives. Let’s learn in detail.
- Kitty or Kitten
Your kitty or kitten needs healthy fats and protein-enriched diets. Fats and protein are crucial to develop and grow up strong. Its bones, muscles, and teeth need these nutrients to transform all calories into required energy throughout the energetic and hectic kitty life.
- Adult
Adult cats need to decrease a bit their calorie intake as they enter adulthood. Cats become slower and don’t burn that many calories. So, there is a possibility that they will become overweight which is harmful to the feline’s health. It results in arthritis, heart problems, and diabetes.
Again, adult cats need to boost up their calorie intake when they become pregnant or face malnutrition for some reason. But above all, you should never overfeed your cat.
- Senior
When your cat is senior it becomes again a little slower. Sometimes, even sleeping or lying for a whole day. It indicates it needs to intake way fewer calories to maintain its normal weight. So, senior cats’ foods should have higher nutrition and lower fat.
The food should also be easily digestible. Because senior cats get stomach upsets after having rich foods. So, choose branded senior food that is quite stable.
Weight of Your Cat
We as your cat food advisor will recommend you to choose food for your cat that helps maintain a hygienic weight. Because it contributes to your cat’s happiness and overall health. If your pet is a bit overweight, consider the calorie content of the food. All nutritional information like calorie content and the like are listed on every bag, and container of food.
Activity Level of Your Cat
This cat food advisor suggests you choose protein-enriched food if your pet is highly active. A less active or older cat will need less protein and fat content. Your kitten will also need more of this content than an adult cat.
Food Allergies
If your cat is prone to food allergies, check the label of the food carefully to know whether it contains any allergens. For instance, if your pet has an allergy to poultry items avoid food that contains chicken. In case, your cat develops allergies after having new food, read the label and find out the difference with the previous food. So, avoid that the next time.
Things to Look for on the Labels
This cat food advisor advises you to check different food labels to get an idea about which will be the best for your pet according to its needs. The things that are essential for all cats and you should look for on the labels are as follows:
- Protein
Protein from a good meat source like beef, poultry, or fish. You need to know the quality and source of this protein.
- Taurine
This crucial amino acid supports a cat’s development. It helps in the regulation of water and minerals in your cat’s body.
- Fatty Acids and Fats
Fatty acids build up fat chains. The fatty acids with short-chain are applied for energy, saturated ones store energy, essential ones are applied in hormonal substances, and long-chain polyunsaturated ones give energy and generate cells’ membrane structure. The most known fatty acids are Omega-6 and Omega-3. As per some evidence, Omega-3 improves cats’ coats and skin, and Omega-6 is mainly useful in facilitating reproduction function.
Fats represent a vital part of your cat’s diet. They are the main supplier of energy. Because a fat content of one gram contains double the energy than a carbohydrate or protein content of the same quantity. Again, they support continuing hormone production and the absorption of some vitamins in your cat’s body.
- Vitamins
As per the research of Waltham Petcare Institute, the following two tables mention the major functions of both fat-soluble and water-soluble essential vitamins:
Table 1: Fat-soluble vitamins’ major functions (Cat Food Advisor)
| A Vitamin | Develops skin, and vision |
| D Vitamin | Phosphorus and calcium metabolism |
| E Vitamin | Antioxidant |
| K Vitamin | Helps in blood clotting |
Table 2: Water-soluble vitamins’ major functions (Cat Food Advisor)
| Thiamin(B1) | Works on the nervous system |
| Riboflavin (B2) | Develops skin |
| Niacin (B3) | Provides cell energy, and develops skin |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) | Helps in growth and skin development |
| Pyridoxine (B6) | Provides cell energy |
| Biotin (B7) | Develops hair and skin |
| Folic Acid (B9) | Blood cell formation |
| Cobalamin (B12) | Blood cell formation |
| Choline | Phospholipid synthesis |
Excess consumption of fat-soluble vitamins can create health issues, but water-soluble ones won’t do so. Vitamin deficiencies can cause different problems to your cat such as vitamin A deficiency will cause your cat’s eye problems, and vitamin K deficiency will cause cerebral, nasal, and skin bleeding because this vitamin helps blood clotting. Give kits of cat grass with your cat’s regular diet to improve its nutrition.
- Minerals
Minerals such as calcium, manganese, potassium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, and the like are also essential for different health reasons in your cat such as acidic balance, bone health, coat, and skin health. Sodium also plays an important role. Cat food low in sodium is specifically formulated to prevent problems with your pet’s heart due to taking too much salt.
- Preservatives
Normally, cat foods have preservatives to keep them fresh longer. Ingredients like corn, rice, wheat, colors, and flavors all are preservatives. Comparatively expensive brands contain fewer preservatives.
Things to Avoid
Avoid the following in your cat’s food:
- Animal Digest
- Bone and Meat Meal
- Corn Meal
- Grain Fillers in High Levels
- Chemicals like BHA and BHT
Your Schedule
We as your cat food advisor will recommend you figure out how much of your time you can spend preparing the meals for your cat. Scooping dry cat food into the bowl or opening a pouch or can of wet cat food is easier than thawing raw frozen food. But if your feline doesn’t have the whole can or pouch at once, there will be leftovers and you need to store it in your fridge till the coming mealtime.
Your Vet’s Advice
It will be best for you to consult your vet for your cat’s diet plan. Discuss what type of food, how much, and how often to feed the food for your cat’s right nutrition.
Price
This cat food advisor suggests you buy the best quality food that fits your budget. Several budget-friendly foods are available nowadays in the market.
Conclusion:
Now, you must have got all the answers to your queries about your cat from your cat food advisor i.e. us. Have more queries? No, worries. Share your queries in our comment section and your cat food advisor is always ready to answer them. So, how much do we score as your cat food advisor out of 100?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- What is AAFCO? Where Can I get AAFCO Certified Food for my cat?
AAFCO is the abbreviation of the Association of American Feed Control Officials. It’s a group that provides information to producers about the regulatory environment, along with helping them prepare exact labels for pet foods. All producers must respect their respective state’s rules. AAFCO fixes the nutrient standards in pet food.
AAFCO neither tests the food nor certifies it. It only establishes standards and all informed buyers should check if those are respected. The producers of the pet food will mention on the label that their food fulfills AAFCO standards.
- What is the importance of meat in your cat’s diet?
Cats need meat protein. They can’t survive without it. In their wildlife, meat forms a large portion of their meal. You will get several raw foods but a bit expensive and resemble more the type of food a cat eats in the wild. If you can’t afford it, buy food for domesticated cats because you don’t have a wild one.
- How frequently should I feed a cat?
Your cat should have at least 2 meals every day, at around 12-hour intervals. But if you can arrange breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner, and something exactly before going to bed, that would be a great option. Over 12 hours gap between meals will cause your cat’s hyperacidity resulting in nausea.
- How much should a cat eat to remain healthy?
An average-sized cat of around 10 pounds weight needs about 250 calories each day. That equals ½ cup of cat food of around 500 calories. But if your cat is smaller or its energy level is low, they can have smaller amounts.
- What are the general guidelines for choosing the best cat food?
Generally, 75% or more proportion of animal proteins are best for your cat. If the cat food has more good quality animal proteins, it will have fewer filler ingredients of low quality. Again, the carbohydrate quantity should be lower than 25%.
- Can cats eat human food?
Yes, they can have certain human foods. If you give your cat human food, ensure that it eats an exactly sized portion. Avoid any food that makes the cat sick. Give it good cat food, if you have any doubt.
- Can cats eat dog food?
Occasionally, cats can eat dog food and it won’t be harmful though it’s not a suitable choice. Because despite having many ingredients in common, cat foods are specifically formulated for your cat’s needs. The specific ingredients consist of more protein, specific fatty acids, and vitamins.