Cats are very special animals and need very healthy food. Since cats are obligate carnivores which means they are meat eaters they do not have the ability to process corn or wheat as food.
If you think about what a cat would eat in the wild if they had to provide their own food, they would be catching birds, mice or other small prey. If in this search they ran through a corn field, would they stop to eat some corn? Have you ever thought about this? About the only food other than meats and bone that they would find would be the food in the stomach of the prey that they have caught. Thus when feeding our cats, we would want to closely emulate their chosen diet.
When feeding dry food or kibble, read the listed ingredients. The first ingredient listed is of course the largest amount of the ingredient in the container. Meal is the name of the meat or other substance that is included in the package. Chicken Meal is chicken that has been cooked to a meal so that it can be processed into kibble. If the ingredients listed contain corn or wheat you do not want to feed this to an obligate carnivore. Potatoes are not a food that is used by the cat nor are vegetables in larger amounts. Remember when you think about the prey that they hunt a minimal amount of these substances are in the stomach and can be handled by the cat as nutrition. Food color is very needless in cat food as are garlic, yucca, salt and pepper. The more items that you read that you do not understand and have a hard time pronouncing are useless in your cat food. A little brown rice is much more digestible.
In recent years it has come to the attention of the public that cat foods with ingredients coming from China carry an ingredient called wheat gluten which has been found to be a contamination that has caused death in numbers of pets being fed foods that were thought to be safe and in essence have caused kidney failure and death. Recently this same ingredient has been found in baby milk formula in China and has sickened or killed some children. How horrible! This ingredient, Melamin, is used to boost the protein content and is deadly. Reading the labels of the foods you feed your cats is essential to their future health and life.
Preservatives are another ingredient that needs to be looked at closely. If you have used a cat food recommended by your vet and made by the Hills Company, it quite possibly contains two ingredients that have been removed from the human food sources. They are BHA and BHT. Why on earth would that be included by a company that makes food for animals that have a need for very specialized foods when it is a known killer of humans? Why would a Veterinarian knowingly prescribe this for a pet that is sick or in need of special food? Most veterinarians have very little training in the feeding of healthy cats and dogs. As a breeder of a very special cat, the RagaMuffin, I have done much research in the care and feeding of cats. I want the best for the cats I place in homes where they are loved and cared for as very special family members.
My recommended food, if you are feeding a dry or kibble type of food is one made by a company in Florida by the name of Trilogy. This food is the safest and healthiest that I have found for pets. It is produced and shipped directly to your door so there is no warehouse storage for long periods of time. It does not go to a retailer that must then put it into storage in their warehouses prior to it's being sent to the retail store for sale to the public. You will not find wheat mites from lengthy warehouse storage. Since it does not contain any corn or wheat it is totally usable by the cat so it is nutrient dense. Your cat does not have to eat a large amount in order to satisfy its nutritional requirements. This also prevents overly used litter boxes which is a wonderful thing.
Just a reminder, cats are a sensitive animal and many can be affected by ingredients that are harmful so use care and caution in feeding your feline companion.
Sharon is a Cat Breeder with a great deal of experience in raising RagaMuffin Cats and Kittens She is a representative of the Trilogy Company a pet foods company and highly educated in this field. Her kittens and cats are Grand Champions and from the original lines. Her kittens can be found all around the U.S as well as in Europe. LuvNMuffin is a Cattery of Distinction and registers their cats and kittens in the American Cat Fanciers Association as well as the Cat Fanciers Association. She is on the Board of Directors of The RagaMuffin Associated Group. Visit her web site at luvnmuffin.com
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