When purchasing cat food, holistic options are best because they include quality protein. Protein is the most essential part of any cat diet because it is rich in amino acids. A cat needs amino acids for muscle, bone, joint and organ health.
While many natural cat food brands include protein in their ingredient list, they by-products as a protein source. By-products can include bone meal, beaks, ground intestines and other protein body parts. These protein sources are poor quality and do not contain enough of the essential amino acids.
Learn to Read Labels
Always look at the ingredient list on your cat food; holistic brands worth buying always include boned meat or fish as the first ingredient. Fillers and grains like corn gluten meal, cornmeal and wheat gluten should not be in the ingredient list. Many cats are allergic to these ingredients. Fillers add calories to the food and save the company money because they can use a smaller quantity of protein in their recipe.
An Example of Quality Holistic Foods
A quality natural cat food label often includes these ingredients:
- Poultry, beef, lamb or fish
- Poultry meal
- Fish meal
- Chicken fat
- Potato, sweet potato or brown rice
- Eggs
- Fruit and vegetables
- Fish oil
- Vitamins and minerals
- Taurine
Make sure taurine is listed in the ingredients. Taurine is an essential amino acid that prevents eye and heart disease. Cats cannot produce taurine naturally, so your cat feed must include taurine.
Best Holistic Cat Food Brands
Blue Buffalo's Spa Select natural cat foods come in four formulas: Adult Chicken and Rice, Indoor Cat, Mature Chicken and Rice and Weight Control. With these foods, the five top ingredients are deboned chicken, chicken meal, ground brown rice, fishmeal and ground barley.
Castor & Pollux offer their Natural Ultramix holistic pet food that includes dehydrated fruit and vegetable pieces. The first five ingredients in their natural cat food are chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, fishmeal and ground barley.
EVO created the first available natural cat food using holistic guidelines. Their cat food includes boneless chicken, chicken meal, herring meal, chicken fat and potatoes as the first five ingredients.
Harmony Farms' cat feed is available in select grocery stores. When you purchase their cat food, holistic ingredients ensure your cat is eating healthy. Their ingredient list includes chicken, chicken meal, ground brown rice, ground barley and oats.
Actor Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Green Pea and Duck formula is a great choice for cat food holistic formulas. The top five ingredients are green peas, duck meal, duck, canola oil and flaxseed.
Solid Gold Indigo Moon Cat Food Holistic Formula comes in sealed foil bags to help keep food fresher for longer. The top five ingredients in Indigo Moon are chicken meal, potatoes, canola oil, chicken and natural chicken flavor.
Kitten vs. Adult Cat Diet
Growing kittens require more fat than an adult cat. While you can purchase specialized cat food, kittens usually receive the proper amount of fat and calories when fed a high quality natural cat food. Brands like EVO and Natural Balance suit growing kittens. They also include kitten-feeding guidelines on their bags of food.