Tips for Comparing Cat Foods

Choosing the perfect cat foods for your pet may seem a little difficult, but it's important to provide your cat with the best food choices available because you want your cat to maintain optimum health and nutrition. So how do you know which cat foods are the most nutritious and best for your pet?

It is important to know that every cat is different, and may have different nutritional needs. There is usually not one cat food that will be the best for every cat. What is good for one cat may cause stomach upset and digestion issues in another cat. Luckily, there are several well-formulated cat foods on the market these days, and it is safe to test out more than one on your cat to determine what works the best for your pet.

Nutritional Needs

It's important to know the nutritional needs of your cat when choosing a cat food. Cats require more protein in their diets, as well as amino acids, fatty acids, Vitamin A and other nutrients. The ideal cat food should be of animal origin, which is the only way to provide all the nutritional needs to your cat that he needs.

Stages of Life

A cat's stage of life is an important factor when choosing the ideal food for him. Kitten food provides more calories, protein, and vitamins to ensure the proper growth of young kittens, and will likely cause an adult cat to become overweight. A kitten eating adult cat food will not be provided with the extra nutrition he needs. Older cats may need a senior food with less calories and a lighter formula for digestion. Determining what the perfect food is for your cat will heavily depend on the cat's age and stage of life, so remember to always keep this in mind.

Dry or Moist Food

Whether you should feed your cat wet or dry food, it all depends on the individual cat and his health situation. It is usually advised to consult a veterinarian when deciding the type of food to feed your cat.

Ingredients

The ideal food should have high-quality ingredients, such as meat, fish, egg, and other proteins. They should also contain carbohydrates, fats, and fibers. Some economy brands of cat food are less expensive because they are made with ingredients that are not easily digested, which doesn't provide the proper nutrition. It is usually well worth the extra money to feed your cat high-quality foods, which will ultimately provide the cat with better nutrition and optimum health.

Guaranteed Analysis

On the back of the bag of cat food is a Guaranteed Analysis chart that lists the quantities of the various ingredients within the food. Remember to look for a food with a high amount of meat, fish, egg or other proteins.

The AAFCO Statement

To assess a brand of cat food, compare the ingredients to the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) nutritional chart. A complete and balanced cat food will meet the requirements of AAFCO.

 

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