How healthy is the CAT FOOD we feed.
Today I will expound on DRY CAT FOOD. (Hang in there, this is exciting stuff!)
First the GOOD news:
-Dry food is convenient. It will stay fresh in the bowl for days.
-Cats like dry food. All dry food is surface sprayed with a very 'tasty" coating.
-Dry food is nutritionally complete. Dry food contains all the needed nutrients that your cat needs to live.
-Dry food is inexpensive when compared to canned food, homemade diets, raw diets.
Here's the BAD news:
-Dry food is processed under very high heat. This kills bacteria, viruses, molds etc, but also destroys and degrades the nutritional quality of the ingredients.
-Dry food is very refined. Look at the ingredients and you will see "meat meals". This is like meat flour. All dry foods use a meal form of meat in their formulas
-Dry food contains plant proteins. Cats are carnivores -meat eaters. Their systems are NOT built to process and utilize plant proteins. But, plant proteins are a much cheaper ingredient.
-Dry food contains a large amount of carbohydrates -even "grain free" diets. Carbohydrates are what makes dry food crunchy. Hi carb diets are also responsible in part for feline obesity , diabetes and possibly thyroid disease.
-Dry food contains ALMOST NO moisture, which can lead to dehydration, urinary tract disease, and more. Because of this, dry food should not be fed as a solo diet to any cat over 14 years of age.
The UGLY:
Many less expensive dry foods are LOADED with artificial flavors, colorants and preservatives, and are very high in carbohydrates. That is why they are cheap!
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN CHOSING A DRY FOOD: The first 2 ingredients should be meat based proteins. Avoid foods that include corn gluten, wheat gluten, as these are plant proteins. Try to chose foods that use complex carbohydrates. Chose brown rice over white rice. Chose sweet potatoes over white potatoes. Stay away from corn -it is very undigestible (which means it ends up in the litterbox!). The most important thing is to READ THE LABEL and know what you are feeding.
Coming up ...canned foods and more.
Dr. Maureen Flatley
Fox Valley Cat Clinic
