Best bulk cat food, whether wet, dry, raw, or home-cooked, should respect your cat’s dietary requirements as a carnivore. It’s high in protein from animal sources, has an appropriate ratio of fats, and won’t cause your cat’s blood sugar to surge from an abundance of carbohydrates.
Cats want multiple tiny meals per day, usually between 10 and 12. Domestic cats have similar preferences, yet their eating habits can vary depending on their upbringing and experiences. Finding a cat food you feel good about giving your cat is difficult. Good food selection depends on more than just price and instead considers things like brand name and ingredient quality. Let’s dive into each of them!
Low Carbohydrates
Protein in cats is broken down into glucose by gluconeogenesis. Cats can meet their protein needs by eating carbohydrates instead, but this is far from optimal.
Like humans with diabetes, cats have some insulin resistance. And long-term carbohydrate consumption may increase your cat’s risk of developing diabetes. Concentrations of carbohydrates between 1% and 10% are safe for your cat, but anything higher than that could be dangerous.
High-Quality Proteins Enriched Food
Meat is an excellent source of protein for cats. There is more to it than simply seeking out protein-rich foods. Instead, you should additionally consider the protein’s quality.
Minimum Plant-Protein
Protein from plants like peas and potatoes is less efficient than animal sources, though it’s unclear exactly where each plant protein source fits on the digestibility spectrum. Whereas a single prey animal provides a cat with all the amino acids, it needs, reproducing that mix in plant ingredients requires combining it with animal protein and synthetic additions.
In addition, many cat owners have discovered that feeding their cats a diet high in animal protein results in less waste.
No Animal By-Product
Among the many ingredients in cat food, animal by-products are sometimes misinterpreted. The main issues with animal by-products are their digestibility and lack of quality assurance. Therefore, avoid animal by-products and other nebulous components like “meat,” “poultry,” and “meat and bone meal” if you want your protein to be digested as efficiently as possible.
Moisture-Rich Foods
Early wild cats adapted reduced thirst drives and a preference for drinking from the moisture-rich bodies of their prey since fresh water was scarce. Because of this, they usually don’t drink enough water to compensate for dry food’s lack of moisture. Therefore, it’s better to use moisture-enriched food to keep your cat hydrated.
Free Of Carrageenan and Artificial Ingredients
Canned cat food benefits significantly from using this natural seaweed extract as a binder and thickening, despite the extract’s poor reputation. Moreover, if the food is prepared using healthy meat products, then artificial flavors are unnecessary. Food dyes are not only superfluous but have also been linked to behavioral problems and cancer growth in people and animals.
However, common preservatives, including BHA, BHT, and ethoxyquin, have been linked to health risks. Infrequently listed as an ingredient, the fish preservative ethoxyquin may find its way into your cat’s food.
Bottom Line
Keep in mind that you may be putting your cat’s health in the hands of the cat food manufacturer for the remainder of its life. A company’s recall history tells us a lot about its ethics, safety standards, and the quality of its products, yet it doesn’t tell us everything.