Cat owners always want to retain the good health of their cats. Many people perceive feeding high-quality food as an effective way to do so. However, a portion of healthy and nutritious cat food for a lovely kitty is a challenging task. The reason is that pet owners get endless options, which creates confusion in selecting the one. Considering this, one should check the following tips to choose the right one for the respective pet animal.
Food Label for Cats must be as per AAFCO Guidelines
AAFCO i.e. American Association of Feed Control Officials has set up certain guidelines to regulate the food items to include in pet foods. The association also claims the items, which a pet food manufacturer may claim or not legitimately.
Accordingly, individuals have to check the name of particular pet food. For instance, if any food has only one type of ingredient, AAFCO guidelines say that it should contain a minimum of 95 percent of the respective ingredient excluding water. Similarly, if companies advertise their products as a combination of ingredients, the combination must be present in 95 percent of the total food.
Check the Content of Animal Protein
After this, pet owners have to check the ingredients list according to their weight to select a cat food. Ingredients, which contain moisture in a relatively high amount, like fish, chicken, poultry, or beef must be present at the top of the list. Ingredients down the list provide a few key nutrients, like protein but weigh less, as food manufacturers remove water to prepare dry pet food.
Any cat food must have reliable sources of fat and animal protein. Cats are carnivorous animals and they need arachidonic acid and taurine nutrients in their regular diet. Hence, cats need animal sources, like chicken, poultry, beef, fish, turkey, and other forms of meat to get the required nutrients.
Consider Grains for Cats
Grains in pet foods are excellent sources of carbohydrates. Kitties may easily metabolize foods rich in carbohydrates and use them as excellent energy sources. However, a few people avoid giving grains in the cat food. A few experts consider that a protein-rich diet with low carbohydrates is a healthy option for cats. However, others do not agree with the concept and hence, grains for cats have remained a controversial subject for a long time.
By-Products for Cats
BY-products refer to nutritious and highly digestible organs, like the lungs and liver. Any pet food labeled as by-products does not contain horns, hair, and hooves, as per advertisement gimmicks. A few by-products even contain a high value of nutrients. Good pet food companies select quality by-products in their foods and pet owners must consider it while choosing by-products for their lovely pets.
Select Dry Food or Canned Food as Per Convenience
Both dry food and canned food have pros and cons while feeding cats and other similar types of pets. However, individuals have to select the one according to their convenience only.
Conclusion
Therefore, with the right combination of nutritious foods for cats, the tiny animals will stay healthy and happy for a lifetime.
