Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
PICKING THE RIGHT FOOD
If cats were left outdoors to hunt, mice would be their ideal food, sup-
plying all of their nutritional needs. Other prey a cat would choose are
rats, rabbits, birds and insects.
Cats would probably be healthier if they ate a diet of fresh prey, as
opposed to commercial foods. And this has prompted some owners to
become interested in feeding raw diets to their cats. Most veterinarians
do not favor raw diets, however, because to be formulated properly, they
are very labor-intensive for an owner. Other problems associated with
raw diets include nutritional imbalances, exposure of the human
preparing the food and the cat eating the food to bacteria and parasites
found in raw meat, acceptability of a raw diet to the cat and odors asso-
ciated with preparing and feeding the diet.
There are three quality categories of commercial cat foods: premi-
um, sold in the grocery store and generic. I would not recommend
generic food because it often does not meet the standards of the
Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). AAFCO is
the organization responsible for creating practical nutritional recom-
mendations for pet food. Any food you feed your cat should at least
meet these minimum standards, and if it does, it will say so on the label.
There are many brands of cat food that are sold in the grocery store,
and almost all meet AAFCO standards. The main differences between
these foods and premium diets (which are usually sold in pet supply
stores) are the ways in which the nutrition requirements are achieved.
Premium diets contain higher quality, more digestible and bioavailable
ingredients, which decrease the amount of food the cat needs and the
amount of feces kitty produces.
Cats are carnivores, so they need high levels of protein in their diets.
Some people call canned food “meat,” and it generally contains more
protein than dry food, but cheaper canned foods may still have a lot of
fillers that are not derived from meat. Most cats like the taste and smell
of canned food, but dry foods offer owners more convenience.The cost
of canned food is also significantly more than dry. While canned food
often has more protein per ounce than dry food, it also contains
between 75 and 80 percent water.
Once opened, a can of cat food stays fresh for about two to three
days if it's kept covered and refrigerated. Most cats do not like cold
food, so warming refrigerated food in the microwave for a few seconds
