Understanding Cat Food: A Guide to Healthy Nutrition
In early 2007, several major brands were found to contain tainted ingredients in their cat foods. These contaminations led to the illness and death of thousands of dogs and cats, causing widespread panic and distrust toward the pet food industry. The culprit was wheat gluten imported from China, tainted with melamine, a poisonous fertilizer. Millions of bags and cans of pet food were eventually found to be contaminated, affecting nearly every major pet food manufacturer.
Although the panic from the pet food recall has subsided, the event highlighted significant concerns about the content and ingredients in cat food. Now, more than ever, determining what constitutes a healthy diet for your cat is a confusing and daunting task.
Nutritional Needs and Label Insights
Cats have specific nutritional needs, and ignoring these can adversely affect their health. Unlike dogs, cats require a much higher amount of protein in their diet due to their inability to regulate the breakdown of liver enzymes. Insufficient dietary protein can lead the body to utilize and break down protein in the cat’s own muscles.
The amino acid taurine is essential for bile formation, as well as eye and heart health, but the feline body produces very little taurine on its own. Arginine, another essential amino acid, is critical for eliminating ammonia from the body. Cats require diets high in both taurine and arginine for proper bodily functions.
An average cat diet should contain at least 30% protein, compared to 22% for dogs. Taurine is not typically present in dog foods, and the amount of arginine needed in cat food is more than double that in dog food. Due to these unique nutritional requirements, feeding your cat a proper, balanced diet is essential.
Understanding the label on your cat food is crucial. Labels can be confusing, but by breaking them down, you can decipher the nutritional value of your cat’s food.
What’s in a Name? When it comes to cat food, the name matters. If a food is named for its main ingredient, such as “Chicken Cat Food,” the named ingredient (chicken) must constitute at least 70% of the total weight. If a food name includes “dinner” or “formula,” such as “Beef Formula,” the named ingredient must only be at least 25% of the total weight, with fillers often making up the rest.
By-Products: By-products are common in lower-quality cat foods. Meat by-products include parts of the animal left after slaughter, unfit for human consumption, such as feet, intestines, organs, and diseased animals in poultry.
Crude Protein: This often consists of hair, hooves, tendons, beaks, and feathers. Cats may not digest all of this crude protein, potentially leading to a protein deficiency.
Cereal Grains: Referred to as “meal” (e.g., wheat meal, corn meal), these are leftovers from grain processed for human use and offer little nutritional value.
Glutens: Such as the wheat gluten found in tainted pet foods, these are byproducts of human food processing, primarily used as binders.
On ingredient labels, components are listed in order of weight. The first few ingredients are the major components of the food. For example, one food’s first ingredients might be: “Corn meal, ground wheat, meat meal, chicken fat, wheat gluten.” Another might list: “Turkey, chicken, chicken meal, barley, brown rice.” The first food is primarily corn and wheat, with meat as the third-largest ingredient, while the second has a higher proportion of meat. Since protein from meat is the most critical component of a cat’s diet, the second food is clearly of higher nutritional value.
Armed with the knowledge to decipher cat food labels, it’s time to evaluate what you’re feeding your cat. It may be worth researching and possibly switching to a different food. Here are a few considerations when choosing cat food:
Organic Claims: Foods labeled “made with organic ingredients” must contain at least 70% organic ingredients, while true “organic” cat food must have at least 95% organic ingredients.
Vegetarian Diets: While vegetarian dog foods are gaining popularity, they are not suitable for cats. As true carnivores, cats rely on meat protein for survival.
Water Content: In nature, a cat’s diet would consist of up to 70% water, requiring minimal supplemental water intake. Dry cat food typically contains as little as 6% water, and studies show cats do not drink enough to compensate for this lack of moisture. Feeding only dry food may contribute to chronic dehydration, urinary tract disease, and renal failure, as noted in cat health concerns. By contrast, canned food typically contains 40–45% water, a significant improvement over dry food, though still less than a cat’s natural diet.
Providing a healthy diet for your cat depends on understanding their unique nutritional needs. By carefully researching the ingredients in your cat food and consulting with your veterinarian, you can select a food that ensures peace of mind and supports your cat’s long, healthy life.
