Is High Protein Cat Food Good For Cats
In general, cats require a high-protein diet to fulfill their nutritional requirements. In essence, cat foods that are high in protein are good for them. But it has to be good quality proteins that come from animal meats. This is because felines have always been obligate carnivores. This means that their bodies are better able to digest and process meat and nutrients from animals than plant matter.
Proteins are important to the proper growth and development of felines. Aside from being essential in building their muscles, bones, and tissues, cats use proteins as their source of energy. Cats also need the amino acids taurine, arginine, methionine, and cysteine for their optimum health.
However, pet parents need to take into consideration the age, health condition, and nutritional needs of their cats when choosing cat food. Cat food with high protein content may not necessarily be what they need given their particular circumstances. For example, senior cats with certain diseases require them to lessen their protein intake to manage their health.
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What Do Customers Think Of Iams Cat Food
Iams cat food receives primarily positive customer reviews, though the brand has come under fire at least once in recent memory. Thousands of people boycotted Iams after learning about the treatment of animals in a research facility doing contract work for Iams.
In 2002 and 2003, the animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals conducted an undercover investigation of the Sinclair Research Center, a contract laboratory for Iams. PETA investigators released video footage from the lab, some of which you can watch on YouTube.
After the footage was released, Iams severed their relationship with Sinclair Research.
Best High Protein Cat Food Reviews
Weve explored the high-protein options on the market and narrowed the field down to our top five favorites.
Here are the details for the best high-protein cat foods, including breakdowns of their nutritional analyses and serving recommendations. Experts always recommend that all of these foods, wet or dry, be fed alongside access to fresh, clean water.
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Applaws Fish Selection In Broth Variety Pack
Ingredients:
We find Applaws Fish Selection as the best cat food for outdoor cats in the wet food class. This wet food has an astounding 15% protein content per serving to sustain your outdoor kitty the whole day as well as provide hydration.
Applaws Fish Selection has definitely one of the shortest list of ingredients we have ever seen. The first of its 3-4 natural ingredients is tuna fillet. The tuna fillet is of the highest quality human grade cut of tuna.
It is a 100% natural source of taurine which is essential for eye and heart health. This cat food product contains absolutely no additives.
This cat food is meant as a complementary food for adult cats. It can be fed with a complete wet or dry meal for a balanced diet.
This Applaws cat food is not intended to be fed on a daily basis, but instead as intermittent or supplementary feeding only.
This variety pack comes in 3 flavors: Tuna, Tuna with shrimp and Tuna with seaweed.
Pros
- Clean, simple ingredients. With only 3-4 items on the list of ingredients, cat parents love that this Applaws cat food has no additives or any chemicals that could be harmful to their pets.
- Soft, healthy fur. Cat owners have noticed that their pets fur have grown softer and shinier since being fed with this tuna recipe.
- Contains Taurine. These recipes promote proper heart and eye function, which makes pet parents happy.
Cons
Do Cats Need High Protein Cat Food
Yes, high-protein cat food is necessary for felines.
Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they need high-qualityanimal protein for energy, growth, and maintenance. As carnivores, cats require real meat for optimal health and wellness.
Cats can handle small amounts of certain carbohydrates, so some foods will contain things like sweet potatoes and brown rice for a carb source. This is okay but ideally, high-protein cat food should be at least 30% protein to ensure the cat is reaching its nutritional requirements.
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Acana Homestead Harvest High
First 5 Ingredients: Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Oatmeal, Whole Peas
Notable as first-class pet food, Acana has a worthy entry into this best cat food for outdoors list with the Homestead Harvest cat food formula.
Inspired by Kentuckys own fertile meadows, ACANAs Homestead Harvest dry cat food is made of fresh regional ingredients such as free-range turkey, chicken, and duck.
Real chicken is the first ingredient followed by an array of splendid ingredients to make complete cat nutrition.
This dry cat food is augmented with Pollock oil for a healthy coat and fur and probiotics to support healthy digestion.
Additional protein for your cats diet comes from cage-free whole eggs. This cat food includes ACANAs WholePrey ratios of meat, organs, cartilage and bone as well as nutritious vegetables for naturally present nutrients for a complete and balanced diet for your cat.
Pros
Cons
- Some fussy kitties didn’t approve of this formulation.
Proper Portioning Of High
Is your kitty not letting you sleep and causing a stir at 3 a.m.? Meowing in your face first thing in the morning, as to say FEED ME, HUMAN? It may be time to question whether your feline is eating enough if they are showing some of the following signs:
- High-pitch vocalisation near the food bowl, or wherever you are, only to lead you to the food bowl
- Fur became rougher and lost its shine
Determining the required caloric intake of your cat can be challenging, as it depends on your felines:
Our gravy and jelly recipes satisfy every cats belly, even those of finicky and fussy felines! If you think your cat is a tough nut to crack, we dare you to get your paws on our trial box!
Untamed gets to the meat of the matter, every time.
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Our Top Picks For The Best High Protein Cat Food
- Primarily made from highly-digestible turkey muscle meat and liver
- Contains salmon oil and green-lipped mussel as sources of omega-3 fatty acids
- Low-glycemic recipe
- Free of carrageenan, artificial colors, and preservatives
- One of the more expensive foods you can buy
- Made with real animal protein as main ingredient
- No additives or low-quality fillers
- Highly digestible source of balanced nutrition
- Not portioned individually for specific cats
- Must start a subscription to order
- Rich in nutrients from animal muscle meat, organs, and bones
- Rich in minimally-processed, highly-digestible protein
- Low carbohydrate content
- A meaty alternative to traditional dry foods
- Doesnt have enough water to keep your cat healthy
- Made with 100% human grade ingredients
- Contains organic, natural superfoods such as coconut oil and turmeric
- No Grain, Antibiotics, or Growth Hormones Potato-Free
- 100% traceable ingredients
- Some cats wouldnt eat it
- Contains some plant-based proteins
- Contains agar-agar, an alternative to carageenan
- Rich in highly-digestible protein from beef
- Low carbohydrate content
- Free of artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives
- Contains sunflower seed oil instead of animal-sourced fat
- Formulated with kittenhood growth in mind
- Rich in species-appropriate animal protein
- Contains DHA for brain and eye development
- Free of artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives
- Contains three different stabilizing gums
- May not contain enough fat for long-term feeding
What About Cats On A Raw Diet
Some vets and specialists argue that a raw diet for cats allows for better protein digestibility. Before offering your feline raw chicken, you should keep in mind that:
- Raw diet doesnt work for every cat
- Cat who switches to a raw diet in adulthood can experience severe allergies
- Raw cat diet increases the risk of contamination with salmonella and Escherichia coli, which requires you to prepare and serve the food in a sterile environment
If you want to introduce a raw diet to your cat, you should consult your vet beforehand. The vet will run some tests to see whether this type of diet is suitable for your cat and, if so, provide advice on meal preparation and storage.
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Quality And Quantity We Dont Make You Choose
Not all high protein cat foods are made equal. The truth is, many brands shout about their protein quantity, but are oddly silent when it comes to their quality.
Many industry standard cat foods that market themselves as high protein are actually packed with soy and corn proteins. Trouble is, cats arent built to digest those ingredients in large amounts.
KatKins Fresh meat quantity is 100% , so naturally high in protein. And as for our quality, we only ever use premium cuts of Fresh meat, exactly the same as youd get from your local butcher.
So when it comes to quality vs. quantity, dont pick one. Choose both.
What To Look For In A High Protein Cat Food
The Association of American Feed Control Officials and other sources recommend feeding adult cats with at least 26 percent of protein in their diet. This number varies slightly for kittens, as well as pregnant and lactating queens, who all need at least 30 percent of protein in their daily food intake.
These figures are the minimum amount and not the optimum figures that you can give to your cat, and they can also change depending on your cats condition.
As mentioned earlier, elderly cats, as well as cats with health issues may need a different percentage of protein to meet their nutritional requirements while also keeping their overall health and safety in mind.
Nonetheless, most cats would benefit from a high protein diet with low carbohydrates. The source of your cats protein is also essential considering that they can usually digest animal proteins more efficiently than plant-based proteins. This means, that their body can absorb the protein more when it is meat-based, and pass it less as food waste.
This also goes to show that giving your cat high quality protein can provide them with a more usable nutrient that wont simply go to waste. And it could also lead to lesser time in the litter box both for you and your cat because your feline buddy is digesting the food more efficiently.
Moreover, when shopping for the best high protein cat food in the market, you should choose those that contain the essential nutrients that your cat needs.
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Why Trust The Spruce
Theresa Holland is a professional writer and animal lover with extensive experience writing about cats and dogs. In addition to The Spruce, she regularly contributes to MyDomaine and Byrdie.
For this piece, Theresa interviewed Dr. Lewis Singleton, a veterinarian at Banfield Pet Hospital, to obtain more information on dry cat food. Choosing the right cat food can be a daunting task, but consulting with a veterinarian about key ingredients to look for can make the task less intimidating. To make this list, each pick’s flavor and nutrients were considered, as well as the cat’s life stage.
Purina One High Protein Adult Dry And Wet Cat Food
The Purina ONE High Protein Adult Dry and Wet Cat Food is a great choice if your cat loves to eat fish! With real ocean whitefish as the first ingredient, this food will provide plenty of great taste thanks to its blend of crunchy bites and tender morsels of meat. This food contains zero fillers, meaning you can be confident that every bite your cat takes is full of natural goodness.
Whats more, Purina ONE is veterinarian recommended. You can choose between a range of wet and dry food, knowing that its all designed to help your cat develop strong muscles and energy. Of course, these blends all contain the vitamins and minerals your kitty needs, in addition to the high protein content.
L.I.D. stands for Limited Ingredient Diet, which makes the Natural Balance L.I.D. High Protein Dry Cat Food an excellent choice for cats with allergies or food sensitivities. This dry cat food makes it easier to manage this sort of issue by using a simpler formula with fewer ingredients than many other brands of high protein cat food.
The Natural Balance high protein cat food isnt recommended for kittens, though, so youd be better off choosing a different brand if youre looking to start your kitten or young cat onto a high protein diet.
- Not suitable for kittens or pregnant and lactating cats
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Aafco Crude Protein Requirements
AAFCO sets standards for pet foods in the United States. While compliance with AAFCO standards is not required for commercial pet foods, most veterinary nutritionists recommend feeding only diets that are AAFCO compliant.
These products will have a nutritional adequacy statement that states that the diet conforms to one of the AAFCO Dog or Cat Food Nutrient Profiles or Feeding Protocols.
An example of the importance of AAFCO compliance is further illustrated by a discussion of protein analysis. The Guaranteed Analysis section of the pet food label contains the percentages of each of the following:
Crude Protein is determined based on chemical analysis of all nitrogen-containing sources in the food. Therefore, some non-protein-containing sources, such as urea, can be included in the crude protein content.
AAFCO states that not more than 9% of the crude protein in a diet should be pepsin indigestible, meaning that at least 91% of the protein content of AAFCO-approved foods should be digestible protein. Therefore, diets that do not follow AAFCO recommendations may appear to contain adequate protein based on the percentage of Crude Protein however, this protein may be largely indigestible.
Pet foods that are AAFCO-compliant adhere to more in-depth nutrient profiles that also include recommended amounts of amino acids such as taurine and arginine.
Best High Protein Dry Cat Food Buying Guide
Protein is an essential source of nourishment for all animals. It aids in repairing old cells into a new one plus useful in maintaining a healthy immune system.
If your feline does not get enough protein, then she can start getting protein from her muscles to fulfill the protein needs. So protein diet is necessary for all age cats to build up strong lean muscles.
Some critical factors need to be addressed before buying a healthy high protein dry cat food, which is the following.
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Go Solutions Carnivore Chicken Turkey + Duck Recipe
First 5 Ingredients: Chicken Meal, Deboned Chicken, Deboned Turkey, Duck Meal, Turkey Meal
From fussy eaters to pets with digestive sensitives and itchy skin, Go! Solutions has it all covered. Their team of expert pet nutritionists only chooses the best ingredients from trusted sources to create balance and palatable meals.
The Carnivore line is catered for those kitties who have highly carnivorous preferences. Each recipe from this line is created with maximum premium meat protein to support strong, lean muscles & optimal digestion in meat-loving kitties.
Made with chicken meal and real chicken meat as the first two ingredients, this dry cat food offers a whopping 46% minimum proteins, with 18% minimum fats and a caloric load of 4298 kcal/kg.
This food contains 100% fresh chicken, turkey, trout, duck and salmon, as well as premium quality chicken, turkey, salmon, duck and herring meals.
This cat food covers your cats nutritional requirements with bountiful nutrients to support a healthy immune system, fatty acids for healthy skin and coat, and probiotics to boost the cats digestive tract. It has no artificial preservatives.
However, the formulation contains chicken fat, and dried egg. So, if your cat is sensitive to these ingredients, its best to try the other options in this list.
Pros
Cons
- Not a hit among picky kitties.
- Pet parents complain about the awful smell.
Iams Proactive Health Indoor Dry Cat Food
With chicken as its first listed ingredient, this kibble from Iams fuels your cats energy and helps her live her best life. Not only is this dry food healthy and tasty, but it also benefits your cats teeth by removing built-up plaque.
Iams ProActive Health Indoor Dry Cat Food
A cost-effective and healthy option for your cat, this dry food packs a punch with prebiotics, fiber, and omega fatty acids.
This grain-free wet food leads with salmon and trout and includes fruits and vegetables. Its made in the U.S. and is available in 3- or 5.5-ounce cans.
Taste of the Wild Canyon River Canned Cat Food
Salmon and trout combine for a protein- and flavor-rich meal that wont challenge your budget.
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Dave’s Pet Food Pet Food Restricted Phosphorus Diet Chicken Formula Cat Food 55oz Cans Case Of 24
- Ingredients: Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Chicken, Water Sufficient For Processing, Rice Flour, Pumpkin, Natural Flavor, Fish Oil, Calcium Carbonate, Guar Gum, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Vitamins , Tricalcium Phosphate, Salt, Minerals , Taurine
- Feed at room temperature and refrigerate unused portion. Always provide access to clean, fresh water. This product is intended for intermittent or supplemental feeding only. Use as directed by your veterinarian.
- Our veterinarian pointed out that if the food isnât tasty enough and your cat stops eating â which can lead to even more problems. We think your cat will like our new formula, and though we canât make any claims that our new restricted diet formulas will help your catâs kidney’sâweâre happy to send you a free can to take to your vet and ask them!
- Our Restricted Diet Canned food for cats has a new yummy formula. Weâve added more protein for flavor while keeping the phosphorus levels in check to avoid renal issues.
- For cats with kidney disease, please consider trying this food, it is restricted in phosphorus but contains a higher amount of animal-based protein to help support your catâs carnivorous body.