How Can I Tell If A Cat Food Is Grain
As so many cat foods feature hypoallergenic ingredients and claim to be free from every imagined nasty known to man, many cat owners often just assume grain-free means there is no rice in it.
But just because it doesnt have a portion of pilau in it doesnt make it grain-free and so if it contains any of the following in its ingredients, its not free of grains:
- Wheat
- Soy
- Rice
This means you should never assume gluten-free or wheat-free labels also mean theres no grains!
Thk: If A Particular Cat Needs A Lower Protein Diet But The Cat Is Intolerant Or Allergic To Grains What Is A Good Carbohydrate Option
LA: My favorite is sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are naturally rich in Vit A and C and have a low-glycemic index, which is better for cats that might be prone to diabetes. From a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, sweet potatoes are also great food for Qi tonification and help normalize digestion. Other good options include white potatoes, peas, and quinoa.
The Honest Kitchen offers grain-free foods made up of 100% human-grade, high-quality protein such as cage-free turkey, wild-caught white fish, and organic free-range chicken. If you have questions not covered above, please feel free to reach out to us at
Wet Cat Food Storage Tips
Unlike kibble, we cat food cannot be left out for cats to graze on all day long. If wet cat food is left out for too long it may cause a stomach upset for your cat due to bacterial growth, and it also wont be very appetizing once it has been left to dry up, says Garner.
After opening a can, Dr. Carroll says that any remaining food should be stored in the fridge and served laterwithin 1-2 days of opening. This storage issue can be avoided by opting for smaller sized cans, she adds.
If youre considering putting the wet food in the freezer, make sure to check the label beforehand. Some wet cat foods can be frozen, but make sure to check the packaging first, says Garner.
When serving already-opened wet cat food, you can add a bit of warm water to the mix to refresh it and add moisture.
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Why Is Grain Free Cat Food So Controversial
Its been impossible to ignore the headlines that grain free pet food is linked to rising rates of heart disease in pets. Are there really risks for fatal heart disease if your cat eats grain free?
It all started with dogs. In 2018 the FDA began investigating a potential link between canine heart disease and grain free dog food. Soon after, the FDA warned that grain free cat food could also be linked to dilated cardiomyopathy, also called DCM.
What Are Ordinary Diets
Ordinary diets usually contain a protein source , a starch , and perhaps a vegetable. Most commercial pet foods are made from byproducts of human food production. That means your cat may have chicken in his food, but it may not be an entire chicken breast like the one on your dinner plate. Premium brands may contain higher quality, more digestible ingredients than lower cost foods.
Premium or not, all commercial pet foods should meet the requirements set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials to be certified as complete and balanced. AAFCO approved pet foods include all the ingredients necessary to provide adequate nutrition for the specified pet.
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What Kind Of Grain Free Food Should I Choose For My Cat
Look for a nutritionally complete, grain free recipe for your cat, made with natural ingredients. Many conventional dry cat foods usually contain a high proportion of carbohydrate because the manufacturing process requires the starch to help the kibble stick together it acts rather like a glue. Grain free dry foods are often produced in a more natural way, so no grains are needed for binding at all.
Grain Free Cat Food Benefits
Cat food is made of several carefully selected components to provide optimum nutrients to your pet. There are several different types of cat food. The common types are wet cat food and dry cat food. This classification also is whether the meal is grain-free or not.
Each of these classifications is designed with a unique set of advantages for your cat. It is important to feed the cat with all these different meals. A healthy cat consumes all these food types. In this article, we shall discuss the nutritional benefits that accrue to the cat by consuming it. It will be a good source of information for you when feeding the cat. Read on to find out more.
Contents
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The Bottom Line On Grain Free Cat Food
Theres no solid evidence that grains are harmful to cats. Many grain free cat foods could actually be problematic for your kitty! Theyre often loaded with vegetables, carbs, and ingredients like peas and legumes that could block your kittys ability to absorb essential nutrients.
The next time youre stranded in the cat food aisle and overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of choices, a better question than Is grain free food bad for cats? is to ask yourself, What is the most balanced and nutritionally complete food for my cat?
What Cats Need Designer Diets
Whether home-cooked or store-bought, all cats need food with proper amounts of protein, carbohydrates, and nutrients. But proper amounts vary with age and health status. For example, young growing kittens have different nutritional needs than adult cats. Cats with urinary problems eat different formulations than cats with heart conditions. Cats with sensitive skin have a different menu than cats with sensitive stomachs. So, some cats need designer diets.
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Thk: Can Issues With Grains Be Confused With Issues Caused By Other Food Ingredients
LA: Most definitely! Food allergies generally are more likely to develop against a protein source rather than to a carbohydrate source. Again, remember also that food allergies are pretty rare in cats. I will say that some pretty exotic ingredients can show up in grain-free diets that could be problematic since they are so unusual and never something a cat would normally eatlike celery, watercress, blackberry, avocado, artichoke, apricot.
Solid Gold Indigo Moon With Chicken & Eggs Grain
This Solid Gold Indigo Moon with Chicken & Eggs Grain-Free Dry Food is a great option for cats because it is holistic and grain-free. This recipe features chicken meal as a concentrated source of protein with ocean fish meal and eggs for supplemental protein. It is a grain-free recipe made with fresh fruits and vegetables, loaded with protein and fat for nutritional balance. Youll also be glad to know that it contains beneficial supplements like vitamins, chelated minerals, and probiotics.
- Pros: Concentrated source of animal protein, rich in protein and fat, grain-free carbohydrates, fresh fruits and vegetables, chelated minerals, probiotics
- Cons: Main source of fat is plant-based , contains some plant protein
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Whats Up With Grain Free Diets
Grain free diets are popular among cat owners who think that they are more suited for cats. Some people reach for grain free food in a misguided effort to reduce food allergies such as in gastrointestinal upsets and itchy skin issues. While a small percentage of cats may have sensitivities to grains, the vast majority of food allergies are linked to common protein sources like beef and poultry, not carbohydrates like grains.
“While a small percentage of cats may have sensitivities to grains, the vast majority of food allergies are linked to common protein sources like beef and poultry, not carbohydrates like grains.”
Pet owners may also think that grain free diets control weight. As with high protein human diets, grain-free pet food may be lower in carbohydrates, but higher in fat and calories. Grain free doesnt guarantee weight-control or weight-loss because they may substitute grains like wheat, oats, or rice with different carbohydrates like potatoes, carrots, cranberries, sweet potatoes, lentils, beans, or peas.
How To Know If Your Pet Needs Gluten Or Grain Free Cat Food
Choosing a diet for your cat is a task that should not be taken lightly. Grain free and gluten free pet diets have become extremely popular. This popularity has mirrored the appearance of similar products for people. These diets are particularly helpful for people that have celiac disease, intolerance to glutens in general, or allergies to wheat.
Many pet owners choose to mimic their own food choices when choosing a food for their pet. With the increase in the number of people choosing to consume a grain free diet, pet food manufacturers have recognized that similar pet diets are attractive to pet owners. The popularity of these diets has led to an increase in the number of grain free and gluten free diets available for pets.
Are these diets the best choice for your cat? How do you know if your cat needs a grain free or gluten free diet?
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Why You Should Not Free Feed Cats
Free Feeding Cats When you free feed your cat, their food is available at all times. Keep in mind that only dry foods can be fed in this way because wet food should not be left out throughout the day. Disadvantages: Free feeding cats can lead to overeating and obesity, especially if the amount of food is not limited.
What Do Cats Need In A Balanced Diet
Whether they are eating a regular or designer diet, felines need protein. Cats are considered to be carnivores while dogs are thought of as omnivores . Cats need much more protein in their diet than dogs do. Like most mammals, cats use most of the protein they consume for growth and body maintenance however, cats also use protein as an energy source. For this reason, kittens require 1.5 times more protein than puppies and adult cats need two to three times more protein than adult dogs.
“Cats need much more protein in their diet than dogs do.”
Cats dont just need any old protein, they need specific amino acids found in protein. For example, cats, unlike dogs, need a certain amount of the amino acid taurine to stay healthy. Taurine is found in animal muscle, particularly in the heart and liver. Plants dont have taurine, so cats dont eat as many greens or grains as do their omnivorous dog friends.
Cats are unique in their protein requirements, but like other mammals, they may benefit from consuming carbohydrates, roughage, vitamins, and minerals in their diets.
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What Type Of Grain Is Best For My Cat
There is no one best type of grain for cats.
The common grains found in most cat food are wheat, corn, oats, barley, and rice. All of these grains are perfectly fine and easy for your cat to digest. Since grains take up a fairly small portion of a cats diet, the type of grain they consume doesnt make a whole lot of difference.
A distinction that seems to concern cat parents when it comes to different types of grains is their gluten content. As Ive mentioned before, some grains have gluten while others dont. However, this is a non-issue because gluten has no negative effect on cats. So you can rest assured that any type of grain commonly found in cat food is more than fine.
Perhaps the only thing to consider would be choosing whole grains that have their full nutrients intact over processed grains. So for example, brown rice is a better alternative to white rice. But as Ive said, since the consumption of these grains is very little, there isnt any substantial difference to worry about.
Transcription Of Is Grain Free Cat Food Bad For Cats An Interview With Dr Jean Hofve Dvm
Jenny Dean:Hi, Floppycatters. Today, we have the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Jean Hofve, who is a longtime holistic cat veterinarian who lives in Colorado. She has a couple of books on Amazon, The Complete Guide to Holistic Cat Care as well as What Cats Should Eat. Dr. Jean is currently revising her What Cats Should Eat and Im going to let her talk about that a little bit more. Dr. Jean, thank you for doing another interview with us.
Dr. Jean Hofve, DVM:My pleasure. Good to talk to you.
Jenny Dean:Before we started recording, you had mentioned to me that you are revising your What Cats Should Eat and I will include a link to your Little Big Cat website as well as your so that people can get notified of when that revision is up. But can you talk a little bit about what youre revising it for?
Dr. Jean Hofve, DVM:The big thing is the research thats come out in the last little while about phosphorus levels in cat food and turns out that even healthy cats will show kidney damage eating high phosphorus foods. Now, meat is the primary source of phosphorus but what they do, they add extra phosphorus because cats like the taste of phosphate and it turns out that some of the phosphorus levels in cat foods are incredibly high.
Jenny Dean:Okay. That is only going to be available in a digital format, correct?
Dr. Jean Hofve, DVM:Cats are a little different but the principles are the same.
Jenny Dean:Yes, somebody mentioned that.
Jenny Dean:Yes.
Jenny Dean:Really?
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What Are The Worst Brands Of Cat Food
The 7 Worst Cat Foods and Why Theyre So Bad are listed below.
- Tender Morsels for 9 Lives
- Friskies Canned Pate is a canned pate made by Friskies.
- Hills Science Diet is a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet.
- Iams Proactive Health is a brand that stands for proactive health.
- Purina ProPlan is a dog food made by Purina.
- Feline Health Nutrition from Royal Canin.
- Whiskas.
Grain Free Cat Food: What You Need To Know
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Visit any grocery store aisle and you are certain to find more and more shoppers scanning labels to make sure their food is “free” of one thing or another: gluten free, fat free, sugar free the list grows longer each day. Now, these preferences have extended beyond the dinner table and into the food bowl, as some pet parents strive to make similar food choices for their beloved four-legged family members.
Its no wonder that the pet food market has reacted in kind, with an array of grain-free cat food options appearing within the recent years. But is grain-free food for cats the right option for your favorite kitty? Contrary to what can be found on the internet , grains can actually be good for your cat. Here are answers to some of the most common questions about grain-free cat food and whether you should consider for your own pet.
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Grain Free Cat Food Research Update: Is It Beneficial To Cats
Grain-free diets are one of the largest search terms regarding alternative cat food diets. There is limited information on the benefits and reasoning behind grain-free cat food compared with other more traditional cat food diets. In this article we will discuss some of the reasons pet owners are looking into grain-free cat food and whether it might be a good choice for your cat.
The Problem With Grain Free Cat Food
Some veterinarians argue grain free cat food is more problematic than conventional cat food. They point out that grain free food has become more of a designer cat food diet than anything. Pet food companies aggressively market grain free cat food with tactics like overpromising unregulated health benefits, banking on pet parents believing grains are all bad.
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Cat Allergies & The Missing Link To Grain And/or Gluten
Do cats have a sensitivity to grains and/or gluten? There is no significant scientific, peer-reviewed research that I can find that supports this theory on a widespread level.
There is certainly no evidence of anything akin to Coeliac disease in our furred friends. Of the studies that have been conducted the main food allergens that appear to trigger a hyper-sensitive or allergic response in cats are predominantly the proteins found in meat, specifically beef, dairy, and fish.
Chicken is also a potential culprit, but corn was only found in one study to affect 4 out of 56 cats. If a cat does have a true food allergic response to a specific grain, it would most likely be to the protein in that grain plus there would be visible clinical signs such as itchiness, excessive hair loss even to the point of bald patches and inflamed skin.
In this case, a food trial with a grain-free diet would be recommended under the close supervision of your local veterinarian, after ruling out other potential causes.
What Do Customers Think Of Wellness Cat Food
While many other brands garner complaints around the web, Wellness has a good reputation among consumers. Most of their products receive four and five-star reviews.
One of their leading recipes, Wellness Complete Health pate, has a 4.3 out of 5 star rating on Chewy based on 521 customer reviews. 90% of these customers say theyd recommend the food to a friend.
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What Is The Definition Of High
The Top 6 Dry Cat Foods
- Wellness CORE Natural Grain-Free Dry Cat Food is a grain-free dry cat food.
- Grain-free, high-protein Taste of the Wild
- Gamebird is a Fromm FourStar Cat Food.
- Orijen Dry Cat Kitten Food is a dry cat food for kittens.
- Organix Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Cat Food.
- Nulo Adult & Kitten Grain Free Dry Cat Food.