How Do You Know Your Homemade Cat Food Is Nutritionally Complete And Healthy
Not all homemade cat food recipes are nutritionally complete, nor are they all balanced. When researchers from the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine analyzed 200 different homemade dog food recipes in cookbooks and online guides, the team found that 95% lacked at least one key nutrient. Only four of the recipes analyzed were nutritionally complete and balanced.
Choosing The Right Ingredients
While choosing a diet, you look into the nutrients its going to provide for your cat. The chances of the food being nutrient deficient are high. Striking the right balance between vitamins and minerals is the key. Cats need protein, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and water in the right quantity. Carbohydrates in small amounts should also be included.
Some common ingredients for a sensitive stomach diet are egg protein, rice, oats, wheat, chicken, and turkey. These ingredients are magical as they help with the digestion process. They contain fibers which pass easily in the stomach and are easy to digest.
If the cat continues to show some discomfort after the new diet, its time to start eliminating ingredients one by one to see which component does not suit the cats stomach. Click here to find out more
Homemade Food For Cats With Kidney Failure
Is your cat suffering with kidney problems then you must give it a proper diet. Here we are sharing the;homemade cat food for kidney failure or any other disease. If you give this proper diet to your pet then you can save your pet life a bit. You can simply see the;best;food;for cats with;kidney;disease and provide that food for your pet.
Pets like cats need to adapt their diet to specific needs or certain health problems.;In the case of kidney failure in cats or kidney problems there are multiple feed options on the market for cats that help mitigate this ailment.;But if you want to prepare your pets food yourself at home then do not miss this about homemade food for cats with kidney failure.
The recipes and the food quantity used for the cats will effect their health. So before going to give any type of food for your cat simply see its proteins and calories and then try to feed your cat. The;commercial;cat food;for;kidney;disease can be prepared at home only.
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What Is Needed For A Balanced Diet
Building a balanced diet is crucial when making homemade cat food. There are multiple needs for a balanced diet to ensure that a cats pH balance remains intact and as healthy as possible.
Water and protein are two of the most important ingredients and aspects of homemade cat food that are needed.
In fact, processed cat food has very little of both protein and water, so cats become weaker and dehydrated on a processed diet. Water from a well or water that has been filtered are going to be your best bet.
Protein, as previously stated, is also very important. You can protein sources virtually anywhere, including beef and lamb, to help both growth and development. Cats are carnivorous by nature and need protein to thrive and survive.
Essential amino and fatty acids are next on the big list. A lot of these acids come from various protein sources directly, so its like killing two birds with one stone. One prime example of this is Taurine, which is vital to a cats health.
EPA, CLA, GLA, LA, AA, DHA, and Omega-3s are all essential amino and fatty acids that a cat must have in their diet. They are all extremely beneficial to them and keep cats in great health.
Vitamins and minerals are needed for physiological reactions, a balanced diet, the formation of their enzymes, for transportation of oxygen, and much more. Chloride, phosphorous and vitamins K and D are only a few of vitamins and minerals that cats must have in their diet.
Cats Eating Fresh Food Diets Have Healthy Coat And Skin
Many commercial cat foods use this claim to sell food.
Unfortunately, commercial cat foods low-quality ingredients do the opposite of help skin and coat.
Cats often become allergic to mystery meats, wheat, soy, and corn in cat food.
Homemade cat food is much different.
Youll see a tremendous benefit to your cats coat and skin with homemade raw cat food.
Raw diets are very high in moisture which helps keep your cat hydrated.
Kibble is only around 10% moisture.
Many people say healthy coat and skin is purely anecdotal evidence.
Or that the skin and coat appear healthy because of the high moisture content.
But moisture is important to cats. They rely on food for moisture.
And the coat and skin are the cats first line of defense.
Think about it
Skin is the largest organ of the body.
We cant ignore these benefits.
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Fresh Food Diets Improve Digestion
Again, kibble is filled with ingredients cats arent designed to digest.
This causes many health issues.
Moving cats indoors does not change their biological makeup or their nutritional needs.
Feeding burnt brown balls to cats just doesnt make sense.
Cats arent designed to digest grain, corn, and soy because its not part of their natural diet.
Their natural diet is fresh, raw, whole mice and other small prey.
Homemade raw cat food is easily digestible because it closely mimics the cats natural diet.
Royal Canin Gastrointestinal Fiber Response Best For Sensitive Stomachs
This dry cat food is recommended by many veterinarians for cats with sensitive stomachs. It has been carefully formulated to provide everything your adult cat needs in terms of nutrition, with easy-to-digest ingredients. This diet has plenty of fiber from many different sources- these promote normal intestinal movement, well-formed feces, and healthy gut bacteria. It also contains feline-appropriate prebiotics to provide those good gut bacteria with everything they need.
Psyllium seed husks are also added as they absorb excess moisture to keep stools formed. Although this product requires veterinary authorization, most vets will be happy to prescribe to any cat suffering from recurrent vomiting or diarrhea, gas, abdominal pain, or regurgitation after eating.
This dry kitten food from Hills is one of the best products on the market for feeding your young and growing kitten. Its manufactured in the USA using ingredients that exceed industry standards, and is loved by vets all over. The growing stage is the most important part of your cats life when it comes to diet little deficiencies here can quickly add up, which is why its so important to buy from a scientifically-backed company like Hills, which does feeding trials to ensure their products are up to scratch.
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Food For Cats With Kidney Failure
If you are used to feed your cat with feed and have been diagnosed with kidney failure, these are the best options:
Hills
The Hills brand has a range called Hills Prescription Diet;specially formulated and clinically proven that helps to control various health problems like diabetes in cats.;In addition, they also have soft food with which you can complement it.
If your cat has kidney stones, you have several options: Prescription Diet c / d Chicken or Fish, which help dissolve the stones in two weeks or Prescription Diet Feline k / d, designed to improve your quality of life.
The Best Ingredientsdo You Go Organic
A good dish is only as healthy as the ingredients you use to make it.
The main ingredient source youll need to consider will be protein. No recipe should have more than 10% carbs.
The decision to use organic ingredients is totally up to you and your lifestyle. If its important, absolutely go with organic, but if you dont, its not a huge issue!
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Mix Everything Together In The Biggest Mixing Bowl You Own
This stage can get messy, so choose a huge bowl to minimize spillage. Use a large spoon to gently and thoroughly incorporate the vitamin slurry into the muscle meat and organs. Its very important to mix wellyou dont want your cat to have one nutritionally deficient meal and another thats excessively supplemented. The idea is for everything to be fully incorporated for a balanced diet.
How To Tell If A Cat Is Dying
It is an unfortunate fact of life that death must also occur. It is difficult to watch a dear friend reach the end of his days as many cat owners will attest. It’s possible some cats will die unexpectedly or blessedly in their sleep. What cats do when they are dying can vary, but according to Feline CRF.org, many cats will exhibit certain behaviors and signs before they pass on.
Some common signs of a cat dying are obvious changes in their normal temperament, a noticeable increase in hiding behavior, a loss of appetite for both food and water, and changes in their overall appearance. Appearance changes can include dull, matted fur, urine or feces in their hair, dilated or glazed eyes, lack of blinking and a “sunken” look. Cats dying will often have seizures as well and will have difficulty breathing.
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We Looked For Foods That Kept Plant Protein To A Minimum
While its unclear exactly where each source of plant protein lies on the digestibility spectrum, we do know that protein from peas, potatoes, and other plants is less efficient than that from animal ingredients. While a single prey animal offers all the amino acids a cat needs, plant ingredients need to be combined with animal protein and synthetic additives to recreate that mix of amino acids.
Furthermore, many cat guardians report that their cats have less waste when theyre eating a diet composed primarily of animal-sourced protein.
Youll Save Money Making Cat Food At Home
You may think that homemade raw cat food is expensive.
It may cost some extra money upfront.
But think about it like this
Again, more than half the cats in the US are overweight and obese.
And most of us feed kibble.
Overweight cats are at higher risk for:
- Arthritis
- SHORTENED LIVES
Excessive fat puts a serious strain on organs.
Homemade raw cat food can help your cat lose weight and stay at an ideal weight.
Youll save more money in the long run with an upfront investment on healthy cat food.
Maybe your cat is fine now on dry food. But these serious health issues sneak up on us.
If you still have doubts, check out Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins patent in which she treats diabetic cats.
Dr. Hodgkins was able to reverse and eliminate diabetes just by switching cats from dry kibble to high protein low carb wet food.
Please show this to your vet and work on a safe transition plan. Youll need to adjust insulin levels according to your cats blood glucose.
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What Makes A Good Cat Food
Cat food brands are a dime a dozen, so how do you know if one brand is better than another?
To be able to tell the good from the bad, youll need to learn the basics about reading a cat food label. All the information you need to determine the quality of a cat food product is there for you to see.
Here are some of the most important things to look for in a good cat food:
- Nutritionally complete and balanced
- Healthy fats
- Digestible carbohydrates and dietary fiber
- No by-products or artificial additives
- Beneficial supplements
Now, lets take a closer look at each of these things and how they contribute to making a cat food worthy of your consideration.
When it comes to evaluating cat food, you should start by looking for an AAFCO statement of nutritional adequacy, then check the guaranteed analysis and list of ingredients. The American Association of Feed Control Officials has created nutrient profiles for cats in different life stages growth & reproduction and adult maintenance.
If a cat food meets these minimum nutritional requirements, it will carry a label somewhere on the package that looks something like this:
Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that provides complete and balanced nutrition for maintenance of adult cats.
Once youve determined that the product is nutritionally complete and balanced, then you can take a closer look at the ingredients themselves and their percentages.
| Nutrient | |
| 9.0 | 9.0 |
First We Looked For Foods With Low Carbohydrate Content
Cats use a process called gluconeogenesis to convert protein into glucose. Unlike in people, it is protein, not carbohydrate matter, which is the main type of fuel used to maintain a cats blood glucose concentrations.
Cats;can;metabolize carbohydrates instead of protein, but its not ideal. Cats are mildly insulin resistant, similar to a person with diabetes. And sustained carbohydrate intake could make your cat more likely to develop diabetes over time.
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Fresh Food Creates Healthier Litter Box Habits
Another benefit of homemade cat food is healthy litter box habits.
Many cats eating kibble vomit, have diarrhea, or urinary tract issues.
These health issues are caused by low moisture and low-quality, unnecessary ingredients in commercial cat food.
Wheat, corn, and soy are common pet food ingredients. But these ingredients are not essential to the cats diet.
So most of what you spend on kibble just ends up in the litter box.
Homemade raw cat food contains ingredients that cats are designed to digest.
Therefore, youll notice smaller, healthier, and stink-free poop droppings in the litter box.
This is a wonderful benefit for you and your cat.
No stinky poops and easier cleanup for you.
And, for your cat, his food has higher digestibility. Meaning essential nutrients are absorbed easily.
Set Up Your Workspace
Making cat food is so much easier when youre prepared! Ive found that covering the workstation with newspaper or another disposable covering is a great way to minimize cleanup time after youre done making the food.
If youre particularly worried about bacteria and infection, wear gloves. Remember to change the gloves throughout your process to avoid cross-contamination.
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Is Homemade Cat Food Better Than Commercial Diets
Making your cats food at home does offer some benefits. First, you have complete control over the ingredients that you use. Are you looking for a diet that is free from artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives? Do you want your cat to go organic or grain-free? Its all up to you.
Homemade food can be a good option for cats with dietary sensitivities.
If your cat has a food allergy or intolerance, its easy enough to avoid your cats triggers. You may also be able to tempt a sick cat to eat a homemade food when they refuse to touch other options.
We Looked For Brands With Excellent Reputations
Remember that youre relying on the cat food company to provide your cat the nutrition they need to stay healthy and vibrant potentially for the rest of their life.
You need a company and a brand that you can trust. While it doesnt tell us everything about the brand, a companys recall history provides key insights into its ethics, safety standards, and the quality of its products.
If a company faces voluntary, or worsemandatoryrecalls every five years, purchasing from that company could subject your cat to three or more potentially harmful slip-ups during their lifetime.
A communicative, transparent company isnt afraid to share information with their customers. We gauged the quality of cat food companies by contacting their customer support lines and evaluating their customer service. We gave preference to companies that responded promptly and were willing to provide key information.
Additionally, we paid attention to what other customers were saying about the brand. Through social media, blogging, reviews on retail platforms, and sites like Consumer Reports, consumers can easily share their complaints or praises with the world.
We read these reviews and used them to assess the customer experience.
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How Much Food Should I Feed My Cat
All cat foods state on the label the calorie content and suggested feeding guidelines in cups or tins so that you can work out how much to feed your cat based on their weight. However, its important to remember that every cat is unique and will metabolize their food differently. Cats also have a huge variation in normal weight, from 5.5 pounds to 18 pounds or more!
First, you should work out your cats weight and body condition score . The body condition score determines whether or not your cat is overweight, and in the case of the 9-point scale, it even approximates how much overweight your cat is. You then need to work out the calorie allowance for your cat. Your local veterinary clinic will usually offer a free consultation to determine this, or you can go to the Pet Nutrition Alliances calculator to get a recommended feeding amount in calories. You can then use the food tab to type in the calorie content of your pets food to get a recommendation for the number of tins or cups you should be feeding your pet each day. If youre mixing wet and dry food, dont forget to split the daily calorie allowance between the two so you dont overfeed your cat.
Purina Pro Plan Savor Adult Cat Food Best Overall
For discerning cats, the best wet cat food has to be the Purina Pro Plan Savor range. There are lots of flavor combinations, all of which have been formulated to be complete and balanced without losing out on the texture that interests your cat. Its also high in protein and contains added omega three and six to give your cats coat gloss and shine.
Best of all, like all Purina Pro Plan products, its made in the USA and backed by research done by veterinarians, nutritionists, and scientists. In fact, Purina Pro Plan is one of the few ranges that regularly do feeding trials to prove the nutritional content of their food. The results? Cats love it, and so do their owners. And even better so do us vets! The only downside is that the tins are small, so you may need several per cat, per day!
All in all, as far as wet cat foods go, we think this is the best cat food on the market, and its the best Purina cat food out there too.
- Small tins- youll need 2-3 a day for most adult cats
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