Best Foods for Cat Health

Proper nutrition plays a very important role in the overall health of your cat. Finding the best foods for cat health can sometimes be a challenge. With so many choices at the store, how do you know which foods to buy, how much protein they need, and what they will even eat? Unfortunately, it takes some trial and error to find out what your cat likes best but to make it a little easier here are some tips for deciding which foods are best for your cat.

Know what their basic nutritional needs are

Most, if not all cats have basically the same nutritional needs. Here is a list of the most basic foods that cats need to have in their diet:

· Water
· Taurine (an essential amino acid)
· Protein from meat, fish, or another poultry source
· Fatty acids, enzymes, and other vitamins and minerals

Some people are surprised that cats don't need carbohydrates, but those just aren't part of a healthy cat diet. Wheat and rice are sometimes used as fillers in some canned and dry cat foods, so I guess that might make some feel better about adding some carbohydrates to the diet.

Understand that cats are natural carnivores

Everyone knows that cats in the wild are natural carnivores and will kill animals that provide them with meaty protein. Looking at your cat they all have similar features like a wild cat: sharp teeth and claws which are meant to catch and tear flesh. And although indoor house cats don't get much opportunity to kill their prey as wild cats do, they still have the same genetic make up of needing meat and the protein from it. Finding appropriate substitutes for protein is important in keeping your cat as healthy as possible.

Give your cat a variety of canned and dried foods

Most vets and nutritionists will tell you that a healthy diet for your cat should be one that has both canned and dried foods. There are several reasons for this:

1. Most cats don't drink enough water; canned food contains water and can help keep them hydrated.

2. Just like we get bored with eating the same types of foods, so will a cat. Even animals don't like to eat the same thing every day.

3. Having a variety of canned and dried foods can help avoid possible allergies to certain ingredients. Some cats will develop allergies over a period of time so having both types of food can decrease their chances of forming an allergy.

4. Some canned foods may have different vitamins, minerals and proteins that dried foods don't have, and vice versa.

Cheaper doesn't mean better

There are many first time cat owners that think they can buy the cheapest cat food out there and still get the same nutritional value. You might be buying the cheapest kind of cat food; however your cat may need to eat more of it. In the end it probably would have cost you the same to buy food that had the extra vitamins, minerals, and proteins they needed so they didn't have to eat quite so much to get their needed requirements.

As you can see there are several things to consider when it comes to best foods for cat health. Make sure you read the labels when you go to the store as there are things you will want to avoid feeding your cat, and things you want to make sure your cat gets. If you're still not sure what to buy, then give your vet a call and ask them what they might recommend.

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