What Is The Best Cat Food?

Despite their proximity to humans for around 10,000 years, cats retain their unique anatomic, metabolic, physiologic and behavioural adaptations consistent with eating a carnivorous diet. Cats are obligate carnivores folks, therefore your kitty should be fed a species-appropriate diet. Feeding a fresh meat raw diet is important for cats as it is full of taurine which is an amino acid they can’t make themselves. Because of their genetic makeup, cats must eat the tissue of other animals to thrive.

Why feed a fresh raw diet to your cat?

Feeding a fresh food raw diet provides your kitty with high protein which is really important to their health as they are made to metabolise a diet high in protein and low in carbohydrates. Cats have very little need for carbohydrates and if left to their own devices would eat mice, birds, rats, rabbits, squirrels and occasionally fish and reptiles. They may eat the stomach contents of their prey which amounts to around 0.5%-2% of the body weight of their prey, so a very small amount.

Sadly, most cats that are fed a dry diet high in carbohydrates such as grain, rice, soy, vegetables and fruit are likely to have health issues over time as this is not what they should be eating and these diets lack the nutrients your cat needs for good health. Kibble and dry food have virtually no moisture and your kitty does not possess a “thirst drive” that will keep her hydrated properly.

Cats that are fed kibble/dry diets are normally given a bowl of food that is available day and night, but your kitty is not a cow. They are not supposed to eat like a herbivore who grazes. This type of feeding has resulted in a 90% increase in obesity in cats in the last 5 years.

At present the number one reason for a cat to visit the vet is bladder and urinary tract issues and these problems would be unlikely to exist if your kitty is fed a moisture-rich, fresh, meat-based diet. Cats that eat diets high in grains, carbs and starch experience kidney disease 7 times more than dogs as they are chronically dehydrated and this is the number one cause of death in cats over the age of five years. A pretty scary statistic and so easily avoidable. Conventional vets tell us that our cats (and dogs for that matter) need kibble for dental health, yet 85% of cats over the age of 3 are suffering from dental disease! This is why The Pet Parlour feels it is so important for your kitty to eat the correct food.

Eating good food helps to keep us well and as we all know, we need 2-4 servings of fresh fruit and 3-5 servings of vegetables per day to help maintain good health. The same rules apply to our cats but in carnivorous terms. If we never feed them meat, offal and bone, the chances of them becoming ill is very high and still most of the highly processed cat food is promoted by most conventional vets. Your kitty doesn’t need peas, carrots, cranberries and blueberries, they need to eat the animals that eat those foods! You wouldn’t find your kitty eating grain but you would find them eating the mice that ate the grain just as you wouldn’t find them eating vegetables from your garden, they would eat the rabbit that stole the vegetables! Make sense?

Why a dry diet is not the best for your cat

A dry diet can increase the risk of:

• Obesity
• Arthritis
• Chronic vomiting
• Diarrhoea
• Diabetes
• IBD
• Digestive issues
• Poor dental health
• Kidney disease
• Dehydration
• Itching and overgrooming

Why fresh raw food is best for your cat.

A complete fresh, raw diet for your cat will help with many things such as:

• A soft shiny coat
• Less smell
• Better dental health
• Improved vitality and energy
• Good skin
• Less poop in the litter tray
• Emotional wellbeing
• Promotes natural behaviour
• Better eyesight
• Improved gut health
• Reduced visits to the vet
• Their Urine pH is normal

A fresh raw diet can also be helpful for overweight cats as approximately 85% of what your kitty eats will be digested and utilised by the body. Cats feel more satisfied when they eat a fresh raw diet and your litter tray will smell completely different (as in it won’t smell at all!! Some cats take a while to transition onto a fresh raw diet as they are naturally very suspicious. Kibble is also extremely addictive for your cat as the carbohydrates turn to sugar and we all know how addictive sugar is! Adding small amounts of fresh raw food to their bowl over time can help and adding some blood very rarely fails as it is naturally full of taurine which most cats love. Adding some lightly cooked meats or fish/fish skin can also tempt fussy cats to try the new food.