This site last updated:  07/04/2008

Feeding your Cat - Information on Cat foods, dry, canned, ingredients brought to you by Sovranty Bengal Cats at http://www.bengalcathome.com

Cat Food Basics

What you feed your cat is usually the biggest expense you will make during your cat's lifetime.  Studies show that what you feed you cat is as important as any other pet investment you make.   It is important to know that proper diet can decrease or eliminate potentially expensive, additional trips to your vet, as well as increase your cat's overall happiness (and thus yours)!

Given the busy lifestyles that most people have these days, it is not our intention to provide materials that will take you a month to read, but to give you a working guideline.  If you would like to research this on your own, or look for cites, there is an abundance of information on the internet.  The websites for Cornell University, Kansas State University and University of California, Davis will provide you a start.  Various cat organizations have very good feline health study links as well.  Also note that we are providing CAT food information here, not kitten (for kitten care guidelines click here).  The two groups have slightly different requirements.  Also, though we breed Bengal cats, with few, if any variations, these guidelines are appropriate for any breed of cat.

Cat (Feline)  Basic Nutritional Needs

• Protein from a meat, fish, or poultry source
• Taurine, an essential amino acid
• Certain other vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and fatty acids
• Water

Cats do not need carbohydrates, and although corn, wheat, rice and/or soy are used as fillers for both canned and dry cat foods, there is some question as to whether cats can even efficiently digest these ingredients. Other ingredients, such as binders, flavorings, and coloring agents are added by cat food manufacturers to satisfy the aesthetic desires of the consumer. And though preservatives are necessary to keep foods fresh for our cats, the best choice for preservative is not always the most cost effective for the manufacturer. 

Canned food or Kibble (kibble a term used for dry food in pieces)?

For reasons unknown to us, dry kibble generally has a higher protein content than canned food.  For kittens, studies show that they need a higher protein diet than a grown cat.  This is just not typically available in most canned foods.  There are other studies that show dry kibble helps reduce plaque and tartar buildup on the cats teeth. Additionally, though some nutritionists would say that "variety in the diet is good", there are potential downsides as well.  Some cats have "finicky stomachs".  Therefore, sudden changes in diet can bring on diarrhea and other ills.  It depends on the cat!

Cheaper food is not Better food!

The cat will eat MORE of the cheap food to take in the nutrients he/she requires.  So that means, if the food is packed with Carbohydrates and fillers, the cat will eat more food to get around that.  Since cats are not "grazers" (not designed to eat or consume food for steady lengths of time), not only is the cat digestive system overloaded, other systems likely are as well.  This can lead to serious problems down the road, health-wise.  Additionally, there is the question as to whether a cheaper food has ingredients that you really want to be feeding your cat, see below.

What to look for on the label

• Compliance with AAFCO's requirements for "Complete and Balanced," as evidenced by that wording on the label.
• Named protein source - look for "chicken, lamb, or beef," rather than "meat."
• On canned food particularly, the protein source should be the first listed ingredient and cats are carnivores (meat eaters) not Carbohydrate, Grain eaters!
• Check the expiration date for freshness

What to avoid on the label

• Words such as "By-products," "meat and/or bone meal," "animal digest," most other descriptions including "digest" or "meal," and added sugars.
• Chemical preservatives, including BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin, and propyl gallate
• Corn meal, wheat or soy as a filler  (we find rice somewhat acceptable)
• Excess of carbohydrate "fillers" (Dry food can contain as much as 50 percent grain)

Cats are Obligate Carnivores, and cannot thrive on vegetarian diets, although most vegetables can be added to cats' diets, either by the manufacturer or the consumer.
Pet food manufacturers cannot print "complete and balanced" on their labels unless one of the following criteria is met:

• The food must pass feeding tests for the life stage recommended on the label
• The composition of the food must meet or exceed nutrient levels established by AAFCO
• Preservatives, at the level included in commercial pet foods, have never been scientifically demonstrated to cause any problems in pets (or people) at less than 100 times the levels found in such foods. On the other hand, the current trend for many cat food manufacturers is toward using natural preservatives, such as vitamins C and E.

What is the AAFCO?

The American Association of Feed Control Officials http://www.aafco.org/  is an advisory body that proposes regulations for the production and labeling of animal feeds, including pet food. It consists of regulatory officials from many states' feed control bodies, Federal agencies (FDA), and like agencies in Canada and Costa Rica, as well as members of other interested groups, such as the Animal Protection Institute, and various veterinarian colleges.

What does the AAFCO do?

• Defines terms for labeling, e.g., "meat by-products"
• Defines quantity determination for label titles, e.g., "Chicken Cat Food," "Chicken Dinner for Cats," "Chicken-flavored Cat Food"
• Sets criteria for the usage of "complete and balanced" on pet food labels
• Recommends percentage or minimum/maximum amounts of various ingredients in pet foods, depending on age and activity level of cats

What doesn't the AAFCO  Do?

• AAFCO has no regulatory powers (but its membership consists of regulatory officials from various states and municipalities)
• AAFCO does no testing, but recommends protocol for testing, and works with independent laboratories which perform tests
• Makes no determination of "human grade" protein quality, as sometimes described on pet food labels
• Does not directly suggest standards for labeling foods specified as "Hairball Formula," "Lite," or "Dental Care," although ingredient suggestions include certain quantities of protein, fat, etc., for food intended for adult cats vs. kitten/lactating queens

This article gives you the basic information you'll need to know in order to examine cat food labels.

• BHT, BHA, and ethoxyquin
  These are chemical preservatives which are very effective at preserving dry cat food, but are suspected to be potentially cancer-causing agents. In recent years, many pet food manufacturers have moved toward using more "natural" preservatives, such as Vitamins C and E.

• Meat By-Products
  The AAFCO (American Association of Feed Control Officers) defines meat by-products as " The non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals. It includes, but is not limited to, lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone, partially defatted low-temperature fatty tissue and stomachs and intestines freed of their contents. It does not include hair, horns, teeth and hooves." Besides the fact that you don't know what species of animal the "meat" comes from, by-products as a rule are considered an inferior form of the protein which cats need.
• Meat Meal, Meat By-Product Meal
  "Meal" is generally produced by rendering, a process which raises a red flag to cat enthusiasts. I would definitely recommend avoiding cat foods containing these ingredients.

As a general rule, the order of ingredients is just as important as the kind of ingredients. Unless a cat is on a special diet for a medical reason, the protein source will always be listed first, followed by other ingredients listed in the order of their percentage to total weight. Here are some quick guidelines (after the protein source, the order may vary from product to product.:

1. Named Protein Source
   This is by far the most important ingredient to look for in cat foods: a specific protein source other than "meat." Look for chicken, turkey, lamb, salmon, etc. (May be followed by named organs, e.g. chicken liver, chicken heart, both rich sources of taurine.)
2. Specific Carbohydrates aka "fillers"
   Cats are obligate carnivores, i.e., they must have meat to survive, and they do not need carbohydrates.  In  fact, cats have problems digesting some carbohydrates, and many food allergies are triggered by the carbohydrate content of foods (take a look at how many human folk are allergic to wheat, soy, etc). However, most dry foods depend on carbohydrates as the "fillers" needed to hold the other ingredients together for dry cat food. Look for whole grains, such as brown rice or barley. 
3. Named Fat Source
   Look for a named fat source, such as "chicken fat." You may also see sunflower oil, or other oils listed, usually in premium foods. Again, many oils may be included that your cat could be allergic to.
4. Vitamins and Minerals Vitamin C (calcium ascorbate) and/or Vitamin E (alpha tocopherol) are often added as preservatives, along with other vitamins and minerals.
5. Taurine
   Taurine is an amino acid that can be readily produced by the human body, however, cats need a dietary source of taurine for good health. In a 1974 study, it was found that a diet deficient in taurine contributed toward retinal degeneration in cats. Taurine deficiency can also cause a heart disease called dilated cardiomyopathy. For several decades cat food manufacturers have added taurine to cat food.
6. Calcium/phosphorus ratios have been a topic of major discussion for most animals in the last several years.  More about this to come.

Raw Food Diets

Raw Food diets have been around long enough now that there is some real, documented evidence to substantiate some of the positive effects of feeding cats in this manner.  The downside?  With our busy, stressful life styles, it can be hard to locate/gather the ingredients, insure that you have ALL the needed ingredients IN the correct RATIO.  That is before you begin to mix the recipe.  Some very helpful information on a raw food diet for cats can be found on the internet.

Coming soon.  What about Probiotics?  and a breakdown of those vitamins and minerals!