3 Things To Remember Before Buying The Perfect Pet Food For Your Cat

Buying the right pet food brand may seem like an easy goal. But as a newbie pet owner or someone with failed previous experiences, picking out the best feed from the masses is a daunting task. Walking into a store or skimming across online cat food stores will only open doors to a huge stacked option list.

However, you will only have to pick the most nutritionally beneficial, safe and healthy food. When it comes to cats, they have an exclusive set of nutrition needs. Being obligate carnivores, most cats must consume meat protein or a high protein profile diet every day. But this isn’t the ultimate tagline to look for while buying cat feed.

Around 27% of Australian households own cats as pets. Cat feeds are versatile and come in various forms. To begin with, you will have to understand the types and identify which one will best suit your pet. The most common types are dry and wet food. Dry cat feed comes in a dry form, usually in nuggets or balls rich in carbs. The wet type food is generally canned food and has a lesser calorie and carb content comparatively. Other types include special formula feed, vegan food, raw food, etc.

Start With Reading The Label

Whatever be the type of cat feed you buy, it is highly essential to read the label and skim across the ingredients mentioned. Firstly, look for the cat food only tag to verify that the food is exclusively for cats. The primary constituent to check for is meat or meat blends. Also, check out the corresponding protein content the serving contains. Meat in forms like beef, fish, turkey is also preferable.

Secondly, you will have to check for the fat content. Cats require at least 20% of fat in their daily food. So make sure that the feed matches the prescribed levels. Lastly, also check for other nutrients like water content, carbs, vitamins, minerals, etc.

Watch Out For Harmful Preservatives/Allergens

If your pet is allergic to a particular food or ingredient, keep an eye out for it on the food you’re buying. For example, some cat foods may contain soy or wheat. In addition, if your cat is allergic to excessive protein-rich ingredients, it is best to avoid foods that contain these two ingredients. Sometimes, you might also have to avoid food containing beef or turkey if your cat is seemingly developing allergic reactions to them. You can also look out for harmful preservatives though most cat feed items never have preservatives that can harm your pet.

Extra Attention While Buying For Obese Or Elderly Cats

If your cat is getting old or obese, you’ll need to pay additional attention to the label and a few other characteristics of cat food. In case your cat is overweight, it is better to avoid foods that contain animal byproducts. Precisely, you will have to look for low-calorie foods that do not contain excess carbs either in the form of grains or potatoes or any other source. And when you buy food with animal byproducts, check on what type of byproduct it contains. On the other hand, you can also buy formulated cat feed if you prefer staying on the safe side. Specially formulated cat foods are pretty typical and easy to find in the market and best suits cats with health complications like obesity or age-related issues.