With all the different types of cat foods on the store shelves, it is easy to become confused, but there is no need to worry and feel as if you have stepped out into an alien world filled with strange outlandish things. With a simple breakdown, you will know what to look out for and what to avoid.
There are three main types of kitten and cat food, these are dry, semi-moist and wet food.
Should you buy dry cat food?
Dry food has an advantage that other cat foods do not have, and that is their convenience. Dry food is not as expensive as wet, and it comes in just as high-quality nutritional content. In addition, dry food has a long shelf life and will last quite a few months. Then you have the added benefit of it not being so messy as other cat foods.
The drawback of dry though is that it can be less interesting to eat, usually for reasons of taste as many cats can be what I like to call ‘connoisseur eaters’, ie they have a hidden talent of putting most food critics to shame! For younger kittens, dry food may be harder to eat as their adult teeth are not fully through yet.
What about semi-moist food?
In theory, semi-moist cat food sounds like a great option in as it’s easier to eat, it still holds the convenience of dry food, and retains the taste of wet food, but in actuality, it is not very popular nor a very healthy food for your cat to eat. This is a type of food is where cheap equals cheap and has fewer hassles and could put some extra pennies in your pocket.
Due to the low quality of this type of food, your cat may end up hungrier for no-good-reason. This means you’d have to feed them more of it to keep them satisfied. On top of this, it would make your cat more susceptible to ill health, which will rack up more vet bills than is necessary. Thus, stay away from semi-moist food if you want to avoid these types of cat hassles!
Does wet food have the same finesse?
Wet food is probably the closest thing your cat will taste to the raw guts of the rats setting up camp in your neighbor’s garden, except wet food is cooked meat – not raw! However, it will taste very much like the real deal to your cat; worst of all, they can become greedy on this type of food as they’ll think it’s scrumptious!
The key to feeding your cat this type of food is moderation. Unlike dry food, they will not be so self-controlled and eat only what they need, they will keep eating more until their belly is bursting at the seams!
Wet food usually has a high meat content, though the amount can vary considerably. Look for the canned foods that specifically state ‘meat or meal’ in their food such as tuna, salmon etc as this will contain around 95% of good quality meat. “Tuna Dinner” or “Tuna Platter” however will only contain 25% and “Cat Food with Tuna” will contain just 3%.
Choosing tailored quality
It is very important to get the right balance of healthy nutrients to each cat, but what each cat needs will vary. For example a kitten will need twice as many nutrients as an adult cat. In order to provide the correct amount of nutrients, buy kitten food in all of the three varieties mentioned above – dry, semi-moist and wet food.
For sick cats, you can buy a therapeutic type of cat food on prescription from your vet. This is to boost their immune system and give physical relief from whatever ailment they may be suffering.
Whatever cat food you decide to buy, always check the contents and make sure there are zero low-quality meat-by-products or corn, otherwise you may just need that therapeutic cat food instead!
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