Catology: Pet Nutrition Products and Protein for Your Cats
Quality Pet Nutrition Products
Pet nutrition products are on the mind of just about every pet owner. About a third of households in the United States have cats. That translates to a lot of people buying a lot of cat food. It is important to understand what is in the food we feed our fluffy friends. Some people are brand loyal. Some cats are too. But some brands may be selling you their image more than their quality. Be an aware and educated purchaser about pet nutrition products. Whatever food you choose, it is important to consider what your needs and your kitty’s needs are. Price is a big factor, but it is important to look at what goes into the food because a better quality food might be cheaper in the long run, especially for the health of your pet.
Quality can’t just be taken for, by the manufacturers word. You need to be educated about what the ingredients mean, so that you are feeding your pet what you are intending them to consume, and that the pet nutrition products are appropriate for your cat’s needs. That is how you can get the best bargain for your buck. Make sure the food you buy meets the standards you want your cat to eat.
Educate Yourself About Pet Nutrition Products
Cats Need the Right Protein in Their Diet
Basically cat food is made of a mixture of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, vitamins, and water. Proteins are an important aspect of pet nutrition products because quality ingredients help build cells for healthy organs and tissues. Proteins come from either animal or plants. Both types can be in cat food. If the ingredients say the food is made from vegetables, cereals and soy, it is plant based. Animal proteins come from ingredients like chicken, lamb, fish, and turkey.
Cats are carnivores. They need protein because they are meat eaters. They need about 2-3 times the amount of protein that dogs and humans do because we are omnivores. Cats need high protein foods, minimal carbohydrates and a moderate amount of fat. Good quality pet nutrition products will have the proper amount of essential ingredients for your cat. Cats are innately designed to metabolize animal proteins and the fats in food they consume. Animal based proteins have amino acids that are important for felines in order to combine and utilize in the right amount. Cats do not metabolize carbohydrates efficiently and so carbs are not a good source of energy for cats. Cats need vitamins and minerals also.
Understand What the Labels are Telling You
In deciphering the labels of the cat food, it is important to not take everything literally. For example, when you read the label and it talks about protein percentages, you need to know where the protein is coming from. Crude protein percentages is not an indication of the quality of the food your cat is consuming. You want to make sure the protein comes from excellent sources like fish, beef, lamb and chicken. This is the protein that is best metabolized by your cat. So if you are comparing labels, educate yourself about what the ingredients really mean. What you want for your cat is digestible protein. Protein from animals are the most digestible. Look for these near the beginning of the ingredients. These are most likely the better quality pet nutrition products you can purchase for your cat.
Cat Food Label
What is Taurine
Often on labels you will see the word taurine. Taurine is an amino acid that is vital for a cats health ranging from heart function to bile formation to the health of their eyes. It is important that the pet nutrition products you consider feeding your pet, have a diet high in taurine for cats and kittens. Another amino acid is arginine to help reduce ammonia levels that are produced from the breakdown of proteins. Different types of proteins have different levels of amino acids.
Ingredients to Avoid
Vegetable proteins are not a good source of protein for cats. Vegetable protein doesn’t offer cats the needed amino acids and the benefits that animal proteins can offer them. The majority of dry cat foods are where you will see a lot of the cereal grain or vegetable protein. The manufacturers put these products in the food to increase the protein percentages as a cheap way to make it appear that there is more protein in the food. But corn gluten and other vegetable proteins are of little use to your cat’s need for protein, and are usually the lesser quality pet nutrition products. It is best to avoid these ingredients and to read your labels!