What is it?
The food and water that
your cat consumes are truly the "bread and butter" of
your cat's health. A healthy diet
and daily fresh water improves overall medical health as well as enhancing a beautiful coat.
Prescription diets prolong a healthy life by slowing down, or even reversing, certain medical problems. Current research shows that diets
high in antioxidants and essential
fatty acids may even positively influence brain development and learning in young pets.
What to do?
Veterinarians are trained in
nutrition and can evaluate your
cat's health profile and coat
condition. General information about
nutrition is intended for normal,
healthy pets and should not take the
place of a veterinary
recommendation.
|
You
can prevent illness and
extend your cat's life by
providing good nutrition and
daily fresh water. |
How to do it
Premium quality foods support the development of stronger muscle, hair fibers, and all other parts of
your cat's body. High quality protein and fat are more digestible and so there
is less waste (and clean up). You can typically feed less premium food
because it is not padded with fiber and fillers. Although a bag of premium food
may cost more, it will last longer because you can feed less.
Ask
your veterinarian for a brand name
recommendation. Premium brand names
include Science Diet, IAMS, Waltham, ProPlan, Nutro, and Nature's Recipe.
|
Avoid raw diets, due to the
risk of bacterial disease,
including salmonella. |
The "off-brands" can be divided into 3 categories: price-point, designer, and all-natural. The "price-point" foods are the lowest in cost, use the lowest class of raw materials, and should always be avoided.
What is AAFCO?
AAFCO stands for the Association of American Feed Control Officials. AAFCO's goal is to "provide a mechanism for developing and implementing uniform and equitable laws, regulations, standards and enforcement policies for regulating the manufacture, distribution and sale of animal feeds; resulting in safe, effective, and useful feeds." Manufactured pet foods do not have to go through or pass the AAFCO voluntary approval process.
Designer and all-natural brands, often have compelling stories but usually do not have the AAFCO feeding trials and science to back them up. Therefore,
rely on your veterinarian or do your
homework before going off the beaten
track of a high quality name brand
premium food.
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