Nutrition pet depends on his mood, health and activity. Even before pet came in the house, you need to think about drafting the perfect menu for it. Requires special attention to the diet of cats.
There are several schemes of food for them, but today we will focus on ready feed.
Modern range of food for cats can be easily confused so it is diverse. Not always the owners have the time to read the composition. And it happens that some cat owners want to save on food for your pet by buying advertised cheaper brands of feed.
Food for cats
On the shelves you can see many variants of feed for cats. Some manufacturers try to write on the package as many obscure words, to give your product status.
Often behind these words costs nothing, and all the promised benefit turns out to be a promotional gimmick. So before you buy the first got cat food, to get better acquainted with its various types and choose from the variety the most suitable option for your pet.
All food for cats, which is represented on the shelves of supermarkets, are divided into 4 groups.
They differ from each other in quality and composition:
- economy;
- premium;
- super premium;
- holistic.
To understand all the features, you need to consider each group separately power.
Economy class
This type of feed uses the wide demand. This is due to good promotion on television and online, as well as the relatively low price for large packages.
The main ingredients are cereals and by-products (lungs, liver, etc.). Some manufacturers add to the feed pulp. The share of meat in it does not exceed 5%. In addition, the high content of preservatives and flavorings that are bad for the health of cats.
Since cat food is not classified as foods, manufacturers often add to it prohibited in many countries, the ingredients that cause addiction and problems with internal organs. These include certain dyes and thickeners.
Economy class includes food for cats that are on everyone’s lips thanks to the commercial: Whiskas, Kitiket, Our Brand, Felix, All, Cats, dogs.
The premium class
The difference from economy class is a higher proportion of meat ingredients. In the premium feed she is 10 to 20% of the total weight of the food.
The amount in the composition of the grains remains the same as in economy class, and the by-products substitute for meat. Of these fodders is already possible to choose for your pet, but first need to carefully read the ingredients listed on the packaging. Often and in them you can find preservatives and flavors.
Examples of such power: ProPak, Proplan, Animonda, Happy Cat.
Super premium class
They do not contain harmful and dangerous ingredients in the composition can be found only cereals, a small number of processed by-products and natural meat. And the meat should come first in the list of components, specifying the raw materials. This is usually beef, Turkey or chicken.
Is the premium food is not so common to hear on TV, and their price significantly differs from the previously described supply. Examples: Leonardo, Blitz, Arden Grange, Bozita, 1st Choice.
Feed-holistic
It is a modern development in the cat food, taking into account all particularities of the body of the pet.
To use such products without any harm you can even people. In the production of Kulistikov pays special attention to the quality and freshness of the ingredients, and most importantly, their naturalness. The composition of this feed can not meet harsh preservatives or fragrances. Such a high quality food affects its value.
Modern holistica include: Farmina ND, Grundorf, NOW Natural Holistic, Holistic 1st Choice.
A properly composed diet pet is a guarantee of his long, active and healthy life. So choose the menu, considering all the features of the body of a pet to meet all his needs.
Important features of nutrition of cats
So the cat got more energy during the day, she needs to give products containing animal protein. It can be found in poultry, fish, offal and meat. Therefore, the conscientious manufacturer is obliged to specify the composition of the feed, what is the source of animal protein he used in the cooking process.
Great importance for the health of the cats have vitamins and minerals. You need to ensure that, in the right quantity pet ever received a vitamin A, E, C and b, phosphorus, iron and nicotinic acid.
It is important to pay attention to how often the cat is eating. Not immediately after emptying bowls to put in her new food. This concern can lead to rapid weight gain, and this is especially dangerous for neutered and spayed animals. On the packaging with the food is always worth the daily rate, exceed which is not recommended.
Unlike animal proteins, fats do not play a big role in the diet of cats. Most often in the cat food it is added only to increase the amount of complex carbohydrates.
Ingredients such as buckwheat and corn, can be part of feed the premium and super-premium.
Important: to choose food solely on price is impossible. From it depends on the quality and brand awareness. And also you need to pay attention to the composition of the feed, not its packaging.
To switch from one ration to another you have neatly, even if the transition is made to a higher quality food. For animal any change in food – a lot of stress, so you need to gradually, in small doses to replace the usual food with the new.
To combine different foods is not necessary. Better to give the preference to one manufacturer and not to conduct experiments on the pet. And some owners mistakenly believe that their Pets get bored eating the same thing for a long time. It is not, to alternate different types of food there is no need, from the constancy in the diet of the animal is only getting more comfortable.
The rules of reading the instructions
The most important information from the manufacturer is not on the front side of the product, and on the back. Often the inscription on the face of the packaging are made to attract attention and not always reliable.
The data that is located on the back side, applied laboratory staff working directly on the product. Food for people is no exception. The most reliable information is usually located in the composition on the back.
Here is what you should pay attention when meeting with a list of ingredients:
- The by-products. This is the first thing you should pay attention to when buying. Of course, for most people this name is associated with naturalness. But are all natural ingredients useful? This products of meat origin, which relate to waste production. Among them may be hair, feathers, bones etc. the Exact list of by-products manufacturer will never point in the composition.
- Meat. This is a mandatory component of cat food of any class. The higher its content in the composition, the better. You should pay attention to the fact that in the process of cooking food the meat is drying, with the result that its volume is reduced by several times.
- Flour from meat. It is dried and powdered offal.
- Vitamins and minerals. It is important that the composition was specific as to what group of minerals are present in the product. Among them you can meet taurine, which is familiar to all owners of cats.
- Lactobacillus. This ingredient is beneficial for normal digestion.
- Sugar. In feed super-premium it can not be found, most often it is added by the manufacturers of cheap food with low quality. Caramel makes pet addictive and the constant feeling of hunger.
Although on the legal level and enshrined the rule at the ingredients list on most, not all abide by it. If you study the composition one can see the mistakes made by the producers, and to protect the health of your pet.
The ranking of fodder, useful for cats
The numbering of products in this rating is conditional, all the manufacturers of feed release food for cats high quality. It all depends on the choice of the owner and the taste preferences of the cat. To date, the best representatives of a range of cat food are:
- 1st Choice Hypoallergenic. In Russia, this canadian brand is known for a long time. Its main advantage is it’s all natural. Dry cat food is prepared with sweet potato, duck meat, rice, peas and vegetable oil. As additives used specialised chicken or goose liver. The cost of a package weighing 300 grams is from 250 to 300 rubles.
Berkley Fricassee (Berkeley Fricasse). More than 40% of the weight of this French liquid feed is a mixture of meat ingredients: meat, beef and chicken. They added thyme, vegetable oil and vitamin complex. Food is sold in disposable packaging at 85 grams, the price from 80 to 90 rubles.- Acana (Akan). The range of this brand on the market nine dishes of high quality. One of them are recommended for feeding young kittens. It includes: boned leather chicken meat, chicken liver, herring, egg, beans and peas. Brand akan release in Canada. In Russia the cost of one pack weight of 350 grams varies from 400 to 450 rubles.
GO Natural Holistic. The line includes 3 kinds of dry food. Holistic contains only natural ingredients: grain, chicken, duck meat, trout, potato puree, fish oil. This brand also came to us from Canada. Available in 2 kg packets cost from 1200 to 1400 rubles.- Grandorf (Grundorf). Another representative class holistic, represented by the line of the 6 meals with probiotics. It is recommended to keep food cats aged 1 year. Produce this holistic in Belgium. In composition include: Turkey, rabbit, rice, animal fat, flax, and duck liver. In our country, you can purchase a package weight of 2 kg for 1300 rubles.
Now Fresh Grain CF. This dry cat food is manufactured in Canada. The use of cooking fish fillets, high quality salmon, trout and herring. Add mashed potatoes, eggs, dried tomatoes and carrots. Consisting of all 4 titles in the series are present lactobacilli. The cost in Russia from 1400 to 1500 2 pounds.- Farmina (Farmina). Made in Italy and comes in the form of gels, there are also several lots of dry food. The manufacturer uses only wholesome ingredients: fresh chicken, minerals and vitamins, eggs and grain. It is not recommended to mix dry and wet food in one meal. Price: from 95 roubles for a portion of the bag Jell-o.
- Animonda Vom-Perfect (Brit). This food is famous for German quality and variety are grateful to the owners of the cats. A part is only ham and chicken, bathed in broth. Often produced in liquid form, there are dry dishes. One lunch weight 80 gram costs about 100 rubles.
Almo Nature Holistic. This Italian manufacturer is famous for its high quality food which uses only natural ingredients. The lineup includes multiple liquid and dry dishes. The main ingredient is chicken meat, free from skin and bones. Add liver, cereals (wheat and oats) and vegetable oil. The product is sold in bulk packs of 2 kg, the cost from 1 thousand to 1200 rubles.- Holistic Blend Feline Formula. This cat food is quite popular in Russia, famous for its naturalness and the easy sale. Often vets translate cats to this brand after treatment or dieting. It is produced in Canada from crushed and dried chicken, rice, chicken fat and salmon meat. Big package weighing 4.5 kg is from 3000 to 3500 rubles.
Of course, that not all members of the super-premium feed and Kulistikov useful for cats, but if you choose any of the brands for your pet, then you should not worry for his health. Price and popularity of cat food should not be determining factors in ration formulation.
