Guest Post by Travis:

All of us want the best for our feline friends, but choosing healthy foods can be difficult and confusing. Most any name-brand food will keep your cat going, but there’s a big difference between surviving and thriving. We were motivated to learn more about food when our eldest cat started losing weight and energy. Some simple dietary changes made a dramatic difference in her health and happiness. If I had to explain what we did in five seconds or less, it would come down to: “More canned food. Much less dry food.”

The main thing to keep in mind is that cats must eat meat to survive, as they can get key nutrition only from animal sources. The problem is that grains are much cheaper than meat, so many dry cat foods end up being based mostly on corn and wheat. A cat’s digestive system is not designed to process nutrition from plants. Any food you buy for your cat should contain meat as the main ingredient, and a minimum of corn, wheat, soy, etc. These plants should be considered filler, as they have little nutritional value for your cat. Excessive carbohydrates in a cat’s diet are directly linked to higher risks of diabetes and obesity.

Being descended from desert creatures, cats are designed to get most of their water from the food they eat. Cats have a very weak thirst impulse, and will often drink water only when they’re clinically dehydrated. Many cats who are fed mostly dry food are dehydrated all the time. The answer? More canned food. Contrary to the persistent myth, canned food will not rot your cat’s teeth, and most dry foods do not really clean their teeth. Cats who are fed canned food will take in 50% more water overall, and have a much lower risk of bladder or kidney problems. Canned foods are also usually much lower in carbohydrates.

We recommend that you avoid foods containing “by-products” and “beef and bone meal.” These are parts of an animal unfit for human consumption, often including beaks, feet, diseased organs, etc. This is not a healthy source of protein, and chemicals used to treat or euthanize a sick animal often make their way into the food.

Finally, it’s good to rotate your cat’s diet as often as possible. Feeding just one food can result in food allergies and nutritional deficiencies. If you’re feeding dry food, gradually mix the new food with the old over a period of a week or so – this helps most cats accept it. There are also some supplements available to help with the transition.

If you would like additional information or references, please feel free to contact me. While not a vet, I would be happy to help. The book Your Cat is also a fantastic resource for keeping up-to-date on feline nutrition.

One thing that all cats can agree on: “Change is bad!”

Changing your cat’s food can be a tricky process, but we just found a new product that made it a lot easier at our house. Eagle Pack Holistic Transition is a powdered supplement that you just sprinkle on food as you’re transitioning from one to another. It makes all the food taste similar, so your kitties won’t cherry pick the old kibbles while leaving the new ones there. It also contains “friendly bacteria”, similar to what’s in yogurt, that naturally occurs in your cat’s digestive system. This helps ease any symptoms associated with a food change.

The instructions say to add one tablespoon daily to dry food. We’ve found that to be too much for kitties. We use one to two teaspoons per cup of cat food. If you’re interested in an ongoing supplement to help assure digestive health, there is also a version of this product intended for daily use.