A Feast Fit For A Cat

Woody jumps onto my desk and head butts me with increasing urgency as his way of asking for dinner. Keeping him, and his British Blue brother Buzz, healthy and strong is as important to me as nourishing the rest of the family.

For the humans in our pack, I try to look for quality meat and fish, whole grain pastas and rice and include a wide range of vegetables in our diet. The kids don’t always love it, but I know it means they are getting what their bodies need in vitamins, minerals and nutrients to function at their best. So, I was keen to understand what I should be looking for to nourish Buzz and Woody. What does a good cat food look like? Let’s explore.

Where to start

I am bombarded with advertising promising to make Woody and Buzz purr more and be ‘happy and healthy’ cats. There is an overwhelming choice in supermarkets, it’s difficult to know where to start.

But as my cats have grown up, I’ve realised the ingredients in many cat foods advertised on TV and online don’t match the marketing promise.

Cats are obligate carnivores, in the wild they will hunt for mice and birds and eat them whole. The most prized parts are the nutrient dense organs which are rich in iron and vitamin A. So, what we cat loving owners should be seeking is cat foods rich in meat and organs.

And that’s the irony. The UK’s bestselling cat foods, even foods labelled as complete can contain as little as 4% meat. Very little!

What’s a good cat food?

What cats actually need is food high in quality fresh and or raw meat and organ ingredients. Gently processed fresh or raw meat retains the integrity of the protein and more of its nutrients. They are available in pet shops and increasingly through online subscriptions. It’s worth paying a little extra as the additional nourishment they get from the added animal protein keeps them going for longer and means they don’t need as much to nourish them.

Woody & Buzz are both active, young adult cats that weigh around four and a half kilograms. I make sure I feed them the correct quantity of kibble and wet food for their weight. If you are unsure how much to feed ACANA provides a useful feeding guide for each recipe.  I provide access to dry food throughout the day, supplemented with a wet meal in the morning and evening. I don’t recommend leaving wet food out for longer than an hour as it can attract flies. Both the dry and wet food are complete and provide all the nutrition they need. The dry means they have more control over when they eat throughout the day.  Adding in the wet food in the morning and evening, gives them variety and choice in when they eat. The moisture it contains is useful because they’re not brilliant at drinking water regularly.

When they were kittens, I gave them smaller meals throughout the day and when they turn 10 years old and become senior cats, I will observe their body condition, weigh them and adjust their calorie intake as their exercise levels decrease.

Some cats are choosy and will go off foods that were once favoured. It is good to introduce different animal proteins to keep them interested and feeding well. It’s recommended that this is done gradually to avoid causing upset stomachs. Ranges like ACANA Cat come in a selection of recipes to satisfy the most adventurous cats. For those with a sensitivity to grain, look for a specific food made without grain ingredients, such as ACANA Highest Protein Cat, crafted with 75% quality animal ingredients.

How they like to eat

Cats prefer to dine alone, try to provide a quiet space where your cat can enjoy their food away from others, dogs or noisy family members. They also benefit from multiple sources of fresh water to remind them to stay hydrated. This is important because it will help protect them from urinary disease.

You could also try enrichment feeding. UK Pet Food recommends this as a way of tapping into a cat’s wild side:

“Food dispensing toys are great for relieving boredom. Working for a food reward (or any positive reward) and achieving encourages satisfaction and a positive mind state.”

There are lots of options for enrichment feeding, Woody and Buzz love to play with kibble dispensing balls. Bashing it with their paws to make it roll and produce a piece of kibble is a rewarding game. This is particularly useful on wet or cold days when they are inside most of the time.

A Nation of Cat Lovers

Bringing home a kitten is exciting. Cats bring love and companionship but also responsibility to ensure your new housemate thrives. Nutrition is at the heart of this. UK Pet Food estimates there are 12.5million cats living in the UK and the trend is towards young people owning cats for the first time.

Any new cat owner needs to research and find foods for their feline friends with quality ingredients. Ones that are biologically appropriate and provide the nutrition they really need.