The best cat food is for cats.
That phrase may sound silly or even a little stupid to you, but not everyone thinks that way. Humans can surely survive even if we don’t get the proper nutrients in the food we eat every day. We could go through life eating junk food or only one type of food group, and while we won’t starve, it could affect our long-term health. Well, the same applies to our dear feline companions. Some people can feed them plain cat food that doesn’t contain many of the nutrients they need to be healthy or some people can even feed them leftover human food. Of course, this is not good for them, especially if you want them to live as many years as possible. This is why you need to make sure you feed them the best cat food.
Although I did a little research on what the needs of cats are to grow healthy and live longer, what you are about to read is not a scientific study at all. After researching what is good for them, I went to my local supermarket and compared all the brands and their contents. There is a strong chance that the brands I chose are available at your local Petsmart, Petco, Walmart, Target, or wherever you shop for your pet. I tried many different brands and types before coming to a conclusion. Oh, and in case you were wondering, I have 3 cats who gladly agreed to participate in this research.
Does the best cat food come packaged or canned?
There has always been a debate as to whether the best cat food should be dry or wet. You may come across a lot of cat food reviews and some will go one direction and some another. One fact about cats is that they don’t chew their food like humans do. They will only crush it a couple of times if it is solid and then they will swallow it right away. And if the food is wet or canned, they will basically swallow it straight. In my opinion, as long as they contain the necessary nutrients it does not matter if it is dry or wet. I think it may be a bit more expensive if you buy canned food, but other than that they are very similar in nutritional content.
There are hundreds of different brands to choose from. Some products point to age, whether it is an indoor cat, whether it is just a kitten, or an adult cat. There are others that focus on specific health needs like hairball control, dental health, food allergies, healthy joints, weight control, sensitive stomach, urinary ailments, and others.
In conclusion, there is no single best cat food brand or product. There are brands like Eukanuba and By Nature that are a bit more expensive than the rest and that is because they come with Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. These are helpful in preventing kidney disease, allergies, high cholesterol, or even arthritis. These fatty acids also help develop your cat’s shiny coat. Although they are not required by the AAFCO to meet the standards in all products, they actually increase the nutritional value of foods if they are included in them.
If your pet is an indoor cat, you should consider purchasing indoor cat formula, as they come with garden greens and healthy grains that help control hairballs as well as maintain a healthy weight.
In my particular case, I find that the best cat food, or at least the one that convinced me the most of the ones I read and that I really tried, is Purina ONE Advanced Nutrition Hairball Formula. Since two of my cats have long hair, they occasionally had hairball problems, so I looked for something that could control this problem. After trying various brands, this one from Purine reduced the amount and frequency my cats had hairball problems. It is also reasonably priced compared to other more expensive brands.
If the price is not a problem for you, I recommend Eukanuba Indoor Weight Control and Hairball Relief. I tried it once and it seemed to work, but it is a bit more expensive compared to Purina ONE. In fact, I buy this one every now and then when my kitties get bored with food, so I try to give them some kind of variety. Eukanuba’s also has the Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids that I mentioned earlier.
