What ingredients should I look for in good cat food?

Question

I upgraded my dog food to a better choice based on the ingredient list. So I figured I should give my cat something better too. What ingredients should I be looking for and not looking for in cat food?

Answer 1

Hi there...anything that is devoid of corn, corn meal, (fillers) by-products, dyes, BHA, BHT preservatives are the poor quality cat foods. Cat food products which contain meat as the primary ingredient are the best foods to consider. Examples:

Innova EVO
California Natural
Wellness
Felidae
Eagle Pack
Solid Gold
Natural Balance
Organix
Nature's Variety Prairie
Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul

To learn more about cat food nutrition and products: http://www.consumersearch.com/www/family/cat-food/review.html

Answer 2

Basically you want a food that is 60% high quality protein. That means the first TWO ingredients on a can or bag will be meat protein (not by-product meat). In a dry food the third ingredient will be a filler such as brown rice, millet, oats, pea etc. - NOT corn.

For dry you can use Natural Balance, Eagle Pack, Blue, Felidae, Solid Gold, CA Natural or By Nature's Organic.

For canned food I use the Natural Balance, Wellness, Lick Your Chops. I also use a home prepared diet with a supplement powder of organic chicken and organic turkey. If you want to look into raw feeding you can go to www.catinfo.org for a veterinarian's take on doing that.

You might also want to go to www.littlebigcat.com and read Dr. Jean Hovfe's article titled "Selecting a Good Commercial Pet Food" to reinforce the guidelines I have given you.

Answer 3

This pertains to both cat and dog food...

No BHA, BHT or ethoxyquin preservative. No by-products, corn, soybean and wheat. Human grade food only. No fillers, artificial colors or flavors. Once you have eliminated those ingredients, you have narrowed your choices to some great foods available and the choice is then yours. Some are more readily available than others and cost my play a part with your decision. Whichever route you go with these great foods, it's going to be a great, healthy choice for your pet and they will grow up without all the other issues many pets face with their health.

Answer 4

Look for foods high in L-carnitine which will help turn there fat into energy an build up there muscles. Look for high quality protein to build strong bones & muscles. You also want to look for something that is good for the digestive system, hairball control possibly. They should have the proper nutrients and vitamins minirals and calcium for there teeth.

Answer 5

All Natural ingredients, no fillers, no corn, ash levels etc.
Try Natural Balance or Solid Gold

Answer 6

You want something with a low ash content. High grade food from a pet store.

Answer 7

Fresh fish. 9 out of 10 cats prefer it.

Answer 8

less fillers & bye prod.

Answer 9

lynphnodes, giblets, and dead birds.