Reading a Pet Food Ingredient Label

This is where it gets tough. The current labeling system for pet foods is seriously lacking in usable information. The "guaranteed analysis" numbers that you find on a can of food simply gives a wide range of the levels of water, protein, fat, etc. that are contained in the food. You can get a rough idea of what is in the food but, ideally, it should be mandatory to put the more accurate "as fed" values on the can. However, I do not see this happening anytime soon. This would be more along the lines of the information that we find on our own packaged foods.

OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE CATS

Overweight and obesity (extreme overweight) is now the most common nutritional disorder affecting cats. The usual definition of obesity is being 15% - 20% overweight. In Britain, up to a quarter of cats are believed to be obese. The figure may be much higher in the USA where pet cats lead a more restricted lifestyle.

Acana Grain-Free Dry Cat Food

Acana - Grasslands
Acana - Pacifica
Acana - Wild Prairie

Evolved as carnivores, Mother Nature adapted cats to thrive on a diet rich and varied in animal proteins and fats—not carbohydrates and grains. That’s why grain-free Acana Grain-Free Foods for Cats features a diversity of regional ingredients including free-run chicken, whole eggs, wild-caught Whitefish and Walleye—all delivered fresh, never frozen and containing no preservatives.

Innova Cat and Kitten Food

Wholesome Food for a Healthier Cat!

Innova Cat and Kitten Food contains fresh, natural, whole ingredients from each of the five food groups: meat, dairy, fruit, grain and vegetables, to provide a balanced, nutritious and healthful diet for your cat. Innova Cat and Kitten Food is formulated with added antioxidant vitamins, and is rich in Omega-6 and Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids for a silky coat and optimum health.

Nutrition 101 according to Royal Canin - Help for Special Needs

People who love cats often say their bonds form because of the cat’s uncanny ability to understand human emotions. This same acute feline awareness can also make cats more sensitive to their environments. Luckily, the right diet can help even everything out.

Nutrition 101 according to Royal Canin - Why Diets for Indoor Cats.

Years ago, cats earned their keep by hunting down rodents and other unwanted animals. Today, however, the vast majority spend their days entirely indoors, hunting no more than a dust bunny and a good nap.  With this decreased activity level comes a whole new set of special nutritional requirements for the indoor cat:

Diamond Pet Foods

Diamond History

Known around the world for healthy and holistic pet nutrition, Diamond Pet Foods is one of the fastest growing pet food companies in the United States. Exclusively focused on pet food, Diamond proudly provides a complete and balanced range of dog and cat foods for all life stages. NutraGold is holistically formulated for your pet's health, appearance, performance and happiness.

NUTRAGold all-natural holistic pet foods

For cat owners who care about what they are feeding to their feline friends.  Our cats do not have to eat food containing chemical preservatives, “by-products”, processed grains, poorly digestible cereals, or artificial flavourings and colourings. They claims to have created a food without all this – NUTRAGold Holistic Formulas. 

NUTRAGOLD HOLISTIC

Natures Know best. That's why NutraGold has been holistically formulated to promote the lifelong health and happiness of your pet. Veterinarians and pet food nutritionists have teamed up to develop this healthy, wholesome diet, using all the latest nutritional research and best ingredients.

Cat food ingredients, nutrients and common terminology.

Here’s what you need to know about ingredients, nutrients and common terminology for your cat's diet.

Amino acids: Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and their derivatives. Proteins contain a total of about 20 amino acids, only 8 to 10 of which, according to the animal species concerned, must absolutely be provided to the body by food. The others are biochemically synthesized by the body.

Healthy Weight for Cats

 

Finding a healthy weight for cats can be difficult because it depends on so many different things. If you think your pet is looking a little pudgy, it might be time to consider an getting an evaluation from your veterinarian.

Obesity in Cats Is Dangerous
An overweight cat can end up with as many or more health problems as an overweight human. In fact, cat health problems are on the rise at a similar level to the number of fat cats that vets see. At present, the estimate is that about 40 percent of cats are overweight.

Health risks due to obesity in cats include the following:

• Arthritis
• Diabetes
• Heart Disease
• Hepatic Lipidosis
• Respiratory problems

Harmful Plants to Kittens

With spring in bloom, it is important for cat owners to be familiar with potentially dangerous plants and keep them out of kitty’s reach. Some common houseplants that can pose a risk to your cat’s wellbeing include:

Healthy Weight for Your Cat

More than half -- 57% -- of cats are overweight or obese, according to a 2008 study by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. That’s 51 million fat cats.

How can you tell if your cat is overweight? And what can you do about it? WebMD asked Tony Buffington, DVM, PhD, an expert in feline health and nutrition. 

Q: How can I tell if my cat is too fat?

Catnip - Everything You Need to Know About Catnip!

Catnip is a perennial herb and member of the Mint family Labiatae that  is well known   for it's ability to get cat's high. It is native to Europe & Asia, however has become naturalised in America & Canada after being introduced. There are approximately 250 species of Catnip, and this figure doesn't include hybrid species. Some of the more readily available ones are:

FELINE NUTRITION

Basic Needs

Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they must eat meat to survive.

Cats are incapable of digesting and receiving sufficient nutrition from the majority of vegetable proteins. Unless on a specific veterinarian-controlled diet, cats cannot eat a vegetarian diet and survive. Dog food is also not balanced for cats and can lead to health problems. Cats need more fat and protein and certain specific amino acids found in meat, such as taurine and arginine.

Nutrition 101 according to Royal Canin - Why Breed Specific Diets

Many of us will never own a pedigreed cat, so why should we feed a breed-specific diet? Truth is there are some big physiological differences among cat breeds, and the three breeds that we’ve created diets for – Siamese, Maine Coon and Persian – are representative of different breed types, each requiring dramatically different diets to address significantly different nutritional requirements.  Before we can develop a diet for a specific breed, we first closely observe the breed to understand its morphological, physiological and behavioral characteristics. For instance, we studied how to balance energy requirements and weight control in the Siamese, how to enhance the gloss of a Persian’s coat and how an increased kibble size will better suit the Maine Coon’s large jaws.  The end result is a diet customized for a unique set of breed characteristics – and a diet your cat will thrive on.

The Truth About Dry Cat Food

People sometimes ask me if I can recommend a good dry cat food, but I cannot. Dry food — kibble — is the worst possible food you can feed to your cat. It is a moneymaking venture of pet food manufacturers that is leading to horrible chronic disease in cats. It is marketed as a product that is 100 percent nutritionally complete for all stages of your cat's life. That couldn't be further from the truth.

ORIJEN & ACANA are the world's best dry cat food

 Unlike the marketing companies and multinationals that sell, but don't actually make, today's pet foods; Champion Petfoods is a family-owned and operated pet food producer with a clear mission: WORLD-CLASS PET FOODS FROM FRESH REGIONAL INGREDIENTS.

Champion Petfoods Ltd - Orijen and Acana

• Brands include Orijen and Acana.
• Own and operate their own production facilities in Morinville, Alberta, Canada.
• They make their own foods exclusively - their mandate is to produce world-class foods from fresh regional ingredients. That means almost all of their ingredients (over 90% for ORIJEN) are raised, fished or farmed within western Canada.
• Only imported ingredients are lamb from New Zealand and rice from California - these are used in their ACANA brand foods.
•  They do not, and never have, had their brands produced or co-packed by any other pet food producer.
•  They do not use glutens or other vegetable proteins in any of their foods.
• ORIJEN and ACANA foods are not on any recall list.