Cats are Carnivores
Cats are predominately carnivores, which means they need a diet high in the nutrients found in meat or meat based diet. Although they are Carnivores and thrive on a high meat diet many people (about 60% of the cats in the UK) are fed cheap supermarket brands or foods with a high grain content (that’s like 60% of children in the UK fed only chips every meal!)
Taurine – Taurine is an amino acid found mainly in meat, Taurine is essential for cats as it helps with their eyesight and brain function and as it cannot be produced by the cat alone it needs to be acquired through diet. When most foods fed only contain around 4% meat it is almost impossible for the cat to acquire these good quality amino acids.
At The Big Pet Store we sell high quality dry, raw and wet cat foods which contain natural meat ingredients and all the right balance of protein, carbohydrates and fats.
What to avoid in a commercial cat food –
Meat and Animal Derivatives – This is from human by-product meat or ‘spent’ animals such as ex dairy cows or non laying battery hens. A food can often contain lots of different proteins even if it is listed as one ‘flavour’.
Cereals – Foods list cereals on the bag instead of a specific cereal so that the actual ingredient may change. Wheat or wheat by-product is used most commonly as it is the cheapest grain to use (we use a lot in human food production therefore there is usually a large amount of surplus). Wheat is a common causer of stomach problems, urinary crystals, bad hair & skin and stool issues.
Oils & Fats – Fats are very important to a cats wellbeing as they not only provide energy but keep the skin and coat healthy. The listing on the ingredients in an open manner means that the fat can change all the time, and again it is usually a by-product of the human food industry. Bad fats = bad skin and low energy.
Derivatives of Vegetable Origin – Vegetable fibres or starches derived from by-products of the human food industry. The open formula means that although it may say ‘of which 4% are peas’, it only has to be a minimum of 4% of peas in the vegetables.
Sugars – We all know adding sugar to human food is bad, then why would sugar need to be added to cat food? Sugar makes human food more attractive to eat and can cause addiction, the same is true with dog food.
EC Permitted Additives and Preservatives – Permitted items by law should be ok for cats shouldn’t they? Not necessarily, they may be permitted to preserve foods, but what they do to a cats body is not entirely known. Some foods contain additives like ‘sunset yellow’ which has been linked with child hyperactivity and ‘potassium sorbate’ which has been linked to cell damage.
Most pet cats in the UK are fed on a food high in cereals, which for a carnivore seems completely alien.
REMEMBER THIS ALSO APPLIES TO CAT TREATS.
