What is the Best Cat Nutrition?

Dee-O-Gee BZN
Published On: 06-12-2019, 12:00 AM
What is the best cat nutrition?? 

One of the most important things you can do for your pets is to provide them with good nutrition.   

Many of the health problems we see in our cats are created by improper nutrition, including obesity and kidney disease.


The single most important thing you can do to help your cat live a longer, healthier life is to add more canned, or raw food into their diet to increase their moisture and protein consumption.


Cats are obligate carnivores. They evolved as hunters, getting their nutrients from their prey. This means they evolved on a diet of high protein, moderate fat and minimal to no carbohydrates. In addition, the prey provides about 70% of the cat’s moisture requirement. Cats have an inherently low thirst drive meaning they will not seek out water to drink.  Therefore, they live with a chronic low level of dehydration which explains why many geriatric cats develop kidney disease after years and years of inadequate water consumption.

In addition, many cats are overweight from consuming foods with the incorrect balance of nutrients.  Most dry kibble is high in carbohydrates and/or plant based protein leading to higher calorie foods.


How can you help your cat? 
  1. Offer a food higher in moisture- foods like canned food, raw and dehydrated raw, as long as it is reconstituted correctly before feeding, will increase your cat’s moisture consumption dramatically.
  2. Offer a high quality canned, raw or dehydrated raw food that has higher levels of protein and fat and minimal levels of carbohydrates. Ideal ranges are: > 40 % protein, 40-50% fat and <10 % carbohydrates.



So you want to switch your cat to a new food??

Here are some tips to help with the transition.  
Cats can be tricky to switch over to a new food, especially from dry kibble to canned or raw. The most important thing is to be patient.  This transition can take months, but if you are patient even the most finicky cat can be transitioned.


Here are some tips :
  1. Transition to meal feeding instead of free choice feeding before introducing the canned or raw food.  
  2. Offer canned or raw food in place of the kibble at the mealtime feeding, if they do not eat it, hold out a bit longer. However, if the cat goes 18 hours without eating the new food, offer at least ¼ cup of their kibble to make sure they get their calories for the day. It is very dangerous for a cat to go with less than 75% of their calories for more than 48 hours.
  3. Be prepared to throw out some food. 
  4. Try different flavors and textures with each new meal until you find one they will eat.
  5. Try crushing some of the kibble and mixing it in with the canned or raw food.
  6. Try offering some cooked chicken or tuna- the goal being to get them to try something without crunch, then transitioning to a balanced canned or raw food. 
  7. Try sprinkling a small amount of parmesan cheese on the canned/ raw food. Most cats like parmesan cheese and this can encourage them to try the canned food as they lick the cheese off.  You can also try mixing the food with Answer’s Goat Milk to encourage them to try the new food. 
  8. You can leave the food out during feedings (do not leave raw food out) - repeat exposure as they walk by the food makes them less leery of trying it. 
  9. If the food is stored in the refrigerator between feedings try warming it to room temperature prior to feeding it.  
  10. You can try wiping a bit of the new food on your cat's paw as they are typically fastidious cleaners and will not want their paw to be dirty.



At Dee-O-Gee Bozeman, we offer several options to improve your cat’s health through nutrition.  
We carry numerous canned varieties including Wervuva and Fussy Cat just to name a few. In addition,  we have two great raw alternatives, Primal and Stella and Chewy's, in addition to some great freeze dried options.  

Another great way to increase moisture in the diet of a kibble fed cat is through our Answer’s Goat Milk or Broths. They will add extra protein, fat and moisture, so is a great alternative if you cannot get eliminate the convenience of kibble.

Come in and talk to a Pet Health Ambassador today and let us help you find the best fit for your cat.  

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