đ Optimal Nutritional for Cats đ
Avoid disease with good nutrition
Let's talk kitty nutrition - just for 5 minutes.Â
This quick read can make a world of difference to your cat's health, happiness and lifespan.
First off, a little background - your little tiger is an opportunistic carnivore. In the wild, cats kill and consume their lunch. Their prey's body contains meat, but also fat and bones (micronutrients,) organs (micronutrients) and a lot of water.Â
The most common kitty diseases are driven by poor nutrition and chronic dehydration: diabetes, kidney disease and urinary issues. No wonder, when many commercial diets are full of filler carbohydrates and lacking the water your fur kid needs from their food.â
Protein-rich, wet foods are best
Cats live longer and have less health issues when they eat optimal nutrition. Makes sense, right? In fact, many of the common cat diseases are very preventable with smart food choices.
But with so many options out there, what should caring pet parents feed their little tigers? It's simple, and easy -Â
Protein-rich, wet foods with kitty-specific vitamins and minerals are the best diets. Period. Cat food full of water and protein are the best preventative medicine, and can add years to you cat's lifespan. Both  raw foods, and canned foods fit the bill, as long as they are balanced, and high quality ingredients.
That said, kitty immune systems are stronger when they eat raw food with digestive enzymes, and raw food can actually be cheaper than canned food (and it's way less processed.) So raw does have a couple of extra advantages.
Ok, let's check your cat's food!
Have a look at the checklist below. How does your cat's current food stack up? You can do a simple 10 point check by answering the following questions.
Ideally, you should answer "yes" at least 8 of the 10 points - that's a food for healthy, happy cats!
If your cat's food scores 6 or 7 - it's likely time to up their nutrition game. (Don't worry, we can help.)
If their food scores 5 or lower - let's get them on a better food! Time to make a switch...
|
Dr. Jason's top food choices available at Pandosy Village Vet
Does your cat food not make the cut? Or do you want to feed them the best nutrition possible? Â Here are some fantastic options available in our Pandosy Village Vet shop:
- Pets 4 Life raw frozen - this is a very affordable wet food option - cheaper and with less packaging waste than canned food!
- Tikicat canned - these very high protein foods are fish based, extremely tasty and sustainable fished.
- BFF canned - almost as high of protein as Tikicat, and more affordable, it has chicken, egg and fish flavours.
- Rayne Adult RSS canned - made of pork, this wet food is also appropriate for cats with kidney disease.
Dr. Jason feeds his own cat...Â
One of the most common questions to a veterinarian is "what do you feed your own pets?" So we asked Dr. Jason to tell you about his own fur kid:
Dr. Jason answers: "my own cat Vega lived to the ripe old age of 18 years old, and we miss her dearly.
When she was just 10, Vega started to show signs of kidney disease, so I had a hard look at what she was eating. At that time, she was eating a dry kibble, with good ingredients, but too many carbs and of course very little water.
So we switched Vega to a raw, protein-rich diet made by Pets 4 Life. It's balanced, apparently quite yummy, and comes in cat-friendly small bites. She loved switching up the proteins, although salmon and turkey were her favs. Vega lived another healthy, happy years, and enjoyed her food every day.
When she was diagnosed with kidney disease (from eating dry food for the first ten years of her life - sorry Vega!) we also gave her a phosphorus binder and some herbs. Those simple additions stopped the kidney disease progression, and she was been stable for years."
Making the switch
Yes! We have excellent foods at Pandosy Village Vet, in every nutritional format. Please talk to our staff about levelling up your cat's food.
And yes, we know, cats can be finicky. Their particular nature comes from their history of avoiding bad game. Ideally, kittens should be started on a wet whole food when young, and most cats appreciate room-temperature meals, akin to fresh prey.
Switching an adult cat to a new food requires patience to find what they like... Tasty probiotics, fish oils and other tricks can be very helpful. We can help!
Our cat-friendly clinic...
Our calm and spacious Pandosy Village Veterinary Hospital clinic is designed with your fur kids in mind. No mixing with dogs necessary! We have quiet, cozy exam rooms to help cats relax, and always use low-stress handling techniques for all cat med procedures. Meow!
Also in Natural Pet Health Blog
Vaccines and Titre Testing - Protecting Your Fur Kid
Harvest Treats for Dogs & Cats
