Is cat food harmful: the opinion of veterinarians. Dry cat food: pros and cons

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Every pet owner wants his pet to live as long as possible. To do this, most people prefer to choose only the highest quality food. In pursuit of the best food, there are a number of challenges.

The fact is that today there are many different types of ready-made food for pets on sale. However, there are a huge number of differing opinions regarding what a pet should eat. Therefore, it is worth considering whether cat food is harmful and what beneficial properties it differs in. Let's start with the positives.

Benefits of dry food

Of course, ready meals are very convenient. The fact is that due to the economic peculiarities of the Russian Federation, it is extremely difficult to provide a pet with everything necessary, or rather a balanced diet. In addition, not everyone can cook natural food for a pet, due to the fact that a person is forced to spend at work from morning to evening.

According to the opinion of veterinarians about cat food, dry food has a lot of advantages. Among them it is worth highlighting:

• affordability;
• balanced diet;
• long shelf life;
• great variety of flavors;
• ease of use.

If we talk about whether cat food is harmful, then it should be borne in mind that most manufacturers of such food are trying to include natural ingredients, mineral and vitamin supplements in their product. In addition, such feed does not require special storage conditions.

What ingredients are missing from prepared meals?

Weighing the pros and cons of dry cat food, it is worth paying attention to the fact that today there is a huge competition among manufacturers of such food. In addition, most companies prefer to use cheaper raw materials, passing it off as the highest quality product. These feeds most often include economy class food. For example, Whiskas cat food, unfortunately, is one of those "dummy".

As a rule, food labels indicate that the composition of the food includes natural meat products of animal origin, offal, proteins, fats, carbohydrates and much more. However, you need to understand that if the label indicates a high protein content, this does not mean that this food will be useful for the pet. Why?

The fact is that not all proteins are exactly the same. Some of them are very poorly absorbed by animals, while others are simply excreted from the body of carnivorous animals.

In addition, other important components for animal nutrition may be absent in dry food. The most common of these is water. Its content in dry food is so minimal that the animal will require a large amount of liquid. Otherwise, problems with the digestive system may begin.

Producers of feed marked "Premium" and "Super-premium" use only modern computer technologies in the production, according to which it is possible to optimally select the components necessary for proper nutrition of the pet. Such products meet all the requirements and dietary standards for animals.

That's why you should pay attention to the rating of premium cat food:

• Advance;
• Belcando;
• Hills;
• Bozita;
• Brit;
• Guabi.

Among ready-to-eat meals of the "Super-premium" class, it is worth highlighting:

• 1st Choice;
• Arden Grange;
• Royal Canin.

Therefore, when choosing finished products, it is worth considering these ratings of premium and super premium cat food.

Are there any dangerous ingredients in prepared pet food?

Several years ago, a big scandal erupted in the United States when one of the workers of an agricultural farm conducted his own investigation. He drew attention to the fact that during the inspection at poultry farms, sick and damaged parts of chickens were not disposed of, but were thrown into special containers for furtherproduction. Later, everything that was in them was lost and sent for processing for cat and dog food.

From here it is quite easy to deduce what kind of natural meat is contained in cheap cat and dog food.

One more story once again confirms that the meat that is part of the ready-made meals is far from the first grade. Events also developed in the USA. One of the journalists managed to find out that animals found along highways get into pet food.

In addition, this food included meat from animals with rabies, as well as those who died due to infections in various industries.

Based on this, speaking about whether cat food is harmful, it is worth continuing to develop the topic of proteins. The fact is that tumor tissues of infected animals also belong to this category. In addition, protein is found in large quantities in hooves, wool, feathers, leather and other disgusting fillers, which are most often the very natural meat that producers write on labels with such pride.

Accordingly, there is practically no natural meat in cheap cat food. Therefore, it is possible to buy such food for cats (Whiskas and other "penny" analogues), but veterinarians strongly do not recommend feeding them to an animal all the time.

What should be the composition of a good dry food?

To determine the best components for a pet, first of all, you should pay attention to the classproducts and manufacturer's brand. Based on this, today there are several types of food:

• Economy class. This type of dry food is the most popular due to its low price. However, despite the manufacturer's belief that the diet of this product is balanced, it should be borne in mind that there is no meat in this feed. As a rule, the composition contains only soy, corn and a huge amount of preservatives, as well as flavors. This category of feed is highly discouraged by experts.
• Premium. This type of feed contains natural ingredients, but their amount is limited and rarely exceeds 15%. In this case, meat, fish and corn are used as animal protein. This product has good digestibility and a fairly economical consumption.
• Super premium. The composition of this product includes up to 50% natural elements. Such food really meets all the requirements of a balanced diet for pets, in addition, they include vitamins, mineral supplements and other useful components necessary for the animal's body.
• "Holistic". The feed in this category contains only products of high quality. At the same time, this diet will be as close as possible to the natural diet of four-legged animals in the wild. Meat in such feeds can be up to 80%. In addition, berries, fruits and various nutritious herbs are added to them, the mass fraction of which usually does not exceed 10%.

When talking about whether cat food is bad, it's worth considering some of the myths associated with this type of food.

High vegetable carbohydrates

Yes, indeed, cats are carnivores, and they require components of a slightly different category, so this statement has a very real basis. However, in this matter it all depends on the manufacturer. If he replaces natural meat with offal such as soy or corn, then the animal will indeed be getting the "wrong" carbohydrates.

In order not to worry about whether cat food is harmful, it is worth buying food of a class not lower than "Premium". It is also necessary to study the composition of the product, if it does not indicate the mass fraction (in percent) of the meat content, then this indicates that the manufacturer is hiding information.

Does dry food make cats fat?

As a rule, the owners of animals that have undergone the procedure of sterilization and castration complain about such problems. The fact is that after a rather complicated operation, the animal’s body must “come to its senses”. Power failure often occurs during this period of time.

And this happens due to the fact that the body is rebuilt, metabolism changes. Therefore, very often, while continuing to feed the animal in the same mode as before the operation, many notice that the fluffy lump began to get very fat.

However, this does not mean that everything happens because of feed. The point is the processes that take place in the body of the animal. In thatIn this case, many begin to wonder whether it is possible to feed a cat only with wet food. Yes, indeed, such food will be more dietary, since there is much less fat in liquid food.

Can dry food cause kidney stones?

In this matter, the problem lies not in the composition of the feed itself, but in the care of the pet owners. If the four-legged drinking regime was violated, then this may well provoke the occurrence of a similar problem. Therefore, it is imperative to ensure that the cat always has a full bowl of fresh water.

Can dry food cause tartar?

This myth has long been debunked by veterinarians who have conducted relevant studies. According to these data, dry food not only cannot cause the development of tartar, but on the contrary, they perfectly protect against it.