The Role of Food in Your Cat's Health: Lesson 3: Dry Cat Food, the Old Standby

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The Role of Food in Your Cat's Health Lesson 3: Dry Cat Food, the Old Standby From Franny Syufy, your Guide to Cats While I would like to see everyone try to at least convert their cats to mostly canned food, we can't escape the fact that the likely majority of cats are fed diets of mostly dry foods. With that thought in mind, let's examine how we can make that diet as wholesome and nutritious as possible. Water - the Most Important Nutrient What's In Your Cat's Water? "What does water have to do with cat food?" you ask. Your cat's kidneys need water to do their job of flushing out toxins from the blood stream. With an average of 78% liquid, canned cat foods go a long way in providing the necessary fluids for kidney health. Cats fed a diet exclusively composed of dry foods need to drink extra water to fulfill that need. It's also important to know what is going into your water supply, for your own health as well as your cat's. Here's help for searching out that information. Make Water More Appealing With a Dispenser Some cats love water, others tend to shun it. But most cats are drawn to flowing water. These automatic water dispensers provide a clean, fresh flow of water, and include charcoal filters to remove undesired minerals. My cats have one of each, and line up at them like elephants to a watering hole. On to the Food! Top Picks: Premium Dry Foods for Cats Since a number of premium dry cat foods have been introduced recently, these picks have been significantly changed from my originals. Any of these dry foods would be excellent for your cat. (Our own cats actually prefer #7 and #9.) Alternate with premium canned food, for a well-balanced diet for your cat. These products were chosen from the "adult" lifestyle category for comparison purposes. Top Picks: Premium Dry Kitten Food Kittens (and pregnant or nursing mothers) have special nutritional needs to promote growth and development, such as extra protein for muscle development; fat for energy, fatty acids, and to carry fat-soluble vitamins; and extra vitamins and minerals for strong bones and teeth. These foods were ranked first, for protein source, and second, for nutritional analysis, giving weight to protein and fat, although other factors applied. Reviews of Premium Cat Foods These are my reviews and ratings for premium dry foods which are presently or previously on my Top Picks lists. Please note that the list is database-created, and I do not presently have the means of organizing it. Also note that there is an advertising box breaking the list. Assignment and Preview of Next Week's Class Your assignment this week is to compare the ingredients of your own dry cat food to one of those listed in the Top Picks. If you are not presently feeding a premium food by now, have you considered changing? If not, examine your reasons why. I'd never suggest that anyone change from a food prescribed by their veterinarian. But it also wouldn't hurt to show your veterinarian the label ingredients from a bag of premium food and ask his or her opinion. Next week, we'll delve into some specialty food and other miscellaneous food-related things. Have a great week! This email is written by: Franny Syufy Cats Guide Email Me | My Blog | My Forum   Missing a lesson? Click here. About U. is our collection of free online courses designed to help you learn a new skill, solve a problem, get something done, or just learn more about your world. Sign up now, and we will email you lessons on a daily or weekly basis. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the About.com 'The Role of Food in Your Cat's Health' email. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Advertisement