What are the best cat food?

Choosing kibble for your cat can quickly become a headache.There are dozens of references in the trade, and at all prices. Theoretically, all these kibbles comply with the recommendations of fediaf (European Federation of the Pet Food Industry). But then, why choose a certain brand over another? Explanations.

Why do we need to pay attention to the quality of the kibble?

Your cat, this is not a discovery, is a strict carnivore. That is, naturally, he eats only meat. The cat's digestive system is therefore not adapted to digest large amounts of food other than meat. However, commercial kibble generally gives pride of place to cereals, and therefore to carbohydrates. The latter, although they are well tolerated by your cat, have practically no nutritional interest for him and can cause health problems in the medium term.

In addition, a high carbohydrate level can lead to obesity, especially in neutered cats. Not to mention that poor quality kibble can cause heart problems for example. These are caused by a deficiency of taurine, which is found in sufficient quantities only in meat. Urinary stones are also a sign of an inadequate diet in your four-legged companion. Digestive problems and kidney failure are also part of the panoply of diseases caused by low-end kibble.

But why then put so much cereal in the kibble? Simply to lower prices, but also for starch, used to bind the kibble and give it its solid and appetizing appearance.

How do I know if kibble is of good quality?

Where to find the best kibble?

There are two ranges of cat kibble. The "standard", which can be found in the supermarket and the "premium". The latter are sold on the internet, at veterinarians, in specialized shops and more rarely in supermarkets. Be careful though, some kibble stamped "premium" are not really. It is just a marketing argument to sell medium quality kibble at a high price.

The composition of kibble for cats

Kibble for your cat must be biologically adapted to his body. They must reproduce as much as possible the "natural" diet of your feline. To choose well, you will have to read the labels, while dodging the pitfalls.

Cereals

The first point to check will be the amount of cereals. The fewer the better. It can be estimated that 20% of the total composition is the reasonable maximum. This is usually the first ingredient for many supermarket kibble. These products are to be avoided, even if their price is attractive.

Proteins

Good kibble has a protein content of at least 40%. To achieve such values in a balanced food, meat will need to be of good quality and be the main ingredient of feline feed.

Pay particular attention to the words "animal meal" or "animal by-products", this means that these are the remains of the agri-food industry that cannot be intended for human consumption. These are usually the remains of meat removed from the carcass, offal, but also crushed bones and cartilage. It is not clear whether these "by-products" are of good quality, usually having no indication of the proportion of bone and cartilage.

Carbohydrates

They are directly related to the cereals present in the composition of the kibble and must be present in the lowest possible proportions. A level of less than 25% carbohydrates is reasonable.

Lipids

Fats are the fuel of your cat. They must represent between 12 and 20% of his kibble. Beware of traps, it is absolutely necessary to avoid vegetable fats and favor animal fats, much more adapted to your diet and digestive system.

The level of ash and phosphorus

The ash content and the phosphorus level give an indication of the quality of the meats used in the composition of the kibble. Below 9% ash content and 1.4% phosphorus content, it can be estimated that the ingredients are of good quality.

The phosphorus protein ratio

This ratio also gives a good indication of the quality of the animal proteins used. A low rate (close to 25%) indicates the use of ingredients of low nutritional quality. On the contrary, a rate close to 35% or even higher shows a good quality composition.

This ratio is not indicated on the package, but it is enough to calculate it by dividing the percentage of protein by the phosphorus level. If kibble contains 40% protein and a phosphorus level of 1.1%, the ratio will be 36.4 (40 / 1.1 = 36.4). We are therefore in the presence of a good quality product.

False good ideas

Grain-free kibble

As we have seen above, cereals are not essential for our cats and can even be harmful. It therefore seems quite logical to turn to cereal-free kibble. Well, not really!

Grain-free kibble may make you think there's a lot more meat than in conventional kibble, but that's far from the case. A kilo of chicken costs about 12 euros. To make one kilo of dehydrated meat, it takes about five kilos of wet meat. The final price of the kibble would be such that no one would ever buy it. Industrialists have therefore cunning to replace cereals, marketing doing the rest.

Looking more closely at the composition, it is found that cereals are replaced by legumes and potatoes. Starch being essential to give their appearance to kibble, it had to be found elsewhere.

In conclusion, grain-free kibbles are not necessarily better than those containing them, and their price is often much higher. So always check the composition in detail.

Organic kibble

You consume organic so why not your cat? It must be said that the promise is enticing. Organic, GMO-free, preservative-free, dye-free, taste enhancers or synthetic additives. But in reality, these croquettes give pride of place to cereals and meat is marginal, because it is far too expensive. And as we have seen, too many carbohydrates is harmful to the health of our four-legged companions.

Vegan kibble

Although they remain marginal, they surf on fashion and exist. You could therefore be legitimately tempted by vegan kibble, which promises you better health and increased longevity, supported by incisive marketing. Don't do anything about it. This is already not demonstrated for us humans and omnivores, so imagine the result for our small carnivores.

These croquettes give pride of place to cereals. Soy, wheat, corn, rice, but also vegetable oil and especially not meat, of course. Everything you don't need for your cat. Vegan kibble for cats is harmful to her health.

In addition, many studies have shown that these kibbles do not meet the nutritional needs of our felines. Finally, a clinical case reported by the ENVT (National School of Veterinarians of Toulouse) showed that a diet based on vegan kibble quickly caused many health problems. To be avoided, therefore.

A growing number of scientific studies tend to show that many health problems could be avoided for our felines with a quality diet. It is therefore important to choose your cat's diet well, analyzing nutritional information on the one hand, and not giving in to marketing sirens on the other hand.

Feeding the adult cat: where to buy it?

Many cat masters buy the food of their little companion in supermarkets. It must be recognized that these products are easily accessible and inexpensive. However, they are far from covering the nutritional needs of cats due to their low-quality composition.

To feed your cat well, it is better to go to your veterinarian, pet store or a specialized website. These high-quality power supplies are certainly more expensive to buy, but they are full of benefits. Composed of premium foods (not food waste), they are healthier, richer in essential nutrients and much better balanced. Easier to digest, they are better assimilated by the body of the cat and they contribute directly to keeping it healthy.

In addition, their satiating power is significantly superior to low-end products. It therefore takes less for the animal to see its hunger filled, which allows the container to last much longer. In addition to the veterinary costs that they avoid for the owners of the kittens, they are ultimately economical!