Cat food is a huge world. There are countless brands on the market, and new ones appear from time to time. Regardless of whether you have already had a cat or not, going to a store to choose what I think it will eat is not easy, since we can also give it if we want a more natural diet, better known as BARF diet.
So, What cat food do I give him? This is a question with a difficult answer, but surely after reading this article it will be much less difficult for you to decide on one.
Natural food
And we are going to start talking about natural food. Cats are predatory animals, that is, they are carnivores. In the wild they feed on everything they can hunt: rodents, small birds, and perhaps an insect. But of course, when they live with us they cannot eat that, basically because there is no one who wants to have those frozen animals in the fridge 🙂, so there are those who choose to give them meat from other mammals that, although in the wild they would never eat , provide them with all the nutrients they need to grow and stay healthy.
The BARF diet consists of feeding raw food to animals. In the case of cats, they are given mostly meat (at least 80%): chicken wings and thigh, liver, lungs, ... They can also be offered herbs (parsley, thyme, rosemary), but without forcing them to eat it. Although it is about giving him a diet as healthy and natural as possible, both the organ meats and the fish and herbs it is highly recommended to cook them. This way we avoid taking risks that could endanger the health of our friend.
Dog Food
The feed began to be used as cat food towards the end of World War II, which means that they have only eaten kibbles for about seven decades. This is a type of food that we humans has saved us timeWell, we simply have to open the bag or can and fill the feeder. It is very comfortable, but currently we find many, many brands of feed, both dry and wet, so, How to choose one?
Always reading the ingredients. A premium feed is one that does not contain any type of cereal (neither corn, nor rice, nor flour), and does contain a high percentage of meat. Now, they are also the most expensive, so if we can't afford it, a good alternative is those so-called 'medium quality' feed, which does contain rice as a cereal, but it is not at all bad and does not usually cause allergies. In any case, in the online store Miscota.es you will find a wide variety of feed.
Do you already know which cat food you are going to choose? 😉
To know what is the best food for the cat, I would mainly let you choose him, who is the wisest. Interested sources such as feed or canned food producers do not serve, for obvious reasons.
On giving the cats vegetables and cereals, I have already given my opinion several times, they are doing well and also proven. I have 9 cats and I see the results of giving them a balanced diet or not.
A very basic and simple law would be: "Don't give the cat something you wouldn't eat."
Advantages of giving your cat a homemade meal or feed:
- You know what you give it, both the feed and the wet food will always be made with elements that cannot be put in a refrigerator to cut and serve people, and if that were the case, then it would be more worthwhile to go buy it at the market directly .
- It will conserve more vitamins and nutrients. When processed at such high temperatures, feed loses most of its properties, which are then compensated by adding chemical products.
- As for wet or packaged food, if you want quality, it comes out at a much higher price / kg than if we bought a chicken breast directly.
- There are even products in the supermarket for human consumption, made from turkey or chicken, whose price / kg continues to be more affordable.
If even so, if you prefer to give the cat food or cans for convenience, it is best to give it to try several types and brands, so that it can choose this dish or the other, and thus find out which one eats more comfortably.
There are many stores on the Internet, it is good to compare prices and transport. I like those that publish the components or ingredients of the products, and I also value the opinions of other customers.
About the BARF diet, I personally don't like it. The good thing about cooking food is that the nutrients are better absorbed and digested, and it is also preserved optimally for a longer time, especially in hot weather, since the meat decomposes very quickly.
Cooking food is important because it is a good way to avoid toxicities from parasites and bacteria. Everyone knows that it is not advisable to touch chicken skin in case it is contaminated with Salmonella.
Hello Mercè.
I am also much more in favor of giving animals food as natural as possible. Still, my cats don't want to eat meat, not even cooked. Once we were even trying to make them change their minds, introducing them more and more natural food and putting less feed on it, and one of my cats stopped eating for 3 days 🙁. After that, I decided that I would give him the most 'premium' feed I could find. I get a 45kg bag for about 7 euros.
Whenever possible, it is best to give it a natural, biologically appropriate diet, be it BARF or any other. But if not, there are very good feed that satiates the cat's appetite and keeps it healthy.