Feline Nutrition 101 | Alaska Mill & Feed
Posted by Kimberly McCourtney on Dec 3rd 2020
Diet and nutrition affect every aspect of your pet's life: from nutrition essentials, to feeding basics, to your pet’s social life.
COMPARING CAT FOODS
The three main types of cat foods are dry, soft-moist and canned products. With today's advanced technology, all types of cat food products can be formulated to provide complete and balanced nutrition for your cat.
Dry Diets
Dry products consist of crunchy kibbles, which help reduce the build-up of
plaque and tartar on a cat’s teeth. Dry foods also have the advantage of
staying fresh longer than soft-moist and canned products once the package is
opened.
Soft-Moist Diets
Soft-moist cat foods generally offer higher palatability as compared to dry
diets, are convenient to serve and store easily.
Canned Diets
These diets generally offer the highest palatability when compared to the dry
and soft-moist products. Once a can is opened, unused food should be stored in
the refrigerator.
COMPARING LABEL GUARANTEES
The difference in moisture content among the various types of cat food impacts
the nutrient density of the products or the amount of nutrients per ounce or
pound of food. As the water content of the diet increases, the amount of
protein, fat and other essential nutrients decreases. That means the cat must
consume a larger portion of the high moisture products to receive the nutrition
they need.
This difference in moisture and energy content also prohibits a direct comparison of the nutrient content of one product type to another. For example, you cannot compare the 12% protein content of a canned cat food to the 21% protein level of a dry cat food and conclude the dry food will supply more protein. You can, however, make a fair comparison of the 21% protein content of one dry cat food to the 30% protein content of another dry cat food and conclude that the cat will receive more protein by eating the higher protein product. The higher protein product, however, is not necessarily superior; that depends on the life stage and lifestyle of the cat to whom the product is fed.