Pet health
Nutrition
There are hundreds of choices for cat food available for your new kitty. Sorting through the myriad diets can be challenging, especially as so much emphasis is placed on marketing the food. Whatever resonates with pet owners in terms of what we think good nutrition should be invariably will show up on the exterior of the food bag.
Myths abound about what cats should eat. Fortunately, most foods available likely provide the basic needs of pets, but only a handful of companies actually conduct nutritional research to prove the quality of their foods. While not the only companies providing excellent nutrition, there are only four companies that conduct research: Purina, Hill’s, Iams and Royal Canin/Medi-Cal. These companies have created diets to manage many health problems, from obesity and diabetes to urinary tract disease, arthritis and joint disease. We now have a tremendous understanding of the role of good nutrition on health problems, and by extension, the role of good nutrition in promoting good health. While we do not advocate for any one company, premium foods from these companies are backed by years of research and can be trusted to offer great products.
Safety of food sources is of paramount concern for companies making cat food, as we saw with the melamine scare in 2007. Medi-Cal, for instance, obtains as much of the nutrients for the food as possible from local producers. In addition, each food ingredient is subject to an analysis. The company keeps a graph profile for each ingredient and any food that does not match the profile is rejected for use. In this way, any contaminants or molds are detected before the food is used.
A number of serious health conditions affect cats that can be managed nutritionally. Some cats produce crystals in their urine that may lead to a urinary obstruction. Left untreated, this is a very painful and life-threatening condition. Good diets for cats will prevent this condition by helping to produce an acidic urine low in crystals.
Obesity is the most common nutrition-related disease affecting cats, particularly those who live mostly indoors.
We advocate controlled feedings by providing a fixed amount of high-quality food at meal times and removing the food between meals. Cats that gain too much weight can be more easily restricted on the amount fed, or the owner can feed a lower calorie food for obesity-prone cats.