Cat food blogging 2013
Feb. 22nd, 2013 11:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tilly_stratfordMy cat Linni is getting a bit fat, so it's time to transition over to healthier food. No more convenient super market brands, and seeing as she's not good at self-regulating, I'll try to stop free-feeding dry food in favour of set meal times (she gets canned food too, but replacing the brand of kibble is a good place to start).
Finding basically healthy cat food has proven troublesome though. First, I researched and set some parameters:
- High protein percentage, as few carbs as possible.
- Stay clear of corn, soy and grain (they're worthless to kitty tummies, they just get pooped right out again).
- Opt for muscle meat if possible.
It seemed so easy. What a fool I was.
See, first of all, even though carb-rich food is downright dangerous for cats, food manufacturers don't have to print information about it on the label. And they mostly don't. That's where nutrition calculators proved to be handy. I've had a hard time finding a kibble brand with less than 25% carbs. Cheap food like Friskies and Whiskas have TWICE that amount!
As for staying clear of corn, I literally haven't found a single kibble food brand sold in stores that doesn't contain a buttloads of it. It's everywhere. I've had to redefine that rule and instead try to find a brand where corn isn't the main ingredient.
And muscle meat? Forget about it. Most brands I've painstakingly read the labels on have such tempting ingredients as "animal byproducts" or just uses vague terms like "meat" and "poultry". I'm guessing if they're not keen on divulging the species or what parts were used we're not talking quality food here. Even a packet advertising "chicken kibbles" only guarantees "10% chicken", the rest is "poultry". Oh okay.
Reading online cat nutrition guides makes me believe the US and UK have a lot more variety. I'm honestly disappointed in Norwegian retailers. The fanciest brands we sell here are Royal Canin and Hill's and both offer a load of corn and carbs.
I've found a couple of high-quality brands that can be shipped to where I live. Brands such as Applaws, Almo Nature and Orjien, but that's a lot of hassle for a few measly kgs of cat food. Maybe when I get more money to spend.
Eventually I found a fairly cheap brand that offers 41 % protein to 25 % carbs, with some real chicken meat in it, and grain and corn is the second and fourth ingredient listed, respecitvely. Not ideal, but way better than the trash she was eating - that coupled with carefully measured meals should hopefully make her lose a little weight over time. My little fattie.
Finding basically healthy cat food has proven troublesome though. First, I researched and set some parameters:
- High protein percentage, as few carbs as possible.
- Stay clear of corn, soy and grain (they're worthless to kitty tummies, they just get pooped right out again).
- Opt for muscle meat if possible.
It seemed so easy. What a fool I was.
See, first of all, even though carb-rich food is downright dangerous for cats, food manufacturers don't have to print information about it on the label. And they mostly don't. That's where nutrition calculators proved to be handy. I've had a hard time finding a kibble brand with less than 25% carbs. Cheap food like Friskies and Whiskas have TWICE that amount!
As for staying clear of corn, I literally haven't found a single kibble food brand sold in stores that doesn't contain a buttloads of it. It's everywhere. I've had to redefine that rule and instead try to find a brand where corn isn't the main ingredient.
And muscle meat? Forget about it. Most brands I've painstakingly read the labels on have such tempting ingredients as "animal byproducts" or just uses vague terms like "meat" and "poultry". I'm guessing if they're not keen on divulging the species or what parts were used we're not talking quality food here. Even a packet advertising "chicken kibbles" only guarantees "10% chicken", the rest is "poultry". Oh okay.
Reading online cat nutrition guides makes me believe the US and UK have a lot more variety. I'm honestly disappointed in Norwegian retailers. The fanciest brands we sell here are Royal Canin and Hill's and both offer a load of corn and carbs.
I've found a couple of high-quality brands that can be shipped to where I live. Brands such as Applaws, Almo Nature and Orjien, but that's a lot of hassle for a few measly kgs of cat food. Maybe when I get more money to spend.
Eventually I found a fairly cheap brand that offers 41 % protein to 25 % carbs, with some real chicken meat in it, and grain and corn is the second and fourth ingredient listed, respecitvely. Not ideal, but way better than the trash she was eating - that coupled with carefully measured meals should hopefully make her lose a little weight over time. My little fattie.
