What is the best diet for a cat?

Answer 1

A high-quality Wet food is probably the best food cats can get as far as nutrition goes. Good quality canned food mimics prey foods, and is high in protein and fat - the two things that cats use as their energy source. Moisture is also a very important factor as cats are designed to get their moisture from their food (a trait that has been passed down from their wild ancestors), and therefore have a low "thirst drive" and will not often seek out water on their own.

Many dry foods are not very good for your cat in the way of nutrition. Many brands pack all their foods with carbohydrates - cheap filler in the way of corns and grains, none of which cats can digest. A cat's digestive system has evolved to derive all nutrients by quickly and effectively breaking down raw meat. Complex carbohydrates such as grain overwork the cat's system and it is eventually stored as fat. This stored fat can build up and cause the cat to become obese.

Also; dry food does not necessarily clean a cat's teeth. Kibble pieces are hard and brittle and easily shatter, so contact between the kibble and the teeth occurs only at the tips of the teeth. This is akin to a person eating cookies - the crumbs can stick in gaps between the teeth and cause the tooth to eventually decay.

The most important thing that stands out when looking for a high-quality cat food is what the Ingredients say on those packets! High quality food should have meat (labelled as Chicken, Turkey, Tuna, etc.) as the FIRST ingredient, and even better if the food has no corns/grains in. Big "cheap" store brands like Whiskas or Felix only have "Meat Derivatives" as the first ingredient (this is the leftover bits of an animal such as feet, fur, feathers, lungs, intestines etc.), which results in poor quality food and extremely low nutritional value.