Choosing The Best Cat Food -- 7 Steps

As a cat owner, finding the best cat food for your kitty is one of the most important tasks you've got. Your primary concern, of course, is making sure your cat gets the right nutrients. So, foods that meet AAFCO guidelines are probably the best choice.

Better food means a healthier pet, and fewer illnesses, but how do you know what's better? Here are some more important points to help you decide.

1. Wet or dry?

Some cat owners feed free choice dry food, and others feed canned either once or twice a day. You can also do a combination. This choice may determine some of your other options.

2. Choose "healthy."

Better cat health starts with better food. Better food starts with better ingredients. Better cat food is usually more expensive than the house brand at your local grocery store. Typically, more expensive food is going to have higher quality ingredients.

There are no guarantees, of course, so you'll want to check the ingredients list to find a healthy cat food. Artificial preservatives, especially, the "big three" should be avoided. Those three are ethoxyquin, BHA, and BHT.

3. Look for "organic."

USDA certified organic cat food has certain rules that go along with it. The ingredients and the food are subject to certain inspections and held to a certain standard. Organic cat food should be a higher quality than most.

4. Go "natural."

While not organic, there are some cat foods on the market that use real meat from free range chickens and cows, and avoid artificial preservatives. These "natural" cat foods would be your next choice if your kitty won't go for the organic.

Natural pet food companies will sometimes state that their ingredients come from animals that are used to produce human-grade food. Once those ingredients are put in the pet food, of course, they're no longer human-grade. They're much better, however, than dead, dying, disabled, and diseased sources that some companies use in the cheaper products.

5. Choose specifics and learn to read labels.

Learn how to read the labels and discover what's in your pet's food. You might be surprised to learn that the term "with real chicken" doesn't really mean there has to be much real chicken in there.

When reading cat food labels, specifics on the label are better than something more general. The term "meat" for example, doesn't list what type of meat it is. So, "chicken" is better than "poultry" and "beef" is better than "meat."

6. Choose a manufacturer.

Some companies make their own food, and others have it made for them from private label manufacturers or copackers. Natura Pet Products, for example, has a tour of their dry food manufacturing plant right on their website. This should allow them to keep tight quality control. When possible, it may be better to choose a product line from a company, like Natura, that makes its own food.

7. Let your cat speak.

After you've chosen which type of food to feed and on what schedule, find the healthiest food you can. Learn to understand labels, and look for specific ingredients rather than general ones. If you can, choose a company that makes its own food, or at least has control over the manufacturing process.

Make the transition to a new food easier and follow veterinarian recommended food switching procedures. Then, let your cat choose the best cat food for her.

If your kitty doesn't seem to like the food you select, choose the one next on your list and try again. After switching foods, watch your cat's weight, eating habits, and behavior. If everything appears normal, you've found the best cat food!