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The diet you feed your cat is important to its overall health. There are several different types of diets and a multitude of commercial cat foods on the market. It can be difficult to determine which one will be best suited to meet the nutritional needs of your cat. There are cat foods specifically designed for the various life stages... more »
Ferrets are a different and fun-loving pet choice. But because ferrets are illegal in some states and rare in others, a lack of information about them is usually the norm. Owners might be a little confused about the proper care of their pets, especially in the area of proper feeding and nutrition. more »
When it comes to keeping your kitten or cat food fresh and edible, there is only one way I know of in doing this. Once you see worms in your cat's food bag, sitting in your hot garage, you wonder what can you do to keep worms out of your cat food and keep it safe at the same time. more »
Believe it or not, cat food can be made at home using ground meats and flavorings. Before you start, check the link in the Resources field for ingredients that you should stay away from because they are toxic to cats. more »
Making your own cat food is a simple task. It is generally healthier than feeding your cat store-bought food because it contains mostly natural ingredients. It's also a cost-effective way to make sure your cat gets all of its nutritional needs met. Cats have a very high protein requirement, so the bulk of homemade cat food recipes... more »
Although cats are generally a low maintenance pet when compared to dogs, there is still a...
Animals must eat to live and some of them live just to eat. Dogs, cats, horses, cows,...
All cat owners know that choosing the right cat food can be like flipping a coin, you never know if your cat will eat it. There is much more to... more »
Do you know what your cat is eating? Do you buy the cat food whose advertisement jingle is still playing reruns in your mind or do you take your... more »
Organic cat food contains the meat of animals free of growth-enhancing antibiotics and artificial hormones and who had been fed organic grain.... more »
Buying cat food for feline companions can be a difficult ethical choice for a vegan. It's true that cats are naturally carnivorous creatures, but... more »
Many cat lovers are rejecting commercially prepared foods in favor of homemade cat food. Your good, fresh ingredients provide a healthier diet at... more »
Cat food is formulated to address the specific nutritional requirements of cats. Although cats are obligate carnivores, most commercial cat food contains both animal and plant material, supplemented with vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. An important nutrient is the amino acid derivative taurine, as cats cannot synthesize the compound. Cats fed a taurine-deficient dog food may develop retinal degeneration and go blind, for example.
Commercial cat food
Most store-bought cat food comes in either dry form, also known in the US as kibble, or wet canned form. Some manufacturers sell frozen raw diets and premix products to cater to owners who feed raw.
Dry food
Dry food (8-10% moisture) is generally made by extrusion cooking under high heat and pressure. Fat may then be sprayed on the food to increase palatability, and other minor ingredients, such as heat-sensitive vitamins, which would be destroyed in the extrusion process, may be added.
Major brand-name dry cat food manufacturers often use primarily grain-based ingredients with animal protein by-products or animal digest to cut cost. Higher end foods offered as premium, natural or holistic formulas contain less or no grain, and a higher percentage of animal protein. However, grain-free dry diets still contain carbohydrates, from sources such as potato or tapioca. The starch in those ingredients allows the kibble to hold its shape. Cats have no metabolic need for carbohydrates as the feline system prefers to create glucose from protein.http://catinfo.org/zorans_article.pdf
Dry cat food has an advantage over wet in convenience and price – besides usually being significantly cheaper, dry cat food can also be left out for the cat to eat at will over the course of several days, whereas canned or raw cat food spoils or becomes unappetizing after several hours. It should be noted, however, that even dry food, since it is sprayed with fats as noted above, becomes rancid and st read more at » http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat+food
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