naturalpet


PURRING


FOR PROTEIN


Why Canned Food is Best for Cat Health by Dr. Lisa Pierson


Just as with humans, diet comprises the bricks and mortar of health for our pets. Unfortunately, as we have strayed from a healthy diet, so have the feline friends that are dependent upon us for their food.


ften ignored principles of proper feline nutrition explain why cats have a better chance at optimal health if they are fed canned food instead of dry nuggets or kibble. Putting a little thought into what we feed our cats can pay big dividends over their lifetime and likely help them avoid experiencing serious, painful and costly ill- nesses. To begin, it is vital to understand that cats are obligate (strict) carnivores, and are very different from dogs in their nutri- tional requirements. Cats are designed to have their nutritional


O 22


needs met by the consumption of a large amount of animal proteins (meat/ organs), instead of those found in plants (grains/vegetables). Plant proteins are less complete than meat proteins. A wild cat’s diet typically consists of rodents, birds, rab- bits, lizards and insects. Such natural feline prey are high in animal protein, high in water content (about 70 percent) and low in carbohydrates (less than 5 percent). Most canned foods are of similar proportions. Now, consider three key nega- tive issues associ- ated with dry cat food: 1) as a


East Bay Area | www.NAEastBay.com


protein source, it’s too high in plant (grain or vegetable) protein and too low in animal protein; 2) the water content is far too low, at just 5 to 10 percent; and 3) its carbohydrate load is too high, as much as 50 percent. This is not what is needed to support a healthy animal.


Protein Puzzle


Humans and dogs can take the amino acids provided in plant proteins and, from those, produce any missing ami- no acids normally provided by animal proteins. Cats cannot do this, and so cannot live on a vegetarian diet. That is why the protein in dry cat food, which is often heavily grain- based, is not equal in quality to the protein in canned cat food, which is


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32