How to Choose Canned Cat Food?

Almost every family today has a pet. As a rule, we are talking about a dog or, more likely, a cat. These animals have long become members of our families and without them we simply cannot imagine our life. We do our best to make them live as long as possible and more comfortable with us. One of the issues that is very important in this context is the issue of nutrition. It is not always possible to feed a cat with meat. Then canned cat food comes to our rescue, which replaces such products and makes it possible for her to be full and satisfied.

It should be said that the classes of canned food are subdivided by food category in general. Dry food also belongs to these categories. In this case, canned food will be presented in several categories.

Products that belong to the economy class are food that, in addition to muffling the feeling of hunger in the animal, does not perform any more functions, therefore it has such a low price.

This category of feed includes products of the following brands:

• "Meow";
• Kitekat;
• Darling.

If we talk about canned food of the commercial group, then in terms of quality they are no different from analogues of the economy group. The only difference is that the price is slightly higher due to the fact that the packaging is brighter and the manufacturer wants to return the cost of the advertisement. Such products are presented in different flavors, although in their composition, in fact, they will be completely identical. This category includes products from brands such as:

• Friskies;
• Whiskas.

It should be noted that the products of the two mentioned categories are highly undesirable to use as the main food product for a cat. The reason is that they are extremely unbalanced, practically non-nutritious and dangerous for animals due to the following reasons:

• low-quality raw materials are used;
• no proteins of natural origin;
• there are dangerous preservatives and dyes.

If we talk about the feed of the premium and super-premium groups, then high-quality raw materials are used here, in which there is practically no soy and cereals, or their percentage is extremely insignificant. Preservatives and carcinogens are also not used here or are used in extremely small doses. And such canned food already contains vitamins and mineral compounds. They can be safely called very nutritious and complete. An animal does not need to eat too many of them to be full, which means that one canned food will last for a longer period.

The premium and super-premium group feeds are manufactured under such brands as:

• Hill's;
• Acana;
• Royal Canin;
• Superpet;
• Pro Plan;
• Bosch Sanabelle.

The last category to be mentioned is holistics. This is the name of the best complete cat food. They are distinguished by the highest quality; only the best and natural components and ingredients are used in their production. The only thing that gets in the way of saying that this is the ideal food for cats is their high cost. This category includes products of such brands as:

• Superpet;
• Go;
• Eukanuba;
• ProNature;
• Orijen;
• Canidae;
• Innova Evo.

As you can see, there are many different categories of food, so everyone can find a solution for their pet, depending on their financial capabilities.

Canned food can be represented by a variety of products that can be found on the market today. That is, it may differ in the form of preparation. According to this criterion, it can be of several types.

• Mousse... All components are crushed as much as possible and brought to a homogeneous consistency. This option is a great solution for kittens who are learning to eat on their own. The mousse literally has an "airy" consistency, which is why it is simply there. Babies can just lick it, they don't even need to chew. The mousse will also be relevant for older cats who have lost teeth or have problems with the digestive system;
• Pate... It is similar in appearance to a regular pate in its consistency.
• Chopped meat. These are pieces of meat with vegetables and cereals that are chopped very finely and broth, sauce, jelly are added to them.
• Lump canned food in cans. The meat is simply cut into large pieces and includes ingredients such as vegetables, cereals, jelly, sauce or broth.
• Sausage... It will be in shape and appearance the same as a regular sausage. It may contain whole meat pieces.
• Frozen food. Usually we are talking about frozen minced meat, which contains a number of vitamin supplements.

It should also be said that canned food may differ in the type of packaging. According to this criterion, it can be packed in the following packages:

• tin - cut meat, mousse or pate is presented in such containers;
• spiders - metallized plastic bag; usually in such feeds there are pieces of meat in jelly;
• lamister - a cradle made of metallized material, equipped with a soft metal cover; in such solutions, you can usually find mousse and pate;
• tetra pak - these are metallized cardboard boxes;
• pots;
• glass jars.

Consider a list of manufacturers that make quality canned cat food. This rating is compiled not so much by firms, but by the quality of the products they produce.As a rule, those companies that produce dry food are also engaged in the production of canned food.

Let's start with the lowest quality and cheapest canned food. This category includes products from such manufacturers as Iams, Vitoo, Pro plan, Christopherus, Animonda, Our Mark, Nero Gold, 5 stars. This product contains practically no meat products. There are no more than 6-25 percent of them. Most of these products are made from cereals, fats, offal, pork, or meat of unknown origin. This canned food will do nothing for your pet other than satisfying hunger. It is not recommended to feed the cat with such canned food on an ongoing basis, because it can cause various diseases.

The higher quality commercial class includes canned food from such companies as Mi-mi, Nutram, Organix, Four-Legged Gourmet, Wapny, Shesir, Molina. These feeds contain more meat - up to 25 percent. But it is also not recommended to give such canned food to your pet every day due to the content of various dyes and synthetic carcinogens in them. And users note that not all cats willingly eat such canned food due to the presence of various chemical additives in them.

If we talk about the middle category, then these include canned food from Sheba, Husse, Hills Ideal balance, Trainer, Bozita, Stuzzy, Dado. Users note their fairly affordable cost and good quality. If we talk about quality, then they contain from 50 to 90% of meat, and also by-products and cereals are used. But, unfortunately, such canned food can often contain meat of dubious quality or attractants. For this reason, they should not be given to your cat on a regular basis.

Almost the best can be called the products of brands such as Brit, Gina, Berkeley, Cat natura, Nuevo, Ecofriend, Almo Nature. Canned food from these brands are already solutions for permanent use. The content of meat products is from 45 to 72%. The products under consideration contain a minimum amount of by-products and cereals, or they simply do not exist. According to user reviews, cats are very eager to eat canned food of the listed brands.

And the best products that really are an excellent solution for pets are the products of the following brands: Almo Nature, Petite Cuisine, Animonda Carny, Applaws, Leonardo, Evanger's. These canned foods are the perfect solution if you are going to feed your four-legged family member with them on a daily basis. The fact is that they are represented by a very high-quality composition. An indication of this is the fact that the meat content cannot be lower than 75 percent. In addition, there are either no cereals and by-products at all, or their minimum amount. Users note that cats eat the products of these brands very, very willingly. Their only drawback is the rather high price and not too large portions.

When choosing canned food for cats, you should adhere to certain rules that will help you find the really best solution.

• Consider the feeding method. If you are feeding your animal dry food, then it is better to choose canned food of the same brand. If a mixed type of feeding is used, then it is not recommended to use something worse than premium canned food. And also it will not be superfluous to feed the cat with vitamin and mineral complexes.
• Check the expiration date and packaging for damage... If the canned food is already open, then it should be stored in a glass container in the refrigerator for no more than 48 hours. Warm up the food a little before giving it to your cat.
• Buy canned foods that contain 10 percent or more of protein.
• Pay attention to the composition. If the canned food is of high quality, then the type of meat and offal should be indicated on them, as well as few or no cereals. And you should also pay attention to the humidity indicator. In a normal feed, it will be about 80 percent.

If you are choosing food for kittens, then you should know that it is best to buy mousses and pates because of their consistency. And it should also be indicated that they are intended for kittens and from what age they can be eaten, for example, 1 or 1.5 months. If we talk about an adult cat, then the main thing should be that the cat eats only high-quality canned food. It should be based on the quality indicator. It is better not to save on the health of your pet in this matter.

It should be said that the feeding rules are very simple. Depending on the amount of food, part or all of the contents of the pack are poured into a special plate and given to the cat. Almost all containers of cat food contain information about the daily serving in grams. The correct value will depend on the weight and age of each individual animal. But the smaller the dose, the more it says about the high nutritional value of a particular feed and its digestibility. The norm is generally considered to be 5 percent of the weight of the animal. So, for a 5-kg cat, the norm will be up to 175 grams of feed per day.

In general, as you can see, there are a large number of canned cat food on the market today. And there is precisely a group of manufacturers who make quality products for our smaller brothers. She is able to really please them, satisfy hunger and can be used on an ongoing basis.

An overview of cat food is in the next video.