How to choose premium dry cat food?

The key to the health of any pet is a properly formulated diet. This is especially true for cats. Their body is often susceptible to diseases of the cardiovascular and renal systems. This happens precisely due to improper nutrition. Unfortunately, many owners do not pay attention to the pet's diet. As a result, cats develop illnesses and shorten their lifespan.

The fact is that many cat owners prefer economy class food. They contain a fairly small amount of vitamins and minerals that any animal needs. Few people understand the classification of ready-made cat food, while this is a very responsible and important matter.

To understand what exactly is the difference between premium food and economy class food, it is worth first highlighting the general classification of ready-made food for cats.

The names of such feeds are on everyone's lips. They are often advertised, very affordable and sold in almost all stores and supermarkets. This, for example, Whiskas, Kitekat other. These products are presented both dry (food in boxes) and wet (bags, canned food). These feeds contain up to 5% of natural meat from the total composition. The rest of the composition is occupied by preservatives, substitutes, flavors and dyes.

These feeds are absorbed quite well, especially by cats with a good digestive system. But the constant use of such products by a cat just destroys this digestive system, deprives it of essential vitamins and nutrients.

This feed will be discussed in more detail later. This type of finished product is also available to buyers in all stores and supermarkets, but their price is slightly higher than the feed of the economy category. Among the brands of premium food such as Pro Plan, Nasha Marka, Royal Canin, Science Plan can be noted.

How do they differ from economy class food, in addition to the price? This delicacy contains a greater amount of natural meat, it makes up about 35-40% of the total volume. This is significantly higher than in the previous group. Otherwise, this feed contains various impurities, but they are made mainly on the basis of natural substances. These can be natural dyes, flavoring and aromatic additives that give the food an appetizing smell for the cat. And also the digestibility of these feeds is different. It makes up about 75-80%. This level is very good for healthy cats.

The next two subgroups of the classification are super premium and holistic.

• Holistic group It is considered a completely natural food for cats, containing up to 100% of meat products in the composition and with the same percentage of digestibility. These products are completely free from dyes, artificial additives and flavors. The price of such products is quite high, and they can be purchased only in specialized pet stores or ordered via the Internet. The brands of these products include the brands Eagle Pack, Orijen.

• Super premium group slightly inferior to holistic, but also extremely useful and nutritious for cats. The composition of meat in the products of this group is up to 95%, with a high degree of digestibility. Certain types of Royal Canin and Nutra Nuggets are considered super premium. Both groups of these foods are recommended for cats with an unstable digestive system, as they are almost completely natural and contain a large amount of nutrients that strengthen the pet's body.

As can be understood from the above classification, Premium cat food is the starting point for quality pet nutrition, although it is not completely natural. Unlike the economy class, the premium category contains animal proteins that animals need so much.

After all, cats are predators by nature, and they definitely need meat, which contains these proteins. On the one hand, the premium category is more expensive, but on the other hand, the cat is satiated with such food much better than cheap counterparts. Also, some premium foods contain additional vitamins and nutrients that have a positive effect on the animal's body, and the amount of preservatives and dyes is much less than in economy food. Therefore, such food is a kind of middle option between economy production and completely natural feed.

So, to summarize, we can highlight the following positive aspects of premium food for cats:

• they contain more meat and by-products, which have useful protein and nutrients, in contrast to their cheap counterparts;
• the additives that are present in the composition are for the most part natural, therefore they do not harm the pet's health;
• the price of these feeds, although higher than the economy category, is still low and quite affordable;
• you can buy these feeds in many stores;
• a wide choice - today manufacturers offer certain types of food for small kittens, for neutered and neutered animals, as well as for pets with health problems.

Among the disadvantages are several factors.

• The presence of cereals. Why is this a disadvantage? The fact is that cereals also contain protein, but this is much cheaper than using meat protein. However, cats absorb meat and offal better than vegetable protein. In some cats, it can even cause allergies and digestion problems. Therefore, the abundance of vegetable protein indicates the desire of the manufacturer to reduce the cost of production.
• Blurred composition. This point is closely related to the previous one. Let's say a manufacturer can indicate on a package that the protein content is 40%. But this does not always mean that it is exactly meat protein. There may be a small portion of meat in such a product, and the rest is vegetable proteins. Therefore, it is worth choosing food with a clear and "transparent" composition.
• The desire of the manufacturer to save. Remember, any nutritional product is a business. Initially, the manufacturer can supply quality feed with natural ingredients for sale in order to gain the trust of buyers and gain a foothold in the market. And in the future, he may want to save money by replacing some components with cheaper ones. Therefore, even in already familiar and proven brands, you should carefully read the composition, paying attention to any changes in it.

From this list, we can take the following: the advantages of premium food for cats still cover its disadvantages. The main thing is to pay close attention to the composition and brand of the manufacturer.

Now let's consider which manufacturers supply the highest quality products to the market. This paragraph reflects the ranking of premium cat food brands based on compositional analysis and customer reviews.

• The rating is opened by the manufacturer of the Hills Science Plan brand. In general, this brand is engaged in the production of various categories of feed, including premium class. Buyers purchase this type of feed most often. The manufacturer paid great attention to the creation of various lines - this company produces ordinary daily food, food for kittens, old cats, for cats prone to overweight and others. In principle, it is not difficult to find food from this manufacturer, and you can choose an individual food based on the characteristics of your pet. And also this food contains a large amount of meat protein, however, some buyers note the following feature - the composition is far from always transparent.

• The next brand in the cat food rating is Brit Premium. This manufacturer also produces other categories of feed, so when buying it is worth paying attention to the word "premium" in the name. The Brit brand has a wide range of food tastes and types. In the manufacture of these feeds, hypoallergenic components are used. This food is easy for cats to digest and is very nutritious. Among the disadvantages are the content of yeast and valerian flavor in some products. This can be addictive in cats.

• Royal Canin products is also very popular with buyers. This manufacturer pays great attention to the release of lines for unhealthy cats.Medical food can be selected based on the specific disease of the pet. The manufacturer takes this into account and adds to a certain line specific substances that the cat lacks. Among the disadvantages, it can be noted that some medicated feeds cannot be found in all stores, and they have to be ordered via the Internet. But also the price for medicinal products is much higher than for ordinary daily food.

• Pro Plan brand is engaged in the production of feed for daily use. These products are available, have a wide range of types and tastes. And also this brand produces feed for medicinal purposes.

• The rating is completed by Sheba products. This manufacturer is heard by many thanks to its bright advertising. The products are also highly available in many stores. This brand has few lineae, and it is not recommended to give such food to young kittens. The food from this manufacturer is not a complete food that can be given to a cat every day. But such food is great as a treat or addition to the main food, giving it aroma and taste.

Based on the above advantages, disadvantages and the rating of manufacturers of cat food, we can highlight some of the main aspects that you should pay attention to when choosing a treat for your pet. Of course, these aspects are primarily related to the composition.

It is worth choosing products from already established manufacturers.

Read the composition carefully - it should be extremely clear. Ingredients such as "meat meal", "vegetable protein" should not be in the first place in the composition.

In general, reviews about premium feed manufacturers are positive. Pet owners note that either friends or veterinarians advised them to feed the manufacturers listed above. Cats eat well with these foods, their physical activity rises, and digestion improves. In addition, it was noted that the medicinal food lines do their job very well. Many pets recover quickly when these types of foods are present in their diet.

An overview of premium dry food can be seen in the video below.