Revealed by: Ingrid King. Final Up to date on: June 23, 2023 by Crystal Uys
For those who may do one easy factor that might enhance your cat’s well being for the remainder of her life, wouldn’t you need to do it? Nicely, there’s. Cease feeding dry meals.
Dry meals is the equal of junk meals for cats
Dry cat meals, even the high-priced premium and veterinary manufacturers, is the equal of junk meals for cats. It’s actually not all that totally different from feeding sugared cereals to youngsters. Cats are obligate carnivores: this implies they want meat not simply to outlive, however to thrive. They can not get sufficient dietary help from plant-based proteins resembling grains and greens, as a result of, in contrast to people and canine, they lack the precise enzyme that processes plant-based proteins metabolically. They want few or no carbohydrates of their eating regimen. Feeding meals excessive in carbohydrates can result in any variety of degenerative ailments, together with diabetes, kidney illness, and inflammatory bowel illness.
Dry meals is the main reason for most urinary tract issues in cats
Cats want moisture of their eating regimen. Whereas cats who eat solely dry meals will usually drink extra water, they nonetheless don’t get sufficient moisture to help all their bodily capabilities and basically reside in a continuing state of low degree dehydration, which may result in bladder and kidney issues. For extra on why this occurs, please learn Dr. Lisa Pierson’s complete article Feline Urinary Tract Well being: Cystitis, Urethral Obstruction, Urinary Tract An infection.
Research substantiate that moist is best
After I first began talking out concerning the risks of dry meals, I felt like a little bit of a lone wolf (or tiger). The most important pet meals firms definitely don’t help this view, with their seemingly countless array of baggage of dry meals, all touting the dietary steadiness and completeness of their contents. Fortunately, I’m not alone anymore. Increasingly more research are substantiating {that a} species-appropriate eating regimen excessive in meat and moisture with few or no carbohydrates is the precise eating regimen for our feline relations.
Way back to 1998, a research performed by Dr. Tony Buffington on the Ohio State College on the results of eating regimen on decrease urinary tract ailments in cats got here to the conclusion that prime moisture content material of a cat’s eating regimen can scale back the recurrence of idiopathic decrease urinary tract illness in cats by extra than half.
A newer research performed on the College of California-Davis concludes that cats eat much less, shed some pounds and preserve wholesome physique composition when fed moist diets. The UC-Davis researchers additionally discovered that the cats within the research most well-liked canned meals to both freeze-dried or dry meals.
One other research, performed on the College of Veterinary Medication at Utrecht College in The Netherlands analyzed the eating regimen of cats dwelling within the wild. Not surprisingly, researchers discovered that feral cats are compulsory carnivores with a eating regimen excessive in protein and fats, however low in carbohydrates (solely 2% of day by day vitality). I used to be significantly delighted on the conclusion the authors of this research arrived at: future analysis ought to deal with the worth of feeding a pure eating regimen of entire prey as an enhancement of feline well being and longevity.
Make the swap to canned or uncooked
In case your cat remains to be consuming dry meals, I urge you to contemplate altering to both an all canned grain-free eating regimen, or to a uncooked eating regimen.
Featured Picture Credit score: SURKED, Shutterstock
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