Finding your cat the perfect diet can be daunting. Many factors go into choosing a diet for a furry companion. Cats are generally finicky, so it’s understandable to be overwhelmed in picking a diet. You don’t want to turn them off to food completely and you don’t want to be the catalyst to following health problems. PetGuard has an amazing guide to finding a perfect food for your picky cat. Check out their blog for some useful tips & tricks!
The Basics
Indoor cats require a high protein/low carb diet since they don’t burn much energy. Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning nutrients and amino acids found in animal flesh is absolutely essential to their diet. Cat’s require around 2-3x more protein than adult dogs while kittens require 1.5x more protein than puppies.
It’s highly recommended to incorporate moisture into your cat’s diet. It’s common for felines to get dehydrated, in fact, 9/10 times cats don’t prefer still and bacteria-infested water. Explaining why you typically see felines fixated on drinking droplets of water from the sink. Additionally, the lack of hydration can cause urinary tract and kidney issues. Moisture from canned foods can help control your feline’s daily hydration. Here’s a list of PetGuard’s recommended top 4 canned foods, guaranteeing at least 78% moisture with each recipe.
PetGuard’s Recommendations
PetGuard’s choice of wholesome ingredients helps create a highly digestible food with a texture and the great tastes that cats enjoy. Free of tuna, by-products, artificial colors, flavorings, sweeteners, sugar, or preservatives. Low in ash and magnesium.
Transitioning Pet Foods
Incorporating a new food into your cat’s diet can be tricky. Remember, felines are generally picky and creatures of habit. It’s important to begin incorporating new foods into your normal feeding routine gradually. Once you decide on a new recipe, you should start with a quarter of the new food and 75% of the old food. After a while you’ll only need to incorporate the new diet, this prevents shocking your cat and turning them off to food, completely. Here’s a layout for a 10-day switch and how you should handle the portions.
Of course, as you may know, it is important to note any allergies or any protein your cat does not prefer. PetGaurd offers a selection of single protein canned foods for any specific protein allergies your cat may have. The following items are perfect for singling out which protein works for you and your cat’s diet.
Single Protein PetGuard Food
- Coleman Natural Beef & Barley Dinner
- Turkey Barley Weight Management Dinner
- Chicken Stew Weight Management Dinner
While it is important to incorporate a wet component to your kitty’s diet, they do prefer to nibble on their food. Kibble can help with this habit and keep your cat comfortable to change. PetGuard’s LifeSpan Chicken, Brown Rice Recipe with Vegetables Superior Cat & Kitten Dry Food is an option for a dry kibble that is optimized for all life stages in cats. Mixing the dry kibble into the can foods can give your cat the best of both worlds, catering to their nibbling as well as including the moisture needed for their daily diets.
Finally, the most important thing to remember while dealing with your cat’s diet is to stay patient and to move at a slow rate. Rushing a cat to do anything almost never works to your favor but we love them and we want the best for them. For any further information please don’t hesitate to contact our very friendly and pet loving Customer Service team at 888-316-7297.
