Everyone wants the best for their cat, but how do we know if we are giving them the correct diet? How do we make sure we are giving them enough nutrients to be as healthy as they can be?

Let’s dive into the facts and determine exactly what you need to be looking for on those product labels to help you better evaluate what’s good and what’s not so good.

Standards, Standards, Standards!

First of all, if you use any of the staple brands of cat foods – such as Whiskas, Felix (or even better, use Husse cat food which 100% contains all your cat needs for a healthy daily diet) then you can pretty safely assume you’ll be ok.

The issues come when going off-road with cat food choices and using supermarket own brands from the bargain price range. These come in varying quality of meat & nutrient content so be very wary of these, certainly as for the long term diet for your cats!

Protein

All cats are carnivores and HAVE to have protein in their diet. Not just any protein either, needs to be from animal meat. Protein is also highly essential to enabling kittens to grow big and strong as well as keeping adult cats lean and fit.

Dietary Fats

We’re all brought up to fear ‘fats’ in food as being bad and avoided at all costs, but not all fats are bad and certainly for cats – fats are actually important for their health! High quality (keyword being ‘quality’ here) dietary fats support your cats ability to absorb fat soluble vitamins which help keep their skin healthy, coats shiny and their bones strong.

Omega Fatty Acids

These are essential to support your cat’s immune system and to help them fight off illnesses and stay healthy. These fatty acids (such as Omega 3 and 6) are commonly found in fish & chicken – so wet cat food of these types are always good to mix into your cat’s regular diet.

Vitamins & Minerals

Like with us humans, cats also need to have a good, varied amount of vitamins and minerals in their diet to stay healthy. As well as the ones already mentioned – foods that contain vitamin B12 and C are important, as are minerals like calcium, zinc and iron. All of these form part of a good, healthy & balanced diet for your cat.

Conclusion: Study that label!

If in doubt, speak to your vet or local pet store who should be able to advise which specific food your cat may benefit from the most, but you can just take a couple of minutes to study the labels on the foods before you buy and to make sure (especially if you have to buy unknown or cheap brand foot for whatever reason) that it contains enough of the nutrients that your cats needs.