How to choose a premium dry food for cats?

The key to the health of any pet is a properly composed diet. This is especially true for cats. Their body is often susceptible to diseases of the cardiovascular and renal systems. This is just due to malnutrition. Unfortunately, many owners do not pay attention to the diet of a pet. As a result, cats develop diseases and shorten their lifespan.

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

To understand how exactly premium food differs from economy-class food, it’s worthwhile to highlight the general classification of prepared food for cats.

The names of such feeds are well known to everyone. They are often advertised, they are very affordable and are sold in almost all stores and supermarkets. This, for example, Whiskas, kitekat and others. These products are presented both in dry form (feed in boxes) and in wet form (sachets, canned food). These feeds contain up to 5% of natural meat from the total composition. The remaining volume in the composition is occupied by preservatives, substitutes, flavorings and colorings.

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 necessary vitamins and nutrients.

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

What is their difference from the economy class food, in addition to price? The composition of 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. The rest of this feed contains various impurities, but they are made mainly on the basis of natural substances. It can be natural dyes, flavoring and aromatic additives, giving 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 suitable for healthy cats.

The next two subgroups of classification are superpremium and holistic.

• Holistic group considered to be completely natural food for cats, containing up to 100% meat products in the composition and with the same percentage of digestibility. These products are completely free of dyes, artificial additives and flavors. The price of such products is quite high, and you can buy them only at specialized pet stores or order online. 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 meat composition in the products of this group is up to 95%, with a high degree of digestibility. Some premium foods include Royal Canin and Nutra Nuggets. Both groups of these feeds are recommended for cats with an unstable digestive system, as they are almost completely natural and contain a large number of useful substances that strengthen the body of a pet.

As can be understood from the above classification, food for cats of the premium category is the initial stage of high-quality nutrition of a pet, 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, a cat is saturated with such food much better than cheap analogues. Also, some premium feeds contain additional vitamins and nutrients that have a positive effect on the animal’s body, and the number of preservatives and dyes is much less than in food in the economic category. Therefore, such food is some middle option between economic production and completely natural feed.

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

• they contain a greater amount of meat and offal having a healthy protein and nutrients, unlike cheap analogues;
• the additives that are present in the composition, for the most part, are natural, therefore they do not harm the health of the pet;
• the price of these feeds, although higher than the economy category, is still low and quite affordable;
• You can purchase these feeds in many stores;
• wide choice - today manufacturers offer certain types of feed for small kittens, for castrated and sterilized animals, as well as for pets with health problems.

Among the shortcomings, several factors are worth noting.

• The presence of cereals. Why is this a flaw? The fact is that cereals also contain protein, but this is much cheaper than using meat protein. However, cat digests 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 item is closely related to the previous one. Suppose a manufacturer can indicate on a package that its protein content is 40%. But this does not always mean that it is meat protein. The meat in such a product can be a small part, and everything else is plant-based proteins. Therefore, it is worth choosing food with a clear and "transparent" composition.
• The desire of the manufacturer to save. Do not forget that the production of any nutritious product is a business. Initially, the manufacturer can supply quality feed with natural ingredients for sale in order to gain customer confidence and gain a foothold in the market. And in the future, he may want to save by replacing some components with cheaper ones. Therefore, even in already familiar and proven brands, it is worthwhile to carefully read the composition, paying attention to any changes in it.

From this list you can make the following: the advantages of premium cat food still cover its shortcomings. The main thing is to pay close attention to the composition and brand of the manufacturer.

And now we will consider which manufacturers supply the market with the highest quality products. This paragraph reflects the rating of premium cat food brands based on an analysis of the composition and customer feedback.

• The manufacturer of the brand Hills Science Plan opens the rating. In general, this brand is engaged in the production of various categories of feed, including premium. Buyers purchase this type of feed most often. The manufacturer paid great attention to the creation of various rulers - this company produces ordinary everyday food, food for kittens, old cats, for cats prone to overweight and others. In principle, finding the food of this manufacturer is easy, and you can choose an individual food based on the characteristics of the pet. And also in 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 of cat food rating is Brit Premium. This manufacturer also produces other categories of feed, so when buying, you should pay attention to the word "premium" in the name. The Brit brand has a wide range of tastes and types of feed. In the manufacture of these feeds, hypoallergenic components are used. This food is easily absorbed by cats and is very nutritious. Among the shortcomings, the content of some yeast and valerian flavoring in the composition of some products is noted. This can be addictive in cats.

• Royal Canin Products also very popular with buyers. This manufacturer pays great attention to the production 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 specific substances that the cat lacks in a certain line. Among the shortcomings, it can be noted that some medicinal feeds can not be found in all stores, and they have to be ordered via the Internet. But also the price of medical products is much higher than ordinary everyday feed.

• Brand Pro Plan engaged in the production of feed for daily use. This product is available, has a wide range of types and tastes. And also this brand produces feed for medicinal purposes.

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

Based on the above advantages, disadvantages and ratings of manufacturers of cat food, you can highlight some of the main aspects that you should pay attention to when choosing goodies for your pet. Of course, these aspects are primarily associated with the composition.

Choosing is worth the products of already reputable manufacturers.

Carefully read the composition - 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 of premium food manufacturers are positive. Pet owners note that the food of the above manufacturers was advised by either acquaintances or veterinarians. Cats are well fed with these foods, their physical activity rises, their digestion improves. In addition, it was noted that the feed treatment line did a very good job. Many pets quickly recover when these types of foods are present in their diet.

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