The choice of high-quality wet food is particularly important so that your cat can lead a long and above all healthy life. But what exactly should you pay attention to when buying in order to ensure a healthy and species-appropriate diet for your four-legged friend? We’ll show you the 7 most important characteristics by which you can recognize good wet food.
In supermarkets and online there is a huge selection of wet food for cats and each of them promises optimal care for your cat. At first glance, the decision seems easy, but there are some important aspects to consider. If you really want to buy high-quality food for your cats, you should take a closer look at the composition on the can. It quickly becomes apparent that not every wet food delivers what it promises.
1. High percentage of meat
The main ingredients are meat and animal by-products. They should make up the highest proportion of the cat’s diet. The ingredients on the can are listed at the top and should be at least 70 to 80 percent. A food with high meat content also saturates very good and strengthens your four-legged friends with proteins.
2. Sugar-free and grain-free wet food
Many brands contain sugar, as it gives the food a nice caramelized color and makes it last longer. For cats, however, it only has disadvantages. Sugar makes your velvet paws fat and increases the risk of diabetes. That is why you should keep your hands off it if you discover terms such as sucrose, sucrose, dextrose, fructose, molasses, malt germ, beet pulp, caramel, cellulose or maltose on the packaging.
Many feed brands also contain grain. For an intact digestion, cats need animal proteins. Grains contain carbohydrates that cats only need in small amounts. The starch it contains is difficult to break down and stresses the animals’ organs. If the cat has trouble digesting its food, it means that much of the food it eats cannot be digested by the cat. This food is then deposited as feces.
That is why there should be no grain in cat food or only a very small percentage of it. Grains in the food are not well tolerated by many cats and can cause diarrhea in cats and vomiting. In contrast, a highly digestible feed offers easily usable ingredients and raw materials that the grain does not belong to.
3. Ingredients are precisely declared
High-quality wet food for cats can usually be recognized by the fact that the ingredients are precisely declared on the packaging. It is indicated which meat and which by-products are contained in what percentage. The buyer is not left in the dark about which ingredients are contained in the feed. So transparency is particularly important here.
However, if you take a closer look at a pack of cat food from the supermarket, you will often read the following list of ingredients: “Meat and animal by-products (4% of which is chicken)”. This declaration does not reveal what exactly is contained in cat food.
4. High quality cat food is always wet food
The cat’s organism is designed to cover most of its fluid intake through food intake, since it originally belongs to the desert animals. Wet food contains a high proportion of water, so it is easy for the cat to drink enough fluids.
If you only gave dry food, your darling would have to drink three times the amount of their daily food ration. However, a cat will never be able to drink enough water. For example, kidney damage can occur as a result of long-term dehydration.
5. Good wet cat food contains nutrients
Cats get their energy from protein and fat. They also need minerals and fiber. High quality feed should have roughly these analytical values:
- Crude protein between 5 and 15 percent
- Raw fat between 5 and 8 percent
- Raw ash (minerals) between 1.5 and 2 percent
- Crude fiber (dietary fiber) less than 1 percent
The calcium to phosphorus ratio is also an important characteristic. This should be 1.1 to 1.2: 1. The ratio of potassium to sodium is ideally 2.1: 1. In the best case scenario, good cat food states the proportions on the packaging.
6. Top quality feed is not cheap
For good cat food, you often have to dig a little deeper into your pocket. However, a good food also provides more nutrients and satisfies your darling better. So you need less food to please your velvet paw. In addition, there are fewer leftovers in the litter box, as the cat can use the food better.
There is hardly any high-quality cat food to be found in the supermarket. However, pet shops and online pet shops have many varieties that are of high quality and affordable. A high price is not always meaningful, however, cat owners often pay for the name of the brand. It is therefore always helpful to take a look at the declaration. In addition, our cat food test will help you make the right decision when choosing a food
7. High quality meat is the be-all and end-all
Cheap cat food usually consists of animal by-products, which are not discussed in detail. It is waste from the meat industry such as carcasses, claws, beaks or feathers. Urine, fillers, tumors from sick animals, flavor enhancers, dyes and other additives must also be used in the feed.
High-quality by-products are indicated on the packaging and consist of heart, liver, lungs or stomachs.
It’s not that easy to find the right wet food for your cat. There are a few things to consider when choosing the right food and, last but not least, the cat must also like it. However, if you take a closer look at the ingredients and do not buy the first food available from the supermarket, you will be able to give your four-legged friend a long and healthy life.
