Healthy Foods For Cats: Dry

Many cats are “addicted” to dry food, which is a problem when the food they are fed is of poor quality and low nutritional value. The good news is that many cat food manufacturers are incorporating the importance of healthy cat nutrition into their dry foods.

In an effort to get our cats to eat a healthier diet, many of us face a hurdle in getting them away from commercial dry food. Cats who have eaten dry food all their lives tend to be especially reluctant to try something new, especially if it’s not dry food. But that doesn’t mean you should give up. A growing number of pet food manufacturers are producing high-quality meat-based dry cat foods that offer a much higher nutritional content than the cheap dry foods found in grocery stores. Let’s take a look at what’s on the market.

The evolution toward better nutrition

Thanks to consumer demand for healthier foods and improved manufacturing technology, many dry cat foods have come a long way in recent years and are much healthier and more nutritious than ever before. But there are still poor quality dry cat foods on the market. So be smart about what you buy to make sure your cat is well fed.

Read product labels. The best dry foods contain ingredients such as real meat, fish oil, fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs, with no grains, soy, cheap by-products or fillers. Vague terms like “animal fat” and “poultry by-product meal,” which can encompass a wide range of often questionable ingredients, are red flags.

High-quality ingredients

High-quality kibble is also free of all those synthetic colors and flavors, because they don’t need them! They are also more nutrient dense and digestible. And because they contain fewer cheap ingredients, such as corn gluten, they have fewer omega-6 fatty acids, which, consumed in large amounts, can contribute to inflammatory problems such as allergies and arthritis.

Importantly, a growing number of these new and improved dry foods are choosing their ingredients more carefully and turning to local farms rather than importing them from countries where food quality standards are much lower than in North America. Some go even further to make sure their ingredients are non-GMO, organic or humanely raised.

New processing methods preserve nutrients.

Most kibble is manufactured using an extrusion process. New methods preserve more of the nutritional value of ingredients than in the past. Traditionally, companies used very high temperatures to manufacture pet foods, which destroyed much of the nutritional value of the ingredients and required the addition of synthetic vitamins and minerals. But more and more manufacturers are cooking their dry foods at lower temperatures and for less time, which preserves important nutrients and eliminates harmful bacteria.

Gone are the days when all dry foods were considered unhealthy for cats. Whether your cat only eats dry food or not, a high-quality, low-carbohydrate, meat-based product made with whole food ingredients, free of by-products, grain fillers and synthetic colorings and flavorings, is a healthy and nutritious choice.

Shopping List.

Here are some companies that offer high-quality, wholesome and nutritious dry cat foods.

Farmina Pet Foods: This company’s N&D Prime cat formulas (N&D stands for Natural & Delicious) are grain-free and replace all animal proteins with grains. These high-quality foods contain 70% animal-based ingredients, such as chicken, lamb and wild boar, as well as vegetables and fruits such as pomegranate, apple, blueberries, spinach and carrot.

Petcurean: offers a wide selection of high quality dry cat food. Gather is made from certified organic, free-range chicken. The NOW Fresh line contains 100% market grade meat or fish, as well as fruits and vegetables. Fussy or allergic cats can benefit from the GO! SOLUTIONS, while the company’s SUMMIT Original recipes contain ingredients such as chicken, lamb and salmon, as well as vegetables and omega oils. All diets are free of grains, gluten, artificial flavors and other unwanted ingredients.

Stella & Chewy’s: Their high-quality, protein-rich food is coated with freeze-dried raw chicken or salmon. The Raw Blend recipe combines coated raw kibble with freeze-dried whole raw meat pieces. It is available in cage-free turkey, chicken and duck or free-range cod, salmon and tuna. All recipes have meat as the first ingredient, are free of wheat, corn and soy, and contain no artificial colors or preservatives.