The cats that share our homes have diverse personalities. We describe them as playful, aloof, nosy, cuddly, and maybe even finicky. Most cats are not shy about letting us know which foods they prefer, and which foods are not fit for their discriminating tastes. As conscientious cat owners, we want to provide a diet that enables our cats to live long, healthy lives—and one that they enjoy.

Because cats are true carnivores, their diets should be meat-based. This assures proper digestion and helps maintain healthy skin and a healthy coat. Undomesticated cats hunt, which results in a diet consisting of small animals such as rodents and lizards, insects, and small birds—prey that is high in fat and protein, and very low in carbohydrates. For cats, variety is the spice of life, and left to their own devices they might lunch on a finch or a chickadee one day, and enjoy a mouse, a grasshopper, or even a rabbit the next. This variety gives them a wide assortment of nutrients, and the high water content of the prey ensures that they get an appropriate amount of fluid.

Modern house cats are descendants of desert-dwellers. These cats developed ultra-efficient kidneys as a reaction to limited water resources. Their diet consisted of small prey, from which they extracted most of their fluids. Today our pets have ready access to fresh water, but since they have a very low thirst drive, they typically do not drink a sufficient amount of water. In order to avoid chronic dehydration, which can lead to kidney and bladder disease, we must supply a diet that fulfills their moisture needs.

Cats eating a diet of dry food take in only half the amount of moisture of those eating strictly canned foods. Dry cat foods are processed with high heat, which is very dehydrating and damages the protein in the food. These altered proteins can trigger immune reactions in cats, leading to food allergies and bowel disease. To top it all off, dry cat food is full of carbohydrates, which are not metabolized well by most cats. A diet too high in carbohydrates can lead to obesity, joint problems, liver and kidney disease, and diabetes.

The easiest way to ensure that our feline pets are getting balanced nutrition and the appropriate amount of moisture in their diets is to feed them canned food. At All Is Well we carry a large selection of canned foods to satisfy even the most finicky cat. Our canned foods contain the appropriate high protein nutrition for a healthy diet, high moisture content for healthy bladders and kidneys, and enough variety to keep our finicky friends interested.

Source: Hofve, DVM. “Why Cats Need Canned Food” Little Big Cat. 2002 – 2006. 9 Jan 2007.
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