Grain-free dry cat food: what are their advantages?

Features of grain-free food

Grain-free cat foods contain more meat components. Proteins of animal origin are better absorbed by the cat's body. Also, proteins obtained from meat have a positive effect on the functioning of the excretory system and help build muscle rather than fat deposits.

This food is not suitable for lazy pets. For them, constant consumption of grain-free food can result in obesity, since they will not spend the energy received. So it is better for them to either completely abandon such nutrition or alternate.

For those pets who are active in an apartment or live in a private home, grain-free food is an ideal source of energy. They will immediately use the resulting protein, and it will not go into subcutaneous fat.

Dry grain-free food

When feeding your pets any dry food, you need to give them enough water. Proper nutrition must be calculated taking into account the weight, age and activity of a particular cat.

Advantages and disadvantages

Grain-free food is considered the best solution for active pets.

Benefits of grain-free nutrition:

1. The food contains a sufficient amount of animal protein, which is best absorbed by the cat's body. The cat eats faster and the amount of waste is reduced.
2. Manufacturers can only add oats to the product composition from all other grain crops. Adding soybeans, barley, wheat crops or white rice grains is prohibited.
3. The likelihood of obesity and the development of diabetes mellitus and diseases of the excretory system is reduced. Tooth enamel deteriorates less. The functioning of the heart muscles improves.
4. The product contains only fresh products. Meat cannot be frozen or canned.
5. Carbohydrates are found in special vegetables with a low GI value.
6. Minimal heat treatment is used in production.
7. Does not cause allergies in pets.

The food is recommended for those cats that have an allergic reaction to grains.

Flaws:

1. The cost of such food is higher than usual.
2. The food is not suitable for sterilized or older pets, as they are usually less mobile.
3. If your pet has kidney disease or liver problems, you should consult a doctor before switching to a grain-free diet. In some cases, changes in diet can cause the condition to worsen.
4. If your cat is used to eating a lot, you need to gradually reduce the amount of food for her, otherwise she will quickly gain weight.
5. If the cat cannot tolerate fish, you need to carefully check the composition. Manufacturers often add fish ingredients.

By what criteria to choose

Among the abundance of bright packaging and advertised names, it is sometimes very difficult for owners of four-legged brothers to choose a truly healthy diet. The choice should be made according to the following criteria:

• Originality of production and availability of a license from the manufacturer and seller. If you buy a counterfeit product, you can cause poisoning in your pet.
• A food can be classified as grain-free if it contains at least 80% meat products. Animal protein is quickly absorbed by the pet’s body and helps maintain vitality.
• Industrial food must be free of preservatives, dyes and other synthetic substances.
• The product must contain only natural varieties of chicken, beef or lamb.

How to start feeding your cat grain-free food

For the first time after changing the diet, it is worth observing your pet. Changes in behavior, signs of obesity, drowsiness or other negative reactions indicate that it is best to stop eating grain-free food. It is advisable to consult a doctor.

If your veterinarian allows you to alternate between different types of food, it is good to do so. This will relieve your pet from stress and prevent obesity.

A neglectful attitude during the transition from one food to another can negatively affect the cat’s health in the future.

The benefits and harms of grain-free foods

Grain-free food is good and healthier for your pet, it is easier to digest and nourishes the body, but choosing a brand is an individual matter.

If the cat is active and playful, then he has more energy consumption per day, which means that such food is better for him. The components in its composition can affect the color of the coat. Sometimes you can find fish in the composition, to which cats may be allergic. You need to switch from regular to special food gradually and monitor the cat’s reaction. If you suspect a negative reaction, it is better to contact your veterinarian. If your pet begins to gain weight, veterinarians recommend switching to grain feeding for a while, and then alternating both types.

It is recommended to feed grain-free food in doses. Since 24/7 access to a bowl will lead to obesity. A huge advantage of grain-free food is that the manufacturer has included all the useful components in the composition, and there is no need to take additional vitamins. The disadvantage of this diet is that it harms the teeth and contains a lot of carbohydrates, which also damage the enamel and increase blood sugar. Cats quickly get used to this diet, and then it is difficult to switch them to another food. When choosing food for your furry pet, it is recommended to pay attention to quality, and then to price.

Allergy to vegetable protein

Celiac disease is the medical term for gluten intolerance.

Gluten or gluten is a group of proteins found in grain plants. The body of predatory animals is not adapted to the normal absorption of gluten. The sticky protein destroys the villi in the intestines and disrupts the entire digestive system of the animal. The intestines stop absorbing the necessary substances, and excess gluten causes skin, joint and ear diseases. Regular intake of vegetable protein ensures the chronic manifestation of celiac disease.

How does a gluten allergy manifest?

Celiac disease has the following symptoms:

• Heartburn;
• Stomach upsets;
• Drowsiness and lethargy;
• Reluctance to move;
• Obesity;
• Skin irritation;
• Itching.

Intolerance to plant protein can cause constant muscle pain, causing your pet to lose the desire to move, drowsiness and fatigue. Skin irritation may be accompanied by itching. Sometimes an animal may scratch its skin until blood appears.

Opinions and reviews of veterinarians

Veterinarians have a positive attitude towards grain-free food. The general approach is that food should not harm or cause obesity. Let's say, by analogy, you can take the same Dukan diet for a person and see what they recommend eating there in order to lose weight. So if you have fed a kitten, you need to look at the general background of the body and the animal’s tendency to certain diseases.

Visit the profile section of our Feeding Cats forum or leave your feedback in the comments below. More opinions means more useful information, it will be useful to someone. If there are good and interesting videos on the topic of the article, write and I will insert them into this publication.

Dry food manufacturers make life much easier for pet owners by producing dry, balanced food. They usually take into account all the useful vitamins and microelements necessary for the full life of the animal.

The appearance of grain-free products in pet stores has caused conflicting opinions among pet owners. Many people do not understand this innovation. These foods are free of gluten, which is found in most grains. Against the background of its constant consumption, animals develop food allergies , which can bring a lot of suffering to animals and their owners.

How to choose the right grain-free food for your cat

If an animal has an allergic reaction to gluten, it must be immediately switched to a grain-free diet. How to choose food for your pet?

1. Consult your veterinarian.
2. Find a list of the most popular gluten-free foods.
3. Search for customer reviews online and identify a few rough favorites.
4. In the store, choose a specific brand according to your financial capabilities. For the first time it is better to take a little.

If your cat has an abnormal reaction to grain-free food, visit your veterinarian. Maybe a specific brand of food is not suitable, or maybe your pet has health problems.

Best dry cat food: rating of dry cat food

The best dry cat food is very difficult to choose because there are many dry foods available in the market. They all shout with catchy names, lure with exotic ingredients like yucca or kangaroo meat, lure with the cutest photographs of kittens on the packaging and loudly declare that they are premium, super-premium and holistic...

So what is the best dry cat food?

To choose the best dry cat food, you need to follow these rules:

If you know what kind of dry food your cat ate from breeders/previous owners, then try to buy the same dry food or one with a similar composition. If necessary, make the transition from one food to another gradually (over 2-4 weeks), mixing the new food with the old, increasing the share of the new food day by day and correspondingly decreasing the share of the old.

• Food labeling (all information on the packaging) should ideally comply with both Russian and American/European requirements for it.

• Remember that the translation of the composition of imported dry cat food into Russian may differ from the original, so read the composition in English, if possible.

• Do not be fooled by the prefixes “premium”, “super premium”, “holistic”; It is not indicated anywhere which dry cat food belongs to which class and which does not, so these are just beautiful words.

• Breed-specific foods are mostly a marketing gimmick, but Persians may require additional ingredients for hair removal and grooming, while foods for Maine Coons should take into account their susceptibility to heart disease and be a little more nutritious than breed-specific foods. smaller cats.

• Food for kittens and pregnant cats contains more protein than for adult cats, so it is worth feeding kittens with special food; Special food for older cats is very questionable; most veterinarians do not recommend changing food for older cats to avoid problems.

• You don’t have to buy special food for castrates; it is enough to reduce the feeding rate by 10-15%, and for active non-castrated cats, this rate can be increased accordingly (instead of buying food for active cats).

• Medicinal cat food can only be purchased after consultation with a veterinarian.

• Choose a food formulated with specific ingredients (“chicken” is better than “poultry”; “chicken meat” is better than “chicken”; “dehydrated chicken” is better than “chicken meat” in terms of understanding). feed composition).

• Choose food with a short list of ingredients: many additives used in cat food are not needed by cats, but by owners (for beauty) and manufacturers (to preserve the product and give it a marketable appearance and taste).

• The cat needs animal protein, so meat\fish\poultry should be first in the list of ingredients (it is better to occupy the first few positions if the food composition is long); Ideally, of the first five ingredients, 3-4 should be meat, or the first meat ingredient should be kept in sufficient quantity (40-50%).

• It is better if the composition of dry cat food includes fresh meat, dehydrated (dehydrated) meat, dry meat, and not meat meal. Of course, in the end, all the ingredients for the food are crushed and mixed, but the food manufacturer purchases the “meat meal” externally, which means that the preservatives added to it may not be indicated in the food composition. Moreover, meat meal can be produced from dead, sick and dying animals.

• The value of grain-free cat food is somewhat exaggerated; grains are often replaced with legumes (lentils, chickpeas) or potatoes/yams, both of which the cat digests worse than grains and even worse than corn. However, allergies to corn and wheat are more common in cats than to legumes and potatoes.

• Barley and oats are digestible by cats better than rice, rice is better than corn (maize), and corn is better than wheat. Grain protein (corn gluten, wheat gluten) is digested better than “whole” grain, and various flours are also well digested (if they retain useful micro and macroelements), but starches are an empty filler for the formation of feed granules and a concentrated source of carbohydrates, which the cat doesn't need

• If your cat is white or light in color (blue, lilac, fawn), choose cat food without coloring vegetables: tomatoes, carrots, algae, etc.; Also, such animals should not buy dry food with a high copper content; But you don’t have to be afraid of beets in the composition, since white sugar beets and sugar production waste obtained during the processing of these beets are added to the feed.

• Cat food should not contain synthetic flavors and dyes, as well as preservatives. Meanwhile, preservatives in food are necessary, natural preservatives: vitamins A, E (tocopherol), C; rosemary.

• Dry food must be supplemented with essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids as many of these are destroyed during the manufacturing process. Particularly important is the presence of lysine, which is almost completely lost during the manufacture of dry food.

• Not always cheap means bad, and conversely, expensive food is not always ideal for a particular cat.

• When buying new cat food (a new flavor or brand), do not immediately take a large bag, limit yourself to a small package; the cat may not like the new food and will have to throw it away or give it away.

• Experts have different opinions regarding the consistency of a cat's consumption of the same food. On the one hand, eating one type of protein helps, in case of allergies, to quickly find a new food, and also ensures the routine functioning of the stomach; on the other hand, feeding a variety of proteins probably reduces the risk of food allergies to a minimum, avoids the cat becoming addicted to food and more fully meets its needs. In any case, you should not change food suddenly and more than 3-4 times a year, unless there are medical indications for this.

• If your cat is allergic to food, contact your veterinarian to determine the correct diet.

Rating of dry cat food

Notes: This rating is subjective and conditional; it includes the most popular dry cat foods. Many companies have a rich line of dry food and some samples may differ slightly, for better or worse, from most others produced by the same group. The rating refers to meat, poultry, fish, game, unless otherwise indicated.

*The food fits into this group according to most indicators, but has disadvantages indicated in parentheses.

**In the list of ingredients, meat comes first

***In the list of ingredients, grains are in first place

Choose your cat's dry food carefully, every cat has its own food preferences, but don't indulge its whims, especially if they can harm it. And most importantly, remember that the best dry food for cats is the one that suits your pet specifically.

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The best grain-free foods

Brit

One of the most popular premium food for cats. The Carnilove line is the best food the company offers. Manufacturers guarantee:

1. Lack of grain and potatoes;
2. Use of fresh wild meat;
3. Availability of berries and fruits that are beneficial for cats;
4. Salmon oil in the product;
5. Adding brewer's yeast, plantain and Yucca Schidigera;
6. Small amounts of chicory root and seaweed in the feed;
7. Presence of crustacean shells and cartilage extract.

The cost for 2 kg of dry food is approximately 1500-2000 rubles.

Schesir Cat

Schesir Cat food is also popular. This brand of canned food actually does not contain any grains. The manufacturer offers many flavors: from chicken in its own juice to fish in aloe juice or meat with pineapples. Dry food contains a large amount of gluten.

The composition of the canned food is approximately the same. Below is the composition of tuna in its own juice:

• 54% tuna;
• 1.2% rice;
• 44.8% broth with additives: vitamin A, D3 and taurine.

Cost - about 150 rubles per 85 g.

Which brand of food should you prefer?

The first place in popularity is taken by Natural Balance grain-free cat food. It does not contain grains, and can be fed to animals of all ages. Interestingly, behind the discreet packaging lies very high-quality content.

In second place is Wellness Core brand food. It is made from high quality ingredients and also contains a lot of nutrients for your pet. In addition to meat, this food includes tomatoes, cranberries, and potatoes. Thanks to this, the pet’s body receives the necessary antioxidants and phytonutrients.

Consumers ranked Spot's Stew in third place. The owners trust this brand very much, leaving very positive reviews about it. In addition to the meat component, the composition contains very healthy vegetables and amino acids.

Felidae brand food is in fourth place. However, not all of their products are grain-free, so it's important to pay close attention to the label. The products of this manufacturer are supplied to Russia and are available in retail sales.