Cat Feeding 101: Looking more closely at feline nutrition

July 26, 10:07 PMCharleston Cats ExaminerCatherine Wallace

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Photo: The National Academies, Washington, DC

Feeding a cat has become a process involving information on nutrition, media advertising, and financial concern. Everyone who has a cat wants to believe they are feeding Kitty wholesome food that meets all nutritional guidelines. In decades past, choices were limited to smelly canned cat food with fish bones, or dry food. For the most part, cat food was bought at the grocery store and no one thought much about where cat food came from or its nutritional value. We fed the cat, and that was the extent of the feeding routine.

Fast-forward to the 21^st century: science has discovered that cats have specific nutritional needs not found in all foods. The manufacturers of cat food have spared no expense to research, create and market foods which are appealing to both cats and their humans. Felines are primarily concerned with taste, but marketing studies have discovered that humans make pet food purchases based on what they believe Kitty deserves. Anyone living with a cat knows that cats are affectionate, mysterious, quiet and fascinating creatures. Switch to any television channel and you will see the commercial that asks, “Is it love, or is it Fancy Feast?” Media marketing has discovered that cat owners accept that love is expressed through feeding rich and extravagant cat foods. If a cat owner does not feed a certain kind of food, the message implies that your cat may not love you unless you feed them fancy meals. Truthfully, any cat will love you if you feed them, but television commercials spend millions of dollars on ad campaigns convincing us that it takes a special kind of cat food to earn our cat’s love.

Up until the last few decades, not much thought went into nutritional information about cat food. Advances in science have discovered minimum daily feline nutritional requirements, and have responded by creating foods that are delicious and nutritious for Kitty. Media campaigns for pet food manufacturers have purchased endless ad space and television commercial spots in an attempt to persuade humans to buy better food, and in some cases, promising more than the product promises to deliver. If Chef So-and-So creates food for cats, is it better for our pet, or is the delicious-looking food appealing to human taste? Some das go so far as to feature the gourmet food on a French-white dish, complete with garnish.

The following information on cat food was gathered from nutritional guidelines on eleven brand name foods; some are wet foods, others are dry, and some are higher in cost, while others are more economical. Readers are encouraged to review the information and make decisions on the foods they are buying, and whether or not the food delivers the recommended minimum daily feline nutritional allowance.

Infographics courtesy of Catherine Wallace 

Nutritional information on brand name cat foods