| There has been an ongoing discussion among cat | | | | Is this important? Very much so! Too much |
| owners about whether dry or canned food is better. | | | | carbohydrate for a cat can cause all sorts of |
| Do you feed your cat canned food? Should you? The | | | | problems, including a higher chance of developing |
| answer is a big YES, and here are the top 3 reasons | | | | Diabetes, more likelihood of becoming obese, and |
| why. | | | | greater risk of Pancreatitis. A better understanding of |
| 1. Water Content. | | | | cat nutrition tells us that lower carbohydrate and higher |
| In canned cat food, the main ingredient is water. This | | | | animal protein is a much healthier diet. |
| means that canned food is closer to what your cat | | | | 3. Digestion |
| would eat in his natural habitat. When a cat kills and | | | | Canned food is already partially broken down when |
| eats prey, the animal flesh contains the water required | | | | the cat eats it. This makes it much easier to digest in |
| to meet the cat's nutritional needs. This is not the case | | | | the cat's stomach and intestines. What this can mean |
| with dry food. | | | | for your cat is reduced incidents of vomiting and |
| Because cats have evolved to get most of their | | | | intestinal gas, and less risk of Bloat. |
| water from the prey they hunt and eat, they are not | | | | I know it can seem inconvenient to deal with canned |
| well accustomed to drinking water from a bowl. Many | | | | food, when with dry all you need to do is pour a little |
| cats do not get enough water if they are on a dry | | | | into a bowl each day. Maybe you dislike the smell of |
| food diet, and easily become dehydrated. This can | | | | canned food. The tins and bowls are messy and they |
| contribute to common feline diseases such as Urinary | | | | need to be cleaned or recycled. But once you know |
| Tract Crystals, which often lead to kidney and liver | | | | what your cat really needs for optimum health, you |
| problems. | | | | understand that it's worth it. And think how much more |
| 2. Animal Protein | | | | inconvenient it would be if your cat develops diabetes |
| Most canned cat foods contain significant amounts of | | | | or kidney problems, and you need to give him insulin |
| animal protein, and this is generally the second | | | | injections or subcutaneous fluids each day! Not to |
| ingredient, after water, and before any carbohydrate | | | | mention how this would affect your cat's happiness |
| content. Canned cat foods do not generally contain | | | | and sense of well being. |
| much carbohydrate, while dry foods usually contain a | | | | So keep your cat's health in mind, and consider making |
| great deal. | | | | the switch if you have not already! |