Some animal food production standards are said to be superior to human food production standards. They are sourced from the same farms that produced the meat and vegetables you eat. In the article you will learn about the composition and production of dry and wet cat food, why they attract people, whether it is safe for humans to consume cat food and what the possible consequences are.
What is cat food?
Dry cat food
Dry pet food typically consists of meat, bones, muscle and other by-products from meat, poultry and seafood, as well as grains, grains, vegetables, vitamins and minerals.
Dry cat food is dried granules in the form of rings, pads, balls, etc.
Animal parts used for pet food may include damaged parts of the carcass, cheek meat, bones, kidneys, liver, intestines, spleen, lungs, udder and stomach tissue. The cereals used are corn, wheat, and barley. Most manufacturers additionally add proteins, vitamins and minerals to the feed, since they are destroyed when heated. Dry food has a shelf life of 10 to 12 months and requires the addition of preservatives. Some manufacturers use natural preservatives - vitamins E and C.
The production of granulated dry food began in the 80s of the 20th century.
Sometimes manufacturers, in order to reduce the cost of the product, prepare food from grain products with the addition of hydrolysates, thus improving the taste. But the nutritional value of such a product is negligible and disrupts the cat’s metabolism. Choose high-quality, balanced food for your pet!
To produce dry food, the ingredients are selected according to the recipe and carefully ground. The dry ones are mixed with the wet ingredients, water and steam, forming something like a dough. The dough enters the extruder, where it is prepared under pressure and goes out onto a belt, where it is cut into specific pieces. The feed is then oven dried and cooled. At the end of the process, the food pellets are treated with flavorings and preservatives and transferred to the packaging machine.
Dry food contains attractants that cause increased appetite in cats. This is the reason why animals become accustomed to this type of food.
Wet cat food
To prepare liquid food, the same ingredients are used as for dry food, as well as water, blood, and meat broth. Gelling and gelling agents provide humidity, it should be 70-80%. Agents include guar and bean gums, cellulose, starches and thickeners.
Wet food is no better or worse than dry food. Their composition is almost the same, differing only in liquid content.
The ingredients required for the recipe are mixed and ground, then formed into sausages and, after steaming, cut into portions. Next, the pieces with the gelling sauce are packaged in bags. After packaging, the packaging is sterilized and heated to high temperatures to destroy all living organisms that may be present in the mixture (bacteria, mold, viruses). In this form, the food can be stored for two to three years.
Looks really delicious
How does eating dry food affect your pet's health?
You could argue that many cats and dogs eat dry food and are fine. But any living creature seems healthy until external signs of illness appear.
Check out forums for owners of sick pets. All the animals mentioned there were eating dry food and were fine until their owners began to notice signs of illness:
- urination has become difficult due to the blocked urethra;
- pets with cystitis began to experience acute pain, blood began to come out in the urine, and they began to relieve themselves throughout the house;
- pets began to lose their appetite, suffer from food intolerance, intestinal inflammation and asthma;
- kidney stones continued to grow until clinical signs appeared;
- Cancer patients' tumors continued to grow until obvious symptoms appeared.
In other words, diseases can remain undetected for a long time, and all this time develop into more severe forms.
Why cat food attracts people
Cat food attracts people, first of all, with attractive marketing names. For example, “Tidbits with duck, rabbit and game”, “Appetizing platter with beef and lamb”, “Pads with tender pate”. Also, thanks to flavorings and taste enhancers, cat food has a rather pleasant smell for humans, which creates the illusion that the taste will be just as pleasant.
A human taste panel study found that people rate cat food between 5 and 9 on a scale of 1 to 10.
To summarize: how should cats be fed?
Fanaticism on any issue is bad. If you are assured that cats need to be fed only natural food or only food, the person does not understand the issue, but blindly believes in his “theory”.
Whether to feed your cat dry food is up to you. It has both advantages and disadvantages. One thing is certain - choose industrial feed if you don’t have time. Meal planning and cooking takes effort.
Porridge with fish is no better than Whiskas, and fresh rabbit meat is no cheaper than holistic food. Both food and natural food can be fed in very different ways.
You need to focus on the result. If a cat has shiny fur, perfect plasticine poop, optimal physical fitness and activity, then the food is suitable for her.
What happens if you eat cat food?
If you try cat food just once, out of curiosity, so to speak, it won't cause any problems. All you have to do is check the “tried” box on your life to-do list.
Is it harmful to eat cat food often? Can a person always eat cat food?
Constant consumption of cat food can cause health problems even in dogs. Since a cat is a carnivore, its diet should contain a high percentage of protein, as well as taurine, vitamin A and fat.
Why can it harm a person? What happens if you consume cat food?
Vitamin A helps maintain eye and heart health in cats. It is extremely important, especially during the growth period of the kitten. The human body does not need large amounts of this vitamin, especially since vitamin A has a cumulative effect. High levels of the vitamin are toxic to humans and can cause cancer, especially in smokers.
Vitamin A hypervitaminosis can lead to baldness, joint pain, bone damage
Taurine is a vital amino acid that prevents tooth decay and hair loss in cats. Since taurine is not produced in the animal’s body on its own, it must be contained in sufficient quantities in food. In humans, the amino acid is synthesized in the required quantity; excess can lead to side effects.
Excess taurine leads to headaches, nausea, dizziness
The main source of energy for cats is fat. Fatty acids are completely absorbed by the animal's body. For humans, excess fat is harmful and can lead to obesity, problems with the heart and blood vessels, liver and gallbladder diseases. Human metabolism is not sufficient to digest the volume of fatty acids that cat food contains.
How to provide your pet with a healthy diet
To keep your pets healthy and happy for many years to come, it is enough to provide them with a healthy diet.
Considering the disadvantages of dry food, create a healthy diet:
- there should be a sufficient amount of liquid in food;
- carbohydrate content should be minimal;
- use animal protein;
- use raw bones for dental health,
- Buy products only from trusted suppliers.
If you are not comfortable preparing healthy food yourself, pay attention to ready-made natural food, for example, SUPERPET.
Remember that a natural diet is the key to your pet’s health.
Author of the article
Artyom Tsympov
Founder of SUPERPET
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What happens if a child eats food from a cat bowl?
There is no need to panic and call an ambulance if the child has tried and successfully chewed the food. Cat food is not so harmful that it can cause all diseases at once. But there is a nuance. If the pet lives and lives only at home, does not go outside and is kept clean, in principle there should be no problems. It’s another matter if a child eats from the bowl of a cat who goes outside. The food may contain cat saliva and hair. In addition to food, cat parasites, helminths, and roundworms can also enter the child’s intestinal tract.
What to do in this case? Testing for parasitic infections should be performed. However, if the test is done on the same day or in the near future, it may turn out to be negative, since the parasites have not yet reached their goal and have not had time to reproduce in the body. Therefore, the analysis should be done two weeks after the child has tried cat food.
Parasitic worms cause various diseases
In the future, keep an eye on your baby and do not allow him to eat from the cat's bowl. In addition to parasite infestation, there is a more serious problem - the danger of suffocation. Just like coins, candy, small toys, and magnets, cat food pads should be kept out of the reach of children. Once in the esophagus, food can block the access of oxygen to the lungs. In this case, emergency assistance will be needed. After watching the video, you will learn what to do if a foreign object is stuck in a child’s throat.
Recommendations from veterinarians
Every person who gets a cat at home should be aware that the pet’s health and life expectancy are entirely dependent on him (with the exception of chronic and hereditary diseases). The well-being and condition of the cat depend on the correctness of the diet.
Basic recommendations from veterinarians:
- You cannot mix industrial food with natural food, since each variety is digestible in its own way. The interval between such meals should be at least 8 hours;
- You cannot purchase different types of wet or dry food, for example, expensive and cheap, and mix them with each other. This is due to the fact that a sudden change in product can have an extremely negative impact on the health of the pet.
Some experts may also advise you to refrain from purchasing budget food, since there is practically nothing useful in its composition, except for chemicals.
Note! If financial capabilities do not allow you to buy expensive formulations, it is better to switch your pet to natural food and introduce fortified supplements into the diet with a certain frequency.
Basic rules for creating a diet for domestic cats
Whiskas diets for kittens from 1 to 12 months
The food rations of this manufacturer are distinguished by a variety of tastes. The assortment includes:
- Delicious pillows with milk, turkey and carrots . This is a dry food, sold in packages of 350 g and 1.9 kg. It is produced in the form of crispy pillows containing milk inside.
The composition contains wheat flour, as well as poultry and turkey flour (minimum 4% in brown, yellow and red granules), meat and bone meal, protein plant extracts, rice, animal fat, brewer's yeast, sunflower oil, at least 4% carrots (in brown, yellow and red granules), dairy products (minimum 4% milk solids in the pads), taurine, minerals and vitamins.
- Stew with lamb . Wet food, which is complete and essential for a growing body. Your little one will definitely love the little pieces of tender lamb in a delicious sauce.
The stew contains meat with offal (including at least 4% lamb), vegetable oil, minerals with vitamins and taurine.
- Stew with chicken. Wet food, which is complete and essential for a growing body. Your little one will definitely love the small pieces of tender chicken in a delicious sauce.
The stew contains meat with by-products (minimum 4% chicken), vegetable oil, cereals, minerals with vitamins and taurine.
- Stew with salmon . Wet food, which is a balanced diet, so necessary for the full development of a kitten. He will definitely love the tender little pieces with salmon that has a pleasant aroma.
The food contains meat and by-products (minimum 4% salmon), vegetable oil, cereals, minerals, vitamins, and taurine.
- Veal jelly . Wet food, which is a balanced diet, so necessary for the full development of a kitten. He will definitely love the tasty meat pieces with veal in aromatic jelly.
The food contains meat and offal (minimum 4% veal), vegetable oil, minerals, vitamins, and taurine.
- Turkey jelly . Wet food, which is a balanced diet, so necessary for the full development of a kitten. He will definitely love the delicious meat pieces with turkey in aromatic jelly.
The food contains meat and offal (at least 4% turkey), vegetable oil, minerals, vitamins, and taurine.
- Chicken pate . Wet food, which is a balanced diet, so necessary for the full development of a kitten. He will definitely love the tender meat pate with chicken.
The food contains meat and offal (minimum 25% chicken), vegetable oil, minerals, vitamins, and taurine.
Whiskas food for kittens - reviews from veterinarians and owners
Everyone knows about Whiskas food for kittens, even children. It has been produced for a very long time - since the 50s of the last century and throughout this time this brand has not lost popularity. This is not surprising, because a memorable advertisement for Whiskas food with a cute gray cat and the slogan “Your pussy would buy Whiskas” are constantly flashing on TV screens.
The products of this manufacturer can be purchased in any store at a very affordable price, and from a wide range of diets, every kitten owner will be able to choose food with a suitable taste for their pet. But whether this food is as good as it is presented in advertising should be found out.
Is it possible to give Whiskas to kittens?
Many people have a stereotype that it is impossible for a kitten to get all the substances necessary for full development from natural food. That’s why ready-made food in dry or wet form is so popular today. Every person who has a small fluffy ball in their home remembers the advertisement about Whiskas and wonders: is it possible to make it a permanent diet for their pets? This food, as you know, belongs to the economy class, which means there can be no talk of any high quality. Therefore, when giving food to a kitten, it is impossible to predict how its body will react to such food.
But if, nevertheless, the owner of a kitten decides to feed his pet Whiskas, it must be done correctly.
