Understanding the Value of Moist Diets for Cats

At Vet Nutritionist Clinic we prefer preventative strategies, rather than treating a medical condition that could have been avoided with a species specific diet. Correct diet is the building block of a healthy life for cats. This blog post will lay out some important principles of feline nutrition and explain why cats have a better chance at optimal health when provided with a high quality moist diet instead of dry kibble. By understanding a few simple aspects to feeding your cat, you can very likely avoid serious, expensive and stressful health issues.

Taurine is one of the most important amino acids in a cat's diet. The amino acids in dry food tends to be derived from chemical sources, hence has a lower biological value score and is less available to be absorbed by the cat's body. Deficiency will cause blindness and heart problems in cats. In the 1970s and 1980s, many cats were developing blindness due to taurine deficiency in commercial cat food, particularly those with processed ingredients that diminished the available taurine content. Taurine is also lost due to mincing of meat, therefore, our Artisan Handmade meals contain fresh chunks of meat, never mince meat.

High temperatures and prolonged cooking times effecting the protein contained in dry food is another issue. This results in diminished biological values of protein sources and other essential nutrients. Understanding which nutrients and in what amounts they were destroyed by this cooking process is usually a dangerous "hit and miss" technique, often guess work is used to figure out what extra nutrients need to be added back. That is why our Artisan Handmade meals our prepared at appropriate cooking temperatures and times. Furthermore, we add sensitive to heat ingredients to our meals when the meal is at room temperature, allowing all nutrients to be sustained and highly bioavailable for our cats and dogs.

Chronic kidney disease is common in cats and has a high mortality rate. This is often due to chronic dehydration and dry kibble contains minimal water content, it is completely dehydrated. Some prescribed dry renal diets contain small amounts of moisture, however, this is not nearly optimal for cats experiencing renal problems. Cats by nature have a low thirst drive, as they are dessert animals and attain most of their hydration from the prey they catch in the wild. They also take small sips of water, rather than gulp large amounts of water at a time, therefore, it is essential that they are provided with fluid in the food they consume.

Teeth health and claiming that dental issues are less likely to occur if consuming dry kibble is largely a myth. Cats often swallow their dry food, rather than chew on it. That is why our Artisan Handmade meals contain nutritious crunchy particles to not only clean the teeth, but are pleasurable for cats to chew on these textures and also improve digestion. A cat's teeth and jaw is designed for tearing flesh, ligaments, tendons and bone, not biting on brittle, dry kibble. Calcium is extremely important for teeth health and should be present in adequate levels in cat diets, too much calcium can also produce serious health problems. Our Artisan Handmade meals are complete and balanced to suit the exact nutritional requirements for the domesticated feline. 

A major error in well-meaning pet owners is creating their own home-made meals for their cats. Unfortunately, feeding cats a diet without knowledge about calcium-to-phosphorous ratios, taurine levels, bioavailability of amino acids and many other essential information about feeding cats, can lead to devastating results in the lives of cats. Our pet cats and dogs depend on us to provide the diet nature intended for them and this is a great responsibility. Please make sure to follow a balanced and complete formula from a reputable source, this is by far the most important take-home message of this blog post.

If you have any questions, concerns or doubts about feeding your cat or kitten, feel free to contact us through email or instagram, we are happy to help where we can!