9539 Liberty Road, Frederick, MD 21701 • (301) 898-4009 Gentle, complete veterinary care for the felines in your family

What cat food should I buy? It is easy to feel overwhelmed with choices when selecting a cat food, with canned and dry and semi-moist in so many different flavors, and so many different brands, each one claiming to be the best. How do you sort all of this out? Here are some points to keep in mind to make a choice: 1. First five ingredients: Ingredients are listed in order of highest content in the food, so these five form the major basis for the diet. Most should be good protein sources, and the best diets will have no by-products, but instead human-grade meat sources. A canned diet will usually have water or a broth, since most of the content is moisture (usually 75-80%) 2. High-protein: Cats have a very high nutritional protein requirement, as compared to people and to dogs. Cats should have 45-50% of their food as protein, but you’ll need your calculator to figure that amount from the package, which include moisture content for an “as-fed” percent. Example: A can of food has crude protein 10% and moisture 78%. First, subtract the moisture from 100%, for a dry matter percent of 22%. Then, divide the 10% by 22% to arrive at 45.4% protein. A dry diet might list 33% protein, but with moisture content of only 10%, the true protein figure is only 36.7% 3. Canned foods, in general, are better than dry foods. As the typical example shows above, there is a higher protein content in canned foods. Dry diets need carbohydrates to form an attractive looking food, but cats don’t need the large amounts in these diets. Better diets substitute the corn, corn meal and corn starch found in many diets with a variety of berries and vegetables, which have higher levels of vitamins and are much better for the digestive tract. A common cause of diabetes is excessive carbohydrate intake, and this disease often becomes a lifelong condition. The extra moisture in canned diets gives cats greater overall fluid intake and results in much better urinary tract and kidney health, greatly reducing the chance for bladder crystals and stones to form. Some dry food is good (about 1/4 to 1/3 cup per day) to let cats crunch on something. All food causes tartar buildup - it is a myth that canned is more likely to cause this. Carbohydrates break down into sugars which make tartar more likely, so reducing these has great potential benefit for the teeth. 4. Palatability: Last, but not least, your cat has to enjoy it! There are many good options to meet the first three criteria, and you may need to experiment with a number of foods to find one your cat likes. Many cats that have only had dry reject a canned diet because the texture is so unfamiliar to them. It is a good idea to introduce new foods slowly so try this trick: hide 1/8 teaspoon in with the dry to get your cat to try it. If that works, add a larger amount each day and your cat will likely discover a taste for it. At Frederick Cat Vet, we carry Wellness and Innova (Natura) brand foods. These exceptional foods have better ingredients and more variety than most cat foods. Also carrying Wellness, Innova and other high-quality diets are: Central Dawgma, in Frederick and Green Earth Goods, in Clarksburg -Mike Karg, DVM