Which cat food should you choose for your own cat? Cats of different ages have different choices, and you can choose cat food with different emphasis based on the physical health of the cat. Let’s take a look with the editor. Come on!

Part 1. Select according to the cat’s age

1. Kitten food: This kind of food is specially designed for kittens. It contains more calories and nutrients to meet the kitten’s physical growth needs. If a cat continues to eat kitten food after becoming an adult, the cat may become obese after a period of time, and excess fat will also shorten its lifespan.

2. Adult cat food: It is what adult cats eat. It may have fewer calories and oil than kitten food, and the calories and ingredients will be slightly different from kitten food.

3. Elderly cat food: Suitable for senior cats aged 11 years and above. Its main function is to protect the kidneys.

Part 2. Select based on nutritional ratio

The formulas of cat food will be listed in order according to the weight proportion of the ingredients, with the ingredient with the highest proportion listed first.

Cats are relatively strict carnivores. Their main sources of energy are animal protein and animal fat. If they are provided with sufficient amounts, they can theoretically survive healthily without the need for carbohydrates.

Therefore, when choosing cat food, the principle is meat > meat powder (minced meat) > eggs > fruits and vegetables > grains. The higher the raw material contains, the better, followed by meat powder (minced meat).

High-quality finished cat food contains all of the following nutrients, and is a healthy ratio for balanced nutrition for cats. Therefore, when choosing cat food, pay attention to the ratio of each ingredient in the ingredient list, and you will not go wrong when choosing according to this principle.

Protein——Generally, the proportion of dry food is 30%-50%, which is used for muscle growth and energy supply.

​Fat——generally accounts for 10%-20% and is used for energy storage and provision. Although cats can eat foods with high fat content, excessive amounts can easily lead to folliculitis.

Carbohydrates - The mainstream view is that cats have very low digestibility of carbohydrates, so the lower the content, the better. Excessively high proportion of carbohydrates will lead to less protein intake and insufficient energy supply for cats, so they will eat more food, and other intakes will exceed the standard., leading to obesity, diabetes or urinary system disease in cats.

​Crude fiber—The content is generally between 1% and 5%. Its main function is to promote digestion. For cats, it can also induce vomiting of hair balls.

Taurine——The content is guaranteed to be at least 0.1%. Taurine is a very important substance for cats and must be included in all cat food. Taurine will maintain and promote the growth of the cat's retina, and its lack will cause cats to suffer from night blindness.

Vitamins - Cats can synthesize some vitamins by themselves, such as vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin K, etc., while others need to be supplemented through food.

Minerals——Calcium and phosphorus account for 70% of the total mineral content in cats. Mainly found in teeth and bones. The content of both in dry food is generally around 1%. Elements such as potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, and chlorine maintain osmotic pressure and acid-base balance in the body. Iron, copper, and cobalt are related to hematopoiesis and are generally not lacking in a normal diet. Excess minerals can easily lead to urinary system diseases.

OMEGA3/OMEGA6——The most intuitive function is hair beauty.

Part 3. Avoid “harmful” substances

For the healthy growth of your cats, please avoid cat food containing these substances.

Feat attractants: Food attractants are very powerful and will make cats unable to control their appetite and keep eating. After eating, they will easily have diarrhea.

Grains: Grains themselves are harmless and non-toxic, and are a cheap source of protein for cheap cat food. However, as a carnivore, cats’ gastrointestinal tract and eating habits are not suitable for eating grains. If they eat too much grains, they will be digested. Not good, it can even damage the cat’s organs.