Feeding dry food to cats the right way
The question of the right and healthy way to feed cats is not always easy to answer. However, the fact is that your cat must receive all essential nutrients in a balanced ratio through its food. This means that dry food must also, in any case, meet your cat's needs. If a food meets this requirement, it is called a complete feed. There is a wide variety of textures and flavors, and finding the right dry food for cats is not always easy. We are here for you and will give you an overview of the most important information about dry food for your kitty and →also offer you free online advice to help you find the right food for your cat.
Which dry food is best for cats?
When choosing a good dry food, you should especially pay attention to the ingredient list. Even though affordable can be very good, it is unlikely to find high-quality ingredients in the cheapest supermarket food. You need to look more closely here, as food manufacturers often add a lot of sugar. Why? Cats are known as →picky animals who love to turn up their noses at the bowl and leave the food behind.
A good dry food for cats isn't obvious at first glance. You need to take a closer look at the ingredients.
Sugar in food can not only →promote obesity but also cause cardiovascular diseases. Likewise, grains have no place in healthy cat food. Unlike dogs, cats are strict carnivores and need a high proportion of meat in their dry food to stay healthy. Of course, fruits, vegetables, oils, and herbs also have a place — but the proportion for cats is rather small. So if you're looking for the best dry food for your cat, it's best to look for a clear declaration and healthy composition.
Our cat food: honest, healthy, delicious.
The best cat food for cats: criteria at a glance
From a veterinary and nutritional perspective, there are a few aspects you should consider when choosing:
free from grains and sugar
without artificial colorings, flavorings, and preservatives
high meat content
low proportion of plant-based ingredients
negative animal by-products such as claws, horns, hooves, feathers, and wool
permitted animal by-products such as rumen, liver, lungs, and kidneys
Feeding cats only dry food – is that possible?
There are some pros and cons to →feeding cats dry food as the food of choice. Dry food can be easily divided into small portions— and as you’ve just learned, this is also important when it comes to species-appropriate feeding for kittens and cats. Many owners are also fans of the practical pouches, which are easy to reseal or decant. Here, you must ensure a airtight seal; otherwise, →mites and other parasites can settle in.
Due to the high energy content, cats need less dry food by quantity compared to wet food. However, this should not be the only reason, as the priority should always be the healthy composition of the food. You can feed your cat dry food at any time—as long as it is a complete feed. Here, you can listen to your cat’s preferences and let her decide.
For many cats, the →different textures of wet food are often more attractive, as the delicious smell combined with the soft texture is especially appealing to picky indoor cats. Also, wet food has important advantages for the water balance of cats—because they are often →poor drinkers. So wet food provides much more moisture (about 80%) and covers the majority of a cat’s daily needs. Lack of fluids is a serious issue, as it unfortunately promotes urinary tract and kidney diseases. However, wet food must always be served fresh and, once opened, stored in the refrigerator, as bacteria can quickly form otherwise. Unlike dry food, wet food contains more protein but must also be fed in larger quantities due to a lower carbohydrate content.
A popular option is, for example, mixed feeding, where cats receive a few meals as wet food and can also snack on a bowl of dry food throughout the day. Note that the feeding amount must be calculated based on both recommendations so that your cat is neither over- nor underfed.
Can you give kittens dry food?
Yes, your cat can also have dry food as a young kitten. It is important to choose a food specially developed for juniors. Why? Young cats are growing and therefore need more protein (about 10%) and nutrients than adult cats. From 2 to 12 months of age you should therefore choose a junior dry food for cats—after that, the growth phase is complete.
Healthy from day one—the long life of your kitty is very important to us. That’s why we help you get off to a great start together and support you with the tastiest food. No grains, free from sugar, and 100% without artificial additives. This pouch packs a punch!
Healthy from Day 1 - with our dry food for kittens and young cats
How often should kittens and young cats get dry food?
Young cats should have five to six or even more small meals per day. Up to 6 months old, this feeding with several small meals is recommended; after that, the number can be reduced and the portion size increased. But even adult cats may prefer to have several small portions a day rather than, for example, two large ones. The reason is the natural eating behavior of cats, as wild cats also eat several portions spread throughout the day—up to 20 meals in a 24-hour period.
Both mother cats and wild cats eat many small meals.
How much dry food do kittens need per day?
You can easily find out how much food should be in a meal with complete feeds, such as those you often find as →BARF, wet, or dry food, by checking the feeding recommendation on the packaging. Here’s how to proceed.
1. Weigh your cat and note the current weight. You’ll need this in a moment to read the table on the dry food bag to see how much your cat is allowed to eat.
2. Research your cat’s expected adult weight. For specific cat breeds, you can quickly find out online or by calling the breeder how much your cat will weigh. Why is this important? In the →feeding recommendations the rows and columns for feeding amounts intersect for the current weight and expected adult weight. This way, you know exactly that your kitten is getting all the necessary nutrients.
3. As a last step, you just need to check the table for feeding recommendations and find the right amount for your cat. Attention: This refers to the daily amount. Divide this by the number of meals you want to feed your young cat.
