The choice of cat food is huge. But how can you feed your cat well and sustainably? We give you tips on what you should consider.
Feeding the cat: nutritious nutrition for four-legged friends
Cats need a lot of nutrients that they can only get from food. The composition of a balanced cat menu consists of:
high-quality animal proteins,
fats,
phytonutrients,
vitamins,
minerals and
Water.
Carbohydrates are difficult for cats to digest. This is also one of the problems with conventional cat food: grain is often added to it, which can cause problems for cats. Of course, this isn’t the case for all cats, as many cats’ stomachs have become accustomed to even small amounts of grain over time
Ingredients for the cat food: what goes in it?
There are many foods that cats absolutely cannot tolerate: dairy products, onions, garlic, strong spices, grapes, raisins, caffeine, alcohol and chocolate. Under no circumstances should these products end up in the feeding bowl.
The composition of purchased cat food is particularly problematic. In principle, it doesn’t matter to your cat whether it’s “meat waste”, but it depends on the proportions. Too many hooves, claws or feathers can harm your cat just as much as too much grain, fat or meat components. Category 3 animal by-products may be further processed into animal feed, but are not suitable for human consumption. The quality of conventional cat food is therefore often inferior and enriched with additives, sugar and flavor enhancers. The cat can become really dependent on it. For this reason, your cat is better cared for with organic food. Here the quality is assured and the ingredients are sometimes even specified in exact quantities.
In addition to incompatible ingredients, there can also be residues of antibiotics and mercury (especially in fish) in cat food – even more reasons to use organic quality or even to prepare your own cat food.
Avoid cat food waste
If you buy cat food regularly, there is also a lot of packaging waste.
With dry food, you can buy as large a quantity as possible in one sack. If this is too much for your cat alone, you can simply share it with one or another cat owner in your circle of acquaintances.
For large cans of wet food, you can try reusing a matching lid from another product and using it to seal the can when you put it in the fridge. There are also bowls with lids, so that you can divide the large can into them immediately after opening and pre-portion everything.
