Dry cat food would be easier!!
The ancestors of your fluffy cat by the window, lying in the sun, also liked their down time, but they were busy hunting when they weren’t napping. Their diet consisted of small mammals, birds, reptiles, and bugs. These “crunchy packages” supplied the nutrients and moisture they needed to stay healthy. The exercise of the hunt and the calories contained in the daily kept them trim and healthy.
Today’s feline needs very little exercise to subdue its cat food. A stroll and a jump will take your kitty right to the “horn of plenty,” and it can munch on the ever-present bowl of dry cat food to its heart’s content. Of course, if it gets tired of the dry food, it can wait for the evening feeding of wet food on top of, or mixed with the dry food. The calories most cats eat are more than enough for the stroll around the house or backyard. Those cats that patrol the neighborhood usually get a bit more exercise climbing fences and repelling invaders. This keeps them in better shape, but puts them at risk for trauma from dogs and cars.
Cats are becoming obese and developing diabetes from this lifestyle and diet. Cats were “obligate carnivores” in the wild, which means they have evolved eating prey and, unlike the wolf, they rarely will stoop to eat fruit, grasses, carrion, or poop, even when times are tough the way canines will. Dry cat food is 40-70% carbohydrate and only contains 10% moisture, compared to 10% carbohydrate and 60% moisture in prey. Dry cat food or “kitty cookies” pack a caloric punch and will super-size cats that are prone to relax and eat much of their lives away. The lack of water in the diet can also concentrate the urine, leading to crystals and blockages, called the feline urologic syndrome or FUS. The high percentages of grains overwork the pancreas, causing deficient insulin levels, and diabetes in some cats. Many cats can eat dry food without any weight problems, diabetes, or bowel problems, but many can’t.
I never feel full, my body wants protein and fat
So what can you do? If your cat will eat other things, try canned food; it has fewer calories per serving. If your dinner consists of meats ( like chicken or pork), fish, or shrimp, let your cat try a bit a few nights a week. The extra protein may satisfy him or her much more than high-carbohydrate dry food. What satisfies your hunger more? Chips, veggies,…or a piece of protein like steak or chicken. I think that because cats did not evolve to eat grain, carbohydrates may be a nutrient that does not satisfy their hunger.
If you have a cat that is eating dry food and looks good, feels good, and does not have medical issues, that’s great. However if your cat is obese, has urinary issues, diabetes, or stomach and bowel issues, changes in the diet may help. (Some cats are allergic to wheat in the food)
1. Canned food has fewer calories than dry, and is less irritating to the bowel.
2. Canned food has more moisture and helps prevent FUS.
3. Giving meats as a treat or meal 2-3 times a week helps supply wholesome ingredients (Tuna, sardines, raw egg yolk, chicken, salmon, shrimp, turkey, pork, and tilapia)
