Prevent Feline UTI With a Canned Cat Food Diet (Part II)

Last week I wrote about the benefits of transitioning your cat to a raw food diet to stop feline urinary tract infections. As I also noted, some cats just won't eat raw food. Part II gives you information about the more common diet alternative - canned cat food.

Many experts recommend you feed your kitty canned food almost exclusively to keep feline urinary tract infections from recurring. More moisture in kitty's diet means better flushing capability by urinating more often, in larger amounts. Crystals can be flushed out of the cat when they are too small to do damage. This is critical to prevent cat urinary tract infections from happening again.

Since cats don't lap up water like other animals, the moisture content in canned foods will offset this. Raw food (raw meat) diets also provide most of the moisture content cats need to stay healthy.

There are many different types of cat food you can purchase. It can be confusing. However, with a little bit of knowledge, you can easily determine what is best to feed kitty to keep cat urinary tract infections from happening again.

But don't go rushing out and purchase tuna in spring water for kitty! There are several key ingredients you need to look for in canned cat food to prevent a feline UTI. Not just any kind will keep your cat's urinary tract healthy.

Let's go over them in a little bit of detail.

Meat or meat by-products?

When assessing the best canned cat food for your kitty, the first ingredient should always be meat. Not meat by-products, and not chicken meal, or similar ingredients. Cats are pure carnivores, and they must have a very high protein diet to stay healthy. By-products are junk for a cat.

Look for chicken, beef, lamb, turkey and duck. Many experts believe fish contributes to feline urinary tract infections, so it's best to avoid the seafood choices you'll find.

Rice and wheat:

These are fine, as long as they are high quality brown rice and wheat. However, if one of these is listed first, I'd put that can back on the shelf and would continue my search.

DL-Methionine:

DL-Methionine is an ingredient in both dry and canned cat foods. It's an amino acid that helps restore the urine pH balance back to 6.0 – 6.8. Read the fine print to see if it's an ingredient. If you don't see DL-Methionine listed, don't worry. You can add it to your cat's food in powdered form.

Magnesium:

Magnesium is believed to contribute to crystal formation in a cat's urinary tract infection. Look for canned cat food that lists the level. The magnesium level should not be higher than 0.1%, and no less than .025% in any cat food you purchase.

Cranberries and blueberries:

Although cats are carnivores, berries are a great ingredient to promote good urinary tract health. High quality canned cat food should contain either one of these, or both.

Vegetables:

I know I stated cats are carnivores. If vegetables are listed, and they're far down the list, that's fine. Typically you'll find carrots, peas, squash and corn.

Armed with this knowledge, you're now able to hit the pet food stores and easily analyze the label information on different kinds of canned cat food. Remember, anytime you're thinking about changing your cat's diet, please consult with your vet on the best way to make this transition. Cats are not partial to changes, and a radical diet transformation done overnight is not good for your cat.

If you'd like to read Part I, please contact me at my website.

Good luck in your search for high quality canned cat food that will keep those pesky feline UTIs from happening again!

About The Author
Nancy E. Wigal stopped the cat urine odor problem at her home, and kept the kitty that caused it. "18 Ways to Stop Cat Urine Odor Problems" saves you money, time and frustration by solving your cat urine odor problem - permanently.
http://www.stopcaturineodor.com

What Type Of Food Should You Really Feed Your Cat?

What should you feed your cat to make sure he or she will have the necessary nutrition? What is the ideal mix of food to help your cat live to the limit of it's life span?

Tp answer these questions, one should look at the diet of a feline in it's natural habitat. In the wild, a cat eats almost exclusively animal tissue. However, they would normally eat the entire body of the animal,

including it's stomach contents, which has many nutrients that are simply lacking in an animals muscle tissue.

Another question many cat owners have is: Is fresh meat the best possible food for cats? Not necessarily. Fresh meat will not provide a balanced diet for a cat, as they are extremely protein dense while being very low in vital nutrients such as calcium.

Alternately, some cat owners have asked, "Is it O.K. to feed my cat an exclusively vegetarian diet?" The answer to that question is a clear cut no. Cats cannot produce the nutrients it needs from an exclusively vegetarian diet in the same way that humans can.

Being a highly specialized hunter, it has simply lost that ability during the course of it's evolution.

Major skin problems are often the result of a deficiency in certain essential fatty acids which can be found in animal flesh alone.

Another problem is that a deficiency of the amino acid taurine, a vital building block for proteins in the body, which can cause both blindness and heart failure. Cats are simply born carnivores.

Is it o.k. to give a cat only dry food? According to petshub, the answer is yes, providing that you ensure that fresh water is available at all times.

Dry food is generally more convenient, hygienic, and affordable than canned or fresh food. It also exercises the teeth and reduces the buildup of tartar, which can grow into a severe problem in cats that are fed a soft and mushy diet.

For more information about proper cat nutrition go to http://www.premium-cat-food.com/

About The Author
A. M. Wilmot is a writer and researcher in the field of human and pet health. For more information visit http://www.premium-cat-food.com/ or http://www.dog-food-nutrition.info/

What you Need to Know about Cat Food

Cat Food Info #1 Cats Need Protein in their Cat Food

The cat food you feed to your cat should always be rich in protein. This generally should come from meat, poultry or fish. Many cat food brands advertise chicken, beef, and tuna flavored cat food because they know that cats need protein and cat owners are looking for quality cat food. However, you need to make sure the cat food you buy has a sufficient amount of cat food regardless of what flavor it is.

Cat Food Info #2 Cat Food with Taurine

Also check the cat food you typically buy for an amino acid called taurine. This particular amino acid is very important in the overall health of your cat, and your cat will eat as much food as it has to in order to supplement this particular amino acid. So, if you are buying cheap cat food that does not have the proper nutrients your cat will eat a lot. If you buy a nutrient rich cat food then your cat will eat little and save you more money while still getting proper nutrition.

Cat Food Info #3 Canned Cat Food or Dry Cat Food?

Many people do not know whether they should buy canned or dry cat food, or whether it even matters. Because of this, many people simply buy the cat food that is most affordable or convenient for them. This is actually a mistake. Cats should be fed a mixture of cat food. The dry cat food should be given for free feeding, especially if you are away on vacation or out for the day. Canned cat food should be supplemented at other times as well because it has water in the food and significantly more protein than the carbohydrate rich dry cat food. Not to mention the same food over and over might bore your cat and cause him to stop eating that cat food altogether.

Cat Food Info #4 Avoid Cat Food Fillers

Cats need to eat a cat food that is rich in protein, so make sure the amount of fillers is kept to a minimum. Carbohydrates are not essential for a cat's existence, so don't buy cat food that is full of them. Instead, read labels and buy cat food that is not filled with fillers and other byproducts.

About The Author
Jay Moncliff is the founder of http://www.catfoodcenter.info a blog focusing on the Cat Food, resources and articles. This site provides detailed information on Cat Food. For more info on Cat Food visit: http://www.catfoodcenter.info.