Your cat does not only need your love and attention. The food which is fed to your cat plays a major role in its daily care. For that, you need to choose the best quality of dry cat food, which contains no by-products and no artificial flavors. Including fillers such as wheat and corn is also not advisable. Make sure you check the top dry cat food ingredients before choosing the food for your cat. We bring you the top five ingredients you should look for while choosing the best dry cat food for your pet.

Named protein source

Proteins play a major role in any animal’s nutrition.

So, there is no reason why you should not look for a protein source while you choose the best dry food for your cat. Cats are carnivores and hence they need proteins over carbohydrates. A study shows, a kitten might need 30 percent of the protein in its food, whereas an adult cat can consider 25 to 30 percent of protein content in its food. Also, the cats who are pregnant and lactating, need higher amounts of protein. Cats having kidney diseases need to consume fewer amounts of protein as compared to day-to-day consumption. Making sure you feed the right amount of protein is necessary.

Some people might ask, what happens if one feeds too much protein? There is no danger in feeding excessive protein until your cat is healthy. The extra protein supply either gets excreted through urine or is just converted to fat and hence causes no harm to the body.

Specific carbohydrates or fillers

As said earlier, cats are completely carnivorous. They do not need carbohydrates; all they can thrive on is meat. Their digestive system is made in such a way that cats cannot even digest carbohydrates properly. Many food allergies are triggered by the intake of some carbohydrates. Most dry cat foods depend on carbohydrates to hold the ingredients together. Since many cats are allergic to wheat, try eliminating corn and wheat in particular. Few companies just add corn because it comes cheap.

Named fat source

Around 65 percent of cat food contains added fat. Also, around 45 percent of cat food contains additive oil. You just have to find the right fat source. These fats come from named and unnamed sources. The best dry cat food consists of named fat sources such as chicken fat, beef fat, lamb fat, and pork fat. You may also look for canola oil, sunflower oil, and safflower oil. You must avoid the lower-quality fats coming from unnamed sources such as animal fat, poultry fat, vegetable oil, mineral oil, beef tallow or lard.

Vitamins and minerals

These are essential for cats because they are involved in all psychological reactions. Minerals contribute to maintaining the pH balance and get stored in the bone and muscle tissues. Vitamins are essential for normal growth and function of the body. Cats need all kinds of vitamins including the soluble and insoluble ones. Look for the proper vitamin supplements to make the right choice for the health of your cat.

Taurine

Taurine is an amino acid. This acid is readily produced by the human body. However, when it comes to cats, they need a dietary source of taurine to maintain good health. Minimum allowance of taurine should be 0.2 percent on a dry matter basis, as recommended by The Association of American Feed Control Officials or AAFCO. The cats who had a diet deficient in taurine were found to have retinal degeneration, by a study conducted in the year 1947. It can even cause a heart disease called dilated cardiomyopathy.

Now that you have the right ingredients, choose the best dry cat food for your fur baby. However, it is important that you keep in mind exact quantities of each of these ingredients.