Controversy surrounds the inclusion of carbohydrates in cat food.
Carbs in cat food.
Regardless we cannot disregard what holistic vets and users say about the benefits of high protein low carb food on cats health.
Cats are obligate carnivores and are designed to get their protein from animal sources not plants grains and vegetables.
Cats are carnivores after all and as such their natural diet is quite low in carbohydrates.
You can share this information with clients with a take home worksheet.
A weight management tool for adult cats this tool was designed to aid the veterinary health care team in making nutritional assessments and recommendations to help their patients maintain or achieve their healthy weight.
A recipe for healthy cats.
While grain is especially bad for cats sweet potatoes and peas aren t much better.
A low carb cat food contains a very small percentage of carbohydrate.
Dry cat food has a higher carb content than canned cat food as ingredients that are high in carbs are absolutely necessary for the creation of dry cat food.
While the majority of canned cat foods have a minimal amount of carbs there are some canned cat foods that don t contain any carbohydrates at all.
When shopping for cat food.
Labeling regulations do not mandate that a carbohydrate percentage be listed on cat foods but you can figure it out yourself if you re up to a bit of math.
Cat food nutritional composition.
Cats and carbs do not mix.
Diets high in carbohydrates negatively impact the blood sugar level of many cats predisposing them to diabetes.
If you have a less than active cat feeding them a diet of high carb cat food can lead them to developing diabetes or.
Cat food carbs usually include starchy vegetables and or grains.
Some cat foods will mention this in their description while with others you can simply take a look at the nutrient breakdown on the label.
A low carb cat food is considered to have a percentage of up to 12 carbohydrate.
Manufacturers calculate the amount of carbs in their brand and show them on the nutrition label.
Continued raw meat diet.
Reasons to give your cats high protein low carb cat food.
Many pet food manufacturers are catching on to the idea that people are avoiding cat foods with grain so they are using other filler carbohydrates.
Yes the battle on whether carbs should be included on a cat s diet is still ongoing.
If your cat is a dry food addict please see tips for transitioning dry food addicts to canned food.
Some grain free products are low in carbs but many are not so shop wisely.
Always check the label yourself.
Carbohydrates in cat food are usually found as grains.
It yields enough food for 10 14 days for the average ca t.
Choosing diets with 10 or less carb calories is a good goal but unless the cat is diabetic sticking with less than 15 is also reasonable.