Which dry food for cats should I avoid? Yes, not all dry food is created equal. Here are 3 essential criteria to help you choose the right dry food and avoid those that don't quite meet your furry friend’s needs.
The first dry food for cats and dogs was produced in 1956 using a process known as extrusion. It's the same principle that's applied to making human cookies or breakfast cereals. Simply put, the raw materials are mixed with water to create a kind of dough, which is then cooked and cut into small pieces.
For over 70 years, the manufacturing process has remained pretty much the same (with some technological adjustments), but dry food for cats has certainly changed. Originally, there were two or three brands and now there are hundreds, if not thousands. The same goes for flavours. Beef, salmon, duck, and even cranberry - there’s no shortage of options to delight your fluffy gourmet.
But with all the dry food for cats out there, which ones should you avoid? Indeed, not all dry foods are created equal, and some can increase the risk of developing diabetes, kidney impairment, digestive problems, etc.
This guide won't list which dry food brands to avoid, but we'll share a few insights to help you decide which cat food's best for your cat's health.
Dry foods to avoid: 3 criteria to consider
You need to consider a number of things when choosing a dry food for your cat. These three criteria will help you strike-out many brands of dry food that falsely claim to be premium and good for their health.
Read all in more depth in our comprehensive article on how to choose the best dry food for your cat. We share all the insights you need to make a properly informed choice.
1/ Animal proteins
Remember, our furry friends are strict carnivores; they can’t live and stay healthy without animal protein in their diet.
Out of all the ingredients, the first one listed must be an animal protein. Beef, chicken, turkey, salmon, or pork are all good. If the main ingredient is wheat, corn, or potato, rule it out. This dry food for cats will contain more plant proteins than animal proteins which is not good.
What about 'meat and animal by-products' you see on labels?
This is often the first ingredient listed on many dry foods.
These by-products are not, or at least not necessarily, abattoir waste. As explained in our article about animal by-products in cat food, all animal products used to manufacture cat and dog food are automatically classified as 'category 3 by-products' irrespective of their quality. This generic term allows manufacturers to include any animal protein based on market prices or availability.
Make sure to check the protein source and quantity on the packet. The protein percentage is then compared with the calorie content (metabolisable energy) in the food to obtain the PCR or protein-to-calorie ratio. This shows the concentration of proteins in a food relative to the calories it provides, giving you the amount of protein ingested compared to the energy the food provides your cat.
For cats, those protein needs are estimated between 5.2 and 6 grams per kg of optimal weight, the PCR should ideally be above:
- 75 g/mCal for a non-neutered (active) cat
- 87 g/mCal for a neutered or sedentary cat
- 100 g/mCal for a neutered and sedentary cat
To work out the PCR, do the following math: % of crude protein / Metabolisable Energy (ME) x 1000
Example of dry food for neutered adult cats sold in supermarkets.
- Crude protein: 36%
- Metabolisable Energy (ME): 379 kcal/100 g
And you get 26 / 379 x 1000 = 94 g/mCal.
2/ Phosphorus (but not only!)
Keep an eye out, however, for the protein quality. Some dry foods may have a high protein content, but if this comes from carcass scraps, bone residues, or fish bones it won’t offer your cat any nutritional value. It will however, provide him with a lot of phosphorus and collagen (not to be confused with the collagen used in cosmetics).
Phosphorus is essential to cats' health, but if present in too high a quantity, it can damage their long-term kidney function and increase the risk of developing chronic kidney disease. Collagen, in turn, is a source of hydroxyproline, an amino acid that can increase urinary excretion of oxalate.
It's important to take into account the phosphorus level to protect your cat's kidneys and to understand (indirectly) the quality of the proteins used. You should find this listed in the dry food's detailed nutritional composition. The higher it is, the more likely the food contains carcass scraps, bone residues, and fish bones - these elements being the main sources of phosphorus.
However, a low phosphorus indicator is not the only guarantee of quality. Dry foods containing plant proteins may show a low phosphorus content, but this protein intake will be of no benefit to your furry friend, as they are strict carnivores by nature.
Here are a few insights to better understand what makes a premium protein:
- The calcium-to-phosphorous ratio (Ca/P). For a healthy cat with no kidney impairment, the ratio should be between 1 and 2, and between 2 and 3 for cats with kidney impairment. If it isn't indicated, you can divide the calcium level by the phosphorus level. And if the phosphorus level is not indicated, we can only advise you to put it back on the shelf. If the manufacturer doesn't mention it, it's because they don't want you to know about it. And when something's hidden, it's because they have something to hide…
- The crude ash content. The crude ash content indicates the amount of minerals (calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, etc.) present in your cat's food after complete combustion. The higher it is, the more carcass scraps it contains!
3/ Carbs
Unlike animal proteins, carbs are not essential for our cats. And an excessive amount can harm their health.
In case of excessive NFE (starch and sugars) relative to energy requirements, glucose is stored as glycogen or converted into fat by insulin. Dry food that is too high in carbs, besides not being easily digestible by all cats, could harm their health and lead to obesity and diabetes.
Carb-free dry food doesn't exist yet, as making dry food inevitably requires the use of starch, which is another form of carb. Starch helps produce airy and crispy dry food.
It's impossible to have carb-free dry food, but to keep your cat healthy, it's recommended to avoid dry foods with a carb level higher than 30%.
How to understand the carbohydrate content?
Manufacturers are not forced to label the carb content on their dry food packaging. If it's not indicated, do this simple math:
Add up all the analytical constituent percentages (crude protein level, crude ash level, etc.).
Then subtract the total from 100.
And you'll have the dry food's carb percentage.
But once again, if something's hidden, it's not a good sign...
Should we avoid Ziggy's dry food for cats ?
If we consider the criteria mentioned here, Ziggy's dry food is perfectly suited for your cat:
- Animal proteins (premium ones!). These figure first on the ingredient list. 44% protein for our chicken and salmon dry food for neutered adult cats and 45% for our dry food for kittens. The Protein-to-Calorie Ratio is 114.97 g/McalEL (a high ratio, above 100 as recommended for neutered adult cats).
- A low phosphorus level, which indicates exceptional protein quality. Ziggy dry food for neutered adult cats has a Ca/P ratio of 1.2 (salmon and chicken). For our little kittens, the Ca/P in our dry food is 1.1.
- Low-carb. Our salmon and chicken dry food contain 23% and 24% carbs respectively. As for our dry food for kittens, it contains only 18% carbs.
Bonjour
Merci pour votre message et navrée pour votre louloute !
Un chat qui a les reins fragiles en raison d’IRC, de cystite, ou de tout autre problème urinaire ou rénal doit en plus s’hydrater énormément, et ce, via son alimentation pour préserver son appareil urinaire et rénal.
La meilleure recommandation que l’on puisse vous donner est donc de passer votre chat à une alimentation exclusivement ou quasi exclusivement humide.
Dans notre gamme d’aliments médicamenteux, nous proposons une pâtée spécifiquement formulée pour les chats souffrant d’IRC. Vous pouvez également lui donner nos croquettes Ziggy, car elles sont pauvres en phosphore, néanmoins ces dernières doivent rester minoritaires dans son alimentation.
On reste entièrement disponible si vous avez la moindre question.
L’équipe Ziggy 💛
Bonjour peut on donner ( en alternance avec la pâtée) ces croquettes pour une chatte de 15 ans tendance aux cystites (n en a plus depuis qu elle mange des urinary care de Hills) et début d insuffisance renale?
Merci pour toutes ces précieuses informations
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