How to Find the Best Wet Food For Your Cat
Making sure your cat is happy and healthy requires the right amount of attention, plenty of exercise, and of course a healthy diet. Unfortunately, many of us get in the habit of sourcing all of our pet food from the local supermarket without thinking twice, and these products aren’t always top-quality, to say the least.
If you want to find the best wet food for your cat, there are certain important qualities you will want to become familiar with, such as “grain-free” and an emphasis on high-quality protein. Below we’re going to take an in-depth look at what cats need in order to be healthy, and why it’s worth going out of your way to feed them the best cat food possible.
Whether it’s to improve your cat’s eating habits, a concern for the state of their health, or simply wanting to make sure your cat is as healthy as possible, you will want to educate yourself on the differences between different brands of cat food and how the ingredients and formulas can either benefit your pet or detract from their wellness.
Why High-Quality Wet Food is Great For Cats
Before diving into the specifics when it comes to ingredients and what really determines the healthiness of a particular brand of cat food, let’s take a moment to discuss the pros and cons of wet food specifically.
When it comes to feeding your cat a healthy, balanced diet, you have a few options. Most cat owners stick to wet food and dry food, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with this barring you prioritize quality. Other options include freeze-dried and various kinds of treats.
For cats specifically, wet food seems to be the best overall choice compared to dry food. While the latter offers certain benefits such as higher carbohydrate values, wet food is preferable to make up the bulk of their diet.
Some of the Benefits of Wet Food:
-
High degree of moisture content. This is extremely important for a number of reasons. For proper digestion and overall wellness, it’s important for your cat to get plenty of water or moisture content in the diet. A lack of moisture can cause constipation and other digestive issues, poor nutrient absorption, and an array of other issues. These hydration issues are compounded in cheaper kibbles that contain grain filler and other cheap ingredients. Essentially, much of the nutrient content in these foods is inert and hard to absorb.
- Taste is another important benefit of wet food. While all cat owners know how picky some cats can be when it comes to their regular diet, high-quality wet foods offer a great selection of different recipes to choose from. Most of the time, the aroma of wet food, as well as the taste and texture, are more appealing to cats, which is why they will usually pester you for their wet food but are typically much less anxious to get a kibble refill.
- Usable nutrient density and protein content. While it’s not a hard and fast rule, wet food typically contains a higher amount of quality protein, as well as other important nutrients in a more bioavailable form. This means that the nutrients in question are easier to digest and use for your cat. Wet food is almost always less processed than dry food, which also means that the nutrients are in a more natural state, which aids in absorption.
Of course, the value of the food you feed your pet can vary substantially from one brand to another. A high-quality, carefully formulated dry food that prioritizes fresh, nutritious ingredients and which has been crafted specifically to promote wellness is almost certainly going to be better for your cat than a cheap mass-market wet food, barring the moisture content.
You always want to be acutely aware of what you are feeding your pet and how a particular food may benefit them or not. The best wet food for your cat will contain tasty choice ingredients, plenty of moisture, will be rich in protein and other essential nutrients, and will be minimally processed for maximum potential benefit. In general, while treats and dry food are options that are available on the market, you want to rely on these sparingly for your cat compared to quality wet food.
What to Look For in Cat Food Brands
So what does healthy cat food actually look like? Most of us as pet owners are familiar with those fancy top-shelf brands that appear in most supermarkets and pet stores, but are these really any different than other mass-market options? What really determines the quality of wet cat food and how can you be sure that a particular product is really good for your pet?
It’s worth doing your research here because small animals like cats can have notoriously fragile digestive systems, and something as small as poor nutrient absorption can dramatically impact their quality of life and even affect their overall lifespan. Nutrition plays a key role in health, from just about every angle you can imagine. From the fluffiness of their coat to their energy levels, eyesight, skin health, heart health, and more, much of your pet’s well-being will be tied to what you feed them.
Like any carnivore worth his or her salt, your cat isn’t likely to turn down a meal if he or she is hungry, but that doesn’t mean this food is ideal for them. You only have to look at us for an example: left to our own devices, we would be content to snack on potato chips and pizza every day and we would be none the wiser in terms of what this means for our health. It’s important that you go out of your way to properly lay out a nutrient-rich, beneficial diet for your cat because it’s not like they have easy access to anything else. Even if they frequent your outdoor spaces, they are more apt to catch a bird or mouse and present it to you as a gift rather than actually eat it themselves. When it comes to proper pet care, you absolutely have to be on top of their diet and make the big decisions when it comes down to their health, diet, and well-being. This is what being a responsible pet owner is all about!
In that regard, the cat food brands you select should focus on high-quality protein, minimal processing, and fewer “filler” ingredients, like cheap grain.
Remember, while it’s easy to assume that cats and dogs share somewhat similar diets and nutritional needs, they actually vary substantially. Most importantly of all, unlike dogs, cats are technically obligate carnivores or true carnivores. This means first and foremost that they can’t produce their own taurine, an essential amino acid. The only source of this nutrient is through meat.
While a cat may enjoy certain plant-based foods on occasion as something of a dietary supplement, the bulk of your cat’s diet should be made up of high-quality meat above all else. So one way to determine if your cat’s food is healthy for them is to check that ingredient label. If you see a bunch of questionable ingredients like “ground corn,” “chicken by-product meal,” “corn gluten meal,” wheat, soybeans, “meat by-products,” or an abundance of hard-to-pronounce chemicals, run fast and far. You don’t want that stuff anywhere near your pet.
Certain choice vegetables and fruits in small amounts are actually great for cats. This actually reflects what they would seek out in a natural environment. Ever catch your kitty gnawing on a random plant, for seemingly no reason? While cats are indeed obligate carnivores, they do derive certain benefits from eating various herbs and other plants, and will from time to time seek certain plants out in order to obtain a certain nutrient.
The problem sets in when cheap grain filler competes with meat as the top ingredient in your pet’s food, or when the best animal protein in a given food is some kind of meat by-product. This is industry code for meat derived from the production of other meat products, and contain a bunch of random organ meats such as spleen and stomach. Though the production of such meat meals is highly regulated, let’s just say that this isn’t the kind of food you want to give your pet on a regular basis. In terms of lean, quality protein, you’re not going to find all that much of it here.
Here are a few points to consider when purchasing wet food for your cat:
- The main ingredient should be some kind of meat, such as tuna, salmon, chicken, or beef. This will be the first ingredient on the label unless it’s water used for processing or broth.
- There should be no grain filler in the ingredient list. Your cat doesn’t need (or want) corn or gluten meal. They have no business eating wheat. This stuff will only harm your pet in the long run, and while these ingredients have certainly gone through testing and have been vetted, that doesn’t mean they are actually good for your pet. Think of all the foods that are available for us to eat and that are considered “safe for human consumption,” yet are actually harming us or negatively impacting our health? Exactly.
- The presence of healthy vegetables such as pumpkin and potatoes will be noticeable. In small amounts, vegetables can help boost the nutritional value of the food, which will make it more appealing to your cat and can also help boost the flavor.
- Clear labeling that mentions “grain-free,” or that specifies the importance of high-quality protein or meat. Cats are carnivores first and foremost and this should be one of the most important factors when it comes down to choosing what to feed them.
Brands such as Koha, Earthborn Holistic, and Weruva are just a few examples of where to look if you want to prioritize high-quality ingredients and superior quality when it comes to wet foods for your cat. These brands place an emphasis not only on taste but on real nutritional value.
How can you tell you’ve found a quality brand of wet food for your pet? Just take a look at the goodies on the ingredient label. Chicken breast, tuna, salmon, peas, and carrots. Wholesome, real food that is minimally processed and formulated specifically to help boost your pet’s health.
Choosing Cat Food Based on Ingredients
It’s time to look elsewhere than the supermarket if you want to ensure that your cat is getting what he or she needs in order to be truly healthy. High-quality wet food can help your kitty with digestive and appetite issues, and ensure that you are doing what you can in terms of getting them the right kind of protein and variety of nutrients they need in order to stay strong and energized.
Shopping for your pet’s food should be based on the ingredients before anything else. You want food that is high in protein, full of beneficial nutrients, as grain-free as can be, and with plenty of variety as well (for those picky eaters!) If this is what you are looking for, you are in the right place.
Here at My Pets Plus, we have cultivated a selection of pet food that is second to none. Featuring an assortment of top-quality brands that really care about their formulas, you will find just what your cat needs. Our selection of the best wet food for cats contains delicious recipes from brands you can trust, full of beneficial vitamins and minerals, and perfect for pet owners that are concerned about making sure their cats are getting the right kind of diet.
Don’t settle for less than the best when it comes to the health of your four-legged family members. Shop here at My Pets Plus and choose from a great assortment of high-quality wet food that uses only the best ingredients, zero cheap grain filler, and tantalizing recipes that will have your cat bugging you for more!
