Dry fat food is a good choice for overweight or underweight cats, or those who have trouble digesting other types of dry pet foods. The formulas are usually lower in carbohydrates and higher in protein, and contain added nutrients like L-carnitine to help boost metabolism and jumpstart weight loss.
Choosing a diet for your cat is an important decision that requires a lot of research and thought. There are several factors to consider including age, health conditions and specific needs. If you’re unsure which is the best option for your cat, ask your vet to recommend a healthy, high-quality formula.
The first thing you should do is read the ingredients list on a dog or cat food bag. This will tell you if the food is complete and balanced. It should include sufficient amounts of meat, fish, poultry and byproducts to provide your pet with all the essential amino acids and fatty acids.
Look for the word “meat” on the ingredient label and make sure that it’s the first or second ingredient. Chicken is often listed as the first ingredient in a canned recipe, but once that chicken is cooked and dehydrated, it loses about 75 percent of its original weight.
If your pet’s food is low in animal proteins, it can be a sign that the ingredients are coming from grains, vegetables or other filler products. This is why it’s so important to look for best dry fat food that don’t contain grain or vegetable by-products as the primary ingredient.
There are many great dry fat food options out there that are made from high-quality meats and fish. One of the most renowned brands is Orijen. Their dry foods combine fresh and raw meats and fish with dehydrated for a natural, nutritionally complete diet.
Orijen’s dry recipes have a protein-to-fat ratio that is nearly two-to-one, and they are also low in carbs (and low in calories). In addition to the high amounts of meat, the dry foods rely on vitamin-packed power greens and some legumes as healthy carbohydrates.
Lastly, Orijen has several recipes that are specifically designed for felines with special health needs. Their formulas are formulated with the highest levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids to support joint mobility, skin health and immune system function.
Another dry food that is a great choice for pets with health issues is Orijen’s Zero Grain. This dry food is a little more expensive than other dry cat foods, but it has more meat and less filler.
It also has a low-fat and protein-to-carbohydrate ratio than other dry foods we analyzed. This is because it contains no potatoes or whitefish, which are very high in carbohydrates.
The downside of dry food is that it can cause diabetes. This is because the heat processing that makes it dry destroys enzymes, special proteins that help the body absorb nutrients. These enzymes are critical for proper digestion and can become damaged over time, causing the pancreas to work overtime to compensate for them. This can result in metabolic syndrome and pre-diabetes.