When looking into feeding your cat the one thing that most people want is filler ingredients in their cat’s food. There are so many options and understanding the differences in them can be a challenge. The question then becomes is all-natural cat food the best and what does it really mean.
The AAFCO Definition of All-Natural
The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) has developed a definition for the types of ingredients that can be referred to as natural. These ingredients must be derived from a plant, animals, or mined, unprocessed or subject to physical, heat, rendering, purification, extraction, but not subjected to chemically synthetic process. Natural can be constructed as equivalent to a lack of artificial flavors, artificial colors, or artificial preservatives in the product.
Pets do need a low level of some synthetic micro-ingredients and nutrients like vitamins and minerals. So, AAFCO does recognize this and allows them in natural wet cat food.
What Nutrients Does My Cat Need?
Your cat’s food needs to be complete and balanced, providing all the nutrients your cat needs. The six basic nutrient groups that need to be present in your cat’s food are:
Protein
Taurine
Fat
Vitamins
Minerals
Water
Ingredients in All Natural Cat Food
Now that you know the rules on all-natural and the nutrients that a cat needs, it is time to look at ingredients. Real all-natural cat food is made up of high-quality ingredients. Thus, the animal protein will be labeled as salmon, tuna, mackerel, and chicken.
You will not see dairy, corn, or wheat, chemicals, artificial flavors, or colors in the food. Typically, you will find it easier in canned cat food to not have the fillers and unnatural options. Canned cat food does not need to have all the carbohydrate fillers in it for its consistency.
Health Benefits of This Diet
All-natural cat food is easy for a cat’s body to absorb and utilize efficiently. It is almost like a wild cat’s diet and it reduces health issues.
This diet protects your cat from parasites better as it is not a conducive environment for worms, fleas, and ticks. This is the opposite of processed food, which makes your cat’s body a feeding ground.
It also keeps your cat’s immune system in great condition. You will find that your cat has improved digestion, dental health, less shedding, and a healthy coat.
Keep Your Cat as Healthy as Possible
All pet food must meet or exceed AAFCO’s standard nutrient profiles to claim that it’s complete and balanced. These standards are important no matter what diet and food choices you make for your cat. An all-natural cart food diet is a great choice to keep your cat as healthy as possible.
Read the labels and you will be able to find a brand that really is all-natural. We understand that your cats are part of the family and that the proper nutrition is key in keeping them around for as long as possible. Snappy Tom prides itself on giving cat owners an all-natural cat food option.
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