TYPES OF CAT FOOD
The main types of cat food are Wet, Dry and Semi-moist.
Wet Foods: these are foods with a high moisture content. They are usually cooked at high temperatures to sterilize them and then sealed under pressure (although not always). These include cans, foil trays and pouches and the contents include chunks in gravy, chunks in jelly and meatloaf formats. Frozen or chilled pet foods in bags are also available.
Dry Foods: these are foods that have low moisture content. They include extruded foods (shaped pellets or kibbles), flake foods (flaked cereals) and biscuits/mixers. These are often packed in bags but biscuits which are to be offered as treats may be packed in smaller boxes. Dry foods contain meat – which may be added in a fresh or dried state. Dry food may be offered dry, or owners may wish to add water or gravy to the food, depending on the manufacturer’s instructions.
Semi-moist: these are soft pellets with a chewy texture and are generally packed in sachets. Many treat products are made in a semi-moist format.
The choice of wet or dry is with the owner, depending on what they view as the best pet food for their pet... Pet owners will generally choose food on the basis of how much it costs, whether their pet likes it or not, and according to their own interpretation of what their pet will enjoy. Many choose to ‘mix and match’ wet and dry foods at each meal.
When dry food is fed your pet will need more fresh drinking water but this should be available to all pets, fed any type of food.
COMPLETE OR COMPLEMENTARY
All complete and complementary foods are labelled as such with appropriate feeding guidelines.
COMPLETE CAT FOODS
These cat foods are nutritionally complete, providing all the nutrients in the amounts and proportions your cat needs. It is only complete cat foods that are suitable for daily feeding without adding further food products. There is a huge variety of complete cat foods available to cat owners and they meet all the nutritional needs of cats.
COMPLEMENTARY CAT FOODS
These foods are designed to be only a part of a cat's diet and they do not meet the known nutritional requirements when fed alone. Complementary foods are often referred to as treats and can be fed to your cat in moderation.
For a healthy, happy pet, you need to keep it at the right weight throughout its life. Being overweight, or indeed underweight, can lead to serious health risks. It is good to get into the habit of checking your pet on a regular basis. The Pet Size O-Meter is the perfect tool to do this. We recommend checking once a month to increase the chances of your pet living a long and healthy life.
