Guide
Which pet foods are the cat’s pyjamas (and which aren’t)
by Patrick Vogt
Animal-specific? Vegan? Dry or wet? An expert gives us her best cat food tips
5.9.2023
Translation: Megan Cornish
There’s quite the array of cat food out there. As a pet owner, you can quickly lose track of things. So, I asked an expert what’s important to her when it comes to cat food and why she doesn’t believe in a vegan diet.
«Cats would buy Whiskas.» Even though this advertising slogan is indelibly embedded in my brain, I haven’t really thought about the statement for a long time. I haven’t had to, as our four cats – all outdoor cats – seem healthy and active. And yet, as part of a recent cat food article, I’ve started to question whether I’m feeding my own pets appropriately.
As part of my search for the «right» cat food, I sought advice from a specialist. Claudia Nett is a practising veterinarian and President of the Swiss Association for Small Animal Medicine (SVK). She’s also trained in nutrition for dogs and cats.
I want to feed my cats as well as possible. What should I focus on?
Claudia Nett: It’s actually very simple. Cats need a balanced diet to meet all the needs of their specific age. It doesn’t really matter whether that’s dry or wet food. The most important thing is that it’s species-appropriate and provides the necessary ingredients in such a way that the cat can absorb them.
Among other things, the right diet depends on the age of the cat. What other factors are there?
What the cat does all day is important. If you have a free-range pet who’s a frequent mouser, you can’t go wrong with food at home. A domestic cat, on the other hand, needs food that provides it with all the ingredients it needs to stay healthy. If the cat’s unwell, its food must be adjusted accordingly. A cat with diabetes, kidney failure or a liver problem has different nutritional needs to a healthy cat.
The number of meals and the size of the portions are also important. Unlike dogs, cats are animals that eat at regular intervals. Once wild dogs have killed a prey animal, they eat until they practically burst. They might not have anything to eat for several days afterwards. Cats are different: they prefer to eat smaller portions, spread out over the day. As an owner, you should take this into account, for example by feeding your cat several times a day or giving them access to dry food at all times.
Cats eat several small portions throughout the day.
There’s a huge selection of cat food out there. Personally, I often have wet food like Felix or Whiskas at home. Is that okay?
The most important thing is that the food is labelled as «complete food». The age group the food is suitable for should also be listed. A kitten has completely different needs to an older cat.
Cat food
Quantity discount
CHF10.40 per piece for 2 units CHF13.63/1kg
Yarrah BIO wet food Multipack 3 types
Senior, Adult, Junior, 8 pcs., 800 g
What should I look out for when it comes to ingredients?
As carnivores, cats need meat. They get their energy primarily from animal protein. That’s why the first ingredient listed in cat food should be meat and not a source of carbohydrates. There are various factors when it comes to the quality of cat food. Generally speaking, I’d make sure that it contains as much muscle meat as possible and not too much offal and crackling (a by-product of tallow and fat extraction from animal products). Sugar, which is often contained in semi-moist food, is actually completely unnecessary.
Source: Shutterstock
One topic that’s been gaining traction recently is vegan cat food. «Stiftung Warentest» recently examined a vegan dry food and was impressed.
That may be true, but it’s still not a species-appropriate diet. Vegan cat food is actually a breach of the Swiss Animal Welfare Act. This stipulates that owners must feed and care for their animals appropriately. You have to take your cat’s needs into account. You must respect their dignity and are responsible for their well-being, both in terms of care and nutrition. In addition, you mustn’t overload their ability to adapt – and that’s exactly the case with a vegan diet.
Source: Shutterstock
What do you mean by overload?
Vegetarian or vegan food simply overwhelms the cat’s system. Cats are strict carnivores and can’t digest carbohydrates. Their entire enzyme system is dedicated to digesting meat. A cat can’t break down carbohydrates to the same extent as a dog, which is considered an omnivore.
Cats don’t get many of the nutrients they need from a vegetarian or vegan diet, such as taurine and vitamin A. We humans can produce the latter ourselves via carotene, but cats can’t. They rely on pure vitamin A, which comes from an animal source, namely liver. Vegan food also contains animal additives such as taurine and vitamin A. However, where exactly they come from isn’t listed. I wonder where they come from and whether they’re actually vegan.
The composition of amino acids plays a central role in the body’s structure.
In my last article about cat food, I talked at length with a member of the Galaxus Community who feeds his cats a vegan diet. He has them examined regularly, their health is excellent and there’s nothing wrong with them. He also feeds them amino acid supplements such as taurine or vitamin A.
In my opinion, that’s exactly what mislabelling is. This isn’t strictly vegan. A vegan diet doesn’t contain any animal products, which is simply not possible with a cat. Back to the vegan cat food which got a good rating from Stiftung Warentest: it’s primarily made up of grain, and the protein comes from beans. Another problem, however, is the composition of the amino acids in meatless cat food. It’s not what a cat needs for its body structure. Fundamentally, your cat has to be fed the components of which it is made up. However, if it has to produce its own physical protein from vegetable protein, issues will arise sooner or later because the amino acids aren’t in the same ratio as in meat. The interaction isn’t right.
And yet the Community member’s vegan cats are apparently healthy. How do you explain that?
Various values can definitely be measured in the cat’s blood, but that doesn’t show you everything. If you really want to know whether a cat is receiving adequate nutrition in terms of trace elements, vitamins, calcium and phosphorus, you need a nutritional analysis or portion calculation. This makes it easier to see whether the cat’s food is meeting its needs.
I'm a full-blooded dad and husband, part-time nerd and chicken farmer, cat tamer and animal lover. I would like to know everything and yet I know nothing. I know even less, but I learn something new every day. What I am good at is dealing with words, spoken and written. And I get to prove that here.
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