Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cats

Cat food 101: What ingredients to look for

PawTracks
By

Are you a new cat owner curious about what to feed your cat? Or are you a well-seasoned owner with a precise cat feeding schedule, and you constantly ensure that what you’re giving is healthy cat food? Whether you fit in one of those categories or somewhere in between, we have just the guide for you. Keep reading to learn about what dry cat food ingredients are healthy and which aren’t.

Nutritional needs

Cat looking up from eating
Laura Chouette/Unsplash.com

When you think of a cat’s wild relatives, you probably think of a lion or tiger. Like their counterparts, domesticated cats need lots of protein. And they need certain nutrients, like taurine, that can only be found in animal, not plant proteins. Cats require particular types of fats, including linoleic acid, arachidonic acid, and DHA. They must also get a sufficient amount of various minerals and vitamins. Notably, cats do not need carbohydrates, which is why feeding cats grain is not recommended. Although humans use carbohydrates for energy, cats instead optimize the energy they get from proteins and fats to the point that carbs are not necessary.

Recommended Videos

The food of utmost importance in cat nutrition is meat. Every pet food sold in the United States must list ingredients in descending order of prevalence and must also display a guaranteed analysis of nutrients such as protein, fiber, and fat. These guidelines were decided on by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO).

Protein ingredients

Since animal protein is crucial to a cat’s diet, it should be your priority when looking at cat food labels. Healthy cat food has some type of meat as the leading ingredient. However, it may not be called “meat” in the ingredients list, which should actually specify the animal the meat came from. Also note that meat by-product, bone or fish meal, and beef tallow are other sources of animal protein.

Fatty ingredients

As already mentioned, fats are another essential component of a cat’s diet. They produce twice as much energy as protein. Animal fats and oils are commonly used as a good source of various fats. Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are also necessary and include compounds such as linoleic acid and DHA. Don’t worry about your cat getting too much fat; as long as they are fed an AAFCO-certified food, they are receiving a balanced diet.

Trace elements and the like

Black car eating from bowl
Kseniya Ovchinnikov / Getty Images

Unlike ingredients in human foods, the ingredients in your cat’s food that are hard to pronounce are usually necessary compounds, such as preservatives or vitamins. Why do dry cat foods need preservatives, you may ask? Spoiled food can be very dangerous, so it is important that dry cat foods contain adequate amounts of preservatives, which are a type of antioxidant, to prevent oxidation (spoilage).

Regardless of what preservative is in a cat food, always be sure to check its expiration date prior to feeding it to your pet. Aside from preservatives, other ingredients that you should look for in your cat’s food include 25 vitamins and minerals deemed essential by AAFCO.

What to avoid

We have already discussed what ingredients are important to have in a cat food. But which ingredients should you avoid? Again, cats do not need carbohydrates, which break down to sugars. Sugar has been linked to cancer in cats, so it is probably in your (and your cat’s) best interest to forgo foods that have carbs.

Cat experts recommend grain-free foods, or at the very least, those that contain only complex carbohydrates. Look for the words “corn,” “rice,” and “flour” to know which brands of cat food to avoid.

Other considerations

Calico cat eating from bowl
Thorsten Nilson/EyeEm/Getty Images

You may see distinctions like “natural” or “premium” when looking through dry cat foods. Healthy cat food does not have to have any of these labels, however, and sometimes those labels don’t mean much. Foods deemed “natural” might be labeled as such because they have no artificial ingredients. However, most cat foods do not have any artificial flavors anyways — but they do have man-made trace elements.

On the other hand, an “organic” pet food is one whose ingredients were grown and processed without pesticides. Dry cat foods advertised as “premium” do so without any FDA requirements for that label. Sometimes, a “premium” cat food is easier to digest.

You obviously want to feed your cat the very best food. Now that you’ve read this article, hopefully that task will be easier. Know that dry cat food doesn’t have to be unhealthy or contain grains, despite what some may believe. With your newfound knowledge, you can choose a healthy cat food to feed your furry friend(s)!

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
PawTracks
PawTracks
When can kittens eat dry food? The lowdown on what you should feed them
Tips on feeding your new kitten
A tabby kitten standing in a bowl of kibble

Caring for kittens is hard work, but it's one of the most rewarding experiences of a lifetime. Not only are you responsible for the most adorable little lives, but you get to watch them grow and thrive! Preparing to keep them fed and happy, however, is a lot more work. 

Just like human babies have different nutritional needs than adults, kittens have different dietary requirements than adult cats. With few exceptions, your new feline fur baby is considered a kitten for the first year of life. (Large cat breeds like Norwegian forest cats and Maine Coon cats mature more slowly and don't reach adulthood until they're two years old.) Have you ever asked yourself, "When can kittens eat dry food?" We'll give you the full scoop on what you should feed your kittens — and when to change their diet.
Do kittens need wet and dry food? 

Read more
Why do cats lick themselves? It goes beyond just cat grooming
This totally normal behavior could mean a few different things
A cat licking his paw while lying in front of a blue background

Cats spend the majority of their time doing one of a few things: eating, resting, grooming, using the litter box, or causing havoc. Their routines can become predictable at times, so it's not even worth a second glance when you catch your cat licking themselves as obviously -- and loudly -- as possible. Cats groom themselves all the time, after all, but when does licking become a bit too much?
Even though cat grooming is completely normal, if it becomes noticeably excessive, your kitty may be licking themselves -- or even licking you -- for another reason. Luckily, we can help you understand why cats lick themselves and how you can tell what may be going on. Here's what you'll want to know and what to look out for.

Is my cat grooming? When licking is normal

Read more
Why do cats open their mouths when they smell? It’s for a really cool reason
The Flehmen response is a little-known reaction in felines that allows them to take in more of their surroundings
A white and tabby cat with their mouth open

Think of the last time you smelled something foul. How did you react? If you're truly made of steel, you may not have reacted at all, but for most people, it's impossible not to flare your nostrils at least. You may have even made a face! All of these reactions are perfectly natural, though humans aren't the only species that reacts to smells, both good and bad. Even your cuddly cat sniffs out the world around them sometimes,
If you've ever noticed your cat reacting to a smell, you're not alone. Some folks have even noticed their cat opening their mouth -- and even sticking out their tongue -- while smelling, but it's not so clear what this means. Is this a reaction to a scent, or is it just a way to get an extra thorough sniff? Whatever it may be, we're here to find out.
Needless to say, you're not alone if you're wondering, "Why do cats open their mouths when they smell?" We've scoured trusted sources to find out, and this is what we know.

Why do cats open their mouths when they smell?
Watching your curious cat open their mouth in a kind of sneer while they get a good sniff of something can raise a lot of questions -- it's understandable. When people do this, it's usually a response to an unpleasant smell, but when cats do this, they're actually trying to get a better understanding of the scent in the air.

Read more