Resources for Cat Nutrition
Mollie was a scrawny kitten who blossomed on a raw diet.
Cat parents are being assaulted on all fronts when it comes to figuring out what to feed their furry kids. Between an ongoing litany of food recalls and the assault of commercial pet food marketers, it’s impossible to figure out what’s best.
Best advice? Do your homework. The Internet is a treasure trove of resources, both good and questionable. Learn about pet food ingredients, read between the lines of marketers’ messages, and evaluate the needs of your cats. If you choose to make your cat’s food, learn how to do it correctly.
Here is a list of resources to get you going. Please let me know if you have any questions (or if any links are no longer working)! Note that the information here is not a substitute for veterinary care and should be used in conjunction with regular visits and discussions with your veterinarian.
Why cats have to eat meat by Jean Hofve, DVM
How to Make Raw Cat Food: 11 Tips to Make Raw Feeding Easier by Mallory Crusta, Wildernesscat
Bio-Inappropriate: The Dangers of Dry Cat Food: newly updated by Margaret Gates for the Feline Nutrition Foundation
The Science of Pet Food and Why I Feed Raw by Laurie Goldstein
The Science of Raw Pet Food, from the Raw Feeding Community
A December 2016 study from Finland confirming the connection between dry food and diabetes. -hlund_et_al-2017-Journal_of_Veterinary_Internal_Medicine
Little Big Cat (Dr. Jean Hofve’s website): http://www.littlebigcat.com
Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition (Dr. Lisa Pierson): http://www.catinfo.org
Transitioning Feline Dry Food Addicts to Canned Food (Dr. Lisa Pierson)
Dr. Lisa Pierson’s article on Feline Diabetes
Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins’ website, Your Diabetic Cat, has transitioned into Diabetic Cat International. Her book is Your Cat: Simple New Secrets to a Longer, Stronger Life
Feline Diabetes: The Influence of Diet by Elisa Katz, DVM, as published in Feline Nutition.
Dr. Karen Becker’s ranking of types of pet food as of November 2015
“The carnivore connection to nutrition in cats” by Dr. Debra Zoran
“What’s Really in Pet Food?”: a widely known paper on pet food and the industry that is regularly updated, originally published by the Animal Protection Institute, now Born Free USA; lots of resources there as well).
Laurie Goldstein and Carolina Liima have created a product, EZ Complete, that makes it literally easy to feed your cat a raw food diet. Here’s her article, “Raw or Cooked? Which Should I Feed and Why?”
Dr. Karen Becker’s website: http://healthypets.mercola.com/
And Dr. Becker’s take on dry food: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/02/17/dry-food-wrong-for-cats.aspx
Transition your cat off dry food by using these tips from FelineNutrition,org
For Your Pet’s Sake, Don’t Touch This Prescription With a 10-Foot Pole: Dr. Becker’s article on prescription dry food for renal disease and some excellent tips for management.
Catcentric is Tracy Dion’s excellent website on feeding your cats a biologically appropriate diet.
Dr. Andrea Tasi discusses the connection between diet and chronic illness found in cats on FelineNutrition.org.
Dr. Rachel Bolts: A Scientific Take on Cat Nutrition – Some interesting information.
Your Cat’s Nutritional Needs: A Science-Based Guide for Pet Owners
An article from the Journal of Experimental Biology on what cats would choose to eat.
Evolutionary Nutrition for the Cat: EvolutionaryNutritionCats.pdf
Tracy Dion’s CatCentric, http://catcentric.org/, has lots of information on raw diets and food comparisons, as well as general health and behavior topics, including a post on the evils of kibble.
The Feline Nutrition Education Society: www.feline-nutrition.org
Feline Nutrition Awareness Effort: http://fnae.org
Cat Nutrition: http://www.catnutrition.org
Feeding for Urinary and Kidney Health by Elisa Katz, DVM, as published in Feline Nutrition.
Here’s a relatively simple balanced raw recipe for cats from PawSome Cats.
Plus some good information on transitioning reluctant raw eaters: http://www.catnutrition.org/digestible-bites/lil-bite-reluctant-raw-eaters
Important information on feeding senior kitties: http://feline-nutrition.org/nutrition/dont-let-your-senior-cat-become-a-skinny-old-kitty
Dr. Karen Becker discusses five anti-raw arguments: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2014/09/08/5-anti-raw-food-tactics.aspx?x_cid=20150203_ranart_5-anti-raw-food-tactics_facebookpets
Feline Outreach: The organization has been dissolved, but the information is still viable. http://www.felineoutreach.org
http://www.maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.htm
http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/: Truth About Pet Food’s Susan Thixton is the whistle-blower of the pet food industry.
Deal Breaker Pet Food Ingredients: From Truth About Pet Food’s Susan Thixton. Everything you don’t want to see n your pets’ food all in one place… and why.
“Best” Cat Food for 2016. This is a collection of reviews of cat food in an article produced by Consumer Affairs. Only two brands, Canidae and Iams, received five stars. Reviews of various other foods (grocery store and a couple of premiums) offer criticism, but show typical misconceptions; for instance, prescription dry food recommended for urinary crystals. Take it with a grain of salt and don’t be afraid to offer your comments.
The Best Cat Food, an analysis by Reviews.com, A painstaking analysis of more than 1,700 cat food boils down to just 163 that are acceptable. Really comprehensive methodology.
Natural Cat Care Blog’s Review of canned and raw options, updated as of March 2016.
Decoding Pet Food, a report by the Cornucopia Institute from November 2015, contains an analysis of pet food ingredients; even many so-called premium foods are suspect!
The American Veterinary Medical Association maintains information on pet food recalls going back to 2009: http://www.avma.org/petfoodsafety/recalls/default.asp
Pertains to dogs, but addresses the same issues I’ve discussed here:
http://doggybytes.ca/raw-feeding-opinions-veterinary-tech-student-part-1/3930/
http://doggybytes.ca/raw-feeding-veterinary-tech-students-part-2/3958/
Tracie Hotchner’s Dog Talk and Cat Chat at http://www.radiopetlady.com/
Chewy.com, a good, single source for pet food (and to compare ingredients) and supplies
And an article from Natural Cat Care blog, “Preventing Deadline Feline Kidney and Urinary Disease with a Simple Cat Food Choice.”
An article about corn in dog food:
http://www.dogfooddemogirl.com/cornarticle.htm
Pet Food Ingredients Revealed: Lisa Newman, N.D., PhD, and Mike Adams
http://www.naturalnews.com/Report_pet_food_ingredients_0.html
Pet Food Politics: The Chihuahua in the Coal Mine by Marion Nestle (University of California Press)
Whole Health for Happy Cats by Sandy Arora
The New Natural Cat by Anitra Frazier (new updated version)
The Complete Guide to Holistic Cat Care by Celeste Yarnell and Dr. Jean Hofve
The Cat Bible by Tracie Hotchner
The Ultimate Pet Food Guide by Liz Palika
Analysis of Toxic Trace Metals in Pet Foods Using Cryogenic Grinding and Quantitation by ICP-MS, Part 1
http://digital.findanalytichem.com/nxtbooks/advanstar/spectroscopy0111_v2/index.php#/48
Analysis of Toxic Trace Metals in Pet Foods Using Cryogenic Grinding and Quantitation by ICP-MS, Part 2: http://digital.findanalytichem.com/nxtbooks/advanstar/spectroscopy0211/index.php#/48
How Much Does Cat Food Cost?: An interesting link that prices out various types of food – a little boiler plate-ish.
An FAQ from the American Veterinary Medical Association (including position statements from other organizations) on feeding raw foods to pets – not totally condemning, but very cautionary.
If you’re thinking of feeding your cat a vegan diet, in a word: DON’T. Here are some good links, courtesy of JaneA Kelly’s Paws and Effect.
ExclusivelyCats Blog 
Hi there! Thank you for this fabulous post. Many of the mentioned links are very helpful in many ways. This will also help me select best wet cat food for my kittens. Thanks again!
necesito informacion despues de años de dar a mi mascota royal canig
If you have been feeding dry food almost any canned food is better. I recommend feeding a variety of brands to prevent your cat from becoming finicky and avoid nutritional deficiencies in any one brand.
Pingback: 10 Questions To Ask Before Adopting A New Cat - All About Cats
Pingback: 10 preguntas clave que debe hacerse antes de adoptar un nuevo gato - Mininos.es
Thank you for the reference.