Enter a keyword below to search for articles and products.
Why move your nearly grown kitten to a premium adult cat food? Because quality counts. It's crucial to continue the superb nutrition she's been getting from a premium kitten food into adulthood. Downgrading to a basic nutrition brand at this stage of her life may upset her digestive system and certainly won't provide her with the same type of nutrition she was raised on.
Think of a baby. When it's time to start giving him solid food, you wouldn't feed your child anything less than the best nutrition you can buy. The same is true for your maturing kitten. She needs the best age-appropriate food there is to help maintain overall health. Premium foods such as IAMS are formulated to meet all her needs and provide additional benefits.
They're specifically designed to provide your cat with a formula that features:
High-quality ingredients
Balanced, optimal levels of protein, fat, moderately fermentable fiber, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals, which make costly supplements unnecessary
High-quality recipes and great taste
Standards that meet or exceed Association of American Feed Control Officials standards
Nutrient-dense formulas that are right for each life stage
Product guarantees
What do all of these features add up to? A happy, healthy cat. With premium cat food, you can expect to see these important indicators of good health. They contribute to providing your cat with a long, healthy life:
Exceptional muscle tone
A shiny, luxurious coat
Healthy skin and bones
Clear, bright eyes and clean teeth
Small, firm stools
Founded upon decades of research, premium formulas from IAMS help maintain your cat's health and help provide him with the nutrition he needs for a long life. Generic brands simply may not match the level of expertise that goes into every bag of IAMS cat food.
When your cat is about 12 months of age, it's time to change her diet to a premium maintenance formula. When you transition your cat to an adult diet, it's important to monitor her weight and body condition and adjust portions if necessary.
Because cats generally eat only what they need, free-choice feeding is adequate for most cats. (Free-choice makes food available to your cat around the clock and lets her eat when and how much she needs.) Indoor cats that don't get much exercise, however, may overeat if fed free-choice. For them, portion-controlled feeding twice a day is a better routine.
To determine how much food to give your cat, check the recommendations of the pet food manufacturer on the label. Use the guidelines and weigh your cat on a weekly basis. If your cat is gaining or losing weight and shouldn't be, slightly adjust her daily intake and weigh her again the following week.
To avoid intestinal upsets, make the change from a kitten formula to an adult diet over a period of four days with the following method:
Day One: Fill your cat's dish with 75% kitten food and 25% adult food.
Day Two: Mix adult and kitten food in a 50/50 ratio.
Day Three: Feed your cat a mixture that's 75% adult food and 25% kitten food.
Day Four: Switch to 100% adult formula.
Author: Dr. Siti Zaenab
Most owners understand that protein is one of the key nutrients that cats need to thrive and stay healthy, but what many may not fully realize is just how important it is for their long-term wellbeing. Protein is a cat’s primary energy source, and cats need more protein than other domestic animals like dogs and even people. In order to fuel their bodies and nervous systems, cats require more than 50% of their dietary calories to come from protein.
Cats then break the protein down into 11 specific amino acids, which are also known as essential amino acids, which are not found in cats’ natural systems. These essential amino acids are the building blocks that create new proteins and make glucose for energy. On the other hand, amino acids that are found within cats’ natural systems are called non-essential amino acids, and these are not required in a cat’s diet.
A cat’s diet requires animal protein that contains all the essential amino acids that cats need but are not found in plant proteins. This aligns with the understanding that cats are obligate omnivores, needing meat-based protein to survive.
The slightest deficiencies in any of the essential amino acids can lead to serious health problems for cats. For instance, taurine deficiency can cause a host of problems such as blindness, inadequate immune response, poor growth and poor reproductive function.
Another essential amino acid, arginine, is important to remove ammonia from the cat’s body through urine. Without sufficient arginine content in a cat’s diet, ammonia can build up in the bloodstream, which is toxic for the cat. Additionally, the essential amino acid histidine, is a structural protein that acts as a precursor to a number of neurological compounds such as histamine. Histidine deficiency can result in weight loss, refusal to eat, and may result in cataracts.
Cats can consume their dietary protein and obtain their essential amino acids through animal products like chicken and fish. Chicken has one of the highest biological values of all the meats, making it an excellent protein source for cats. It is also a good source of tryptophan, calcium, potassium, and vitamin B6. Fish is also a highly digestible protein source, and fish like salmon can provide cats with important omega-3 fatty acids.
While natural food options that somewhat fulfil a cat’s protein needs are available, owners these days go the extra mile to deep-dive into research to ensure better lives for their cats. Besides relying on online sources like the Internet, cat owners are also seeking more counsel from vets about their beloved cats’ needs, while also becoming more selective in their decisions and detailed in their questions, which is very encouraging to see as a vet. With this spirit, owners can better understand that their cats require adequate protein to stay healthy.
Along with veterinary guidance, owners are on the look-out for food solutions that contain all the essential protein contents in one place. We are finding that they are increasingly turning to products like IAMS products, which contain protein necessary for a variety of needs, such maintaining a healthy coat, strong muscles, and good digestion. With IAMS products, cats can get their protein needs from chicken with IAMS Healthy Adult with Chicken, with real chicken as its main ingredient, and from fish with IAMS Healthy Adult with Ocean Fish, with real fish as its main ingredient, both aiding in healthy digestion, skin and coat, teeth, and muscles, to name a few.
Owners must ensure that their cats’ diets provide complete and balanced nutrition, a key component of which is adequate protein. This can be achieved through consulting with vets, researching good protein sources, and sharing knowledge with fellow cat owners, among others. With such a concerted effort, cat owners can be assured about keeping their cats as healthy and happy for as long as possible.
