Pet diet is also a matter of great particularity.
Eating is something that really matters.
A kitten I fished out of a ditch 2 years ago has become my most important companion. I love him very much. His health matters more to me than my own health. Because he has to eat, I started doing my homework, looking for information, and understanding as much as possible about the ingredients in cat food and their effects on cats. The world of cats is boundless, and the shocks just keep coming one after another.
Cats and dogs are carnivorous animals, and their diet requires fairly high protein. Cats need animal protein, because plant protein lacks some of the essential amino acids for cats, so cats cannot be vegetarian, while dogs can absorb and use either plant or animal protein. They also need a certain amount of fat to ensure they get enough unsaturated fatty acids. And the necessary vitamins and minerals. They do not really need carbohydrates. Dogs can get energy from protein, carbohydrates, and fat, while cats have a very poor ability to metabolize carbohydrates, and a cat's body functions are better suited to obtaining energy through the conversion of amino acids.
Regarding the protein that cats and dogs need most, in commercially sold pet food, the main meats commonly used for cats are tuna or chicken. But tuna actually has many problems. As a large fish with a long growth period, it has issues such as heavy metal residues (mercury poisoning), excessive intake of unsaturated fatty acids leading to vitamin E deficiency (yellow fat disease), and too-high magnesium content (urinary tract disease). And because fish spoils easily, there is also the issue of preservatives. Despite so many problems, the reason it is still widely used as the main meat is palatability. Cats are willing to eat it, love to eat it, and once addicted they may reject other milder-tasting meats. Chicken may be relatively OK, but it is still hard to avoid the problem of growth hormone and antibiotic residues.
As mentioned above, cats and dogs are carnivorous animals and do not really need carbohydrates. However, many commercially sold brands add large amounts of grains as filler to lower costs, such as soybeans, corn, wheat, rice, and so on. Eating too many grains only puts a burden on cats' and dogs' bodies, making them obese and lazy, especially cats, because they must expend more energy to metabolize them. Among these, soybeans, corn, and wheat easily cause allergies in cats and dogs, and if broken grains are used, there is easily the problem of aflatoxin. In commercially sold pet food, much of the protein that cats and dogs need does not come from meat but from by-products, such as chicken by-products referring to parts like necks, feet, feathers, and intestines. Regarding other possible ingredients in commercially sold pet food, the problems include:
Too much salt or magnesium causes urinary tract disease in pets. The use of cheap, potentially carcinogenic chemical preservatives BHA, BHT, and ethoxyquin. And the order of feed ingredients is from largest proportion to smallest, so if grains or beet pulp (fiber) are listed very early, one can imagine how nutritious that feed can be. Yet senior cat and senior dog foods often reduce fat and protein and increase carbohydrates, using the dietary concept of older humans to infer the needs of old cats and old dogs. This is a widespread and unreasonable tradition. Other special-purpose products, such as hairball control feed, increase fiber to promote intestinal motility but squeeze out other needed nutrients, and dental care feed is still food after all, so it is impossible to truly clean teeth through food.
What is worse is that apart from the common brands in hypermarket channels, nine out of ten of which have ingredient problems, many well-known major brands recommended and sold by most veterinarians in Taiwan, China also have problems such as the use of meat by-products, large amounts of grains, excessively high sodium, and chemical preservatives. Even more ironic is that some so-called prescription feeds, for example using low magnesium to prevent cats from recurring urinary tract disease, still lack none of the other ingredient problems. They merely package the illusion of expertise with a premium appearance, an expensive price, and a doctor's guarantee. Simply put, all kinds of categories are marketing tactics. They are not necessarily safe, and they do not necessarily truly fit pets' needs. The quality of feed has no absolute relationship with price.
Every step in the production and processing of modern food is full of doubts, yet as long as the final packaging and marketing present a beautiful and moving image, everything is OK. That is how it is with what people eat, let alone what pets eat. And because pets cannot judge and choose for themselves, owners must take on the responsibility, accumulate enough correct information, and have good judgment. Which meat does the feed use, and how was it raised and processed? Are there heavy metal or drug residues? Are there artificial colors and flavors? Is it grain-free, and if it must contain grains, which grains are they? Is it organic, and what proportion of the ingredients are organic? A pet's health is closely related to its diet, and it is not "it does not matter. As long as it eats. As long as it is full."
In the past, I only had a half-understanding of food additives and modern food processing. I knew they were bad, but also felt it did not matter and was no big deal. After all, does not everyone eat this way? I had not seriously thought about what was added to these foods, how they were made, or what effects they have on the body. It was only after I had my cat son that I paid attention. Now, it is time to think carefully. What cats eat is the same, and what people eat is the same. After all, eating is something that really matters.