What is the best grain-free wet cat food in 2024?
To best protect your cat’s health, choosing grain-free wet food may be a good idea. There are many producers out there, with recipes that each have their own pros and cons. You should read up on these before buying your wet cat food.
Grains aren’t usually part of a cat’s diet in the wild, at least not directly. A cat may ingest grains when eating its prey, such as rodents or birds who may have consumed grains before being killed. In that case though, the grains have already been digested by the cat’s prey and no longer contain the same nutrients. Grains are high in carbohydrates, which is one of the reasons why producers removed them from cat food.
Furthermore, some cats become allergic to grains, in which case it’s absolutely essential to remove them.
Choosing grain-free wet cat food is a relative quality guarantee and you can be sure that the water content of your pet’s paté is just what they need.
Summary
Why choose grain-free wet cat food?
Cat food producers often include a high proportion of grains in their recipes, as they are an inexpensive ingredient, bringing down the overall production costs. Grain-free food therefore inevitably contains a higher meat quantity, giving your cat more protein and less carbs.
What are the benefits of grain-free wet cat food?
Grain-free wet food has several benefits for cats. Its water content is high, which helps prevent kidney problems. The fact that it doesn’t contain grains means there’s less risk of your cat consuming too many carbohydrates, which can lead to obesity.
Is grain-free wet food suited for all types of cat?
Grain-free wet cat food is particularly appealing as it’s mainly made up of meat. Even fussy cats should like it! Grain-free wet food can also be given to cats who have trouble eating, whether it’s due to a grain allergy, dental or digestive problems, convalescence, age or any other issue.
However, there are cases where it won’t be suitable. This could be true for kittens, pregnant females, nursing mothers or cats with certain health conditions. In those cases you should get advice from your vet before changing the kitty's diet.
How to choose grain-free wet food for your cat
Paté can come in various forms, like terrines, mouthfuls, fillets, or jelly. The choice of form may be related to its quality. For example, more well-made patés are often higher in fat as this is needed for the coating to wrap around the food. On the other hand, fillets are more similar to meat, so it’s better to opt for them so your cat doesn’t consume too much fat.
For the benefit of your cat’s health, choose grain-free wet food that contains the highest proportion of fresh meat and lowest proportion of fat possible. A good average to aim for is 9% - 11% protein, 6% - 7% fat, 3% - 4% carbohydrates, 1.5% - 3% crude ash and less than 0.5% fibre.
How to measure grain-free wet cat food servings
All producers indicate the average daily amounts of wet food to give to your cat, so you can follow their guidelines to begin with at least. If you notice your cat is still hungry or, quite the opposite, putting on weight, ask your vet for his or her opinion. The diet might not be suited as it should be.