Many factors influence your pet’s happiness, but nutritious and high-quality food is the first step. Healthy, balanced food can help your pet enjoy a healthier lifestyle by helping keep his coat healthy and shiny, strengthening his immune system, and keeping his digestive system functioning correctly.
As a cat owner, it’s imperative to choose high-quality food for the health of your pet. However, the ingredients’ quality in cat foods can be hard to control if they come from another country. There are many brands of cat food available. Therefore, it can be challenging to find one made in the U.S.A.
Listed below are some of the best quality options for what cat foods are made in the USA. We’re confident one of them will suit your cat perfectly!
The Feline Diet
The nutrition cats rely on (e.g. animal protein) is found only in animal products since cats are obligate carnivores. In their evolution, cats ate animal meat that contained a high percentage of protein, a moderate percentage of fat, and a relatively small percentage of carbohydrates. This is still the basis for their diets today. There are also a few dozen other nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and amino acids.
Cats are not always healthier when they receive more specific nutrients. A balanced and complete cat diet usually doesn’t need supplements, especially when vitamins and minerals. The use of supplements without the advice of your veterinarian can be harmful. Cats must have access to clean, fresh water.
Dry Food vs Wet Food: Pros and Cons
As a cat owner, you need to learn how food affects your pet. There are two kinds of cat food:
- Kibble (dry cat food) – It is usually inexpensive, convenient, and easy to use. However, the carbohydrate content is higher than desired. The water content in canned cat food makes it easier to digest for cats with health conditions, so dry food is not as beneficial. When your cat is older, dry food may be more difficult to swallow than wet food, especially if dental issues have developed. Cats with urinary disease or diabetes should avoid dry food.
- Canned cat food (wet cat food) – Compared to kibble, it is usually more convenient and nutritious. There are canned, sometimes premeasured portions of wet cat food available. Cats love the taste and convenience of wet food. Wet food may also be helpful for cats with certain medical conditions. Cats with urinary and kidney issues benefit from canned foods’ higher moisture content, which makes it easier to flush out crystals, reduces the risk of obstruction in the urinary system, and helps prevent dehydration. There is a drawback, however. There is usually a higher price per serving than kibble.
What Should You Look For When Shopping For Cat Food?
There are different nutritional requirements for cats at different stages of their lives. Kittenhood, adulthood, pregnancy, and lactation are all parts of the life cycle. The label of the cat food must indicate the stage of the cat’s life cycle at which the nutritional claim is accurate. When you have multiple cats of different ages, it can be helpful to have cat foods formulated for all stages of their lives.
A species-appropriate diet is an essential characteristic of wet cat food. Meat is the primary source of nutrition for cats, as they are carnivores. Aside from their unique nutritional needs, they gain most of their energy from protein instead of carbohydrates and use fats to process specific vitamins and minerals. Additionally, cat owners should consider that some amino acids, such as taurine, can’t be made by their feline friends, so they must consume them.
Make sure you buy from companies with a reputation for quality control, safety, reliability, and good customer service. Use your judgment to assess the circumstances surrounding any recall and its response. Whenever a company is known for continuous recalls, deception, or secrecy, you should avoid doing business with them. Rejecting a company because of a single minor recall is unnecessary, as long as their response was swift, honest, and efficient.
Talk to someone at the company if your senior cat gets sick after eating their food or if you have questions about an ingredient on the label. Make sure you are comfortable with a cat food company before signing a contract.
Further, your cat’s food should be manufactured sustainably. It is common for many companies to partner with manufacturers rather than manufacture their cat food. To assess your cat’s food quality, you need to know where it is produced.
Reading the ingredient list is also essential when choosing cat food. According to the weight proportion, the items are listed in decreasing order. It is best to choose foods that contain meat, meat by-products, or seafood among the first few ingredients because this indicates that a significant percentage of essential amino acids and fatty acids come from animal sources.
Nom Nom: The Best Cat Foods Made in the USA
9 Lives Daily Essentials Dry Cat Food — Best Value
Are you looking for cheap, U.S.-made dry cat food? In our extensive review process, we found that the 9 Lives Daily Essentials Dry Cat food is the best U.S. cat food for the money. This bag provides everything your cat needs to stay healthy and costs half the price of our best pick for an equivalent-sized bag.
The ingredients aren’t of premium quality, however. A chicken by-product is the first ingredient in this product, along with whole ground corn. You are better off buying this dry cat food since it is the best value and made in the USA.
Iams ProActive Health Indoor Weight & Hairball Care Dry Cat Food
A food specifically formulated for indoor cats made in the U.S.A. is within your reach! With Iams ProActive Health Indoor Weight & Hairball Care Dry Cat Food, your cat will be in perfect health. Because cats without enough exercise can become overweight, this kibble contains 10% less fat than Iams Original formula.
This kibble has a blend of natural fiber that will reduce your cat’s chances of developing hairballs. Hairballs can also affect indoor cats, but thanks to the natural fiber, your cat will have fewer hairballs to deal with. Fiber is derived from grains, rice, and beets. In some cats, egg allergies can trigger when eating this kibble, so be careful.
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Grain-Free Dry Cat Food
Wilderness Grain-Free Dry Cat Food from Blue Buffalo is another example of the company’s outstanding quality. An impressive 40% protein content and real chicken as the first ingredient make this an ideal choice for active cats. Your cat will feel energetic all day long due to the blend of carbohydrates inside this kibble, including peas and sweet potatoes.
In terms of ingredients, this kibble is excellent, but it isn’t cheap. Having multiple cats eat this food will result in a reasonably large food bill. However, it is still a fantastic choice if you can afford it. Furthermore, peas can cause allergies in some cats, so it’s important to note that this feed contains them.
American Journey Grain-Free Dry Cat Food
Grain-Free Dry Cat Food by American Journey is another good American product. A blend of fruits and vegetables, along with turkey and chicken, are included in this dry food to ensure your cat receives all the nutrition it needs to thrive. Your cat will build lean muscle with the protein in this kibble.
If your cat enjoys variety, other flavors are available for this American Journey dry cat food, including salmon, chicken, and duck. This food has only one downside: some ingredients come from other countries. Even though they’re from trusted suppliers and of superior quality, you should keep considering this.
Royal Canin American Shorthair Adult Dry Cat Food
Excellent cat food is also available for American Shorthair cats from Royal Canin. Although this recipe is explicitly formulated to fit American Shorthair cats, it will also suit most other shorthaired cats! With a moderate fat level of 14%, this feed is an excellent option for cats who need assistance maintaining a healthy weight.
This product has essential nutrients, including omega fatty acids, vitamins, and amino acids. You can provide balanced nutrition for your cat by combining these ingredients.
Nature’s Variety Instinct Original Chicken
Their Lincoln, Nebraska facility is a US-based company that manufactures all its products within the country.
Instinct Original contains high-quality ingredients and offers a consistent level of nutrition, though it is not as innovative nor revolutionary as raw recipes. Among the Original range of cat food recipes, the Chicken recipe contains a substantial portion of Chicken and smaller portions of Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Menhaden Fish Meal, and Chicken Fat. Eighty-one percent of the formula consists of poultry ingredients, which aligns closely with the natural diet of cats.
Salmon & Chicken Meal
Fussie Cat is indeed a relatively new pet food brand. However, don’t be discouraged by their youth. As obligate carnivores, cats require meat-based recipes, so they have focused on developing recipes that meet this requirement.
Among Fussie Cat’s best recipes, this food supports many of its claims. As its core ingredients, it uses a mix of Salmon and Chicken, both nutritious and high-quality. A chicken meal has already removed its moisture compared to whole meat ingredients, making it incredibly nutritious. It is well suited to cats as it provides an excellent nutritional profile with chicken and salmon. Additionally, the recipe contains a modest amount of legume ingredients, like peas and chickpeas, that may provide carbohydrates, protein, and fiber to your feline friend.
Conclusion
That’s all there is to it! IAs a pet parent, it is crucial to feed your cat high-quality food to ensure its health. It is common to make this decision based on an analysis of your cat’s special diet, as well as an analysis of their needs and preferences. Factors such as the company and the manufacturing process should also be considered!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is cat food?
The food that cats eat is called cat food. Nutritional requirements for cats are specific. To avoid nutritional deficiencies, adding some nutrients after manufacture, including vitamins and amino acids degraded by high temperatures, pressures, and chemical treatments, is necessary.
Is cat food good for your health?
Commercial cat foods are excellent sources of nutrition, regardless of whether they are dry or wet. Your cat’s weight is one factor that will influence the best food for him. Check the health of your cat and any health conditions he may have.
What are the benefits of cat food?
It enhances energy levels and keeps a cat’s weight in check: All-natural cat food contains more nutrients and calories to keep your cat active. In addition, it prevents cats from getting obese, which may lead to a host of problems in the future.
Is there a wet food that is best for my cat?
Cats are obligate carnivores requiring flesh-based nutrition, but the ideal diet for your cat will depend on several factors. To find affordable, high-quality wet cat food, consider your cat’s flavor preferences and health needs.
How do you choose the best-wet cat food for an indoor cat?
Keeping your indoor cat strong and lean requires a tasty, species-appropriate diet. Starches, fiber, or calories that are too high should be avoided.
What is the best cat food for cats: dry or wet?
In addition to being hydrating, wet food usually has fewer carbohydrates and tends to be meatier than kibble. Feeding your cat a dry diet may be convenient, but it can lead to urinary tract disease and diabetes in cats.
What are the benefits of buying cat food from an American company?
The benefits of buying cat food from an American company are plentiful. A range of brands offers pet food with all the necessary nutrients and ingredients to keep your cat healthy.
When you buy cat food from an American company, you enjoy a wide selection of products at affordable prices. You also get to be sure that the ingredients in the food are safe and not harmful to your pet or its health.