Feeding fussy felines

Cat food labelling - What does it all mean?  

A lot of leading brands contain questionable ingredients when it comes to cat food, which is why we have taken the time to fine tune our range in store, meaning that we only stock the best quality foods that your cats will thrive on.  

Let's look at the ingredients in a pouch of cat food from one of the UKs most recognised cat food brands, (rhymes with Helix..) which is readily found in most supermarkets: 

  Complete pet food for adult cats with Lamb in Jelly.  

Ingredients: Meat and animal derivatives (of which lamb 4%), Fish and fish derivatives, minerals, Various sugars.  

But what do these ingredients mean? 

Meat and Animal derivatives or Animal By-products-  

This can be anything left over from the human meat industry, in other words if we wouldn't eat it - it goes to the animals. The mix of 'meats' used will vary from batch to batch and can never guarantee exactly what meats are being used, which isn't ideal if you have a pet with allergies or intolerances.  

If you have a fussy cat, this can also explain a little as to why they suddenly go off a food even if they have liked it for a while as the composition can suddenly change without the need for the manufacturer to change the wording of the ingredients.  

Legally only 4% of the entire recipe needs to contain the meat stated on the flavour of the pack, to put this more simply an 80g pouch of lamb flavour in jelly cat food will only actually contain around 3.2g of lamb by-products. 

For a dry food example in a 1kg pack of chicken flavour food will only contain around 40g of chicken by-products.  

Hardly the ideal diet for our carnivorous housemates! 

Various Sugars - 

Did you know that cats can be prone to sugar addiction?  

A phrase that we hear quite often regarding certain brands of wet pouches is "my cat will only lick the gravy/jelly, he doesn't like the chunks". This is most likely because the gravy and jelly in some of the top leading cat foods are coloured with natural colouring from CARAMEL.

Not so nutritious and definitely not contributing positively to your cat's dental health.  

Cereals -  

Grains and fillers are the top cause of digestive or skin problems in our pets. Their digestive systems just aren't designed to break down these ingredients. They are simply added as a cheap ingredient to help your cat feel full whilst not providing much for them nutritionally. Those with house cats will also notice that foods containing a high cereal content will also create more waste in the litter tray, it will also be much smellier!

Sound appetising? We don't think so! 

So, what should we be looking for when feeding our beloved feline friends? Here at Bertie's, we believe in feeding cats a diet fit for carnivores. The brands that you will find on our shelves mimic their ancestral diet - in other words, what they'd naturally eat.  

We stock a range of high quality, high meat content wet and dry foods and have a range of raw cat food in our freezers from Cotswold Raw and Nutriment.  

Bertie’s Excellence for Cats. 

Available in 4 different varieties, Bertie's Excellence for cats is our own brand of premium cat food.  

The Excellence Cat range has been specifically developed to provide a selection of high protein and high total animal content recipes that are irresistible to cats. The range has been formulated to offer an assortment of the finest freshly prepared animal protein sources with added functional ingredients to help care for a cat’s health.  

This range is currently our best seller in store, we have received lots of feedback from customers with fussy cats saying that their cats are clearing their bowls every mealtime. 

Bertie's Excellence ingredient break down. 

70% Total fish content:  

This includes 34% Dried White Fish, 26% Freshly Prepared White Fish (From top quality, sustainable fisheries in the UK), 6% Salmon Oil, 4% Freshly Prepared Herring Caviar. (We are one of the first in the UK to include Caviar in a diet for cats, only the best for our feline friends.)  

Potato:  

Potato contains solanine, which has a sweet, nutty flavour that cats find appealing. It is added to our recipes to improve the taste and texture of the food.  

Chickpeas and peas:  

Chickpeas have a unique texture that helps to prevent constipation and ease digestion. They are also a great natural source of Vitamins A, B6, C & E.  

Lentils:  

Lentils are a great natural source of B Vitamins and Iron, they also provide a great source of dietary fibre and protein.  

Beet Pulp and Cellulose: 

These ingredients are added as a good source of soluble and insoluble fibre for cats. They help to improve the absorption of foods and help to improve stool consistency. 

Another benefit of adding beet pulp and to our cat recipes is that it can help with the passage of hairballs through the digestive system.  

Fructooligosaccharides and Mannanoligosaccharides: 

Fructooligosaccharides, these are a prebiotic sugar that occurs naturally in some foods. It cannot be digested by cats but instead it is used by the beneficial bacteria that are found within the large intestines, to help prevent the growth of harmful bacteria. This in turn helps to improve health, immunity and fecal quality.  

Mannanoligosaccharides work a little differently, they contain the sugar mannose, which limits the ability of 'bad' bacteria to attatch to the intestinal wall, and instead allows the bad bacteria to be passed through the digestive system without incident.  

Joint Pack: 

Our White Fish and Caviar and Chicken, Tuna and Salmon recipes both include a joint care pack making them suitable for older cats. Glucosamine is added to help maintain healthy cartilage within the joints. 

Methylsulfonylmethane (or MSM) is added to help form connective tissue and repair joints, tendons and ligaments. 

Chondroitin Sulphate helps to promote water retention and elasticity within the cartilage helping to ensure adequate shock absorption and nourishment of the tissues that line the joints. 

Cranberries and Yucca Extract:  

Cranberries are added to help maintain urinary tract health, and yucca extract can help reduce the smell of the stools, great for those with indoor cats.  

If you'd like help in choosing a diet for your cat, please pop in and speak to a member of the team.