If you’ve followed us for any amount of time, you know that we don’t recommend a kibble diet for cats. However, many beautiful cat parents are on a tight budget when it comes to feeding their kitties.
Yes, a kibble diet is convenient and inexpensive but it’s not an optimal diet for our cats. A dry kibble food can be compared to us eating a highly processed diet. It’s lacking nutrients, high in carbs and starches and the worst part for our cats is it’s dry and lacks the moisture their bodies need.
The good news is you can feed a dry food diet but make it much healthier by adding in some highly nutritional foods and supplements.
Let’s remember our feline friends are actually desert animals and by nature they should be getting most of their moisture from their diet alone. When they are healthy and on a moisture rich diet, they have a very low thirst drive.
So let’s think about that. If we are feeding an all dry diet, they are getting NO moisture from their food. I have so many people say to me, “oh but my cat drinks a LOT of water”. Remember cats by nature have LOW thirst drives so if they are starting to drink more water or a lot of water that is a big red flag that their body is struggling.
Your cat can survive on a dry food diet but here are some easy ideas that can make a dry kibble diet more healthy and have them thriving!
- Add in a high quality Omega 3 fish oil: We recommend a fish oil that uses smaller fish, the smaller the fish the less toxins. I would also recommend a brand that does third party testing for purity. If you don’t want to get a bottle of fish oil, get some canned unsalted sardines and add that to your cat’s food. Omega 3s have anti-inflammatory properties, which makes them great for cats with allergies as well joint issues and they
will have a lovely coat! - Add some grass fed bone broth: A good bone broth made right has vitamins and minerals that will benefit your cat’s immune system and overall health.
- Add Broccoli Sprouts: These little powerhouses are packed with antioxidants! “A study found broccoli sprouts have 10 to 100 times the amount as is found in heads of broccoli. There’s also something to be said for roughage in your cat’s diet. Theoretically, broccoli sprouts can stave off certain kinds of cancer.”
- Add some wet/canned food to the dry: Any moisture we can add into our cats diet is a plus. Shoot to add in wet food as much as possible!
- Add in some lightly cooked ground meat: Are you making burgers for dinner? Put some of the unseasoned meat aside and add it to your cat’s food. Cats are obligate carnivores and NEED meat to survive!!
- Last but not least, add some digestive enzymes and probiotics: Dry food can be really hard on our cat’s digestion. Adding in digestive enzymes and probiotics will break down the food better and help with absorption of nutrients. Probiotics will also improve their immune system.
Start to incorporate a few of these things several times a week or better yet daily for better health and longevity for your precious cats.
Recommended Digestive Enzymes for Cats
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