The best way to provide pets with vitamins, minerals, and other nutritional components is to feed a high-quality, complete, and balanced diet. Supplementing pet food often upsets the balance and may lead to a variety of health problems. Like their feline cousins in Africa, cats require a high-fat diet of animal protein. Eukanuba® Cat Foods provide your cat with the ultimate in taste and nutrition in a completely balanced diet.
Reasons Why People Choose Pet Food Supplements
People supplement their pet's diet for different reasons. Some of these reasons might include:
- To increase palatability or add variety
- To feel assured the pet is receiving complete nutrition
- To enjoy a larger role in "preparing" the pet's meal
Supplementing Can Unbalance the Diet
It is important for concerned cat owners to realize that a quality cat food is carefully formulated to meet the caloric needs of the animal. In addition, the food provides the essential amino acids, like taurine, and an adjusted ratio of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, as well as an optimal balance of vitamins and minerals specific to the nutritional requirements of the cat. Quality foods are complete and balanced for a specific life stage or lifestyle. By adding table scraps or other cat supplements, this delicate nutrient balance can be disrupted.
What We Know About Minerals and Supplements
The interaction between different minerals is very complex. Fortunately, this is an area of nutrition that has been the focus of extensive research throughout many years. Research has shown that individual levels of minerals in a diet are important, but so is the proper balance. An excess of one mineral may affect the absorption of a second, and lead to a deficiency in that second mineral.
Make Sure the Cat Food is Complete and Balanced
The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) regulates the pet food industry and has established certain nutritional requirements for cats. These requirements are published annually in the AAFCO Manual. Only pet foods that have met the strict testing criteria established by AAFCO can carry the "complete and balanced" statement on the label.
Our Conclusion About Cat Food Supplements
Supplementing a high-quality, complete, and balanced diet with vitamins, minerals, or other foods is unnecessary and can upset the delicately balanced nutritional requirements of your cat.