My pals, these last few months have been super busy for me! I have been all over the place from New York City to Atlanta meeting my fans, cats and dogs. When I was at the Atlanta Pet Expo, my booth was close a pet supplement company and it got me thinking. I wondered if my brother and sister cats get the right kinds of nutrition they need through their food or do they also need a nutritional supplement? You know, I don’t like to admit it, but I do worry about them. They are my family after all! I asked my Mom, and she said “Preston, we pick out quality food for both you and your cat siblings so we don’t need supplements. You just need to eat all your food every day”. Hmm … Mom is smart and she is looking out for us all the time. This made me want to learn more about nutrition so I asked my pals at Hills if they could help. They gave me a lot of great information, so I wanted to share some of it with you my pals!
Balance is key!
Hills told me that for pets, “balance” is the ideal approach for a nutritious diet. Balance means that we don’t need too much or too little of anything, just the right amount. We need the ideal balance of protein, fats, vitamins, minerals, and fiber to be healthy.
- Proteins – This is super important. Proteins help support cats and dogs maintain lean muscle tissue. For my cat siblings, they need muscles to quickly jump up on the counter when I want to play chase. If their diet is too low in protein, it leads to pour growth, but if it is too high, it makes their livers and kidney work too hard to get rid of the excess.
- Fats – My brother and sister cats have super shiny black fur. I often wonder why it always looks so nice. I know they spend a lot of time grooming, so I thought their spit must have high gloss in it … hehehe. According to Hills, it is because they eat the right amounts of fats. Fat leads to healthy skin and fur. However, too much fat (ask Mr. Pibb) leads to weight gain which isn’t good.
- Vitamins – Vitamins support the immune system and help keep Pepper and Pibb in tip top shape. If cats don’t get enough vitamins, then they can get fatigued or weak. If they get too much, it causes stress to the organs.
- Minerals – Also super important for a kitty cat. Minerals lead to strong muscles and healthy teeth. If they get too much, it can cause bladder stones. I have learned this is very, very bad. My best dog friend Bella had to have surgery to remove three. I was so worried about her.
- Fiber – Fiber allows cats to maintain healthy digestion. Not enough fiber in the diet leads to loose stool, and too much can cause gas! Ok, for the record, I have never heard any of my cats pass gas. But I have heard my brother Elvis … hehehe!
So, as you can see, balance is so important to keep your pets healthy. So please pick a food for your kitty cat that provides proven, perfect balanced nutrition. Also, now you know why Hill’s picked the name Ideal Balance for their new line of all natural pet food! For more information go to Ideal Balance Cat Food
Author has been compensated for completion of this article. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.
