How many times did your mom tell you, “You are what you eat?” My mom, convinced my addiction to chocolate was not healthy, told me this often when I was growing up. I realized the importance of her advice when I reached adulthood. What I didn’t know for several years was the same advice applied to my pets. I admit to giving my first pets less than stellar food. This changed when Sassie, our twelve year old cat, came to us spoiled, having been feed a steady diet of tuna. I began to research cat food in an attempt to change her diet away from cans of tuna. I’m glad I did my homework because, according to Dr. Ashley M. Gallagher , “ what you choose to feed has a direct result on the overall health and longevity of your cat or dog. For example, the type of food a puppy is given can affect how his bones grow and whether or not he may develop arthritis later in life. ” During a recent health scare with Sassie when I rushed her to the vet, I was thrilled when the vet told me, “She really looks good to be twelve. I can tell you have taken good care of her during her life.” This reinforced how important a good diet was to my pets!
Here are some tips on how to choose and use healthy cat food for your pet:
1. Talk to your vet.
Your vet is an ideal resource for information on what your pet needs during different stages of her life. Your Vet can also recommend products based on your pet’s health conditions. Mitzie, our three year old, has been to the vet numerous times due to allergies. We feed her Hill’s® Science Diet® Adult Grain Free due to a grain allergy. I had honestly never known cats could be allergic to grain products so imagine my surprise to learn this was why she kept gnawing off her fur.
2. Choose foods designed for your pets lifestyle. Some of my cats are active and some, like Sassie, would much rather sleep away the day. The cats are in different stages of life, with some enjoying kitten food and others enjoying their adult food. At our next vet visit I plan to ask about the joint health formula for Sassie.
3. Transition your pet’s food gradually in stages. I learned this the hard way. Sassie is a finicky eater and any attempt to change her food is immediately met with resistance and refusals to eat. Mixing the new formula in gradually helped her begin to “get a taste for it.”
This post is sponsored by Hill’s. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Hill’s® Science Diet® Healthier Pets. Happier Lives.™, but Simply Southern Mom only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.
Great tips! I don’t think many new pet parents know how important a great food really is!
What adorable cats you have!! They make me want to head out and adopt a kitten!
Science diet is definitely one of the top brands. I just wished they weren’t so expensive.
I think these are some great tips for choosing the right food for your pets. I like the idea of transitioning the food.
We put our puppy through a class at Petsmart where they gave us a lesson on selecting dog food. I previously didn’t have any idea that some brands were the equivalent of junk food and had absolutely no health benefit to our pets. We love our dog and want the best for him so we researched healthy options for him (although he loves my healthy food).
Great tips!
he right food helps them grow, stay healthy and keeps them knocking things off my desk for years to come! 😉
Finding the right cat food for our cat has been so hard. She has such a sensitive digestive system and the slightest change tends to upset her.
Adorable kitties! I have two dogs and we feed them Science Diet. I’ve been thinking about checking out Blue Buffalo though.
I never really knew how to choose a pet food. These are great tips.
We used to have a cat that threw up all the time. The right food is so important for our pets!
Thank goodness I only have ta fish to worry about! So happy that there are great options for food for our pets!
These are all great tips. Thankfully we found a food we love but if we go anywhere else we have to bring it with us because she cant handle sudden changes in food.
Your cat is adorable. A few weeks back to broke down and bought our family cat some really cheap cat food, he hated it so much. I felt so bad. I treated him to the best cat food just the other day to make up for it. I can tell he forgives me now.
Your cat looks amazing for 12! My cat is 7 and i really wish i could help her lose weight. But, at least she’s healthy.
These are great tips. It’s been ages since we’ve had a cat, but we’d love to get another one.
Great advice! I always checked with my vet! I always think it’s a good idea no matter what pet just to be sure if it’s ok for them or not.
We had to look for one that wouldn’t break my dogs out. They are highly allergic to many commercial dog foods, so we had to read a lot of labels to find the best fit.
All of our pets eat Science Diet food. It is a great idea to transition food. Even from one version of Science Diet to another version.
Oh sweet kitty. I am making sure to feed my kitty the best food I can find for her.
We just adopted a puppy. Thanks for sharing these great tips. They definitely are useful for me.
I keep trying different foods with my Pug, some make her sick others work fine but she gobbles em too fast. I still need to look into better ingredients for her, she is 7 or 8 now … getting up there in age.
There are so many different types of pet food out there it is so hard to know what kind is best for your pet. I always use what my vet recommends for our fur babies.
What a sweet cat. Thanks for sharing these food ideas.
Transitioning in stages in so smart. Those little stinkers will go on hunger strikes if you don’t!
I used to use Hills Science Diet with my Persian Cat but my Shih-Tzu didn’t like it so we went with another high end brand. Hills does have really good food for pets though.
There’s so many pet food choices out there. It’s good to know that Science Diet provides great nutrients for your pet!
Always talk to your vet for sure! Have to check out this brand with mine now.
Those cats are so, so cute!
Talking to your vet is very importtnant. Our dog has allergies so she ahs to eat speficif foods.
We actually used to make our dog’s food. When we ran it by the vet she said it was the perfect recipe and you could see how much healthier our dog was – shinier coat, more energy, dropped some weight. (But it was too expensive for us to maintain at the current time.)
Cute photos! We love our cats and will have to check out this special promo! So worth trying for our little fur balls.
It is so important to feed your pet quality food. Such a big difference in a quality brand and a discounted brand,
Our cat came from a shelter and we spoil him with great cat food. Happy pets are well fed pets.
I just switched my dog’s food to organic foods. He seems to even love it better too.
Those kitties are too cute! Choosing the right food is so important.
Great tips. When i had a cat i used to give her Science Diet, this was one of her favorite brands.
We never really thought about it. We just used the food our vet suggested.
This is so timely for us as we just got a puppy. He’s 9 weeks old now an dee are struggling to figure out how much to actually feed him. Thanks for the tips.
We have a sign over the gate at the driveway that says “Rescue Animals Welcome.” I am sure it is there because we get so many different kinds of animals who are abandoned by their recently homeless families. Our two adult cats need hairball food, and yes, it is expensive, but their health is more important. Thanks for the tips on choosing the right food.
That’s what pet food we use too! Nothing but the best for my furry babies.
I’m glad to hear it’s paid off doing the switch to good food for your cats. Your first picture is Sassie? If so, she really does not look 12!
My dogs eat only Science Diet. It doesn’t upset their stomachs. They are very sensitive.
These are some great tips! We have dogs right now, but that doesn’t mean we won’t ever have a cat.
I’m going to look into Science Diet for my kitty. Nothing’s too good for my fur baby!
My dog is so picky and will only eat this good food among one other brand. I guess she knows the good stuff!
Keeping your pet healthy is so important. Those are adorable furbabies.
I agree Debbie – when Kingers is sick our whole world is turned upside down.
We’re very close with our vet and techs as the office is right down the road and my husband grew up with a few of the techs. They are pretty amazing.
Thanks for this informative post. It’s amazing how little we sometimes think about what does into our pets’ food.
So anyway, that should be “goes” not does. Geez, what a numbskull I can. I actually do appreciate all the info because even though I don’t have pets myself, I adore my daughter’s cat and I read this stuff like she’s my own cat.
This is a great post. Bargain basement food doesn’t get it if you want your pet to stay healthy. We recommend Science Diet at the vet all the time.
Thanks for these great tips on feeding your pet! With so many choices these days it’s hard to know what is best.
I’ll have to recommend Hill’s Pet Nutrition to my mom for her cat. She is very old and her appetite has changed so I think she needs to try something new to accommodate that. Thanks for the tips!
Thanks for the tips! We don’t have a pet YET but it’s just a matter of time with animal lovers in the house. I wouldn’t even know what to buy them or where to begin so this helps!
Great tips. We had to switch our dogs’ food a couple of times during their lives. Your cat is adorable!
We don’t have a cat, but I think your tips apply for dogs as well. It’s important to transition pets to new foods slowly, so their tummys don’t get upset.
we use HIlls Science Diet for our dogs. I love it, our dogs are healthy and active.
I need to talk to our vet about whether or not we need to change our cat’s food. She’s been on the same indoor cat food since we adopted her. I want to be sure she’s healthy for as long as possible (she’s family!)
We feed my pups and cat Blue Buffalo which we love. I just hate that it’s so expensive!
It is hard to pick the best food so many companies tell you different things about their product.
I worked at a vet and we always recommended Science Diet. I love how the make special formulas designed for your pets needs.
Science Diet is a trusted brand. My Milo loves it.
We got our dog from a shelter, so we always just fed him what they said they gave him. Talking to the animal’s vet is good advice, though. They know best.