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The Importance of Protein, Fat, and Fiber in Cat Food

Unique Protein in Our Cat Foods

Our cat food products contain animal-based proteins that provide all the essential amino acid requirements for cats. In addition, special refining and quality assurance tests ensure that we only use high-quality, highly digestible protein sources for increased digestibility.

Cats, best fed as true carnivores, require essential nutrients that aren't found in plant proteins such as soybean meal. For example, cats require taurine, which can only be found in animal-based proteins.

Unique Fatty Acids in Our Cat Foods

There are two important types of fatty acids for cats, omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-6 fatty acids, found in chicken fat and corn, are essential for maintenance of skin and coat and proper membrane structure. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in ingredients such as canola, fish meal or fish oil, and flax. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to be important in blood clotting and in managing inflammation, among other things. All of our products contain sources of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids.

IAMS™ research has shown that including omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids in a ratio between 5:1 to 10:1 provides for optimal skin and coat condition in dogs. All of our products contain an adjusted omega-6:omega-3 fatty acid ratio between 5:1 to 10:1.

Unique Fiber in Our Foods

IAMS research has shown that moderately fermentable fiber, such as beet pulp, enhances intestinal health. The fermentable part of the fiber is broken down by intestinal bacteria to provide short-chain fatty acids, an energy source for intestinal cells. The non-fermentable component provides bulk for normal feces.

Using only highly fermentable fibers can cause problems, such as excess gas, while using only non-fermentable fibers, such as peanut hulls, promotes excess stool volume, because they are of no nutritional value.

All of our products, including IAMS ProActive Health™ Adult Original with Chicken, contain a patented fiber system of moderately fermentable fiber to help keep dogs’ and cats’ digestive systems healthy.

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What You Should Know About Changing Your Cat’s Diet
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Deciding when and how you should change your cat's diet takes some planning. Because cats are creatures of habit, it is not uncommon for them to prefer their current cat food to a new food. They, like humans, become accustomed to something, such as a particular food, and may not welcome a disruption to their routine.

Tips for Successfully Changing Your Cat’s Diet
The following tips should help you change your cat's diet and successfully transition your cat to a new food:
Introduce the new food gradually. This is the most successful way to ease your cat into the diet change. Start by mixing 25% new food with 75% current food. Slowly change the proportions over the next three days or so by gradually increasing the amount of new food and decreasing the amount of current food. At the end of this weaning process, you should be feeding 100% of the new food. You may encounter difficulties; for example, your cat might choose to eat only the old food, or not eat at all. However, a healthy cat can miss meals for a day or two with no ill effects.
Watch your body language. Bringing a new food into your home, placing it into a bowl, and declaring that your cat had better eat it might cause your cat to go on an eating strike. It is better to introduce the new food to the cat using a pleasant tone of voice. Gently encourage the cat to try the new food.
Don't give in to demands. It is important not to give up too soon. During the initial two-day period, do not give your cat treats or table scraps! Cats train us as much as we train them. Giving in to their demands only reinforces refusal behavior and makes it more difficult to make a nutritious dietary change.
Expect a challenge when changing from a moist food to a dry food. The biggest challenge in switching diets occurs when changing from a moist food to a dry food. If your cat continues to resist eating dry food, mix a little warm water with it. You may even want to put the moistened food in the microwave for a few seconds. If you mix the food with water it is important to discard the uneaten portion after 20 minutes. This prevents spoilage. The same rule applies for canned food. After the cat has become accustomed to the moistened food, you can wean him or her onto the dry food.
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