preview

There Are So Many Different Varieties Of Commercial Cat

Good Essays

There are so many different varieties of commercial cat food brands, how are we supposed to choose the best one for our cat? It was not until the 1800’s that farmers began domesticating cats which eventually led to the question of what was nutritionally correct to feed cats, since usually farmers would just feed them table scraps (Robin, 2014). After an electrician in England invented the first ever dog biscuit and brought it to the United States, commercial pet foods began to grow in the industry (Gates, 2016). Commercial cat food comes in many forms including dry, semi-moist, and wet foods (Medic Animal, 2007). You also have to choose between generic brands or premium brands (About Cats Online, 2016). Ways to determine if a commercial …show more content…

Dry pet food became popular during World War II as a few circumstances upraised including pet food was labeled “non-essential” and resources were limited, metal was unavailable for wet food cans, human food was low causing less table scraps, and processed foods were being manufactured on a mass scale (Robin, 2014). After WWII, the United States economy grew and pet food became more affordable as humans produced more table scraps, so companies began using that waste in their production of commercial pet foods (Robin, 2014). In the 1950s, Purina used the extrusion process, which was cooking ingredients together in a liquid form and pushed through a mechanical extruder (Gates, 2016). The process idea was from how breakfast cereal was made. The pet food products were being made inexpensively in large quantities and had varieties of shapes and colors (Robin, 2014). After so long, people started questioning the ingredients in pet foods and found that they was lacking many essential nutrients, so pet owners began wanting more research done on the nutritional needs of pets and have ever since been more cautious of what they are feeding their pets (Robin, 2014).

The different types of commercial food can come in a dry form, semi-moist form, or wet form. The website Medic Animal explains the differences between the three forms. Dry food comes in biscuit or kibble textures and is stored in bags. It consist of up to approximately 11% of water.

Get Access