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Okay, we admit it: We’re kind of obsessed with cat food. And while we’ve done tons of research to create the world’s best single-serving menu items, all it really took was observing the obvious. Here are five basic facts about cat food you didn’t know you already knew.
We presented a neighbor’s 12-year-old tabby with both a Perfect Portions™ fresh salmon meal and yesterday’s salmon leftovers from a can. Guess what happened? She sniffed us out and chose fresh. Is it because her sense of smell is more powerful than a human’s? Or was it completely obvious that the leftovers had mixed with the scent of the blue cheese and pea soup sitting next to the can in the fridge?
How would you like to have tuna salad for lunch? And then for dinner? And then for breakfast? Don’t assume your cat doesn’t mind just because her taste buds are different — feeling superior is a cat’s job. Your job is to give them variety, which is hard when you have leftovers coming out of your ears. Try a multipack of Perfect Portions™ for the ultimate in no-leftovers variety.
Why your cat judges you
A focus group of four people at a recent dinner party revealed that opened cat food smells less than good. It’s especially embarrassing if you're the host and the smell keeps wafting over your mashed potatoes.
What cat food smells like when it's left over in your fridge
Canned food has been around for more than 100 years, so it seemed high time for a design update. When we reimagined canned cat food, we decided to get rid of the can altogether in favor of Perfect Portions™, with no-mess, no hassle containers. The results have been, uh, uncanny. Everyone agrees we should can the can. For good.
With food this good, lunchtime for cats can be just as tempting as Thanksgiving dinner for humans. Cats can have problems maintaining a healthy diet — and sticking to healthy portions — just like we do. It’s why we’ve taken the guesswork out of meals with Perfect Portions™. Each pack contains just enough (and not too much) every time. So don’t be fooled by cat food cans with 1½ servings. Unless you plan on training your cat to use the treadmill.
Cats after mealtime on regular canned food
Taurine is an important component to all IAMS™ cat foods, such as IAMS ProActive Health™ Adult Original with Chicken.
Taurine is an essential amino acid that is critical for normal heart muscle function, vision, and reproduction in kittens. It is also needed to form the bile salts that aid in digestion. Unlike other amino acids, taurine is found as a free amino acid in body tissues such as the heart and eyes, and is not incorporated into proteins.
Most mammals manufacture taurine from other amino acids. However, cats cannot manufacture a sufficient amount and, therefore, must acquire enough additional taurine through diet to meet their needs. In pet food, taurine is naturally found in animal-based protein ingredients and can also be added separately.
Taurine is supplemented in IAMS dry and canned cat foods to ensure that we provide optimal levels of this essential nutrient. IAMS wet cat foods are supplemented with taurine because they must contain as much as twice the amount of taurine found in dry food for cats to maintain adequate blood taurine levels. The canning process may affect the complex taurine balance in your cat. Our wet cat foods are supplemented with taurine to meet these higher needs.
IAMS dry cat foods also include taurine as an ingredient to supplement the primary source of this amino acid, which is animal-based protein from sources such as chicken, egg, lamb, and fish. However, these sources can vary in their taurine content, and adding more taurine is a sound approach to ensure optimal taurine levels.
Taurine is essential to the proper development and function of cells in the retina of the eye. If insufficient taurine is present, the retinal cells don’t function properly and may die, eventually causing impaired vision and even blindness. This process is referred to as feline central retinal degeneration.
Taurine is also necessary for normal function of the heart muscle cells. Taurine deficiency leads to weakening of the heart muscle, which, in turn, can lead to heart failure. This condition is known as dilated cardiomyopathy and can be fatal.
Decreased Reproductive Performance and Growth
Taurine is necessary for optimal reproductive and growth performance. Both the queen and kittens must maintain adequate taurine levels during pregnancy, lactation, and growth to ensure proper structural development.
IAMS cat foods are formulated with high-quality, animal-based proteins as their primary ingredient. In addition, they are supplemented with extra taurine to ensure balanced levels of essential amino acids.
Case L, et al. Canine and Feline Nutrition. 3rd ed. Maryland Heights, MO: Mosby Elsevier, 2011.
