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Chicken: The Complete Protein Source for Your Cat

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Chicken: The Complete Protein Source for Your Cat

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Chicken is a key ingredient in IAMS™ cat food. Its protein can help maintain healthy muscle structure, and it naturally provides each of the amino acids essential to carnivorous animals. And chicken adds great taste.

 

 What Chicken Ingredients are Used in Cat Foods?

  • Common chicken ingredients include chicken, chicken meal, chicken by-product meal, and chicken fat.
  • Chicken is flesh and skin without internal organs or feathers.
  • Chicken meal includes flesh, skin, and bone that have been cleaned, dried, cooked, and ground.
  • Chicken by-product meal is flesh, skin, and internal organs, including intestines and bone, that has been cleaned, dried, cooked, and ground.
  • Chicken fat, a high-quality energy source, provides essential fatty acids that help support skin and coat health.

 

What Is Natural Chicken Flavor?

Another common chicken-based ingredient is natural chicken flavor, also called chicken digest. Natural chicken flavor adds palatability and nutrients. It is high-quality protein and fat material that has been reduced to amino and fatty acids to improve taste through an enzymatic process.

 

Why Are Internal Organs and Bone Included in Chicken By-product Meal?

Internal organs are a rich source of protein, fats, and minerals, such as iron, that are essential to cat health and they add a taste that cats enjoy. Including some ground bone provides a good source of minerals, such as calcium. Some pet food manufacturers formulate their products without such ingredients to appeal to cat owners, rather than for the health of the cats themselves. However, the nutritional needs of cats are not the same as those of humans.

 

The IAMS Difference

Dried (meal) chicken protein sources contained in our chicken-based cat foods, such as IAMS ProActive Health™ Healthy Adult - Chicken, undergo an extra refining process and contain each of the amino acids that are essential to cats.

 

  • How to Feed Multiple Cats with Differing Nutritional Needs
    How to Feed Multiple Cats with Differing Nutritional Needs mobile
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    How to Feed Multiple Cats with Differing Nutritional Needs

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    The only thing better than owning a cat is owning more than one cat. While a multiple-cat household means additional snuggles and cuddles, it can also mean a little extra work when it comes to mealtime. Fear not! We’ve assembled this tasty buffet of tips to help make sure all your feline companions get the proper amount of food and nutrition.

     

    Why Cats May Have Different Diets

    Similar to their humans, cats’ diets vary for a number of reasons. 

     

    • Kittens need bite-size meals that help build their growing muscles and immune systems. 
    • Some cats may need to take prescribed medication with food. 

     

    Now, how can you make sure each cat is eating the right food come suppertime?

     

    6 Tasty Tips for Feeding Cats Different Diets

     

    1. Take It Slow

    Make any changes to your cats’ diets gradually over the course of several days. This will help reduce stomach issues or requests to “speak with the manager.”

     

    schedule mealtimes

     

    2. Schedule Mealtimes

    Instead of setting up a 24-hour buffet, schedule regular times for dining. This helps ensure your cats are hungry when it’s time to eat and won’t steal from anyone else’s dish throughout the day.

    lunch monitor

     

    3. Be a Lunchroom Monitor

    The best way to prevent fights over food or other eating issues is to keep an eye on your cats when you feed them. You’ll be certain everyone is getting a proper meal, and you’ll get some extra time to hang out together.

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    4. Separate Dining Rooms

    Try feeding each cat in a different room, putting their food bowls far apart or separating eating spaces with a barrier like a baby gate, trash can or chair. 

    mealtime level

     

    5. Take Mealtime to a New Level

    Another option is to put one cat’s meal on the floor and the other’s on a countertop. This works well if one of your cats is older or heavier and can’t make the leap.

    patient positive

     

    6. Stay Patient and Positive

    Your furry friends might not take to these changes immediately, but kind words, your ongoing affection and judicious use of treats will go a long way toward having them accept a new mealtime routine.

     

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