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What You Should Know About Changing Your Cat’s Diet
What You Should Know About Changing Your Cat’s Diet

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How Wheat Is Used in Our Cat Foods

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Why Use Wheat in Cat Food?

Wheat is a grain used as a high-quality carbohydrate source in dry cat foods. It provides energy for daily activity, as well as processing characteristics for the food. IAMS™ research has shown that including wheat in a complete and balanced diet resulted in a moderate glycemic response in dogs and cats, lower in general than that observed when a rice-based diet was fed.1,2

 

Misconception About Cat Food Allergies

A common misconception is that feeding wheat causes food allergies. Here are the facts:

  • The cat must have a hypersensitivity to the food or ingredient. It is an adverse reaction of an individual animal to proteins in the diet.
  • Food allergies are rare in animals and account for a very low percentage of allergic reactions in cats.
  • If your cat has a food allergy, he is most likely allergic to one ingredient or a combination of ingredients in his diet.

 

1 Sunvold GD. The role of novel nutrients in managing obesity. In: Recent Advances in Canine and Feline Nutrition, Vol II: 1998 IAMS Nutrition Symposium Proceedings. Carey DP, Norton SA, Bolser SM, eds. Wilmington, OH: Orange Frazer Press, 1998; 123-133.

 

2 Bouchard GF. Effect of dietary carbohydrate source on posprandial plasma glucose and insulin concentration in cats. In: Recent Advances in Canine and Feline Nutrition, Vol III: 2000 IAMS Nutrition Symposium Proceedings. Reinhart GA, Carey DP eds. Wilmington, OH: Orange Frazer Press, 2000; 91-101.

 

  • How Nutrition Can Help Manage Your Cat’s Hairballs
    How Nutrition Can Help Manage Your Cat’s Hairballs
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    How Nutrition Can Help Manage Your Cat’s Hairballs

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    Why Make a Hairball Management Formula?

    • Most cats are susceptible to hairballs due to continual ingestion of hair during regular self-grooming.
    • Cat owners have told us that hairballs are one of their top concerns.
    • According to IAMS™ consumer research, a number of cat owners and their cats have found hairball treatments to be an unpleasant experience.

     

    How Were the IAMS Hairball Formulas Developed?

    IAMS nutritionists were looking for a way to control hairball formation while maintaining optimal feline health and well-being. They evaluated risk factors for hairball formation in cats fed diets that varied in fiber source and content.

    • 98 cats were studied.
    • Nine groups were fed test diets and three were fed control diets.
    • The test-feeding period was six to seven weeks, following a five-week control-feeding period.
    • Total cat-days of testing = 9,968.

     

    Researchers found that feeding diets that contained a blend of beet pulp and cellulose was more effective at moving hair through the digestive tract, compared with the same diets containing beet pulp as the only fiber source.

    • There was an 80% to 100% increase in fecal hair excretion with beet pulp/cellulose-blend diets, compared with the beet-pulp-only diet.
    • By promoting the passage of hair ingested by the cat during normal self-grooming, an important risk factor for hairball formation is minimized.
    • Hairballs were not evident in cats fed the beet pulp/cellulose-blend diets.

     

    How Do IAMS Hairball Formulas Work?

    • The fiber system (blend of beet pulp/cellulose) gently moves hair through the gastrointestinal tract while maintaining healthy digestion.
      • Beet pulp, a moderately fermentable fiber, promotes optimal intestinal health.
      • Cellulose helps to enhance the passage of ingested hair.
    • An optimal fatty acid ratio enhances skin and coat health, which decreases the likelihood of excessive shedding, a factor related to hairball formation.

     

    How Do IAMS Hairball Formulas Compare with Other IAMS Cat Food Formulas?

    IAMS hairball formulas provide high-quality nutrition and taste, like our other adult formulas, with the added benefit of reducing the risk of hairballs.

    • High-quality nutrition for adult cats
      • Optimal protein and fat levels
      • Higher fiber content due to added cellulose
      • Excellent stool quality, skin and coat condition, and taurine status
    • Great taste
      • Similar acceptability and palatability test results as other IAMS adult formulas

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