Why Organic for Your Cat?

Why Organic for your Cat?

Guest post from Arcanatura LLC, a  pet care company specializing in holistic veterinary products.

U.S. sales of organic food and beverages have shot up from $1 billion in 1990 to $26.7 billion last year in 2010. The terms “natural” and “organic” have become a growing trend, the shelves in supermarkets increasingly stacked with more of the foods we should be eating. Organic foods mean more nutrition and less antibiotics, pesticides and environmental degradation; simply put, organic foods are grown and raised in harmony with the earth, rather than in factory farms that destroy the land and pollute the environment. Eating organic not only means supporting your own healthy diet, but a conscious effort to better understand how the 2,000 pounds of food the average American eats each year impacts the environment.

So, what makes pet food natural?

“Natural” foods have more recently crossed over into the pet realm with brands promoting their products showcasing images of smiling dogs and grassy fields. The truth is, the only way to ensure your pet’s food is entirely natural and wholesome is to take to the kitchen and make it from scratch. According to Dr. Karen Becker of the Huffington Post, “living foods” are important: “‘Living foods’ are simply uncooked foods in which the natural enzymes necessary for proper digestion have not been heated or otherwise processed ‘to death.’ These enzymes are considered the ‘energy’ or ‘life force’ of food.” The best way to deliver these types of nutrients to your pet is to feed them nutritious, fresh foods prepared at home. It doesn’t take a canine or feline culinary master to care for a healthy, organic pet, though – this merely means feeding your pet human-grade foods like organic meats, fruits and vegetables.

The Problem with Commercial pet foods is…

They often contain ingredients like “beef tallow,” “poultry fat” or synthetic proteins in place of real, nutritional ingredients. These cheap additives are hard for your pet to digest and difficult for their little organs that are put into overtime trying to process the bologna. If you’d rather purchase prepared pet food, before you buy, check the label for processed ingredients like these that are used as fillers, binders, and offer little to no nutrition.

Pet Food Ingredients to Avoid:

1. “Animal Fat” (animal source unspecified)
2. Artificial colors
2. By-products
3. Corn/Wheat Gluten
4. Sugar, Salt or Corn Fructose

Visit The Dog Food Project to view a complete (and seemingly endless) list of what to avoid and why when buying pet foods. By choosing to feed your pet organic meats rather than processed, fake ones, you have made the wise decision not only to better your pet’s health by delivering them the proper natural nutrients their body needs, but also to conserve the environment. In our country with over 93 million cats and 77 million dogs, each organic pet pledge counts.