Dry food or wet food for cats
The cat is an obligate carnivore. It needs animal protein and taurine from meat, and it cannot live on plant-based food in the way that a dog, for example, can manage. That is the most important guideline when you choose food for your cat: look for a high, named meat content and a complete food declaration that covers the cat's needs for protein, fat, vitamins and minerals.
The question of dry or wet food is less about what is best in itself, and more about how the two types complement each other. Dry food is filling, easy to portion and can be left out without spoiling. Wet food has a high water content, which is an advantage, because cats naturally drink too little and tend to be under-hydrated. A good solution is often to combine the two: dry food as the basic diet and wet food as part of the daily ration or as a topping. With us you will find the dry food in the range of cat food and the soft meals under meals for senior cats and the other pâté variants described further down.
Little Lion, Jaguar or Panther
Our cat food is divided into three recipes, each covering a particular need. The Little Lion is made for kittens and young cats that are growing. It has an increased content of protein and energy, so it supports a body that is building up muscles and bones.
The Jaguar is the everyday food for the adult cat with a normal activity level. It is the one most adult cats thrive on as their basic diet all year round.
The Panther is put together with a lower fat and energy content and suits cats that need to keep their weight in check, for example the inactive indoor cat or the neutered cat, which often has a tendency to gain weight more easily. If you are in doubt about which of the three suits your cat, you can start with a trial bag before buying a large bag.
How to find the food based on the cat's age
A cat's needs change throughout its life, and age is the simplest way to narrow down the choice. A kitten should have kitten food for as long as it is growing. Most cats are fully grown around one year of age, but a few larger breeds take longer. If you want to read more about when the transition happens, we have gathered it in the article when is a cat fully grown.
When the kitten is fully grown, you switch to an adult food. Here the cat typically eats the same food for many years. When the cat gets older and more sedentary, it can benefit from softer meals that are easier to chew and digest. For that purpose we have meals for senior cats and a separate pâté for seniors.
How long should a kitten have kitten food?
A kitten should have kitten food for as long as it is growing. For most cats this means up until around 12 months of age, when the body is fully developed. Large breeds can take longer to become fully grown and can therefore benefit from kitten food a little longer, while small and early-developing cats can switch when growth has actually stopped.
Kitten food such as the little lion has more protein and energy per gram than adult food, precisely because a kitten uses a lot of energy on growing and at the same time has a small stomach. If you switch to adult food too early, the kitten risks lacking energy during a period when it needs it the most. So only switch when the cat is fully grown, and make the change gradually over the course of about a week by mixing the new food into the old one, so the stomach can keep up.
How much food should a kitten have?
A kitten eats little, but often. Its stomach is small, and it cannot hold a whole day's food at once, so divide the ration into several small meals over the day. Many kittens benefit from free access to dry food in the early phase, precisely because they regulate for themselves according to their high energy needs.
The exact amount depends on the kitten's age and weight, and it changes as it grows. Follow the feeding guide on the bag as a starting point, and adjust according to how the kitten develops: it should feel well-nourished without becoming round around the belly. Weigh it regularly, so you can see that the curve is heading in the right direction. If you are in doubt about the specific need for your particular kitten, the vet is the best source.
When can kittens have dry food?
Kittens start to taste solid food around three to four weeks of age, while they are still nursing from the mother. In the beginning, soft food or softened dry food is easiest for the little teeth and stomachs. As the kitten gets older, it can eat the dry food as it is.
If your kitten has just moved into its new home, it usually already eats dry food, but it can make the transition easier to soften the kibble a little with water in the beginning. This makes it easier to chew and releases the scent, which helps the kitten realise that it is food. If you want to try out the food before committing to a large bag, you can order a sample of the little lion.
Pâté and soft meals as part of the diet
In addition to the dry food, we have pâté for each of the three recipes, so you can give the cat a soft meal that matches its life stage. The pâté has a high water content and a texture that most cats find attractive, and it can be used either as a standalone meal or as a topping on top of the dry food.
You will find the soft variants under, among other things, pâté for seniors for the older cat. If your cat has a sensitive stomach, it is worth taking a closer look at the composition and possibly choosing a food with fewer and simpler ingredients, so you can more easily see what the stomach reacts to.
Treats and accessories for the cat
Treats are part of everyday life, but they should be kept as a supplement and not a large part of the diet, so the daily nutrition still comes from the actual food. Our cat delights are intended precisely as small rewards you can give alongside the meals without upsetting the balance of the diet.
If your cat is one of those that drinks too little, you can make the water more interesting. Shake for a rooaar is made to get the cat to drink more, which is especially relevant if it lives mostly on dry food. For fish accessories and variation in the menu, we have also gathered our maritime products under FISH.
What you should look for on the label
Price alone does not tell you whether a cat food is good. A cheap food with a low meat content and a lot of fillers can end up costing more per nutritional value, because the cat has to eat more to cover its needs. Instead, look at the label itself: how large a proportion is named meat and fish, and does the protein rank high on the ingredient list.
A cat needs animal protein, not plant-based, and taurine, which it cannot produce itself in sufficient amounts. A complete food must also be nutritionally complete, so the cat gets all vitamins and minerals. If you want to dive deeper into what should be on the bag, we have written it out in the article what should cat food contain.
