(May 26, 2025) — I’d like to talk about pet diets – although it could take a couple of columns.

In case you hadn’t noticed, pet food is big business. It can be difficult to choose from the many options to purchase for our beloved fur-family.

First, know that there are a few different opinions on this subject in and out of the veterinary community. I am simply presenting my own professional opinion.

I’ll start with what we all agree on. Cats are not small dogs, and dogs and cats are not just small humans. What I mean by this is we all have different dietary needs, despite a great deal of overlap between species. Please don’t just feed pets a small plate of what you are enjoying for dinner as their sole source of nutrition.

Cats are obligate carnivores, requiring more protein (animal protein such as organ and muscle meat) than dogs do. Evolutionarily, cats also lost the ability to make certain vital nutrients such as taurine, arginine, arachidonic acid, vitamin A and niacin on their own. This fascinating fact likely came from cats eating animals that had already eaten their own meals, and so their prey had already broken down essential nutrients to a form that cats could assimilate and utilize in their own bodies.

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Cats’ gastrointestinal tracts are shorter in length and their liver enzymes are different than dogs. I often tell my clients that a can of mice would be a perfect diet for cats. Mice are a good mix of lean protein, a wee bit of veggies (from the mouse’s diet), and lots of roughage from skin, ligaments and the like. I am not entirely sure why this never caught on.

Dogs are omnivores/partial carnivores, which means that dogs healthfully enjoy a few more carbohydrates than cats can. As a rule, they are more able to break down starches than cats.

Both dogs and cats require a robust calcium intake, with a specific ratio of phosphorus, among other vital nutrients that are available in proper quantities in commercial diets.

If you want to make your own pet food, you will need to follow a careful guideline that addresses all these nutrients in proper ratios and quantities to keep your pets healthy. Your veterinarian can recommend a veterinary nutritionist if you are looking to go this route.

In commercial options, kibble is convenient and often less costly than other forms of pet food. Kibble is a balanced source of food if coming from a reputable company.

It does have some drawbacks: It requires a higher carbohydrate source due to the need to make a product at the factory that “extrudes” into the kibble shapes, which may be a contributor to cats (and dogs) gaining weight if not getting adequate exercise or a combination diet with other types of foods.
Kibble is a highly processed product that allows it to be shelf-stable (a clear pro and con there).

Canned food is a bit fresher. Once the can is open, it is perishable. Canned foods contain more water (which is more accessible than adding water on top of kibble) and are sometimes more palatable than dried foods. High quality canned foods often are made with less carbohydrates, since they do not require the extrusion process that kibble does.

A potential shelf-stable alternative to kibble would be dry, bagged products that are oven-dried instead of extruded like kibble. Oven-dried foods do not require the higher carbohydrate load to accomplish and can often be a more healthful alternative to kibble, though they can be more costly. The same is true of freeze-dried powdered options that are either fed as-is or with a protein source added in.

Fresh frozen is presently one of my favorite options, but it isn’t always cost effective as a complete food source. It can often be utilized as a topper over kibble if price and convenience of it being fed as a stand-alone isn’t feasible. I like fresh frozen since it is generally less processed while still maintaining the careful balance your pet needs.

Next time, I’ll talk about certain conditions that would dictate a change in diet, such as allergies, kidney or liver disease, etc.

Email questions and comments for Micki McCabe Walls to drmccabevet@gmail.com.

Micki McCabe

drmccabevet@gmail.com

Micki McCabe, DVM, DACVIM, FAAVA, is a long-time Clayton resident. The recently retired local veterinarian has an interest in internal and integrative medicine.