> 1. Try to find a food in which the first 3 or 4 ingredients
> are meat products.  Foods that have meat products as only
> the first and second ingredients could still contain more
> plant products than meat.  Ingredients are listed in
> "descending order of predominance by weight".  However,
> the combined total weight of all the plant products could
> outweigh the meat- even though meat is the first
> ingredient.
>
> 2. Try to find a food with a phosphorus content no higher
> than .2% 'as fed' or .9% 'dry matter basis'.  If you
> accustom your cat to moderate-to-low phosphorus diets at a
> young age, it will be much easier to maintain the cat on
> low phosphorus diets later in life- which will be crucial
> if your cat develops CRF.
>
> 3. Try to find a food with an 'ash' analysis of <5%.  2-3%
> (on the label) is ideal.  The higher the 'ash' the less
> digestible the food.
>
> 4.  Try to find a food with fiber content <2%.  High fiber
> reduces digestibility of proteins and fats and affects
> absorption for some vitamins and minerals.  A high fiber
> content also increases fecal volume and reduces urine
> volume which could lead to urinary tract disorders.  So, a
> food with a fiber content of about 1% max (on the label)
> would be ideal.
>
> Many foods meet these requirements, but the trick isn't
> only finding a food that meets all these requirements but
> one that your cat will like, too!  You can make the
> selection a little easier by putting down a smorgasbord of
> 4 or 5 foods that meet your requirements and let your cat
> choose the one she likes.  Repeat the process the next day
> but without the food she chose the day before.  If she
> chooses another food, repeat the process the next day and
> leave out that food.  I know this sounds crazy but this is
> how to establish a group of foods that you know your cat
> will eat without going through numerous trials.   This way
> you'll have a group of foods she likes and can rotate her
> diet.  Personally, I believe in rotating foods from an
> early age, this will avoid fixed food preferences later in
> life and will make switching to a prescription diet much
> easier if the need arises.
>
> Phil