British Rainbow *PL – British Shorthair Cattery

The Truth About Cat Food: How to Feed Your British Shorthair for Health

The Truth About Cat Food: What to Put in the Bowl to Keep Your Brit Healthy?

You’re standing in front of the pet store shelf. Hundreds of colorful cans, smiling cats on the packaging, slogans like "Premium," "Gold," "Nature." And your mind is racing: what is actually best for my cat?

At British Rainbow*PL, we follow a simple principle: You are what you eat. Your cat is too. Many health problems – from obesity (the bane of British Shorthairs) and diabetes to kidney disease – start right in the food bowl.

Before you buy a stockpile of food from a TV commercial, read this article. Here is a crash course in nutrition for the British Shorthair owner.

1. Biology Lesson: The Obligatory Carnivore 🥩

This is the most important thing you need to understand. A cat is not a dog. And certainly not a human. A cat is an obligatory carnivore.

What does this mean in practice?

  • Their digestive system is short and acidic – adapted to digesting animal protein and fat.

  • A cat does not need carbohydrates (rice, corn, potatoes, peas). They don't derive energy from them like we do. Instead, they are stored as fat.

  • Cats derive water from their food (in nature, a mouse is about 70-80% water).

Conclusion: An ideal cat diet should consist of meat, offal, bone (or calcium supplements), and water. Vegetables? Only in trace amounts as fiber.

2. The "TV Commercial Food" Trap (Fast Food) 🍔

Why is the supermarket food we all know from commercials so cheap? Because there is almost no meat inside.

Turn over a popular pouch and read the ingredients. You will usually see:

"Cereals, meat and animal derivatives (including 4% chicken)..."

This means the cat is getting 4% of "something from a chicken," and the rest is slaughterhouse waste (feathers, claws, ground bones) and cereal fillers. To make a cat want to eat it, sugar (caramel) and flavor enhancers are added. This is the feline equivalent of eating fast food every day. A cat will eat it eagerly (because it's addictive), but years later, you will pay for it with their kidney and liver health.

3. Wet or Dry? The Great Debate 🥫 vs 🍪

For a British Shorthair, the answer is simple: Wet food is the foundation.

Why is dry food risky?

  1. Dehydration: Dry food only has about 8-10% water. Cats naturally have a weak sense of thirst. Eating dry kibble, a cat would need to drink a glass of water a day to make up the deficit. Hardly any cat does this. Result? Concentrated urine and kidney stones/struvites.

  2. Calorie Count: Dry food is an energy concentrate. The carbohydrates it contains (necessary to keep the kibble together) are a direct path to obesity. And a Brit loves to eat and gains weight very easily!

Should I give no dry food at all?

At British Rainbow*PL, we treat dry food as a supplement, not the main course. If you must provide dry food (e.g., when you're away all day), choose Grain-Free options with high meat content.

4. How to Read Labels? A Buyer's Cheat Sheet 🕵️

You don't need to be a nutritionist. Look for "High Meat" foods. A good can should have the following composition:

✅ GOOD COMPOSITION (Buy this):

  • Specific meat listed (e.g., "70% Turkey: including muscle meat, hearts, liver").

  • Animal fat (e.g., salmon/chicken oil).

  • Taurine (minimum 800-1000 mg/kg, ideally 1500 mg). This is an essential amino acid for a cat's heart and vision!

  • Clear information: "Complete pet food."

❌ BAD COMPOSITION (Avoid this):

  • "Meat and animal derivatives" (without specifying what it is).

  • "Cereals" (wheat, corn, rice, soy).

  • "Derivatives of vegetable origin."

  • "Sugars / Caramel."

Recommended brands (examples of good high-meat foods):

  • Mid/High Tier: Feringa, MAC's, Catz Finefood, Gussto, Power of Nature, Wild Freedom.

5. Treats: A Reward, Not a Way to Overfeed 🍬

Want to spoil your teddy bear? Don't buy colorful "drops" from the supermarket. They are pure sugar and chemicals.

Healthy treats include:

  • Freeze-dried meat: Freeze-dried pieces of pure meat (e.g., Cosma, Wolf of Wilderness). Cats go crazy for them!

  • Dried chews: Dried lungs, hearts, small fish.

  • Vitamin pastes: Good for "smuggling" medicine or hairball prevention (malt pastes), but check for added sugar.

6. Changing Food: Careful with the Tummy! ⚠️

When you pick up a kitten from British Rainbow*PL, you will receive a starter pack with the food they have been eating with us. This is very important: For the first 2 weeks in their new home, DO NOT change this food.

The stress of moving weakens the immune system. A sudden change in diet at this point is a guarantee for diarrhea. If you want to change to a different food (of equally high quality) after acclimatization, do it using the "mixing" method:

  • Days 1-2: 80% old, 20% new.

  • Days 3-4: 50% old, 50% new.

  • Days 5-6: 20% old, 80% new.

  • Day 7: 100% new.

Summary: An Investment in the Future

Good food (high-meat cans) costs more than a supermarket pouch. That’s true. But a cat eats less of it (because meat satisfies them faster than cereal), and you save thousands of euros that you won't leave at the vet's office treating diabetes or kidney failure.

Your cat from British Rainbow*PL is a treasure. Feed them like royalty, and they will repay you with health and a beautiful, shiny coat for years to come!

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