How do you know which food is the best to feed your cat? The answer depends on many factors, including your cat’s age and health… as well as your wallet! However, whatever your budget, if you learn the basics about how to assess the quality of any given cat food, you’ll be able to find a few foods that suit your cat.
In order to answer the question, “What should cats eat?” Dr. Jean has just updated and expanded her Amazon.com best-selling ebook, aptly called What Cats Should Eat (4th Edition), updated with the latest science.
This long-time bestseller clearly explains all you need to know about feeding your cat:
- What you can (and can’t) learn from a label, including the devious tricks manufacturers use to get you to buy their food
- How the pet food industry is regulated, and how that harms your cat’s health
- The differences among types of food (dry, canned, raw, etc.)
- Steps to take to improve your cat’s diet
- How to get your cat to switch foods
- How to make nutritious food for your cat at home
- Dr. Jean’s “approved brands” of canned, dry, and frozen/freeze-dried/raw diets; treats, toppers, and meal supplements (completely revised based on new information!)
- Sustainability and the pet food industry
- Glossary
- Resources, including helpful websites and specific supplement recommendations
- More than 350 references, including the latest scientific discoveries.
Here’s a tiny sampling of what you’ll learn from this ebook:
- There is no dietary life stage called mature, senior, baby cat, neutered male, midlife crisis, juvenile delinquent, or anything else–it’s all just marketing.
- Humans don’t floss with pretzels, and dry food doesn’t clean your cat’s teeth!
- A lot of pet foods claim to be “human grade,” but (with very few exceptions) it’s not true!
- Testing reveals that up to 40% of pet foods do NOT contain what’s on the label: either a listed ingredient is missing, or unlisted ingredients (including the #1 most common allergen) are present.
- Dry food is easy to hide stuff in… pretty much anything can be thrown into the vat at the rendering plant, and it will all come out looking the same—brown powder—at the end. It is impossible to know what the starting materials were (and honestly, you probably don’t want to know!)
- Low-protein kidney diets may make your cat sicker!
- In a homemade diet, if meat is not correctly supplemented with vitamins and minerals, then totally preventable problems like rickets, osteoporosis, and bone fractures are sure to follow.
- A list of cancer-causing foods is nearly identical to the ingredient list on most commercial dry pet foods.
- The “novelty effect” is when a cat enthusiastically eats a new food the first few times it is offered, but rejects it after a few meals—usually the day after you buy a case of it!
- Many senior diets contain less protein and fat—just the opposite of what most senior cats need.
- Pet food has a lot more in common with McDonald’s than its manufacturers want you to know.
- There’s a pet food industry lobbying organization that doesn’t want you to know what’s really in the food, and does its best to make sure you don’t find out.
What Cats Should Eat contains a ton of practical, useful information, including:
- What’s actually in cat food
- How to assess a label
- Marketing tricks to watch out for
- Which food forms are best for cats
- The connection between diet and urinary tract disease, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, and cancer
- What you need to know about the pet food industry
- How to feed your cat (right down to the best type of bowl!)
- How to get your cat to switch foods
- Shopping guidelines
- List of Dr. Jean’s approved brands (available nowhere else!)
- How to make your cat’s food at home
It also includes a glossary, resource section, and more than 370 scientific references (for the geeks among us!).
But What Cats Should Eat isn’t overwhelming. It’s easily digestible, and written in a down-to-earth, reader-friendly style. If you want the science, it’s there; but if you just want to know what to buy at the store tomorrow, that’s there too. Maybe that’s why it’s been an Amazon bestseller for years!
There’s an old saying, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach him how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” What Cats Should Eat does both! It tells how to “do-it-yourself” in assessing a cat food, but it also provides a list of high-quality brands so that, if you’re in a hurry, you can just pick the ones you want.
Knowledge is power; so if you want to be truly empowered when it comes to your cat’s nutrition and health, then you’ll love What Cats Should Eat! Hundreds of hours of research have gone into this ebook. And it’s only $8.99! But even better, if you have a previous version* or you if are an Amazon Kindle Unlimited member, it’s free!! Grab your copy now!
Available only on Amazon.com
*If you bought an earlier edition, the next time you open it on Kindle, the updated edition should be available now.
What Readers Are Saying:
5.0 out of 5 stars What Cats should eat: how to feed your cat for optimal health
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2021
WOW!!
I really wanted to educate myself on how to keep my cats as healthy as possible and this book so delivers!
I bought it as an e-book; it allows me to share bits an pieces to my fellow cat owners that are also interested in keeping their cats healthy.
I plan to buy the hand held book because I like to be able to thumb through the pages.
I know I can bookmark on the ebooks but for me it’s not the same and doesn’t work for me.
Thank you for writing this book!
I’ve heard that halo is a good cat food company along with ‘the honest kitchen’ but know that companies sell out all the time.
5.0 out of 5 stars This book should be required reading for all pet parents.
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2019
This book should be required reading for all pet parents. My seven year old was diagnosed with diabetes about four weeks ago. Following Dr Jean’s advice I took her off dry food and started her on grain free canned food and have already been able to reduce her insulin dose. Thanks Dr Jean !!!
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Source for Finding Top Cat Foods/Treats
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2018
Hofve’s book is easy to read and follow for any kitty owner concerned about what their cat is eating and want to make sure you are feeding your feline companion the best of the best. She talks about environmental factors in the home you can control and change. Food triggers that may exacerbate symptoms, such as allergies, asthma, and other inflammatory conditions. I found the book a quick read, but gave me a laundry list of new ideas on exactly what to feed my cat and why. She narrows down her recommendations into an easy to follow list, which is the best feature of the book.
5.0 out of 5 stars Happy I read it
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2017
I have been reading about food as medicine for humans. Recently my neighbor told me that her cat is diabetic. This started me thinking about what I was feeding my cats. I decided to investigate. I started with kindle unlimited books that I can read without charge. This book was one I found. It is a great resource. I am going to purchase a copy.
Great resource! April 2, 2012 – By Bright Eyes
I love this book! She really explain the hows and whys of cat nutrition, and she provides of list of cat foods that meet recommended requirements. Anyone interested in taking better care of their beloved cat should get this book.
A Godsend! July 21, 2013 – Carole (Rainbow City, AL United States)
I’m so grateful for this book! I’ve only recently learned how bad dry food is for cats. I’m appalled when I think back on what I used to feed my former cat years ago; I feel so guilty knowing that his health problems were all my fault. This book is teaching me how to keep my present cat healthy through a proper diet. The doctor walks us through it step by step, explaining things in terms everyone can understand. She’s even taken pity on those like me, who are hopeless with math, and done the work for us with her “approved foods” list. I refer back to it constantly. It’s become my feeding bible – for which my bouncy, glossy, healthy cat thanks the good doctor right along with me!
Excellent resource, March 2, 2013 – Neverdahl (Austin, TX)
For any cat owner looking for a resource on cat food and nutrition, this is the book for you! Easy to read and comprehend and full of information, I highly recommend this book. It tells you what to look for when researching cat food and reading labels.
Healthy Cats, February 21, 2013 – Jennifer Cross
This is the first Jean Hofve book that I have read. Having an indoor only cat, who does restricted exercise, I was looking for a nutritional way to control my cats expanding girth without starving her. Marvellous. Full of excellent ideas on how to feed your cat, without succumbing to the mass marketing strategies of the pet food industry.
Buy it now for only $8.99!
What Cats Should Eat: A Holistic Veterinarian’s Guide to Your Cat’s Optimal Diet
Kindle Edition available at Amazon.com! Click here to order directly from Amazon.com.
You can read Kindle books without a Kindle! Read them on your PC, Mac, tablet, or smartphone — Free apps are available from Amazon for all devices!
Currently only available as an e-book, but paperback coming soon!