When a cat or kitten becomes part of your household you are going to have to buy cat food for your new pet. The question though when you go to buy cat food is which sort should I get? The choice at first can be quite bewildering. The range and choice of cat food has grown considerably in recent years.

Before the introduction of tin cat food, pouches, dry food and all the rest most cats tended to eat the leftovers from their owner’s meals. They might be given some of the cheaper portions of fresh fish such as cod cheeks but there were no specialist pet foods.

There does appear to be a clear connection with the development of these cat foods with the fact that generally cats seem to live longer now than in the past. However, how do you make sense of the wide selection available when you go out to buy cat food? Most food stores and supermarkets have a selection of the popular cat foods. Whether you buy the tinned versions or those coming in a pouch is purely down to which you and your cat prefer. The pouches tend to be in a one portion size which makes it easier to gauge how much to give your pet, but generally the tinned varieties tend to work out cheaper.

When you visit vets they may entice you to buy cat food from a display in their waiting rooms. These are often the top of the range cat foods that are at the top end of the price range. If you choose to buy ct food from your vets you can be assured that you are getting quality but not necessarily value for money.

Many of the cat foods on offer at your vets will be of the dry food “crunchie” variety. Dry foods are also available from food and pet stores and are very popular with some cats and their owners. The important factor that you need to remember if feeding your cat dry food is to make sure they have a readily accessible supply of fresh water. A cat needs to drink plenty of water if they have a dry food diet or otherwise they could develop kidney problems.

When you first get a cat the question of their food is going to be very much trial and error. Your pet will quickly show you which brands and types of food it prefers. Be aware though that cats just like humans and can be fickle quickly going on or off certain foods. When you go to buy cat food it is a good idea to bring a little variety into your cats diet.