Sugar-free cat food – Why is it a better choice?

Sugar-free cat food refers to cat food without added sugar. According to a consumer survey we conducted, nearly half of Finnish cat owners consider sugar-free cat food important for a cat's diet, yet many wet cat foods contain added sugar.

Sugar-free cat food is a better option for your cat, as the primary source of energy for cats is animal protein, namely meat, and cats do not need sugar or other carbohydrates in their diet. Explore a cat's natural diet.

Read this article to find out why it is advisable to choose sugar-free cat food for your cat.

What harm can added sugar do to your cat?

Added sugar has no nutritional benefits for your cat, but it can be harmful. The main problem with cat food with added sugar and high carbohydrate content in general is that it can make your cat overweight. Carbohydrates do not fill the cat's stomach in the same way as animal protein, which is why the cat eats more carbohydrate-rich food than protein-rich food.

Being overweight reduces a cat's quality of life and increases the risk of developing diseases such as heart disease, urinary tract diseases and diabetes. Find out what to consider when feeding an overweight cat.

It is especially important to focus on healthy diet of neutered or spayed indoor cats because these cats are more likely to gain weight. Learn more about how to feed a cat that has been neutered or spayed.

Why can it be difficult to switch to sugar-free cat food?

Studies have shown that cats can taste salty, sour, and bitter flavours, but they have a very weak sense or no sense at all of sweet taste. This means that adding sugar to cat food does not make the food taste better.

However, cats are what is called generalist predators, meaning they adapt to the food available in their environment, and habits often guide a cat's taste preferences. Even though cats cannot taste sweetness, added sugar can change the other tastes cats can detect and the smell of the food.

When food tastes and smells different than before, switching to sugar-free cat food might not happen overnight. But changing to healthier food is not impossible! Read our tips on how to change your cat's food.

Sugar-free cat food might require getting used to, not just for the cat but also for the cat owner. Added sugar caramelizes when heated, giving wet food a beautiful, eye-pleasing brown colour. Sugar-free wet cat food often remains pale or the colour of the meat it contains, which may not look as appealing and could surprise an unaccustomed cat owner. The smell of sugar-free cat food is also different to the human nose than food containing added sugar.

High-quality cat food does not contain added sugar. Here are five tips how you can assess the cat food’s quality.

Sugar-free cat food from Primacat

For us, the most important thing is that every cat is doing well and eating food that is good for them. Therefore, PrimaCat products do not contain added sugar or wheat. PrimaCat cat food recipes are based on the main principles of cat feeding, the most important of which is high meat content. Read more about these principles.

However, switching from a high-carbohydrate or sweetened cat food to a healthier choice can be tricky due to the cat’s selective nature. Changing your cat's food should be done systematically and with patience, as a varied and healthy diet supports your cat's overall wellbeing.

With PrimaCat's cat foods, finding food that pleases your cat is easy, as you can try all our products risk-free with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Learn more.

Source
Li, Xia, Li, Weihua, Wang, Hong, Bayley, Douglas L., Cao, Jie, Reed, Danielle R., Bachmanov, Alexander A., Huang, Liquan, Legrand-Defretin, Véronique, Beauchamp, Gary K. & Brand, Joseph G. (2006) Cats Lack a Sweet Taste Receptor. The Journal of nutrition 136(7 Suppl): 1932S–1934S.