Protein is found in a wide variety of food such as meats and eggs. It is an important part of a cat and dog’s diet, however, it is especially important for cats as they are ‘obligate carnivores’ and therefore naturally have a higher protein requirement than dogs.
Why is protein so important?
Protein is needed to form new skin cells, grow hair, build muscle tissue, and more. It also assists in creating hormones and enzymes that are needed for functions within the body, provides energy and ensures the immune system stays strong.
Canine’s and feline’s bodies can’t store protein like they can with fat and other nutrients, so this means that it has to be supplied in their daily diet. Protein needs can vary, especially between different life stages, for example, your kitten or puppy requires a high protein diet to meet their body’s demands during growth and development.
This means it is important that your pet food has sufficient amounts of protein. However, a high percentage of protein doesn’t always mean that cats and dogs are getting better quality food as this can depend on how digestible the proteins within the recipe are.
Shandell Pet Foods are freshly prepared, with meats gently cooked at 90 degrees Celsius. This gentle cooking process protects the nutrients, therefore, allowing the pet to have optimal nutrient bio-availability. Gently cooking the food means nutrients, such as proteins, stay intact rather than them being denatured when subject to extremely high cooking temperatures. This means more proteins are readily available and can be easily digested resulting in less waste.
One Reply to “Why is protein important for cats and dogs?”
Linda Pyrah
Jasper my Cocker Spaniel hasn’t been on this food that long but he loves it, I have already noticed a difference, his coat is more glossy & softer, he doesn’t shake his head now (itchy ears) he his 10 yrs old & was getting very thin at on his back end this is what I consulted Michelle, she was very helpful letting him try & variety of samples before I bought a 15k bag. He has started filling out at his back end now, due to a good diet. I wish I had know of Michelle & her amazing food years ago.