This post is sponsored by Hill’s. We are being compensated for helping spread the word about Hill’s Science Diet for Cats, but Cascadian Nomads only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.
Photo Courtesy of Hill's, Inc. Typist: Bethany
Back when I first started feeding grain-free cat food to Emily and Gryphon, there were not a lot of options on the market. Gryphon was fine on either a grain-free cat food or a healthy cat food made with grain, but Emily needed a balanced grain-free diet to ease her dry, itchy skin. I'm not sure what exactly she was allergic or sensitive to, but it was nice to get her back to her shiny, black-furred self. Nowadays, grain-free cat food is a readily available option for any cats suffering from possible allergies or sensitivities. The best part of this is that you are more likely to find a healthy, balanced grain-free cat food, made with quality ingredients that your cat will love.
Another plus to more pet food industry awareness of many cats needs for grain-free food, is that there is more info on what exactly grain-free means. At the time that I needed to get Emily on to grain-free food, I didn't think much about things that became diet issues as she aged like low protein, low phosphorus and low sodium. Emily did have a tendency to gorge herself so I did need to be careful of her caloric intake. But grain-free food does not mean carbohydrate free food; carbohydrate percentages can be similar in grain-free food as food made with grains. Something that seems to have changed since searching desperately for healthy grain-free cat food years ago is that grain-free food does not have to mean the food is high in protein, phosphorus or sodium. This is wonderful news for cats who need a grain-free diet but also may have other special dietary needs. The protein source in grain-free foods can be mainly from meat or vegetable sources or a balance of both just like in foods made with grain.
Back when I first started feeding grain-free cat food to Emily and Gryphon, there were not a lot of options on the market. Gryphon was fine on either a grain-free cat food or a healthy cat food made with grain, but Emily needed a balanced grain-free diet to ease her dry, itchy skin. I'm not sure what exactly she was allergic or sensitive to, but it was nice to get her back to her shiny, black-furred self. Nowadays, grain-free cat food is a readily available option for any cats suffering from possible allergies or sensitivities. The best part of this is that you are more likely to find a healthy, balanced grain-free cat food, made with quality ingredients that your cat will love.
Another plus to more pet food industry awareness of many cats needs for grain-free food, is that there is more info on what exactly grain-free means. At the time that I needed to get Emily on to grain-free food, I didn't think much about things that became diet issues as she aged like low protein, low phosphorus and low sodium. Emily did have a tendency to gorge herself so I did need to be careful of her caloric intake. But grain-free food does not mean carbohydrate free food; carbohydrate percentages can be similar in grain-free food as food made with grains. Something that seems to have changed since searching desperately for healthy grain-free cat food years ago is that grain-free food does not have to mean the food is high in protein, phosphorus or sodium. This is wonderful news for cats who need a grain-free diet but also may have other special dietary needs. The protein source in grain-free foods can be mainly from meat or vegetable sources or a balance of both just like in foods made with grain.
| The first ingredient in Hill's Adult Grain Free Dry Food is chicken and there are no artificial colors flavors or preservatives. My number one rule in feeding all my pets is that if I wouldn't eat it, then they shouldn't. And, while I don't eat birds (it's obviously okay for cats to) if I did eat a bird I wouldn't want fake bird! With both Emily and Gryphon, I have had to watch protein and phosphorus levels so I very much appreciate Hill's sensitivity to this. They've kept the protein percentage at 33% (I always look for the low 30's |  Photo Courtesy of Hill's, Inc. |
in dry food protein percentage) and the phosphorus is a pleasantly low 0.8%. As Emily and Gryphon aged, so did their ability to digest their food, so I like Hill's attention to adding beet pulp prebiotics and that cranberries are on the ingredients list.
Has your vet ever talked to you about or recommended a grain-free diet for your cat? Do you already feed grain-free but worry about the nutritional balance like I used to? Well, we are giving away 20lbs of Hill's Adult Grain Free Dry Food to two of our commenters. That's right! All you have to do is have a shipping address in the US or Canada, comment bellow and you will be entered to win. Two commenters will be chosen at random on September 17th, your e-mail addresses will be submitted to Hill's, they will request your shipping info and ship you 20lbs of Hill's Adult Grain Free Dry Food to try.
 Photo Courtesy of Hill's, Inc. |  Healthy, grain-free fed kitties, Emily and Gryphon. |
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