Cat Food Brands - The Best for Pet Stores

As any savvy pet store proprietor knows, many cat parents have become very discriminating about the cat food brands and types of foods they serve to their felines. Here are some tips about what you might want to offer for your kitty clients, and why.

Cat Parents are Now More Educated about Cat Foods

Aside from the pet food recalls of recent years, many feline fanciers are beginning to rethink their cat food brand purchases because they realize that cats have unique nutritional requirements, even more so than dogs.

As a result, an increasing number of kitty lovers are foregoing the long-popular, traditional commercial cat food brands available in supermarkets in favor of the lesser-known canned and dry foods that address cats’ singular dietary and health requirements.

What are Natural Pet Foods?

The definitions of natural, organic and holistic pet foods are very broad, which may result in lots of confusion for pet parents, and retailers. In a nutshell, these are foods that are free of animal by-products, chemical preservatives and artificial colors and flavors. Many companies also claim to offer “human quality” ingredients, maintaining that their products could be approved for consumption by people.

However, there are a number of loopholes in current laws, whereby companies are not required to list certain preservatives among their ingredients, for example. That’s why it’s crucial to familiarize yourself with the different brands you may consider carrying, research these products and ask the manufacturers lots of questions.

What Natural and Organic Brands are Best for your Store?

Regardless of the size of your establishment, any pet store that carries food really should offer the natural cat food brands, especially those not readily available in supermarkets. Not only is the demand for this increasing, it’s within the pets’ best interests.

Some Cat Food Brands to Consider:

• Halo
• Merrick/Castor & Pollux
• VeRUS
• Wellness
• Weruva

Bear in mind that this is just a partial list. But it’s a good, diverse selection, at least for starters.

Should you Carry Raw Foods for Cats?

The raw foods diet for cats has become big news in recent times, as many feline health, wellness and nutrition experts claim this is the best, most natural option for the species, mirroring what felines would consume in the wild.

Unlike dogs, who are, who may feed on both animal and plant substances, cats are “obligate carnivores,” strict meat eaters. As such, felines subsisted on diets of freshly killed rodents, birds, insects and such, for thousands of years. While there is a lot of controversy surrounding the raw pet cat food movement, mainly due to fears of contamination, many experts claim feline parents would do well to consider this back-to-nature option.

To address this demand, a small but growing number of holistic and even conventional pet stores are offering pre-packaged raw foods for cats. These may include beef, lamb, rabbit, poultry and other meats.

Some Brands Available to Retailers Include:

• Bravo
• Nature’s Menu
• Nature’s Variety
• Oma’s Pride
• Primal

Before you decide to carry these items, there are some important factors to consider.

Proper Refrigeration

As these foods are much more readily perishable than canned and dried foods, you must have the right facilities in which to store them.

The Reputations of your Suppliers

It’s vitally important to research suppliers of cat food brands, to determine the safety and quality of their foods.

Know Your Products, and Your Kitty Clients

Many of the natural pet food manufacturers are very proactive about educating retailers, and will be happy to provide you with the most effective resources for aiding your customers in making the best selections for their particular cats’ needs.

Unlike the makers of the popular cat food brands available in supermarkets, who may produce a wide array of products besides pet foods, the companies that make holistic and natural brands sell pet products exclusively. They also employ pet nutrition experts who are readily available to answer any questions you may have. In addition, the sales reps for these companies are highly knowledgeable about their foods, and are encouraged to educate their retail clients.

When considering which brands to carry, be sure to ask the companies what kinds of support and educational resources they provide in regard to their products, so that you may best serve your four-legged customers.

(Want to know what cat food brands top pet retailers like? Then please see my article "Pet Foods the Pros Recommend)."