The Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association (PFMA) has revealed that the pet food industry is increasingly concerned about the “rising misconceptions about commercially prepared pet foods”.

Most recently, a piece of consumer research highlighted many pet owners may not be aware of their cat’s nutritional needs and may not be providing a healthy diet. The industry is worried this may cause pet owners unnecessary concern about the quality of food they are feeding their pet.

A spokesperson for the PFMA said: “The nutritional needs of cats are complex and they require over 40 nutrients in their daily diet to remain healthy and happy. The easiest way for cat owners to ensure they are providing the right nutrition is by feeding a ‘complete’ prepared cat food.

“Most pet food is designed to be ‘complete and balanced’, which means each serving is a complete meal and provides all the nutrition a pet needs to be healthy. This is usually visible on pet food packaging.”

To ensure a ‘complete’ diet, PFMA said its members formulate their pet foods diets in line with the FEDIAF (European Pet Food Federation) Nutritional Guidelines for Cats and Dogs. These guidelines detail the nutritional needs of cats and dogs at the varying life stages.  They are written and reviewed by independent experts such as vets, scientists and animal nutritionists throughout Europe.

The PFMA added: “There is a wide range of ‘complete’ pet foods available to meet all consumer needs and preferences. Whatever the consumer chooses, all pet foods are subject to the same stringent legislation to ensure safe products of a high quality.”

For more information on cat nutrition, click HERE.