Manufactured pet food is not what cats and dogs are meant to eat. Corn, soy, wheat, and all kinds of cheap fillers are not for their teeth or guts. I would guess that more pets are indoor pets than they were a few decades ago; therefore, they have fewer opportunities to hunt for what they need.
I agree. I’ve been doing some reading on the subject (pertaining to cats, specifically). Cats can’t digest carbohydrates; the pasty, grain-heavy dry food we give them is very bad for them. I fed it to every cat I’ve owned, and I only wish I had known better. One of my cats was diabetic, and I’m convinced dry food was the culprit.
There are other benefits to grain-free, all-protein diets for cats. Their coats stay in better condition, they don’t have as many hairballs, and they suffer less gum disease (contrary to dry food makers’ claims of teeth-cleaning, the stuff actually cakes up into a paste on the gumline).
The next cat I get will definitely have a meat-only diet.
Most of the cat food in the stores is loaded with corn...you can see the light come on when I ask people when was the last time they had to chase cats out of their corn patch?