The Jaguar is grain-free cat food with a high meat content
The Jaguar is Essential Foods' dry food for adult cats, built around a high content of animal protein and completely grain-free. The idea behind the name is simple: a house cat shares its digestive system and basic nutritional needs with its wild relatives, and a cat is an obligate carnivore. This means it gets the vast majority of its energy and its building blocks from meat, not from carbohydrates.
That is why meat is the primary ingredient in The Jaguar, while grain has been cut out entirely. If you are looking for a food where animal protein comes first and the filler from wheat, corn and rice has been dropped, this is exactly what this collection brings together.
The Jaguar comes in several bag sizes, so you can choose based on how many cats you have and how quickly the food is used up: JAGUAR, 1.5KG, JAGUAR 3KG and JAGUAR 12KG. If you are feeding several cats or want a supply at home, both JAGUAR, 1.5KG x 4 and JAGUAR, 3KG x 4 are available as four-packs.
How to choose between the bag sizes
Choosing a bag size is mostly about the size of your household and how quickly the food is used. Dry food keeps best when the bag is not left open for too long, so a bag that matches your consumption over a few weeks gives the freshest taste and smell in the bowl.
- If you have one cat, 1.5 kg typically lasts a good while and is easy to store.
- If you have two or more cats, or a large cat with a good appetite, 3 kg means fewer purchases.
- 12 kg is ideal for several cats or for breeders, where consumption is large enough that the bag is emptied within a reasonable time.
The four-packs with 1.5 kg or 3 kg are practical if you want to stock up on a supply at a time, while still keeping each individual bag sealed until it is used. Once a bag has been opened, it should be kept tightly closed and stored in a dry, cool place, away from direct sunlight.
Combine the dry food with The Jaguar Pâté
Cats get a large part of their fluid intake through their food, and many cats naturally do not drink very much. That is why it makes good sense to supplement the dry food with wet food. For The Jaguar specifically there is a matching pâté, so you can stay within the same flavour universe: THE JAGUAR PÂTÉ, comes in a box of twelve portions of 85 grams each.
You can use the pâté as a standalone meal, as a topping on the dry food, or as the moist part of a combined feeding. If you want to see the full range of wet food, the pâté landing page brings the collections together, and dog pâté and the other pâté ranges cover different needs. If you want to read more about why wet food is relevant, the article wet food for dogs goes in depth with the principles behind it.
Why grain-free food for cats
Grain-free means that the food does not contain wheat, corn, rice or other grains, which are otherwise often used as cheap filler and an energy source in cat food. Since the cat is an obligate carnivore, its need for carbohydrates is limited, and it is best suited to make use of protein and fat from meat.
Dropping the grain does not mean the food is carbohydrate-free, but that the dry food's foundation has been reworked so that a larger share of the energy comes from animal sources. For cats with a sensitive stomach, it can also make it easier to figure out what the food contains, because the list is shorter and more transparent.
If you want to understand the arguments behind grain-free food more thoroughly, you can read what should cat food contain and the general overview in cat nutrition.
This is how much of The Jaguar your cat should have
The right portion depends on the cat's weight, age and activity level, and on whether it also gets wet food alongside it. Dry food is energy-rich, so it is easy to end up giving too much if you simply fill up the bowl. Use the feeding guide on the bag as a starting point, weigh out the daily amount if possible, and adjust according to how the cat maintains its weight over time.
If the cat gets both The Jaguar and pâté, you should subtract the moist part from the total daily ration, so it does not end up getting too much overall. A cat that is gaining weight should have a little less, and a cat that is losing weight unintentionally a little more.
To find the specific amount, optimal portion size for cats and how much should a cat eat will help you further.
Switch to The Jaguar gradually
Cats are sensitive to sudden changes in their food, and an abrupt switch can cause diarrhoea or a cat that rejects the bowl altogether. So give the switch seven to ten days: start with a small portion of The Jaguar mixed into the current food, and increase the proportion a little each day until the cat only gets the new food.
If your cat is picky, it can help to feed at fixed times rather than leaving a full bowl out all day, so the appetite has a chance to build up. A little of [THE JAGUAR PÂTÉ, 12 PCS] grated over the dry food can also make the new food more tempting during the transition period.
If your cat already has a sensitive stomach, sensitive stomach is worth a look, and which cat food is best helps you assess what suits your particular cat.
Food for kittens and senior cats
The Jaguar is made for adult cats, and a cat's needs change over the course of its life. A growing kitten needs more energy and different proportions of nutrients than an adult, while an older cat often benefits from food adapted to lower activity and any age-related needs.
If you have a kitten, you will find the right meals in kitten, and the article how much food should a kitten have per day gives concrete guidance. For the older cat, meals for senior cats and pâté for seniors bring together the relevant products, and when is a cat a senior helps you assess when the switch is relevant.
