Recently, an exotic vet in Prince George has been saying that cat food is not suitable for ferrets.
Our position on this:
As a rescue that has for the past decade researched ferret dietary needs and nutritional requirements, there is no evidence to support this claim. There is, however, considerable evidence to the opposite. Zupreem Grain Free diet was strongly linked to bladder stones in ferrets prior to its recipe being changed. Some Marshalls and other "ferret" recipes contain sweeteners such as molasses or juice, which is dangerous for ferrets with conditions such as insulinoma.
While low-quality, grocery store cat food is not suitable for ferrets, high-quality, high-protein cat food is preferable to a low-quality ferret food. Keep in mind though that not all high-quality cat foods ARE suitable, and reading the ingredients list is key.
The best advice is that you be aware of your ferret's dietary requirements as obligate carnivores and look for foods that that have meat and proteins as their primary ingredients, with grains, vegetable sources and vegetable proteins being at the bottom of the ingredient list.
Some recommended choices:
- Wysong Epigen 90 Digestive Support
- Wysong Ferret Archetype Formula (not Archetypal-2)
- Orijen Cat & Kitten Food (original formula)
- Go! Carnivora Cat & Kitten
- Wysong Ferret Archetype Formula (not Archetypal-2)
- Orijen Cat & Kitten Food (original formula)
- Go! Carnivora Cat & Kitten
We also suggest ensuring that your ferret have access to clean, safe drinking water at all times - even if they dig in it and spill it immediately - as the common link that we have found in ferrets surrendered with stones has not been diet, but lack of access to water.