When choosing a healthy dog food or healthy cat food, a natural dog food or organic cat food may be at the top of your list. Do you know what the difference is between natural and organic food? Is one better than the other? Knowing the true definition of these terms can help you make an informed decision about your pet’s food and in turn, maintain pet health.

According to the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), who establishes the rules and regulations of animal feed, “natural” is a food or ingredient that is derived only from plant, animal, or mined sources. It must be in either an unprocessed state or have been processed in a way that is listed in the AAFCO guidelines. Every ingredient must meet the definition of natural. Ingredients that do not have to meet the definition include: synthesized minerals, trace nutrients, and vitamins.

When choosing an organic cat food or dog food, be sure to check that each ingredient is listed as organic. Companies may have organics in their name but their food is not made from actual organic ingredients. Foods that have organic ingredients will have an organic certification seal on the bag.

The terms “holistic” and “human grade” are not recognized by the AAFCO and therefore, are meaningless when used to label pet food.

Good cat health care means finding the best pet insurance for your cat, researching what goes in your pet’s food dish, and ensuring your cat is getting the proper vitamins and nutrients. The second step is making sure they’re eating the proper amount.

One of the oldest documented cats in the U.S., Baby from Duluth, Minnesota, was allowed to eat what his owners ate. Baby lived to the reported age of 38 on a diet of steak, peas, olives, corn off the cob sans butter or salt, cheese, and some cat food for good measure.

Of course, vets may not recommend a diet of table scraps for housecats, but there might be something to be said about the variety in Baby’s diet.

As long as a cat isn’t overfed or given anything potentially harmful, a high-variety diet may help some cats stay excited about food, refrain from becoming picky eaters, and avoid pet health issues like allergies.

Remember: if a cat ever accidently ingests potentially toxic foods like grapes, raisins, tomatoes or onions, cat insurance will be your best friend, allowing you to go straight to the vet without worrying about the bottom line.

Some cat insurance companies also include wellness and routine care benefits in addition to accident and emergency benefits. For more information about cat and dog insurance, visit www.petsbest.com.

If you do have a picky cat, you’ll need to get him used to new foods slowly. Quickly changing from one food to another can cause cat illness symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, and food refusal.

When changing a finicky cat from one food to another, plan on devoting one to two weeks to the process. Be sure to also include your vet in the process and consult her, should your cat display any odd behaviors.

Proctor & Gamble, the company that manufactures Iams brand pet foods, is recalling even more— this time, its Proactive Health Indoor Weight & Hairball cat food, The Greeley Tribune reports.

According to the source, the food, which is sold in blue, 6.8 pound bags is potentially contaminated with salmonella, which can be detrimental to pet health.

The news provider reports that any bags marked with a code date of 02304173 (B1-B6) and the UPC number 1901403921 should be immediately discarded.

This is one of three recalls the company has voluntarily alerted the public of in the past two months.

Although no salmonella-related illnesses have been reported for any of the three recalls, The New York Times has reported that the recalled products have the potential to be detrimental to both pet health and human health.

Proctor & Gamble has told Forbes that pet owners should wash their hands if they have direct contact with any of the recalled products, as it can be inadvertently passed to humans this way.

The news provider reports that pets who contract salmonella may display decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Symptoms in humans include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever.

If you believe your pet’s health has been affected by salmonella, visit your veterinarian immediately.

A full listing of recalled UPC codes can be found on the Iams.com website.

For more information, call P&G at 877-340-8823.