How and what to feed a cat?

The nutritional rules of cats determine the biological and physiological foundations. Despite centuries of domestication, these animals cannot eat the same things as humans.

Eating habits are formed at a young age. In most cases, kittens follow their mother's example, but there are exceptions. Every fluffy owner should know how many times a day to feed cats, learn the basics of the diet.

So, what to feed a cat: food or homemade food - further in our article.

Video: Balanced, Tasty Homemade Cat Food Recipe

Types of food for cats and cats

There are several feeding options:

• “human” diet. The pet is given the same foods and dishes that the owners eat;
• food with natural products;
• dry food;
• preserves.

Each option has advantages and disadvantages, as well as admirers and opponents among the four-legged.

It is wrong to feed a cat from the table, despite the fact that pets often “ask” pleasing piece. Salty and spicy foods, fats, flavor enhancers cause urolithiasis. Eating fatty foods causes allergies, colic, skin and coat problems. Sooner or later, owners have to find out how to eliminate dandruff in a cat, contact a veterinarian because of digestive problems.

Natural nutrition involves the presence in the diet of fish, fresh meat, cereals, cottage cheese and other natural products. The option is not bad if the diet is optimized for a specific animal, after examination by a veterinarian.

Dry and canned food from specialized stores is usually balanced, contains all the substances necessary for cats and cats: protein, carbohydrates, minerals, fats. This option is ambiguous due to the different class of feed. Only premium options provide animals with a balanced and healthy diet.

Let's take a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages of specialized feeds and natural products.

Video: Homemade and Healthy Cat Food Recipe | Vet Approved

Which is better to feed a cat, dry food or natural food?

The activity, normal weight, and lifespan of an animal depend on proper nutrition, so it is very important to understand how to properly feed a cat at home. Both loss of appetite and polyphagia are dangerous. Don't confuse the signs of cat's pregnancy, one of which is weight gain, with trivial obesity from overeating.

How to feed a cat with natural food?

A natural diet is good for fastidious gourmets. In the diet - any lean meat, except pork, fish, cottage cheese, cereals, vegetables, offal. It's great if your cat appreciates all this.

“Natural” requires time from the owner. Products need to be bought, processed. There are a number of negative points:

• it is difficult to achieve the perfect balance of a natural diet;
• ready food is windy, may go bad;
• In the presence of raw meat in the diet, antiparasitic therapy should be carried out periodically.

The owners who are ready to solve these difficulties are confident in the quality, shelf life, nutritional value of products for their pet.

Advantages and disadvantages of dry and wet food

Dry food and canned food - balanced food. It is acceptable to feed only one species or mix dry and wet food. Benefits of this diet:

• convenience;
• the possibility of experimentation. There are hundreds of types of food. If the food does not fit, you can try a different composition;
• longer shelf life than natural food;
• presence of medicated feeds that are used to prevent diseases.

The disadvantages include the high price of premium feed categories. The cheap ones add flavor enhancers. The cat absorbs food with pleasure, but there is little benefit from this. A relative inconvenience of dry food is the need to monitor the constant presence of water in the animal's bowl. If you feed only canned food, the cat may drink little. He gets the required amount of fluid from food.

Video: Homemade and Healthy Cat Food Recipe | Vet Approved 2

Feeding frequency and amount of food

When determining nutritional standards, a cat's appetite and desires cannot serve as a guideline. Some cunning people pretend to be forever hungry, do not control the amount of food they eat. Objective factors that are taken into account:

• age: kittens have higher nutritional norms than adult cats, which is associated with the active growth of the body. Kittens are fed 6 times a day, adult cats - 1-2 times. For elderly animals, a single meal is sufficient;
• weight;
• activity level;
• time spent outdoors;
• breed;
• Special condition, such as pregnancy. A pregnant cat needs up to 55 g of dry food per day with a weight of 5 kg. If the weight is greater, 15 g is added to the norm for each kilogram of weight;
• castration, sterilization.

Fatness can be assessed by external examination: when viewed from above, an animal with normal weight can see the waist, the contours of the body are even without dips and angular protrusions.

It is difficult to determine the optimal condition on your own. A visit to the veterinarian, where the specialist uses a physical condition rating scale, is the best option for determining the daily amount of food.

In terms of determining the volume and number of servings, dry food and canned food are optimal. Manufacturers on the packaging provide tables of the daily allowance in accordance with weight, age and other criteria.

The emotional component of feeding

If once a cat has linked her bad condition, for example, an attack of vomiting, with food, she will probably refuse it forever. It is important to exclude negative factors in the feeding area, to ensure the safety and comfort of the pet in the mika area.

There should be separate containers for water and food that need to be washed regularly. It is strictly forbidden to place feeding accessories near the tray.

Video: Home made persian cat food || fish Recipe for cat

What foods should not be given to cats?

When compiling a diet for a pet, remember that some foods are contraindicated for cats and cats. Among them:

• fatty meat;
• whole milk;
• onion, garlic;
• salt;
• pasta;
• mushrooms;
• legumes;
• sweets.

A clear choice is made between natural and specialized food. You cannot combine these feeding options.

Video: The Growing Problem With Homemade Pet Food

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