CARE AND BEHAVIOR
212
FOOD AND FEEDING
A well-fed and well-nourished cat is a happy cat. Although the
occasional mouse caught outside may supplement your cat’s diet,
he will rely on you almost exclusively for his food. And that
reliance places great responsibility on you. Providing your cat
with a healthy, balanced diet will help him grow and develop as he
should and give him the best chance of living a long life free of illness.
Essential nutrition
Cats are carnivores—they eat meat because they cannot
convert the fats and proteins found in vegetable matter into
the amino acids and fatty acids necessary for their bodies
to function properly and stay healthy. Meat protein contains
everything they need plus an important amino acid that they
cannot make—taurine. Insufficient taurine in a cat’s diet can
lead to blindness and heart disease. Taurine is added to all
processed cat foods. Cooking reduces its effectiveness,
so if you cook your cat’s food yourself, you will also need
to provide him with a regular taurine supplement.
Vitamins and micronutrients
The vitamins needed for essential cat nutrition include D, K, E,
B, and A. (Cats cannot manufacture vitamin A.) They also need
vitamin C, but intake of this vitamin should be monitored, since
cats can develop bladder stones if they have too much. Cats
also require certain micronutrients—for example, phosphorus,
selenium, and sodium. Although these are only needed in tiny
quantities, a lack of them can lead to serious health problems.
A source of calcium is vital, too, because calcium only occurs
in small quantities in meat. Most commercial cat food contains
all of these essential vitamins and micronutrients.
Wet or dry?
Most prepared cat food is described
as “wet” or “dry.” Wet food comes in
airtight cans or pouches, so it doesn’t
need preservatives to keep it fresh.
It is tasty but soft in texture, so it
provides little resistance to keep teeth
and gums healthy. If wet food is not
eaten immediately, it will soon become
unappealing to your cat.
Dry food has been pressure-cooked
and then dried. It is sprayed with fat to
make it palatable, but this requires
preservatives to be added. Dry foods
usually include antioxidants such as
vitamin C and E, which are natural and
beneficial to your cat. Although you
shouldn’t give your cat dry food all the
FIBER FROM PREY
Cats require a source of fiber to maintain
healthy digestive function. In the wild,
they obtain the fiber they need from
the fur, skin, and feathers of their prey.
Eating healthily
for a long life
US_212_213_Food_and_feeding.indd 212US_212_213_Food_and_feeding.indd 212 11/02/21 7:13 PM11/02/21 7:13 PM
213
FOOD AND FEEDING
Onions
and garlic
Dry food Wet food Home-cooked
Green tomatoes
and potatoes
Chocolate
Grapes
and raisins
Cream Raw fish
DANGEROUS FOODS
time, it does have some advantages. It can, for example,
be left out during the day without spoiling. You may want
to give dry food in the morning and reserve the wet food
for when you return from work in the evening.
Home-cooked food
For home-cooked meals, use meat and fish that’s fit for
human consumption. Make sure it is well cooked to kill
bacteria or parasites that could be dangerous. Homemade
meals are a good way of introducing well-cooked bones as
a calcium source, but don’t offer them if your cat has not
learned to eat bones or if he eats his food too quickly. The
scraping action of bones keeps teeth in good shape; without
them, your cat’s teeth will need regular cleaning (p.231).
Drinking requirements
All cats should be provided with a source of water, since
water helps dilute the urine and is absorbed by fiber in the
gut. Caution should be taken with giving cats milk or cream,
since many adult cats lack the enzyme necessary to digest
the lactose sugar in dairy products and may get diarrhea.
Special “cat milk” can now be bought; alternatively, use milk
for lactose-intolerant humans available at supermarkets.
Foods to avoid
As well as milk and cream, other foods to avoid include raw
fish, which contains enzymes that can be harmful to cats.
Onions and garlic can cause anemia, while green tomatoes
and green (raw) potatoes—and especially their leaves—
contain a poisonous alkaloid that produces violent
gastrointestinal symptoms, so keep these items
out of reach. Chocolate is highly toxic to
cats, and grapes and raisins may harm
the kidneys.
DRINKING WATER
Cats fed a dry-food
diet will require
more water than
those that eat
wet food.
WET, DRY, AND HOME-COOKED FOOD
Dry food won’t spoil, but wet food is more
like a cat’s natural diet. Homemade meals
are freshest, but avoid single-protein diets.
TOP TIP
When buying food, choose a product
that uses real meat (not mechanically
recovered meat) and lists this as the first
ingredient. Avoid foods full of additives or
that list cereal as the main ingredient.
US_212_213_Food_and_feeding.indd 213US_212_213_Food_and_feeding.indd 213 11/02/21 7:13 PM11/02/21 7:13 PM
When and how much to feed
Generally, your cat should be fed twice a day at regular
times. This will allow him to build up an appetite and you
to regulate how much he eats. Once you have established
a regular feeding regime, it will be easy to tell if your cat is
not eating and feeling unwell. The feeding guides printed on
packets of prepared food are only estimates, and they may
need to be increased or decreased depending on how your
cat looks and feels when handled. As a guideline, you should
be able to feel your cat’s ribs easily but not see them. Make
sure you never feed an adult cat kitten food or dog food—
kitten food contains too much protein and will be bad for an
adult cat’s kidneys; conversely, dog food does not contain
enough protein for a cat. Make sure your cat’s food and
water bowls are always washed thoroughly after use.
The right balance
Cats enjoy variety, and it is important that they are fed a mix
of different foods to ensure they get adequate nutrition.
Make any changes to your cat’s diet gradually so that he can
build up enough bacteria in his system to digest the new
food. Once you’ve found a balanced diet that your cat likes,
stick to it. Constantly changing his food may encourage him
to become a fussy eater, and cats can hold out for days until
you give them what they want.
CAT GRASS
Cats eat grass because
its juices contain folic
acid, which prevents
anemia. Cat grass
bought from a pet
store or nursery can
be grown indoors
in a small pot.
EATING THE RIGHT AMOUNT
If you have more than one kitten, make sure that they
are all eating the right quantity for their age and weight.
If you suspect one isn’t eating enough, try feeding him
separately so that you can monitor his intake.
US_214-215_Food_and_feeding_2.indd 214US_214-215_Food_and_feeding_2.indd 214 11/02/21 7:13 PM11/02/21 7:13 PM
215
FOOD AND FEEDING
Special diets
Your cat’s dietary needs will change throughout his life.
Kittens need lots of protein, fat, and calories to support their
rapid growth. Use specially formulated kitten food to avoid
deficiencies that could cause problems later in life. For the
first week after bringing your kitten home, give him the
same food that he has eaten since weaning. To introduce
a new food, replace 10 percent of the original food with the
new food, increasing the proportion by 10 percent daily
until your kitten is eating only the new food by the tenth
day—this will prevent diarrhea. If he does get an upset
stomach, revert to a higher proportion of the old food and
take longer to make the switchover.
A pregnant cat needs extra protein and vitamins and will
want to eat more in the final stages of pregnancy. This may
mean giving her smaller meals more frequently if she cannot
eat as much as usual at a time. She will also have increased
nutritional requirements when nursing. Older cats use less
energy, so they need fewer calories in their diet. They may
need special food to aid a more delicate digestive system.
For cats with medical conditions and overweight cats, use
a diet recommended by your vet. An approved weight-loss diet
ensures that an obese cat loses weight but stays nourished
and still eats a satisfying volume of food. Food allergies in cats
are rare, but when they occur, the only way to find the cause
is through a food-elimination trial supervised by your vet.
The role of treats
Whether given as rewards in training or to aid bonding with
your cat, try to ration treats to avoid weight gain in your cat.
Ensure that 10 percent maximum of your cat’s calorie intake
comes from treats. Some treats may give nutritional benefits
that your cat won’t get from his normal food; others contain
filler ingredients with little nutritional value and a lot of fat.
Learn to distinguish good ingredients from bad.
IT’S TREAT TIME
Rewards for learning new tricks will reinforce training,
while treats given when you leave for work and return
home can be something your pet looks forward to.
WHICH TREAT?
Treats come in
many different meat
and fish flavors.
Whatever you choose,
make sure you don’t
overfeed your cat.
Inactive
lifestyle
Active
lifestyle
Pregnant
female
100–140 cal
(4 oz wet/1 oz dry)
200–280 cal
(8 oz wet/2 oz dry)
300–420 cal
(12 oz wet/3 oz dry)
400–560 cal
(16 oz wet/4 oz dry)
140–180 cal
(6 oz wet/1.5 oz dry)
280–360 cal
(12 oz wet/3 oz dry)
420–540 cal
(16 oz wet/4 oz dry)
560–720 cal
(24 oz wet/6 oz dry)
200–280 cal
(8 oz wet/2 oz dry)
400–560 cal
(16 oz wet/4 oz dry)
600–840 cal
(24 oz wet/6 oz dry)
800–1,120 cal
(32 oz wet/8 oz dry)
4.5 LB 9 LB 13.5 LB 22 LBADULT WEIGHT
FEEDING YOUR CAT
26.5 LB
500–700 cal
(20 oz wet/5 oz dry)
700–900 cal
(28 oz wet/7 oz dry)
1,000–1,400 cal
(44 oz wet/11 oz dry)
US_214-215_Food_and_feeding_2.indd 215US_214-215_Food_and_feeding_2.indd 215 11/02/21 7:13 PM11/02/21 7:13 PM
..................Content has been hidden....................
You can't read the all page of ebook, please click here login for view all page.