4 canonical tips on how to properly feed domestic cats
The stereotypes that cats only eat fish and drink milk have long been a thing of the past. On the store shelves, the choice of feed is such that the eyes run away. Therefore, with the appearance of a representative of the feline family in the house, sooner or later the question arises: how, in fact, to feed him? A colleague from work says that it is necessary to feed only dry, a neighbor says that it is possible only with what is in bags. And a friend generally preaches that a cat should be given only homemade food, otherwise it will die.
So, having asked all these questions to the veterinarian, we received a lot of interesting information.
Tip #1: Combine
Cats eat often (up to 20 times a day), in small portions, which is due to their anatomy — domestic predators have a small stomach with limited extensibility.
Cats do not have time to make their required 20 approaches to the bowl only during daylight hours, so they eat both day and night. A small portion of dry food should always be left overnight, in very limited quantities it is useful. The tooth enamel of cats is 10 times thinner than that of humans, so it is more correct to combine wet food with dry food — it cleanses teeth from plaque when gnawing.
Tip #2: the feed should contain meat and offal
Nature has endowed cats with a jaw that lacks lateral movement, that is, it is designed for gnawing bones and tearing meat. It is also worth remembering that historically cats ate mice and birds — it was from this food that they received the necessary amount of cereals, vegetables and vitamins.
Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to what is in the composition of the feed that you feed your pet. To this end, we went straight to the manufacturer of one of the most popular cat food — to the factory where Whiskas feed is produced in Rostov-on-Don.
At the Mars factory, we were pleased to be shown all the details of the process of preparing balanced cat food and how all the necessary nutrients get into one bag.
Raw materials are delivered to the cold shop. Chicken, turkey, offal, meat and fish undergo quality control in the laboratory. Here, the raw materials are processed into minced meat and sent along a closed conveyor to another workshop.
At the next stage, vegetables, cereals, vitamins are added to the minced meat. Further, "sausages" are formed from the resulting mixture, which are steamed, and then dried with hot dry air.
Ready-made "sausages" are chopped into pieces.
Tip #3: cat food should be stored in the same way as human food
After the pieces of feed are pre-prepared, they are laid out in bags, which are called spiders. The sauce is added there, and the spider closes.
All products undergo a sterilization process, thanks to which they better preserve quality, freshness and their nutritional properties. Thanks to sterilization, closed spiders can be stored in a dark, cool place and not put away in the refrigerator.
This is convenient, because due to the peculiarities of the digestive system, it is better to give pet cats food at room temperature. But open spiders should always be put in the refrigerator and taken out 15 minutes before feeding.
At the plant, the entire feed preparation process is automated, but employees constantly monitor compliance with technological standards.
Tip #4: Don't overfeed
Most are sure that you can put the same dry cat food in a bowl in unlimited quantities. Like, cats, unlike dogs, are not prone to overeating. Unfortunately, this statement is valid only for those animals that do not live in apartments. Pets' habits change, and over time they become very similar to us — they start eating for fun. Add to this a low—activity lifestyle - and you get a cat that risks becoming obese.
To prevent this from happening, try to control the amount of food that your cat consumes. If we talk about bags of food: two spiders a day plus dry food for the night is a full—fledged menu for an adult cat.
And don't believe these sly people if they plaintively look into your eyes and demand supplements in every possible way. Most domestic predators often have the usual reflex — "the owner of the house, so they will give food soon."
It's really better to stick to these tips if you want to keep fluffy healthy for as long as possible. But with a cat's diet, as with a human, sometimes you can not be too strict. Watch what kind of food your pet enjoys more, and do not hesitate to pamper him at least sometimes.
Believe me, this will only make him love you more.
Keywords: Pets | Food | Cats | Features | Partner post | Nutrition | Tips