Veterinarian Advice on the Best Foods to Feed Cats

Many families have pets. These cute animals lift their spirits, caring for them teaches children work and responsibility, and in some cases, they can alleviate loneliness. That's why many people love cats, dogs, parrots, canaries, aquarium fish, and other pets.

But it's one thing to love and another to properly care for animals. For example, cats live in many families, but not everyone cares for them properly. Every detail matters, especially proper nutrition. What should cats be fed, and what advice do veterinarians offer? Let's find out.

Using special cat food

All pets, including felines, need proper and balanced nutrition.

Many veterinarians recommend using food that specially produced for cats.

The positive aspects of this feeding method include the following:

• practicality;
• convenience;
• economy.

It's this last argument that often proves decisive. Purchasing all the ingredients found in ready-made cat food separately can be quite expensive.

Practicality and ease of use are also important advantages. Owners simply open a package or can of pre-prepared food and pour the contents into a bowl. There's no need to waste time and effort preparing food. Just fill the bowl and go about your day.

Benefits of ready-made mixtures for feeding cats

Another important advantage of ready-to-eat formula for cats is its balance. This food is prepared based on veterinarian recommendations and research.

This means that it already has everything essential nutrients, microelements, and vitamins. There are also formulas available for feeding kittens and adult animals. After all, animals of all ages require specific nutrition.

But this method of feeding your pet does have some downsides. First and foremost, it's worth mentioning the wide variety of cat food available.

On the one hand, having a choice is good, but on the other hand, it is an opportunity make the wrong choiceVery often, manufacturers spend more money on advertising their products than on their quality.

Many veterinarians have some concerns about pet food produced in our country. Quite often, expensive ingredients are replaced with cheaper ones.

For example, the packaging may say that the dry mix contains meat, but in reality, ground bones, tendons, or other “waste” from meat production are added to it. Therefore, it is worth be careful when choosing mixtures that you will feed your cat.

Additionally, some cats may develop allergies to commercially prepared food. In this case, you can either try different options (which will cause your pet to suffer) or feed your cat natural food.

Which prepared food is best to use?

Today, you can find several varieties of ready-made cat food on sale. Store shelves are stocked with canned food, wet and dry foodAnd what is better or worse about this or that variety?

Cats consider canned food a treat. It contains natural meat, vegetables, and other ingredients that are both healthy and delicious.

When you buy this food, you can do it yourself evaluate the quality The ingredients used are easy to see, as everything can be seen simply by opening the can. The downside of this type of food is its high cost.

Wet food comes in sealed packages. It includes pieces of meat or fish, covered in sauce. This food is cheaper than canned food, so the ingredients used aren't always of the highest quality.

Many cat owners prefer dry food considered the most practicalThis food has a long shelf life, is popular with cats, and doesn't spoil after sitting in the bowl for a long time (it won't dry out, and gnats won't appear in the room).

But there's one thing to keep in mind: when buying dry food, you won't be able to verify the quality of the ingredients used in its preparation. Therefore, it's important to buy products from reputable brands.

The pros and cons of natural nutrition

If you have plenty of time and budget, you can decide what to feed your pet yourself. For cats, you can create your own diet. This has several advantages:

1. Over the course of your time living with your pet, you know exactly what its preferences are, so creating a diet that your cat eats with pleasure won't be difficult.
2. Many veterinarians believe that natural foods are much healthier than canned or dry foods.
3. Depending on your cat's condition, you can, with the help of specialists, formulate the right diet. If certain ingredients (such as proteins, fats, or carbohydrates) are deficient, simply add food containing those ingredients to the menu.

Feeding your cat natural foods that you bought yourself means ensure safetyAfter all, you'll be able to monitor the quality of the food you're buying. However, this method also has its drawbacks:

• This is time-consuming. You have to buy the food, prepare it, and only then feed it to your cat.
• The diet must include meat, which means that such feeding can be expensive.
• When preparing your pet's diet yourself, it's difficult to plan for everything necessary. Creating a balanced diet without outside help can be quite challenging.

As you can see, even natural food can contain some difficultiesHowever, in this case, you are still responsible for everything yourself, and if you have professional help from a veterinarian, your cat will be provided with proper nutrition.

What should a natural diet be like?

To ensure your pet's well-being, you need to feed them a veterinarian-recommended diet. Since cats are carnivores, this factor is a primary consideration. According to expert advice, their diet should include:

1. Meat. Beef or poultry are best. Pork is quite popular in many countries, but it's not entirely suitable for cat food. It's quite fatty, and there's a high risk of parasite infestation.
2. But don't rely solely on meat. It's important for cats to have organ meats on their menu. Chicken necks or heads, tendons, and offal are inexpensively available in stores, and your pet will enjoy (and benefit from) all of these.
3. Meat doesn't contain all the nutrients your pet needs for health. Therefore, you should also feed your cat vegetables. It's best to give them boiled and mashed, and to encourage your cat to eat them more readily, mix them with ground meat.

Boiled eggs should also be included in the diet. One per week is sufficient. Also, feed your cat periodically. fermented milk products, sprouted oats or wheat, a few drops of fish oil.

There are a number of foods that are undesirable, and sometimes even unacceptable, in your pet's diet. First and foremost, we are talking about about fish and seafood.

Many veterinarians claim that such food can cause urolithiasis in cats. Therefore, fish and seafood should not be a staple in the diet; they should be consumed sparingly.

Veterinarians' recommendations

You shouldn't feed cats table scraps. We often add various spices to human food, and no dish is complete without salt, but all these ingredients can only harm an animal.

There is also no need to cook porridge for your cat, it just is not absorbed by her bodyBut tomatoes, eggplants, and potatoes should not be present in the bowl at all. These foods contain substances harmful to cats.

Milk is a special issue. We all know from childhood how much cats love this product. But in reality, this is not entirely true. The fact is that cats simply do not digest milkTherefore, there's no point in feeding it to them. However, sour cream, cottage cheese, sour milk, and other dairy products are perfectly acceptable for feeding to your pet.

Proper nutrition will ensure your pet's health. You can feed them either ready-made formulas or natural foods. Each option has its pros and cons.

As for general advice, firstly, don't pour large portions of food into the bowl. Most cats have a tendency to overdo it.

If there is a lot of food, then this is will lead to obesity Your pet. But there should always be plenty of water. It's best to pour it into a large bowl and change it once a day (or better yet, more often). This will make your cat more willing to drink.

Secondly, if you choose one type of diet, don't mix it with others. If you feed your cat dry food, don't overdo it by adding natural food. This "mixture" will harm the animal's stomach.

It's better anyway consult a veterinarian, showing him your pet. A specialist will help you create the right diet and give you the right advice, so your cat will always feel well.