Feeding nutritional food to your cat is one of the most important task in your life if you have a cat. In order to stay healthy, you should fed her only nutritional food. They are carnivores and this is the most important thing to keep in mind when you are feeding your cat, their digestive system is quite different from humans and dogs. If humans eat like cats do, they’ll probably get heart disease. To meet the requirements, cats rely on nutrients in animals tissues as they are carnivores. They requires correct amount of dozen nutrients i.e. Vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids and fatty acids. These nutrients helps her in growthment of body and energy level. Although they need “correct amount” of these nutrients, not too less or not too much as it can be dangerous for her health. Water is another important nutrient for cats, it helps in digesting food, removing waste from their bodies and allow salt and other electrolytes to enter through the body.
COMMERCIAL FOOD :-
Commercial foods for cats are often refered as dry, wet, semi dry depending on its water contents.
DRY FOODS – It contains 6-10% of water, it contains more cereal and less meat. It is cheaper and you can store it at any place, dry and cool environment. Cat biscuit is one of the dry food which is easy to store and you can fed it whenever you want. It is good for your cat’s teeth but if you feed her dry food like biscuit all the time only, it may be unhealthy for your cat.
WET FOOD :- It contains 76-78 % of moisture. It includes the source of protein from animals meat, hence it fulfils all the required nutrients of cats. The cats who eats dry food have to drink water to match the requirements of her body whereas wet food already contains enough water which your cat needs.
3. SEMI – MOIST FOOD – It contains 35-38% of water, hence it can fullfills the water requirement of your cat’s body. But you have to provide her water in order to prevent from dehydration as cats needs 75% of water in her body.
4. CANNED FOOD – Generally, it is the most expensive food for cats but highly palatable for your cat. It is a good dietery source as it contains 75% of moisture. It also fulfills other requirements of cats i.e. Protein, carbohydrates, vitamins etc. This is great for mutritional challenge and underweight cats as it will help them to gain weight. Also, it is surprising but it can helps in loosing weight in cats which are facing the problem of over weight. As these diets contains most of water so urinary problem can also be solved.
IF YOUR CAT WON’T EAT:-
It can be a serious issue if your cat loses interest in appetite. Illness can be the reason, if your cat is not eating, other physical conditions also may be possible which includes infections, cancer, kidney failure or intestinal problems. So you have to pay attention to your cat if she is eating properly or not. The best option at this time is to take her to veterinarian. Even if it is not physical condition that is bothering your cat then it might be psychological problem. They’ll find solution of it and give the medicines but ultimately you have to do the main thing i.e give love, affection and care. If she is suffering from Psychological problem like depression or loneliness then you have to give time to her , only then the problem will be solved.
FOODS YOU SHOULD NEVER FEED YOUR CAT :-
Cats’ metabolism are different from human beings or dogs so we can’t feed him what human eats. They can cause digestive upsets, heart diseases, kidney failure or even lead to death. So beware of whatever you are feeding to it, otherwise it can
harm your cat. Some of the foods that can harm her are as follows :-
1. ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES – Don’t feed her any alcoholic beverages as it might cause intoxication and sometimes can lead them to death.
2. CHOCOLATE AND CAFFEINE- It can cause diarrhea and vomiting as these contains theobromine, or theophylline, or caffeine which are harmful for them.
3. DAIRY PRODUCTS – Some breeds of cats might develop diarrhea if they consume large number of dairy products at one time.
4. GRAPES AND RAISINS – It contains some toxins which is not suitable for cats and can damage their kidneys.
5. ONIONS AND GARLICS – It contains sulfoxides and disulfides which can cause anemia by damaging red blood cells. So avoid feeding onions or garlics whether it is raw, powdered or cooked. Other foods like raw eggs, baby food, dog food,
mushrooms, salts should also be avoided.
Cats are like part of your family so taking care of them is your responsibility, monitor her if she is feeding or not or check ingredients before buying for her food if you really care about it.