Feeding Your Cat: When, How, and How Much?
The idea that felines only eat fish apart from their feed is a myth. They do love meat and if they tend to be overweight, it would be better to distribute their food in several portions throughout the day.
Cats are always hungry, just like dogs. However, felines are considerably quieter, and sometimes they’ll eat without us even noticing. This insatiable appetite could lead us to feed them more than they need, and this is why we see many obese cats today. To avoid these cases, feeding your cat correctly is of vital importance for their well-being.
Feeding your cat: what do cats eat?
Although cats can eat carbohydrates and vitamins, they’ll always prefer to eat protein and fats. The myth that they only eat fish is untrue: cats love meat! Of course, they like fish too, but if we give them a choice between them, it isn’t very clear what they’d prefer.
The kind of food that experts have always recommended for cats is a specialized feed that provides the nutrients they need for the day. For instance, pressed dry food has been the queen of feline feeding for years. However, with the latest scientific advances, the BARF diet has become more accepted, even in the case of other pets.
Nevertheless, both types of feeding are totally valid, and could even be alternated as long as we do it the right way. However, it’s up to you to decide which one to choose, always bearing in mind your cat’s needs and lifestyle.
How to feed your cat
Whether you choose one type of food or the other, protein should make up 35% of it. If you opt for the feed, then the special ones made for diabetic cats have a much higher percentage of these than normal feeds.
In the case of the BARF diet, you’ll have to divide the food into three parts: one of almost 40% and two of 30%. In the first case, it’ll be proteins. The second part will be carbohydrates, and the third will have the vitamins found in vegetables or fruit.
Although cats love fat, they should be satisfied with the fat that’s normally provided by proteins and carbohydrates. Eating an excess of fat could cause health problems such as obesity, for example.
Feeding cats: when and how much?
Years ago, people considered that dogs needed to eat three times a day. However, after an increase in canine obesity, the amount was reduced to once or twice a day. But what about cats?
Due to the insatiable appetite they seem to have, it’s best to divide their food intake throughout the day.
In addition, this step will only be a ‘psychological deception’ that will make the animal believe that it has been eating all day long. In reality, it won’t be feeding more than it should. Feed manufacturers usually mark the proper amounts that the animal should be eating per day.
Raw diets for your cat
If you decide to feed your cat a raw diet, it’s best to consult your veterinarian about which foods it can eat, how much, and how to prepare them. You have to keep in mind that, although this type of diet is called ‘raw’, cats shouldn’t eat uncooked food.
Whatever food we’ve decided to include in our pet’s BARF diet should be cooked as recommended by the veterinarian. It’s also very important that this food shouldn’t contain any seasoning or salt. Despite there being people who decide to give processed foods such as ham or tuna to their cats, these have oils, fats, sugars, and other components that aren’t beneficial for the animal.
If you follow these practical tips while feeding your cat, you’ll have a healthy pet. Especially since good nutrition will have greatly influenced it. There’s truth in the saying “we are what we eat”, and this is also true for your cat and any other pet.
We hope you found this article useful and will have a better idea of how to feed your cat to help it stay healthy and live a happy life!
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