In order for a natural diet to bring maximum benefit, it is necessary to follow these simple recommendations:
Depending on the needs, feed 1-2 times at the same time.
Any leftover food must be removed after 30 minutes.
The cat must always have clean drinking water.
It is not recommended to use cow’s milk for feeding cats. The lactose it contains is poorly absorbed by adult animals.
Fish and meat products must be pre-boiled or frozen, this will prevent infection with helminths and other parasites.
Vegetables must be included in the diet in raw or sautéed form. The fiber they contain promotes digestion.
Basic recommendations for feeding natural food
It is also worth mentioning another common mistake. Most owners approach feeding their cats as if they were their own food. In the future, this leads to the development of many chronic diseases. In addition, cats do not like changes in their usual diet, so it will be very difficult to transfer them to the right diet.
Advantages and disadvantages of natural feeding
Cats have their own taste preferences and physiological characteristics. Industrial diets are designed for average indicators, so cats very often refuse them. The way out of this situation is natural feeding. It allows you to fully satisfy the animal’s needs for vitamins and minerals, taking into account taste preferences.
The main advantage of natural feeding of a cat is the ability to select ingredients that fully meet the cat’s needs. In addition, such a menu completely does not contain artificial and chemical components. The only disadvantage of a natural diet is the labor intensity of preparation.
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Approximate feeding diets for adult cats
When choosing a natural diet, the first thing you should pay attention to is the physical condition of the animal. For example, when feeding an aging or pregnant cat, there are a number of features. In the first case, the need for minerals and vitamins increases sharply, in the second, the aging organism copes poorly with digestion, so the food must be easily digestible. Below are sample diets for healthy, adult animals.
Diet No. 1
raw beef – 20 g;
raw liver – 10 g;
boiled oatmeal – 4 g;
yeast – 0.1 g;
unrefined vegetable oil – 0.2 g.
Attention! The amount of ingredients in the diets is indicated per 1 kg of live weight.
Diet No. 2
raw beef heart – 20 g;
raw lungs – 10 g;
boiled rice – 4 g;
dry yeast – 0.3 g;
cottage cheese – 3 g.
Diet No. 3
raw fish – 30 g;
raw liver – 5 g;
boiled oatmeal – 4 g;
dry yeast – 0.3 g;
vegetable oil – 2 g.
Any of the diets listed above can be used to feed an adult healthy cat. The transition to a new food should be gradual.
Features of feeding a pregnant cat
A pregnant cat needs an increased amount of calories and nutrients. In the first 2 weeks, her physiological needs remain at the same level. Starting from the third, the need for proteins, vitamins and microelements increases sharply, so the amount of food is increased by 1.5-2 times. At the same time, the diet must be composed in such a way that the animal does not overeat. Towards the end of pregnancy, the daily diet is divided into 5-6 parts.
A nursing cat eats 3 or even 4 times more than usual. If there are errors in nutrition or problems with the digestive system, the animal begins to use its own body reserves. This condition very quickly leads to severe exhaustion. To prevent this, more easily digestible foods are introduced into the diet: fatty cottage cheese, chicken meat, fatty fish. After consulting with a veterinarian, vitamin complexes are selected for the cat. After weaning the kittens, the exhausted animals very quickly return to normal.
Natural diet for kittens
Up to 3 weeks, kittens have enough mother’s milk. Then they begin to feed them. For this, a mixture of whole cow’s milk, oatmeal and chicken eggs is used. A homogeneous mass is prepared from these ingredients. From the age of 1.5 months, minced meat or minced fish is added to it. To eliminate vitamin and mineral deficiencies, grated vegetables are introduced into the diet. For example, cats quite willingly eat zucchini, pumpkin, spinach greens.
Sometimes, due to the death or illness of a cat, kittens have to be artificially fed. In terms of nutritional value, the milk formula should completely replace mother’s milk. To prepare it, take 4 parts of whole cow’s milk and 1 part of beaten egg white.
Natural diet for an aging cat
With age, digestion and absorption of food deteriorates significantly. In most cases, poor dental health is added to this problem. During this period of life, the need for calories decreases, but now a larger amount of