Natural food for cats - advice from veterinarians. Homemade food for cats: nutritional principles and simple recipes. When a special diet is needed

Every responsible owner should know what to feed their pet so as not to harm the mustachioed gourmet. Cats that eat poor quality food or have a monotonous diet get sick more often, are more susceptible to infections and live shorter lives. Healthy nutrition is the basis of a full and long life.

The most important thing in a cat's diet is variety. However, this does not mean that the cat needs to be treated to delicacies every day and invent new recipes. Culinary delights are a person’s choice. In nature, a cat, as a rule, adheres to one diet throughout its life. But a smart animal composes this diet so that it includes all the nutritional elements it needs in certain proportions.

Having taken a cat into the house, a person is faced with a choice: create a diet on his own or trust the professionals. There is no correct answer to the question of what is better – industrial feed or natural products. The main thing is that the chosen type of food meets the needs of your pet. Good dry food is undoubtedly better than feeding your cat what is in the refrigerator today. But if the owner takes the time to create a menu together with the veterinarian and always adheres to the chosen diet, without giving in to the temptation to feed the pet with what is at hand, he will not need industrial food.

It is important to feed your cat properly. An ideally balanced menu will not bring any benefit if the cat eats from morning to evening without adhering to the regime. The highest quality “holistic” can be harmful if the preference is given to the wrong product line or the pet receives too large a portion.

"Natural" feeding

It's hard to imagine a cat eating beef or boiled rice in its natural habitat. Natural food is birds and mice, grasshoppers and other bugs, some types of herbs. But it is unlikely that the owner would think of feeding insects and small rodents to the pet, if only because this is a direct path to helminthic infestation. Therefore, those products that we call natural are such only for humans, but not for cats. It is important to understand this so as not to harm your pet. The menu needs to be drawn up once and for all, and adhere to the diet throughout your life, adjusting it only as necessary.

It is recommended to feed a healthy adult cat 1-2 times a day. The best time for double feeding is eight in the morning and six in the evening. If your cat eats once a day, it is advisable to give your pet food in the late afternoon. The portion is calculated empirically: the cat must eat everything that is offered to it and calmly move away from the bowl. If you haven’t eaten enough, you need to reduce the portion. She finishes her meal and licks the bowl for a long time - increase the portion. Of course, it is important to take into account the pet’s condition: the ribs can be easily felt, but do not stick out.

Natural feeding implies the use of only “natural” products. The opinion of veterinarians is categorical: either “natural” or a ready-made diet. Funny feeding introduces an imbalance, which leads to poor digestion, gastritis and colitis, metabolic disorders and a deficiency or excess of certain nutrients.

Meat– boiled or frozen (two weeks at a temperature of minus 25). Poultry, veal and beef, goat, lamb, rabbit. Lean pieces, preferably stringy or trimmings. Tenderloin is a muscular meat that contains too much protein (a huge burden on the kidneys). Eating raw meat leads to infection with helminths and some infectious diseases. Minced meat is almost not digestible and pampers the stomach. The pieces should be such that the cat chews the meat, giving the gums and teeth the necessary load.

By-products– stomachs, kidneys, hearts, liver and other offal. Low-fat, better boiled. Liver with caution and infrequently.

Dairy– cottage cheese, low-fat fermented baked milk, kefir, yogurt. They improve digestion, but an excess leads to the opposite effect - gastritis, diarrhea and other “joys”. You can treat your pet with yogurt or kefir a couple of times a week, in the morning feeding, preferably with vegetables.

Fish– only sea fish, without skin and bones, always boiled. No more than two feedings per week. If the owner is wondering what to feed a spayed or neutered pet, it is better to exclude fish from the diet completely.

Eggs– a couple of times a week, boiled quail or chicken. It is advisable to season with vegetable oil or mix with grated vegetables.

Cereals– buckwheat, rice, sometimes oats. Porridge with water or meat broth. You can add hot water and let it sit overnight, do not cook. The cereal should be regular, not steamed.

Vegetables– carrots, cucumbers, zucchini and pumpkin, sometimes cauliflower. Raw or stewed in water, seasoned with corn, olive or flaxseed oil (a third of a teaspoon of oil, no more).

Food should not be hot or cold. Room temperature or about 35 °C is optimal. The water is filtered, clean, and freely available around the clock.

You can't feed: white cabbage, fatty and salty, smoked, marinades. Legumes, pasta and flour cause fermentation, flatulence, and gastritis. Confectionery, sweet fruits and steamed cereals damage teeth and increase blood sugar levels. If a cat is naturally in good health, feeding flaws become noticeable only in old age. As a rule, until the age of 7-9 years, a healthy cat can eat anything, but after that all the owner’s mistakes make themselves felt: urolithiasis, kidney failure, gastritis, problems with the liver and pancreas, dysfunction of the cardiovascular system, diabetes. A cat that eats properly will remain active for up to 10 years or longer.

Read also: What kind of cat should I have in my apartment?

Feeding a breeding cat

The cat is prepared for motherhood, starting from its birth. Nutrition should be perfectly balanced throughout life. Three months before mating, vitamins and minerals are included in the diet (a course per month, and only if the cat does not eat industrial food). The veterinarian who is observing the expectant mother will tell you what to feed your pregnant pet. Unless otherwise indicated:

the first two weeks, the diet is increased by about 10%, and the portions are reduced so as to stretch the feeding to 4-5 meals per day;

in the third week, the diet is increased by another 20-40% depending on the size of the litter and the degree of activity of the pregnant cat;

in the seventh week the diet is reduced, and the number of feedings is reduced to three per day. These should be small portions of easily digestible food;

a few days before giving birth, the pet loses its appetite. This is the norm; you should not force feed your cat.

You should not introduce new foods into the diet of a pregnant cat. You should not overfeed your pet with meat in the last week of pregnancy. You should not give vitamins and mineral supplements directly during pregnancy, unless your veterinarian recommends otherwise - too much is sometimes more dangerous than too little. , the veterinarian will also advise. Everything is very individual and depends on the number of kittens born, the condition of the pet and the characteristics of her body. As a rule, these are light foods in small portions. To stimulate lactation, food is given in semi-liquid form, curdled milk and cottage cheese are added to the diet, and sometimes special additives for nursing pets.

When a cat appears in the house, the question arises: what to feed it, and what food will be most beneficial for it? Often, owners begin to give their pet the same food that they eat themselves, but this is not always true. When an animal's diet is not balanced, it can cause serious harm to its health. To ensure a long life and excellent health for a cat, it is necessary to properly formulate its diet.

What should you not feed your cat?

Food from our table will not always be healthy for your pet. A person consumes a lot of unhealthy food, which is harmful not only to his health, but can also have a detrimental effect on the health of the animal.

Prohibited foods for domestic cats include the following:

Fried.
Salted and pickled.
Sweet.
Baked and floury.
Food that contains various spices and seasonings.

It is important to know that what is “delicious” for a person will be harmful for a cat.

Veterinarian advice regarding pet nutrition is generally similar.

It is forbidden to feed the animal pork, it is too fatty food. Pork liver is also among the prohibited meats; it can cause and.

Video about feeding a cat natural food from an old-school veterinarian

Fish as a basis for natural food

Properly cooked fish is very healthy for cats

All our pets, without a doubt, love fish.

Flour foods and diabetes

If your cat eats pasta and flour products, there is a high risk of constipation.

Cats that love to eat pasta, bread or other flour products are often obese and... And any products containing bones can cause obstruction in the stomach and injuries in the intestines. Sweets, cakes and chocolates can lead to diabetes and diabetes.

Foods that contain a lot of salt and spices can cause the disorder. Milk is only good for kittens; it causes diarrhea in adult cats.

How to feed your cat properly with natural food

Which of these do you think will be beneficial for the cat?

The basis of the animal's diet should be meat. Doctors advise feeding your pets the following meat products:

Beef and veal.
Chicken and turkey.
Rabbit meat.
Sea fish is not oily.
Meat purees with vegetables for children.

The meat must be boiled and contain no bones. Feeding fish is allowed no more than once a week. Baby purees are good for small kittens, or for adults with stomach problems.

Some cats love boiled vegetables. It is very useful.

Vegetables are also good for animals. It’s true that not all cats love them, but if you introduce them into your pet’s food correctly, he won’t even notice that they are there. Among the most useful vegetables are:

Carrots and beets.
Cauliflower and salad.
Zucchini and pumpkin.

In a cat's diet tomatoes and eggplants should be missing , as they contain harmful substances for your pet’s body. If your pet doesn’t mind simple vegetables, then you can give them raw and add a little vegetable oil. If you refuse them, vegetables are added to meat foods.

Dairy products

Caught in the act!

Fermented milk products such as:

Kefir, fermented baked milk.
Yogurt.
Not fatty cottage cheese.
Hard cheese without additives.
Semolina, oatmeal.

Not all cats like cottage cheese, so you can mix it with fermented baked milk or kefir and add a little egg yolk. It is recommended to give cheese to pets no more than once a week.

Other products for a healthy diet

Cat and egg yolk

Other products that are useful for your pet and necessary for the proper functioning of his body:

Egg yolk.
Rice, oatmeal, wheat porridge mixed with boiled or frozen meat or fish.
Greens (dill, parsley, oats, wheat).
Vegetable oil.
Vitamins and minerals.
Purified or boiled water.

The egg yolk must be boiled. It can be given either separately or as an additive to cottage cheese and porridge, but not more than twice a week. Porridge for a cat should be prepared based on a ratio of 1 to 2, that is, one part of porridge and two parts of meat. You can add finely chopped dill or parsley to the same porridges. You can buy oats and wheat at a pet store or grow your own.

Never give your cat grass that you picked outside. Such greens can be contaminated with poisons and toxins, which will cause serious harm to the health of the animal.

When feeding natural food, do not forget about vitamins

Vegetable oil can be added to your pet's food no more than 2 teaspoons per day. Vitamins are sold in pet stores in the form of tablets or various goodies; they must be given to the cat every day.

Water is one of the main elements a cat needs for the normal functioning of its stomach. The drink in the bowl should always be clean, and it should be changed as soon as it gets dirty.

You should not give your cat meat and dairy products at the same time. This may cause.

Natural menu for cats for every day

Each cat requires its own personal approach based on its individual characteristics. Therefore, the owner can change the menu a little, adapting to the pet. For the full functioning of the body of an adult cat, two properly balanced meals a day are enough.

Morning : upon waking up, the cat will happily eat something not very heavy. This could be cottage cheese with yolk, yogurt with cereals, or liquid milk porridge.

For a cat's morning meal, you can't find anything better!

Dinner : fermented baked milk or fortified treats from a pet store are suitable as feeding.

Evening : Before going to bed, your cat needs to have a good meal. Meat porridge or meat with added vegetables are suitable for this. Alternatively, you can simply give boiled chopped meat.

A few days ahead

Cat food can be prepared several days ahead and placed in the refrigerator for storage. This is very convenient if you work and return home late. Upon returning home, you just need to get the cat food, warm it up and feed your pet

Recipes for cats

Your cat will really like these dishes!

Meat with vegetables and grains

Required:

1 kg of meat;
500 gr. vegetables that your pet prefers;
2 tbsp. spoons of a mixture of 5 cereals.

Preparation:

It is necessary to boil the meat until cooked, then remove it and leave to cool.
Boil the vegetables in the resulting broth until half cooked.
Pour the broth over the flakes and let it brew.
When the grains are ready, place them and the vegetables in a blender and blend well.
Cut the meat into small, uniform pieces that are convenient for your cat to eat.
Mix the resulting mass from the blender and chopped meat, add 300 ml broth .

Our dish is ready! It can be immediately divided into small portions for your cat to eat and frozen in the freezer.

Lazy dumplings

Required:

1 glass of purified water;
2 eggs;
500 gr. wheat or corn flour;
300 gr. chicken liver.

Preparation:

Grind the raw liver in a blender or grind through a meat grinder.
Mix water, eggs, flour and the resulting liver mixture.
Mix the dough.
The consistency of the mixture should be very soft.
Roll out a long sausage and cut into small pieces that look like cherries.
Next, we place our pieces in boiling water, and as soon as they float to the surface, they can be removed.

It is better to cook for 1-2 servings. The rest of the mixture can be placed in the refrigerator. Cool the resulting lazy dumplings and, while warm, serve to the cat.

Food for sterilized cats and neutered cats

Sterilized cat suffering from obesity due to malnutrition

After sterilization, a cat loses interest in animals of the opposite sex and is replaced by a lost interest in food. Therefore very often Sterilized animals are obese , so try not to overfeed your pet.

If you decide to feed your pet homemade food yourself, then remember that the basis of the diet, just like with ordinary cats, should be meat food. Suitable meat products include beef, chicken, chicken hearts, livers or gizzards.

In this case, it is better to give up fish completely.

In addition, sterilized cats should be given cereals, vegetables and various fermented milk products. But it is better to avoid fish completely, since fish contains phosphorus and magnesium, which are harmful to sterilized animals.

Thus, the diet of sterilized and unsterilized cats is similar. The only difference will be the fish. Veterinarians advise buying special vitamins for sterilized pets. They contain all the necessary microelements for such animals.

Video about how to feed your cat natural food and not get worms

Conclusion

If you decide to feed your cat homemade food, then strictly follow all of the above points. You should not leave feeding your cat to chance, and give it the same food that you eat yourself.

Carefully monitor your pet's behavior, as this or that product may not be suitable for the cat, and you will have to replace it with something else. Therefore, please your pet with delicious food prepared by your own hands, and your cat’s long and healthy life will be your gratitude.

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Often, owners pay little attention to the nutrition of their pets. Unfortunately, this is the wrong approach, since high-quality and balanced nutrition for your pet is the key to its health and longevity.

Cat food is divided into two types:

Ready-made feed
Natural food

You can read about ready-made food in the article “Ready-made food for cats”. In this article we will look at natural nutrition in detail. Domestic cats are not averse to enjoying their favorite dishes with their owner, and sometimes even stealing something tasty from the table while the owner is busy cooking or doing household chores. Of course, there are also picky eaters who prefer only one dish in their diet and are indifferent to the rest of the food.

Calculating the daily value for your cat

Feeding natural food will allow you to control your pet’s weight and the amount of vitamins and nutrients it consumes. However, do not forget that thoughtless feeding can also harm your cat and cause illness or pathology.

When eating natural food, it is necessary to correctly calculate the daily food intake. There is a misconception that the cat itself knows how much it needs to eat per day. Unfortunately no. Many of our furry brothers do not know how to eat properly, which is why they develop problems with excess weight, breathing, or other dangerous diseases.

Please note that the amount of food for kittens and cats differs, so it is necessary to correctly calculate the amount of food consumed for different ages.

Nutrition calculations for small kittens

The kitten can be weaned from its mother at the age of 10 weeks. Until 9 months of age, cats should consume at least 10% of their body weight. In other words, with a weight of 2.3 kg, a kitten should consume up to 230 grams of food per day. (2.3×0.10=0.23) It is advisable to divide the diet (100-110 grams of fermented milk food and 100-110 grams of meat).

Nutrition calculation for adult cats

The daily norm for an adult is 5% of its weight. Thus, a cat weighing 4.5 kilograms should consume 225 grams per day. Of these, 115 grams of fermented milk products and 110 of meat.

It is welcome to add vegetables in the amount of 10-15 grams and oil from 2 to 5 drops.

It should be noted that not everyone with fluffy paws and tails willingly weighs themselves. To avoid the hassle associated with this process, you can do the following. Step on the scale and determine your own weight, then pick up the animal and repeat the procedure with it. By subtracting your weight from the total, you will get the weight of your pet.

You can calculate the required number of calories your pet needs. Young and growing cats need energy much more than adults - their consumption rate is 838 kJ. An adult cat needs only 353 kJ, and for obese or overweight animals the need is reduced to 251 kJ.

What foods can you give your cat?

The list of products for natural feeding of cats includes:

Meat

Lean beef and chicken are considered the most beneficial for cats. It is allowed to add lamb, rabbit and horse meat to the diet. Pork should be excluded from your pet’s menu. Meat can be given raw, after first dousing it with boiling water. There are cats that love boiled meat, if your cat is one of those, you can boil the meat and combine it with a small amount of vegetables and butter.

Fish

It is unlikely that you have ever met a cat that would refuse fish. Low-fat sea fish are suitable for feeding. When feeding raw fish, you can leave the bones, but if your pet prefers cooked fish, then it must be deboned. This is done because bones easily separate from cooked meat and can accidentally be swallowed whole by a cat.

You should not overuse the fish menu - excessive consumption can cause urolithiasis or deficiency. The best option is to give fish once a week, instead of meat. Fish is contraindicated for sterilized cats and neutered cats.

Meat by-products

Many owners replace meat with offal (kidneys, liver, lungs, heart), probably guided by the fact that the price of offal is much lower. Feeding these components is possible, but it should be borne in mind that their energy value and usefulness are much lower than that of ordinary meat. It is necessary to give offal only in raw form, no more than 1-2 times a week. It is also necessary to take into account that not all purrs easily digest and assimilate such food. Many cats react negatively to such feeding - vomiting and diarrhea and other side effects are possible. When these signs appear, by-products must be excluded from the diet.

Dairy products

Half of the cat's daily diet should be fermented milk products. Please note that they should not be too fat (up to 9%) or low fat (may cause bowel upset). Cats eat cottage cheese, kefir and various sourdoughs well. You need to be more careful with milk - as a cat gets older, the cat's body absorbs lactose less well, so problems with the digestive tract are inevitable.

Vegetables

Vegetables are also nutritious and healthy components in the diet of our little brothers. You can give almost all vegetables - peppers, cabbage, carrots, beets, pumpkin...

The list is quite extensive - pay attention to what the cat likes best and the recipe is found! You can either combine several types of vegetables or choose just one. Vegetables should be served raw, finely chopped, separately or mixed with meat. It is not recommended to give potatoes or dishes containing them.

Eggs

Cats digest both chicken and quail eggs very well. You need to give both the white and the yolk together. You can add eggs to dairy foods, along with cottage cheese or kefir.

Bran

Excellent substitute for vegetables. They have a number of useful properties - they are a base with fiber, have a beneficial effect on microflora and peristalsis. Many owners recommend mixing them with meat and fermented milk foods.

Oil

Cats tolerate the following types of oils well: vegetable, olive, pumpkin and flaxseed. A little oil is needed, just 2-5 drops. The oil has an enveloping property and helps normalize the functioning of the digestive tract.

How often should you feed your cat?

You need to feed your cat 2-3 times a day, if possible. Small kittens need 4 meals a day until they are 5-6 months old. Spayed and neutered cats should be fed strictly once a day. One of the constant rules is to always have water in the bowl, but with food everything is a little more complicated:

Try to feed your cat at the same time every day to develop a feeding routine.
It is better to leave meat feeding for dinner.
A cat should not have constant access to food - unfortunately, our furry brothers do not know when to stop and can harm themselves by overeating.
If a cat refuses to eat, or has side effects (vomiting, diarrhea, fever, decreased activity), this is a signal of distress and should immediately contact a veterinarian.
After feeding, cats often find a secluded place and rest - you should not disturb your pet during these periods of time.
If your pet leaves some food behind, you shouldn’t leave it for a long time - the food will spoil quickly.

How to cook it correctly?

Food should not be cold or hot, but slightly warmed or at room temperature.

The consistency of the food should be comfortable - do not give large pieces of meat. Cats eat quickly, so large pieces may cause difficulty digesting or vomiting.

Products should always be fresh.

The food is divided into two or three parts: fermented milk - 45-50%, vegetables and meat.

A few simple examples for your pet (calculated for an adult animal weighing = 4.3-4.5 kg):

Example 1:

Breakfast: 10 g kefir, 10-15 g. vegetable puree 30-40 cottage cheese, 2-3 years. oils, water.
Dinner: 50-60 chicken meat, water.
Dinner: 40 g. cottage cheese, 60-70 g. rabbit meat, water.

Example 2 (with added by-products):

Breakfast: 1 raw egg + 20-30 g. cottage cheese, water.
Dinner: 20-30 g. chicken hearts, 30-40 g. cottage cheese, water.
Dinner: 70-80 g minced chicken, 10 g vegetables, 2 g vegetable oil, water.

Example 3 (with added fish):

Breakfast: 50 g boiled fish, 10-15 g. vegetables
Dinner: 30-40 cottage cheese, 10-20 years. kefir
Evening: 70-80 lean beef, 20 g kefir.

Exceptions to the rules

It should also be noted that some cats require a special diet. If your pet is expecting a baby, has recently undergone surgery, is undergoing treatment, or is simply capricious, you need to coordinate the diet with your veterinarian and deliberately exclude dangerous ingredients.

Health to you and your pets!

For a high-quality and healthy life for cats, it is necessary to competently and correctly throughout their lives. Any animal needs a sufficient amount of three important components: proteins, fats and carbohydrates. It is also necessary to include vitamins, minerals and taurine in a cat's diet. This is an amino acid important for the health of cats, which supports the heart muscle, nervous system, and is involved in the removal of bile from the small intestine of cats. Ready-made dry food contains taurine in sufficient quantities to keep cats healthy. But what about those who feed cats natural products? Of course, make up for the lack of taurine with ready-made vitamin complexes. This is why veterinarians do not recommend feeding dogs cat food. Dog food doesn't contain taurine, they don't need it, cat food is higher in protein, and dogs don't need it either.

You must cook separately for your domestic cat, the food must be fresh and of high quality, do not cook for cats in advance, many cats do not eat “stale” food.

1). First of all, cats (although domestic, but still predators) need meat. Lean raw or boiled beef, boiled white meat chicken, beef or chicken offal (be sure to cook), rabbit, turkey. Your cat needs meat every day. You should not give cats meat in the form of minced meat; it is better to cut it into small pieces.

2). Boiled sea fish without bones. Fish can be given 1-2 times a week, do not feed it raw, to avoid infestation of the body, remove all the bones. It is better not to give fish to sterilized and neutered cats and female cats at all, as it destroys vitamin “B” in the cat’s body and leads to urolithiasis.

3). Quail eggs can be mixed with cottage cheese, porridge and given 1-2 times a week.

4). Kefir, low-fat and non-acidic cottage cheese, cream, goat milk, sour cream and natural yogurt can be given to cats every day if there is no stomach upset. Cow's milk is NOT allowed for cats! Cats cannot digest lactose, causing lactose, diarrhea, and indigestion. What is noteworthy is that the higher the fat content of the milk, the less lactose it contains. That is, cream is ok, but cow's milk is not!

5). Cereals rice and buckwheat, preferably crushed, cook the porridge in water and mix with boiled fish or meat in a 1:2 ratio. Do not mix cooked and raw foods. If you feed raw meat, give it to your cat in a separate feeding. Porridge can be given to cats 2-3 times a week.

6). It is useful for cats to add vegetable oil to their food, preferably olive oil, half a teaspoon every other day.

7). Most vegetables are suitable for feeding cats (carrots, beets, cabbage, zucchini, etc.), but many cats refuse to eat vegetables. To compensate for the lack of fiber in the body of cats, you can use bran; they can be mixed with meat or dairy feeding. It is also useful for cats to give sprouted grass from several grains.

8). Vitamin-mineral complexes with taurine, brewer's yeast, malt paste for removing hair from the gastrointestinal tract should also be included in the regular diet of cats. Vitamins are especially necessary for kittens, whose bodies are still growing, and for older cats, since they already have a weakened immune system. It is customary to give vitamins to adult cats in courses in spring and autumn. Often, cats' stomachs become clogged with hairballs, because cats take great care of their luxurious coats. In order for the hair to come out naturally from the gastrointestinal tract of cats, it is customary to give malt paste to remove it.

9). Well, the most important thing is water for cats. Cats' water should always be fresh and readily available; cats should use filtered or bottled water for drinking.

As you can see, for proper natural feeding of cats, not so little is needed. First of all, patience, time for the cat, desire to cook. It is precisely because of the reluctance of all this that many transfer their cats to, because everything is already balanced there and this ingenuity is not needed. The food, of course, must be at least super premium class, preferably from European producers. I don’t even want to hear about any economical option for cats, and I wrote about Whiskas food and the like, in.
Take care, love and feed your cats properly!

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