Shrimp to cats: can it be given, benefits and harm?

Today, shrimp, like other seafood “delights,” are no longer in short supply. The tasty and nutritious meat of these crustaceans is deservedly popular among housewives. But cats love shrimp no less than people. The question is: can cats eat shrimp, because not everything that people give their pets from their table is good for them. Even experts cannot give a definite answer to this question. They are divided approximately equally into 2 camps - “for” and “against”, and each gives well-founded arguments.

Do cats need dairy products?

The need to include fermented milk products and milk itself (less often) in a cat’s diet is dictated by a set of their useful components, such as:

• lactose;
• unique amino acids;
• animal protein;
• microelements;
• fatty acid.

Lactose - glucose and galactose molecules are involved in the birth of this natural carbohydrate . Natural sugar is found in all dairy products, including kefir, cottage cheese, whey and milk itself. If lactose is not absorbed by the body, this is a problem for a particular cat, but not for all whiskered cats.

Amino acids - there are only 20 of them, and 8 of them cannot be replaced with artificial or herbal supplements.

Animal protein - it also cannot be synthesized industrially or find an equivalent analogue in the plant world.

Microelements – in dairy products they are maximally balanced. Potassium and calcium need the help of phosphorus, and sodium is “ready” to disintegrate only under the “pressure” of other trace elements. You won’t be able to outwit nature by adding pharmaceutical preparations with sodium/calcium to your food: in their pure form they will provoke the deposition of kidney stones.

Fatty acids - they give milk (and its derivatives) a pleasant taste, contain vitamins A and D, lecithin and cholesterol, without which the body cannot live. Cholesterol is involved in the “release” of vitamin D and is involved in many hormonal processes.

Fermented milk products

They are introduced into the diet when the cat’s stomach has a negative reaction to pure milk, giving priority to kefir and cottage cheese. The latter is especially rich in calcium, which is responsible for the health of the coat and bone tissue, including teeth and claws.

Fermented milk products can be divided into 2 groups:

• obtained by lactic acid fermentation - yogurt, bifidok, cottage cheese, fermented baked milk, yogurt, sour cream;
• produced by mixed fermentation (lactic acid + alcohol) - kumiss and kefir.

“Sour milk” of the first group can be served on the cat’s table immediately, of course, if it has an expiration date.

Before treating your cat with kefir, take a look at the date of manufacture: the older the product is, the stronger its strength and the higher the proportion of carbon dioxide. Young kefir contains no more than 0.07% ethyl alcohol, while mature kefir contains approximately 0.88%.

Important! Both types of kefir differ in the effect they have on the cat’s body: young (no older than 2 days) weakens, mature (more than 2 days) strengthens. If your pet is prone to constipation, give him only fresh kefir. If the stomach is weak, the old one is recommended, unless the cat turns away from this excessively acidic liquid.

In this case, biokefir, which has a softer taste and added probiotic bacteria (usually acidophilus bacillus), will come to the rescue. Probiotics balance the microflora, and diarrhea/constipation becomes a thing of the past.

Fat content of fermented milk products

The cat is fed dairy products, without going beyond a certain percentage of fat content:

• cottage cheese – up to 9%;
• curdled milk, kefir, fermented baked milk, natural yogurt – up to 3.5%;
• sour cream - 10%, but it must be diluted (1/1) with warm water.

All cheeses are usually very fatty, which is why they are contraindicated for cats. The exception is unsalted varieties such as the Adyghe one, but these are also given infrequently and in small portions.

We must remember that cats, like people, have different health conditions, and the same product can cause diametrically opposed reactions in them. Sometimes even low-fat fermented milk products provoke diarrhea, however, they should not be replaced with low-fat ones . Just eliminate the product that causes stomach upset.

Important! Cats should not be fed any sweetened dairy products, including cheese curds and yogurts with fillers. Animal pancreatic enzymes cannot digest sucrose.

Why are shrimp good for cats?

Shrimp are a valuable source of:

• proteins - they contain 30% more proteins than beef;
• essential polyunsaturated fats – Omega-3 (540 mg) and Omega-6 (28 mg);
• vitamins – A, group B (B1, B2, B4, B5, B6, B9, B12), E and PP;
• minerals - a lot of phosphorus, sodium, selenium, a little less copper, iron, magnesium, potassium, calcium, manganese, etc.;
• iodine - shrimp contains 110 mcg per 100 g of krill - more than pink salmon and salmon.

The benefits of shrimp meat. Shrimp is a low-calorie product and when introduced into a cat’s diet, the risk of obesity is reduced. In addition, she will have:

• beautiful durable fur and strong claws;
• clean blood vessels, since shrimp eliminate “bad” cholesterol;
• high immunity;
• strong nervous system and stress resistance.

Scientists have found that shrimp improve thyroid function and even reduce the risk of cancer.

Industrial rations containing shrimp. Knowing the benefits of shrimp meat for the body of cats, many premium food manufacturers introduce them into their products, for example:

• Tuna Prawns wet food from Schesir;
• Shrimp and Chicken Dry Food with Shrimp and Turkey from Home Food;
• canned Shiny Cat from Gimpet with tuna and shrimp;
• Butcher's Delicious Dinner mousse with salmon and shrimp;
• pate Vom Feinsten from Animonda;
• Grain Free by Optimal.

The best combination is considered to be poultry with shrimp and vegetables. This way the cat receives the maximum of nutrients in an easily digestible form.

Classification

There are many types of cheeses based on the method of preparation:

1. Fermented milk products . They are obtained from skim milk, which is subjected to the action of lactic acid culture. They often add cottage cheese, sour cream, salt, and butter. Spices may include cocoa, onions, coffee, chocolate and vanillin. Cheeses without additives (with cottage cheese or milk) are allowed to be given to cats, but all others are not allowed, since spices often cause allergies and poisoning.
2. Serum . It is made from whey, which is formed after the cheese-making procedure (that is, from recycled materials). Because of this, they contain a lot of albumin and relatively little fat - 15-25%. The best option for a cat would be Adyghe cheese due to its quality, lack of spices, dangerous additives and low price. This product is rich in vitamins and microelements; most of them contain 15-25% of the animal’s total daily requirement for these substances in 100 grams.
3. Molds . These are cheeses that have been exposed to various molds, most often from the genus Penicillium. Their fat content is average - 25-35%, no spices or additives are added, since the taste is already good due to the action of mold. For these reasons, moldy cheeses can be fed to cats, but the first time you should give them a little, as an allergic reaction to the fungi is possible.
4. Smoked . In the Russian Federation, the most common are suluguni and sausage cheese. Smoking imparts a special taste due to processing at high temperatures. After this, the cheese is dehydrated, saturated with bacteriostatic, preservative substances and carcinogenic polycyclic hydrocarbons. This product should not be given to cats due to the high content of salts and preservatives.
5. Rennets . Produced from milk under the action of rennet - rennin. All of them have a fairly high fat content - 40-50%, which is why they should not be given to pets often. Among rennet, only hard and soft cheeses are suitable for feeding cats. Brine products should not be given to animals due to the large amount of salt and spices in the composition.

Can a kitten have milk?

If you have to feed newborn kittens, try to protect them from whole cow's milk.

Of course, the gastrointestinal tract of babies (compared to adult cats) is more adapted to digest lactose, but there are other factors that should be taken into account:

• For a kitten’s delicate stomach, this milk is excessively high in calories and “heavy”;
• milk from a pregnant cow contains a lot of tarragon (a female hormone), which is harmful to a fragile body;
• if the kitten's stomach cannot cope with lactose, expect diarrhea or allergies;
• if the cow received antibiotics (or other drugs), they will get to the kitten, causing, at the very least, dysbiosis;
• together with milk, pesticides from the grass/feed that the cow was fed can enter the body;
• store-bought milk, especially sterilized and ultra-pasteurized milk, is not recommended due to its dubious usefulness.

These warnings apply mainly to urban kittens with a weakened immune system: seasoned village kittens will overcome (without health consequences) both fresh milk and sour cream with high fat content.

Pedigree kittens can be offered products designed to compensate for the deficiency (lack) of mother's milk . In stores you can find Royal CaninBabycat Milk, which replaces cat milk from birth to weaning.

How to keep cheese safe

It is impossible to make cheese safe without decomposing it into a tasteless paste. Cooking or freezing is aimed at destroying bacteria, which do not pose a danger in these products. Mold is present, but it causes problems in the form of allergic reactions in only too few animals. Much more often, lactose is the cause of problems.

Cheese is dangerous due to a large amount of fat, spices and salt, which are not destroyed when cooled. The damaging effect of freezing is based on the expansion of water, which ruptures microorganisms as it turns into ice. However, there is too little water in cheeses, and most products do not contain any bacteria.

Prolonged cooking can decompose fats, but this will only happen along with the destruction of all vitamins and proteins, which reduces the nutritional value of the product. As a result of prolonged cooking in cheese, most of its elements are destroyed, which is why it loses its shape and taste.

Cheese is given exclusively in its raw form; it cannot be cooked. This product is also not prepared in any way. At one time, you can give your pet a small cube no larger than a centimeter in size. Cheese is used as a treat, that is, it is added to the animal’s diet no more than once a week. You can feed it to adult pets and kittens older than six months. Before giving it for the first time, you need to make sure that the cat is not allergic to lactose (give her a little milk).

Supposedly cook shrimp?

Raw shrimp should never be given to a cat.

The easiest way to prepare shrimp is boiling. Before your brother cooks shrimp, they should be cleaned of shell and waste. Let you clear your digestive tract, cut the butterfly shrimp. Products should be cooked without adding any spices, but our preferences do not always coincide with the preferences of animals.

From now on. Ant. Then we’ll touch on the topic of portions. When a cat likes what she eats, she has no control over her saturation and can eat much more than she can handle. Therefore, it is recommended to give a small cat one large or two small shrimp, and an adult cat two large or 4 small ones. Pieces that are too large should be cut into several pieces so that your animal can comfortably eat the food.

Some recommendations regarding feeding:

1. There should be unusual dishes in the diet of an illiterate animal. The cat should have a clear and uniform cat. Although marketers tell us otherwise, the new presentation does not bring anything good, because it confuses your pet. And the reward of the food to which she is accustomed, the cat will pester for that unusual yummy.
2. If your animal does not finish eating from time to time, you should not force her to do this, because this is normal. Overeating will only bring extra weight to your cat, because of what? she will not be able to move normally.
3. Until now, giving a cat whatever it wants, even sweets or chips, is dangerous - serious poisoning and problems with the digestive tract are possible.

Can an adult cat have milk?

It’s good that many mustachioed people who systematically lap up milk do not understand human speech (or pretend that they do not understand). They would be very surprised to learn that this tasty white liquid was harmful to their health, but most likely they would not stop drinking it.

In fact, there is no categorical ban on milk for cats, since every adult animal retains the enzyme responsible for the breakdown of lactose. And negative reactions to milk (in particular, loose stools) are observed in cats with a reduced content of this enzyme, and vice versa.

If your pet digests milk well, do not deprive him of this joy, but calculate the norm as follows: 10-15 ml per 1 kg of weight.

Those who advise removing milk from the menu of pets cite another argument - in the wild, cats do not drink it.

But we must not forget that the diet of the same animals undergoes significant changes depending on where they are: in artificial conditions they eat differently than in the wild.

Important! The advice to give your cat sheep's or goat's milk instead of cow's milk is not without logic. Goat/sheep milk is less allergenic, and if the cat cannot tolerate cow's milk protein, this is a good solution. As for milk sugar, there is not so little of it in goat milk - 4.5%. For comparison: in cow - 4.6%, in sheep - 4.8%.

If you want to pamper a cat that doesn’t digest it well with milk, take a special product from Whiskas: milk with a lower proportion of lactose, produced according to a special recipe. You can also find milk substitutes that are completely free of milk sugar, but this delicacy should not be given often.

If you have the desire and time, prepare your Murka Mojito milkshake by mixing 100 ml of yogurt, 4 quail yolks, and 80 ml of water and concentrated milk.

Harm and allergies

Despite the enormous benefits of shrimp, they also have properties that do not allow everyone to consume them in large quantities. The presence of tropomyosin in their composition makes the product highly allergenic, that is, allergies can manifest themselves in severe form:

• skin rashes;
• tingling in the mouth;
• disruption of the gastrointestinal tract;
• up to anaphylactic shock, accompanied by convulsions and loss of consciousness.

Excessive and regular consumption of shrimp, even in the absence of allergies, negatively affects the organs of vision, the functioning of the digestive system, and contributes to the exacerbation of diseases of the genitourinary system.

It is also worth taking into account the fact that all the benefits of marine life are available only if their wild representatives are consumed. But on store shelves you often find products from shrimp farms.

The danger comes from the various medications used by farmers to maintain health and increase the shrimp population: antibiotics, antiseptics, pesticides.

To avoid causing a serious blow to your dog’s liver, make sure that the packaging says wild or sea caught. If the product is unpackaged, you must take into account that wild crustaceans are not large.

Contraindications

An important measure
Before giving shrimp to cats, consult a specialist. Sensitive individuals may have a reaction to chemicals or antibiotics used in production. Manufacturers assure that the product is safe, but it wouldn’t hurt to consult a veterinarian. The new product is introduced in small portions, observing the animal’s reaction. Sometimes owners report inappropriate behavior after eating seafood. For example, refusing regular food for some time or excessive aggression. Shrimp act like a drug. The cat asks for them again and again.

The opposite situation also happens. Sometimes pets feel sick. They eat the shrimp with pleasure, but then suffer from vomiting. Therefore, some veterinarians do not recommend including shrimp in the purr's diet. For example, if an animal is prone to allergies, a reaction may occur to chemical components or antibiotics that are often used to treat crustaceans. They are sometimes seen as the cause of the development of pancreatitis and urolithiasis. Therefore, only boiled and as a “delicacy”. Remember - such nutrition must be under strict control. You cannot follow a lead and give without measure everything that the animal requires. It does not give an account of the possible consequences. We are responsible for his health and longevity.

Which shrimp is right for your pet?

Not all shrimp are suitable for your pet. Frozen ones do not have the same benefits as fresh ones. Since this product spoils quickly, manufacturers treat shrimp with chemical additives for longer storage. Sellers also often add antibiotics, which have a negative effect on the body. If you are already buying a frozen product, then do not do it in a cheap supermarket and pay attention to the manufacturer. It is better to choose a brand popular all over the world, which is in great demand among people.

But in general, give preference to fresh shrimp, because only they retain the entire supply of nutrients. When purchasing, you should pay attention to the quality of the product and the place where it is sold.

There is a solution for those who do not have markets with fresh produce in their city. Canned food is complete nutrition in a balanced form. But again, you should pay attention to the manufacturer and composition. Canned food should not contain preservatives, flavors, dyes or attractants.

How often can you feed your cat shrimp?

Since shrimp is a golden source of protein, you shouldn’t spoil your cat with this treat every day. This product is not suitable as a main dish, so the permissible limit is 2 times a week.

If your cat is pregnant, there is no need to worry, as fresh shrimp will not cause any harm. Due to its subtle and pleasant taste, your pet will quickly like this tasty treat. But don't be tempted by provocation! Consuming too much of this product will lead to stomach problems.

Feeding after surgery

Your doctor will tell you how to feed your cat immediately after surgery. Usually, after anesthesia, it is recommended not to give the animal food immediately (and he most likely will not want to). There should be enough water, because after anesthetic medications the cat may feel thirsty.

When the animal completely recovers from anesthesia and asks for food, you can give it a little kefir, a weak meat broth.

You should not give solid food right away. It is also impossible to infuse it by force: the animal itself knows what it needs.

On the second day, you can give food to which the cat is already accustomed. Sudden changes in diet will harm both psychologically and physically. The cat should be transitioned to a new diet gradually. If a pet lives in a house from an early age, and the decision to castrate is made in advance, it is better to initially accustom it to certain foods. Then after surgery you will not need to make changes to your diet.

For several days after surgery, it is necessary to exclude fatty foods from the diet (for example, do not give sour cream, fatty fish or meat). The protein component should be strengthened. Fatty foods are generally harmful, but sometimes you can pamper your pet, but not often. Protein is simply necessary for a predator.

The cat should be gradually transferred to a new diet so that he does not experience psychological stress and problems with the gastrointestinal tract. After surgery, veterinarians recommend supporting the animal’s body by conducting a vitamin and mineral course.

The drug Gamavit helps to recover well. This complex product containing vitamins, amino acids and healthy salts is made on the basis of a growth nutrient medium.

How to properly plan your pet's diet

It is better to entrust such a troublesome task to professionals and opt for high-quality ready-made cat food. In them, manufacturers monitor the balance of all components. Four-legged pets need not only meat rich in proteins, carbohydrates and fats on their menu, but also vegetables, vitamins and microelements.

If breeders prefer home-produced food, then you need to know some subtleties:

1. Only dietary meat or offal can be given.
2. Fish, such as halibut, must be cooked; You can pour boiling water over the chicken.
3. It is not recommended to give pasteurized milk to small kittens. High lactose content will cause indigestion. But natural goat milk is very healthy.
4. Cabbage, carrots, and pumpkin are desirable in the diet in raw form. But eggplants can lead to death.
5. It is strictly forbidden to feed cats potatoes. The starch contained in the culture will lead to serious illnesses.

Monitoring your pet's diet is not at all difficult. Cats quickly get used to a certain menu and will happily eat the same foods. Fresh water must be constantly available.