The amount of dry food for a cat and at what age should it be introduced into the diet?

Pets have long become an integral part of our lives. Of course, what every owner wants most is for their pets to be healthy and happy. The first thing we pay attention to when a furball appears in the house is its litter box and how much food can be given to the cat.

And this is correct, because the physical and mental development of the pet will depend on how correctly the food regime is observed.

• When he was born
• Adult
• Food from a bag or natural food
• Daily norms

When he was born

Feeding a newborn kitten is perhaps the only topic in nutrition that does not concern you at all.

His mother knows the answer to this question. But it happens that people also have to feed babies, for example, foundlings.

So what do you need to know if a baby is dropped at your door, or for some other reason, feeding a kitty falls on your shoulders.

• A newborn cannot drink on his own, so you need to stock up on an ordinary medical syringe.
• Formulas for newborns are sold especially for refuseniks. Just like people. This mixture has a composition as close as possible to the composition of milk from a nursing cat. You can buy it at a pet store
• If you can’t buy the mixture, the food can be prepared at home. Goat and cow's milk are mixed in equal proportions, then egg white is added. The resulting mixture is filtered and heated to 30 degrees
• In order for the baby to be full, he needs to be fed every 2 hours, day and night.

A signal that the baby is completely full will be his quiet sleep. If after feeding the baby squeals, then eating should be continued.

Age 3-6 months

At this point, the kitten's teeth and jaws are fully formed. Therefore, you can forget about the grater. But you'll have to pick up a knife. Because pieces that are too large will only be slobbered on and thoroughly chewed, but they will never get into the kitten’s stomach.

But now you don’t have to necessarily cook the meat and vegetable components of the menu. Of course, you will still have to cook the porridge, because kittens do not eat raw cereals. Raw fish is added to the diet. Strictly sea and boneless. River fish is contraindicated!

The milk is completely removed. It is replaced with low-fat cottage cheese or fermented milk products. You can sometimes give egg whites, raw ones. But teenage kittens often become indifferent to eggs in general. But at this time, unexpected taste habits are formed. Therefore, it is very important now to diversify your pet’s menu as much as possible. Otherwise, he will get used to one product and simply ignore the rest.

By the way, there are many known cases when kittens after 3 months demanded completely non-cat products:

• corn
• honey
• chocolate
• raw potatoes
• sunflower seeds
• fresh cucumbers
• dried fruits

Every normal person understands that such nutrition does not contribute to the full development and good growth of a kitten. Some make excuses by feeding the fluffy another candy: “Well, he loves it! »

You never know who loves it! But cats also have diabetes, obesity, urolithiasis and other human diseases. And they do not arise on their own. Domestic cats are fed by humans, which means that it is he who is to blame for the pet’s illness.

Do you want to pamper your kitten? Give him a prohibited non-cat product. But very little and very rarely. Let it remain a delicacy or a reward, but not a permanent menu item.

Adult

Adult felines, starting at 6 months, eat much less frequently than their small cubs. However, their portions are getting larger.

The amount of food that is enough to keep an adult cat full is selected individually. The volume of food largely depends on the animal itself , on its mobility, its character, weight and many other factors. It also depends on what food you choose. But there are still generally accepted norms from which you can build.

• All cats need amino acids, which is why they prefer meat to other foods as food. When an animal gets the right amount of protein, it looks healthy and playful
• It's time to dispel the myth that cats need milk. Moreover, many adults, on the contrary, refuse milk, moreover, it can negatively affect their digestive system and cause stomach upsets. In general, your animal chooses independently whether to drink milk or not.
• Almost all cats love to eat fish, but this is not a product that is necessarily necessary in their diet. Furry friends need vitamin A, which they can get from both meat and fish.
• Cats should not eat raw meat and fish, as the product may be contaminated with parasites.
• The weekly diet must include several feedings of liver and chicken eggs.
• Despite the fact that meat and fish should predominate in the diet, you should not forget about grains. Along with the cereal, your pet will receive the necessary vitamin B
• It is necessary to feed the cat 2 - 3 times a day, at the same time, with equal portions of food.
• There should always be clean water available throughout the day
• An adult animal weighing 5 kg should receive 150 grams of protein and 50 grams of carbohydrate foods per day
• Sometimes pets ask to try foods that are not natural to them. These can be chocolates, cucumbers, apples, raw potatoes and much more. Don’t be in a hurry to get scared; most likely, he just wanted to try something new. Perhaps after the first test he will beg you for candy more than once, or perhaps he will never ask you again
• Feeding the cat in the morning and evening is a good option for both the owner and the animal itself.

Key points in feeding kittens

The main question: is it possible to feed a kitten dry food? You can make it the main dish of your baby’s menu from the age of two months, without mixing it with natural products, avoiding unnecessary stress on the digestive organs.

How much to give daily?

1. For a kitten of three to six months, it is recommended to pour 50 - 110 grams, feed 4 times;
2. a six-month-old baby will need 200 - 250 grams (period of intensive growth), feed 2 - 3 times;
3. 200 grams is enough for a one-year-old fluffy.

Focus on the composition of the product. High-quality dry cat food is balanced, contains the necessary vitamins and minerals, and ensures proper development. If you give vitamin supplements unnecessarily (unless prescribed by a veterinarian), you risk provoking the development of the disease.

Take care of the feeding area; ideally it is:

• quiet, without the presence of strangers (if there are a lot of pets, make sure you have an individual bowl);
• clean.

An important point is to ensure access to clean drinking water: dry food does not contain liquid, drinking will help the kitten avoid dehydration.

Cat in position

Everyone knows that a pregnant woman should reconsider her menu. What to do with the diet of a pregnant cat?

• Once pregnant, your cat needs more food. However, you should not sharply increase its portions; you need to increase the number of feedings.
• From days 7 to 14 of pregnancy, give your cat 10% more food per day than usual.
• From 21 to 28 days by 50%

Food from a bag or natural food

Many breeders of purebred cats believe that giving dry cat food is the ideal nutrition option. But there are also those who are supporters of natural nutrition. There are also third parties who prefer exclusively preserved and canned food. But what should ordinary amateurs do if even experts cannot come to a common opinion? Should you choose to feed your cats ready-made food, or prepare it yourself?

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Canned food

It is enough to give your cat a couple of bags of food per day, depending on the size of the pack. Manufacturers usually indicate on the packaging how much food is needed per feeding. However, there is a significant disadvantage: such feeding can significantly hit the owner’s wallet.

Natural food

When choosing natural food, this does not mean that you can feed food from your table, bones and sausage. In order for the animal to be healthy and cheerful, it needs to be given stewed meat of low-fat varieties (beef, turkey), sometimes porridge, cottage cheese, and eggs.

Dry food

Of course, dry food is the best option for a cat owner, it is not expensive, it does not create dirt near the plate, it contains everything that is needed for a full life. However, dry food has its disadvantages. Too cheap food contains a lot of salt, which negatively affects the liver and digestive system. It is best to choose premium dry food . Give your cat 40–70 grams of dry food per day. It is also worth considering that if you choose dry food, you need to increase the daily amount of water.

Every person should understand that when a meowing friend appears in his house, he at the same moment bears responsibility for the life and health of the new family member.

But the most important thing that the owner must do is to feed, love, and only then raise his pet correctly.

Owner reviews of Whiskas dry food

Alina, Moscow

We picked up our cat on the street when she was about 4 months old. She is mongrel, but the most beautiful and smart. As soon as we had her, we started buying her Whiskas. I am very pleased with the choice of flavors and quality. The cat likes the salmon flavored pillows best. We alternate flavors, the cat is delighted. And we are very happy for her. She simply won't eat any other food. Thank you, Whiskas, for being with us. And thank you for making our pets happy!)

Aleks312, Kirov

It is better to listen to the taste desires of your pets than to take just anything. Our cat is very picky. If he doesn’t like the smell of the food, then he won’t eat it. Therefore, at first there were difficulties with feeding. Now we only buy him what he likes. We give him Whiskas in different forms: he eats jelly, stew, and dry food with gusto. We recently bought a new flavor to try - with beef and rabbit.

Ate absolutely everything. He even asked for more. So after a while I had to go and get it again. The packaging itself is beautiful. It catches your eye immediately, there is no specific smell...

Dry food is a complete and balanced diet for your pets. Accustom them to a new diet with affection and patience, in return you will get a healthy animal.

How much wet food does a cat need per day?

Many cat owners (of various breeds) are interested in the possibilities of feeding their pets wet food. In accordance with the general classification, canned cat food is classified as wet food. This type of food has many advantages, but there are also disadvantages. Initially, it is important to note that mixing types of food (dry and wet or wet and natural) is strongly not recommended. Switch the animal to one type of feeding and then stick to it if the cat is active, mobile, and does not have obvious signs of food intolerance (diarrhea, vomiting, allergic reactions, etc.).

On the website www.zootovary.com you can find a wide range of inexpensive wet cat food. Below are the main recommendations regarding regular feeding. It is highly recommended that you adhere to them to ensure your pet's health.

How to tell if your cat has enough food

Why does an owner need to know how much food a cat needs per day? It's simple: you need to balance the amount of food in such a way that the pet has enough nutrients for life, but at the same time avoid overeating with excess weight and obesity or not leading to exhaustion. To control body weight, you can weigh your cat regularly. But this is quite troublesome, so it is better to control the amount of feed consumed from the very beginning.

If an animal does not have enough food, it will lose weight, its fur will become dull and begin to shed, it will constantly meow or look for ways to feed itself, for example, by pulling something off the table. In this case, the portion of food can be slightly increased.

You can determine the degree of fatness and weight standards by examining the cat and palpating its body.

Is it really worth switching to wet food?

Dry food contains significantly more nutrients and vitamins. Dry food is easier to store and by definition lasts longer. So why switch to wet food then?

• dry food – 90% useful nutrients, microelements, vitamins + 10% moisture;
• wet food – 80% moisture + 20 useful nutrients, trace elements, vitamins.

It would seem that the owner’s choice is obvious. However, cats do not always tolerate dry food perfectly. In addition, the owners of these graceful pets are well aware that it is almost impossible to force a cat to drink from a saucer.

To maintain a high level of health, it is extremely important that your cat consumes enough moisture. It is for this reason that the transition to wet food is prescribed.

Thanks to the cat eating wet canned food, the owner is confident that the animal’s water-alkaline balance is normal.

Food basket for kittens

Let's look at the cat's “food basket” - what you can feed kittens from homemade food, that is, “natural food”. The first thing is meat, namely beef. A bird would also work. It is better to avoid pork; a kitten can easily overeat it out of habit; on top of everything else, it is a source of helminthiasis infection. If we talk about fish, there is nothing better than sea fish. You can get a lot of things from river fish. But even sea fish should be given infrequently - a couple of times a week is more than enough. For young creatures, the meat must be boiled, but older pets can eat it raw, but only in moderation.

What better way to feed a kitten than with milk; there is simply no dearer food for it. However, not every cat will drink cow's milk. In some animals, the stomach simply cannot tolerate it. In such cases, the baby can be given yogurt or other fermented milk product. The main thing is that its fat content is not too high. Another good product for a growing animal is cottage cheese. Small pets are given cottage cheese puree with yolk, milk, or all together. Few people will refuse such “mogol-mogol” and usually the kitten devolves it with great pleasure. You can also pamper your pet with rennet cheese and sour cream.

In order for an animal to develop fully, it requires fiber contained in products of plant origin - these are vegetables and cereals. To compensate for this need, the kitten needs to cook porridge. For the smallest kittens, on a milk basis, and for older animals on meat, chicken, and fish broths. Only legumes should be avoided, since it has already been mentioned that feeding legumes leads to bloating and constipation, and they are also poorly absorbed by the body. Meat and vegetables are added to porridges made with meat broths.

Don't forget that your baby should have 24/7 access to fresh water. This aspect is especially important when feeding dry food. After all, cats that consume store-bought food drink almost four times more water than animals that eat natural products. Change the water regularly, and wash the container underneath and scald it with hot water.

How often should I feed my cat wet food?

It is advisable to divide the daily dose of wet food into two (morning and evening). The time interval between them should not exceed 9 hours. Veterinarians say that the ideal dose of wet food is 5% of the animal’s total body weight.

In other words, if a cat weighs 5 kg, then the animal should consume 250 g of food per day. Those. – 125 g/morning + 125 g/evening.

Please note that wet food is more expensive. Primarily due to additional storage requirements. However, experience shows that wet food is more in demand by cats.

This video explains how to properly feed cats:

How many meat pouches should a cat eat per day?

My cat does not eat anything except meat bags (like Whiskas, Kiteket, Friskas, etc.). What is the daily intake? The cat is outbred, small in size, 3 years old. Just no matter how much you give her, she will eat everything and therefore it is impossible to understand whether she is feeling hungry or is just being capricious.

Author of the publication

Anastasia

Achievement received 10/08/2018

Similar:

The selection of food, including meat bags, must be approached individually, and it all depends on the animal’s taste preferences, energy expenditure, and individual metabolism. Typically, on the food packaging, the dosage is indicated depending on the cat’s weight and activity level, and you can use it as a guide. And so, each cat is characterized by a “buffet”, that is, it can approach the cup up to 16 times a day, and it will always have an increased appetite. So that this does not become expensive for the owner, then you need to meat bags, or divide the food into 4 feeding times, and give it out strictly according to the norm. In case the cat's fur is dull and he looks thin despite the food, this means that he does not have enough nutrition and will need to increase its amount. In general, in order to know for sure how much food an animal needs, for this you need to give it a large portion of food, and then weigh the uneaten food, so you will know how much it needs at a time. Cats rarely overeat, but if the animal is neutered, it eats twice as much.

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My cat and I had the same problem. But the veterinarians told us that this is due to the fact that we feed the cat fish. Although we have another cat who eats the same thing and he hasn't had the same problem.

I have the exact same cat, only a little older. And he also doesn’t eat anything other than wet food. We'll soon go broke feeding him. We give him according to his gluttony. And everything is fine, we don’t complain about anything, he goes to the toilet regularly. Previously they gave it 4 times a day. Now, he started eating more. Whatever he asks for, we give it to him.

I usually don’t give my cat the whole bag at once, but only half, and put the remaining half in the refrigerator. After a while I give half the bag again. Two sachets or one and a half per day. If he really asks, then I’ll give him three, if he’s particularly gluttonous. Her appetite is not constant, sometimes she does not eat at all. At the same time, dry food is a must, and plenty of fresh water. Moreover, tastes change - sometimes she loves pate, sometimes she refuses, the same goes for jelly and cream soup. She also has to change companies - either she likes Whiskas or Felix. Or she just eats fried fish and doesn’t need any bags. But as much as you give, you eat as much - I haven’t noticed that. If she’s full, the food on the saucer will simply dry out, and she won’t touch it. I have to throw it away. Although it is greedy, and I tell her that transferring money to her is empty, and we are not millionaires. Only the cat doesn’t understand my complaints about money. And fresh food should be available on demand, at the first meow. But more often she is patient, she just stays nearby and watches. Waiting for me to guess.

On these meat bags with cat food, I don’t remember exactly what brand, but they are all about the same, it says that they are designed for two feedings. As the veterinarian told us, the healthiest food for a cat is food from his own table. That's why cats now eat the same things we eat. Soups, meat, chicken, fish, eggs, cottage cheese: a complete and varied diet. You can also give them porridge; in the wild, they receive a certain amount of grains in the gastrointestinal tract of the rodents they catch. I also buy these bags, but I don’t feed them all the time. They are kept as a reserve when there is no time to cook, so the cat receives a semi-finished product. In general, it is not advisable to feed a cat only commercially produced food. Monosodium glutanate is added to these foods, which is a flavor enhancer, so the cat eats the food with such appetite. But in terms of impact on health, it is not very useful. As correctly written above, it can provoke urolithiasis.

I feel sorry for the bird - in this case the cat - how dependent he is on the homo sapiens who tamed him. A stingy man's tear flows in an incessant stream from my bright eyes:

Normal for a puppy

The norm for puppies is also calculated based on their weight, but unlike adults, it is divided not into 2 doses, but into 3-5 depending on age and needs. Also, the gram is larger than for an adult, especially for representatives of small breeds, since in the period from 2 to 10 months the animal actively grows and develops, it needs energy and nutrients.

To determine the size of food consumed, special tables are used with coefficients that are correct for each specific breed. It is impossible to calculate “on average” here, since the physiology of puppies of decorative miniature dogs is very different from their larger counterparts.

Bagged food for cats: what is it made from and how much to give per day?

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Pets are an integral part of our lives. Their health and emotional state directly depend on what they eat. What is the currently popular cat food pouch made from? How to properly feed it to your furry friends? We will answer these questions in detail.

A little history

The production of pet food dates back to 1860. Then a simple American electrician named Spratt came up with a dog pie, which included wheat, vegetables and beef blood.

Probably, from these times the myth began that all food for cats and dogs is made from waste: horns and hooves, as well as sawdust or soybeans (at best).

Nowadays, a variety of multi-colored bags allows you to choose pate, jelly, and pieces in sauce for your pet.

What should you not feed your kitten?

Everyone knows that chips and cola are harmful to a child's health. He should not be given these products, as they have a detrimental effect on the body. The same goes for baby cats; their bodies also cannot process some foods. To keep your kitten healthy and active, exclude the following foods from its diet:

1. The liver is useful only for humans, but for cats it does not have much benefit. If you give it to a kitten, then in vain - it is an empty product for him.
2. Even if you feed your baby dry food (moistened in water), it is still necessary to add variety. For example, you can give meat and dairy products.
3. River fish, even boiled ones, are carriers of all kinds of parasites. It should not be given to a kitten.
4. Sausage, smoked meat, lard, fish and other similar products are food only for people. It contains a lot of fat, salt, seasonings and other components harmful to the body. By the way, this applies not only to cat health.
5. Sweets are for children, not kittens. They ruin teeth, and in general, sugar is harmful to animals.
6. Dog food! Never give one, even if the cat's supply is over. Go to the store and buy it. As a last resort, give natural food.
7. Bread and other flour products.

Recipe for an inexpensive and tasty dish for a kitten

If the owner has a limited budget and time, then he needs to prepare food for the kitten in advance, which he can eat for several days in a row.

To do this, you need to finely rub 1 kg of beef through a sieve and add two chopped carrots to it. This mass must be supplemented with 200 grams of the simplest cheese, 2 yolks and a tablespoon of brewer's yeast. If desired, you can add a few drops of vitamins for animals.

This mixture should be carefully moved, rolled out with a rolling pin and placed in the freezer. Next, you need to boil the homemade food in small pieces

and feed the kitten. This product is used as the main food as it contains everything that is necessary for the full development of a young kitten.

When choosing any food, you need to pay attention to the condition of the animal.

. The kitten should always be in a good mood. It is imperative that he has smooth fur and strong claws.

You also need to observe whether your pet eats with appetite.

. After some time, the owner will independently understand what to feed the kitten. If your kitten is older than 3 months, you can switch to a balanced raw diet.

Recommendations from nutritionists:

• Don't feed your cat natural foods. When systematically combined, ready-made cat food and natural products will cause imbalance in nutrition - oversaturation of the body with some elements with a lack of others and, as a result, illness.
• Provide your cat with clean, fresh drinking water at all times. It is completely unacceptable to have a full bowl of dry food and an empty water bowl: the cat is at risk of dehydration.
• Canned cat food is more flavorful than dry cat food and comes in a wider variety of flavors.
• Heating canned cat food to a temperature of 39 – 40 °C can enhance its smell and indirectly improve its taste; this can be used when feeding a picky cat.
• Experts recommend not mixing dry and canned food - the effect of such a mixture is closer to dry food. It is better to feed your cat only canned food from time to time.
• Cats are very good at recognizing shapes and prefer food with small granules.
• It is not at all necessary to change food throughout the cat's life. You can choose a high-quality cat food from one brand and stick to it according to your cat's age and weight.
• Many diseases cause changes in taste in cats. In this case, you should use special dietary food for cats with the best taste (Hill's, Iams, Mars, Royal Canin).

And finally, you can determine how suitable the food you have chosen is for your cat using the following external indicators:

1. Optimal fatness of the pet (ribs are not visible, but are easily palpated);
2. Good physical condition;
3. Shiny coat;
4. Small volume of stool (approximately 25% of food eaten);
5. Maintaining a constant weight of the cat.

Video

What is a cat's natural diet?

Affectionate domestic cats are predators by nature. Borscht and cucumbers are not suitable for them as food. The digestive system of tailed pets practically does not digest such food.

In order for a cat to please its owners with health and a playful disposition, it needs to receive high-quality protein every day. Meat, fish, and offal should form the basis of the diet of any normal cat. In addition, sources of vitamins are also important for them. And these are vegetables, grains and vegetable oils.

All this is quite difficult to give to your pet in a day. When feeding regular food, you will have to cook not only for your family, but also for your cat.

To make the work of loving owners easier, wet cat food was invented, which provides the animal with all the necessary substances.

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What and how are they made from?

For the production of wet food for cats, mainly by-products are used: liver, kidneys, lungs. But meat is also necessarily present in the composition of not the cheapest feeds. Cheaper options add soy to replace expensive meat ingredients.

In order to know the composition for sure, you should first read it on the packaging. However, many manufacturers hide the real facts of the presence of certain ingredients in cat food.

Many wet foods are believed to have an addictive psychoactive substance added to them. Whether this information is true or just a “duck” launched by competitors, no one knows for sure.

A huge advantage of wet food is that various vitamins and minerals are added to them. Lack of them in a cat's diet can cause illness. When eating natural food, it is almost impossible to choose a balanced diet so that it meets all the needs of the animal.

Wet food is made on an industrial scale. To do this, meat and soy mass are ground together in huge meat grinders. The minced meat is then passed through the holes to form sausages. They are cut into small pieces and then mixed with the sauce. After packaging, the food is sterilized and packaged.

Consequences of poor nutrition

Poor nutrition, especially during the growth period, is the cause of many diseases and disorders:

• Stunted growth;
• Incorrect formation of the skeleton;
• Metabolic disorders;
• Reduced immunity;
• Allergic reactions;
• Poisoning;
• Worm infestations;
• Reproductive dysfunction.

Without following the basic rules and norms of feeding, it is impossible to raise a healthy animal that meets all the characteristics of the breed.

Rating

All wet canned food for cats can be divided into four classes: economy, premium, super-premium and holistic. It is clear that the meat content in them increases in ascending order. But not all cat lovers can afford anything other than economy class.

Popular brands of economy-class canned food: “Kiteket”, “Whiskas”, “Night Hunter”, “Felix”.

If we talk about the best wet food among the most budget options, then in terms of protein content, the leader, unsurprisingly, is Night Hunter. Felix is ​​in second place.

In the premium segment, popular brands include Sheba, Proplan, Gourmet, Royal Canin, and Brit. Sheba, Proplan and Brit have approximately the same protein content - 30–34%.

Super-premium class includes foods such as Pronature Original, Gina, Bozita and others. If you choose them for your pet, then you don’t have to worry about making a mistake - they are all approximately the same in composition and the presence of nutrients.

The best foods in the holistic segment are Innova, Acana, Almo Nature, Farmina N&D, Pronature Holistic, Orijen. They are very expensive and contain a large percentage of meat.

How much to give per day?

Firstly, it is better to choose one brand of food for your cat and not experiment further.

A pet does not need a constant change of food, since its stomach and intestines may react negatively to such an experiment.

Secondly, to choose the daily amount of such food for your cat, you need to check the directions on the pack. For example, for an average-sized cat weighing 3-4 kg, 3-4 80 gram bags of food are needed. And a pregnant furry pet already needs 5 sachets.

A newly born pet should be given special food for kittens. It is higher in calories, and its pieces are smaller than regular ones. Each pack also contains the recommended daily dose.

Wet food should not be placed all in a bowl at once. It should be heated in small portions to room temperature, and the opened jar or bag should be stored in the refrigerator for no more than a day. Unfinished food should be immediately put into the refrigerator, as pathogenic bacteria multiply very quickly in it.

Further complementary feeding

So, time flies very quickly, and in a couple of months the kitten turned from a little fool into a charming playful creature. Now he needs more and more strength and energy, so his nutrition should be different, and a new product should be introduced weekly. They try to give boiled lean chicken, rabbit or turkey; low-fat sour cream, boiled beef liver, boiled fish or poached for a minute, separated from the bones. Boiled and chopped chicken or quail egg. Pumpkin puree with milk.

Any unfamiliar food should be given to a kitten in small doses and its behavior and well-being should be carefully observed. If the influence of a new bait negatively affects him, it is best to exclude him from the diet.