When we think of pets, a dog is the first animal that comes to mind. However, dogs aren’t for everybody which is why a lot people prefer keeping cats as pets. Compared to dogs, cats are much more independent and low maintenance. They don’t need to be taken on walks and groomed like dogs they clean themselves. But like most animals they do have special nutritional needs.

So, if you are cat parent you need to keep the dos and don’ts when it comes to feeding your cat. This is important to keep your cat’s weight and health in check.

DOs

1. Choose a balanced diet

The first and most important thing to keep in mind when it comes to feeding your cat is to choose as right and balanced diet. Their diet should consist or proteins like meat, fish, boiled eggs and milk. For carbs, rice and potatoes are ideal. Cats also need vitamins just like humans for which vegetables like carrots and spinach are good. You can also feed them some cat powder for their vitamin and calcium intake.

2 Keep them hydrated

Hydration is important for all living organisms, but cats do not drink a lot of water. Make sure to pour some water into your cat’s bowl from time to time. The amount of water cats require depends on their body weight, which is around 60-70% of their weight. If your cat’s eyes look sunken or the skin loses elasticity, it means they are dehydrated. So, make sure they stay hydrated and cats drink water at all times.

3. Do consult a vet

When deciding on cat food, it is important that you consult a vet. All cats have different feeding habits which are always changing. As their metabolism slows down, old cats require less calories on the other hand young growing cats need more calories. Based on this your vet might recommend to make changes in the cat’s diet.

4. Don’t feed dog food to your cat

If you own a dog as well a cat, chances are that you might want to save money by buying them the same food. Dog food is not meant for cats because cats have different vitamins and amino acids. For this reason, if you feed dog food to your cat often, it will develop nutritional deficiencies.

5. Do not over feed your cat

Obesity in cats is serious and more common than you think. You might give your cat some extra treats or an extra piece of fish simply out of love, but constantly doing this will make your cat gain weight. Being over weight comes with a lot of health issues like kidney failure and problems of the joints. Therefore, it is important to feed your cat moderate amounts of food.

TAKEAWAY

Feeding your car is serious business. You cannot blindly just feed your cat anything. You have to be careful about what and how you feed them. For a cat to be healthy, it must receive the right food. So, you need to choose the food wisely. Be a responsible cat parent.