5 Tips to Feed Your Cat WellMar 17, 2020
Cats can be fussy eaters or have unusual eating and drinking habits. Here are five tips to:
Feed Your Cat Food They’ll Love
Among the top 5 tips when feeding your cat, number one may be making sure that your cat likes his food. You may be determined to feed your cat the healthiest food available, and your vet may have even prescribed a special diet for your cat. Nevertheless, food that just sits in your cat’s dish isn’t going to help your cat’s nutrition.
If your veterinarian has advised a prescription diet, experiment with a couple different brands that offer the same prescription benefit. Try flavor additives to make your cat’s prescription food more enticing.
Add Healthy Supplements
Between your cat’s regular food and treats, you want to ensure that your cat is getting optimum nutritional intake. Owners of senior cats are especially conscientious about the role that proper diet plays in their cats’ wellbeing. Owners of finicky eaters are also eager to find ways to round out their cats’ dietary intake.
Positive ultimate pet nutrition reviews have inspired a lot of cat owners to try adding a supplement to their cats’ diet. This type of formula can help fill in nutritional gaps and improve a cat’s overall health. You may notice an appreciable difference in playfulness, mobility, and coat.
Have Food Available at All Times or as Much as Possible (Unless Directed to Restrict Meals by a Veterinarian)
Unlike dogs, most cats will tend to refrain from overeating. Unless your veterinarian advises you to limit your cat’s access to food because of a health or weight problem, you should ideally try to have food out for your cat at all times. If your cat hasn’t finished food that you’ve left out for him, it may simply need to be replaced with fresh food.
If your cat leads you to his food often, he may not be complaining about the menu or telling you to add more. He may simply want a dinner date. Some cats love to have company during mealtime and will insist on being pet while they eat. Sometimes cats do this because eating and getting a pet at the same time is like the best of both worlds. It’s also possible that your cat does this because he knows that it makes you happy when he eats! Indulge this quirky behavior and give your cat some extra good pets during mealtime.
Fresh and Cold Water
Many cat owners worry that their cats don’t drink enough water. Some cats are actually somewhat secretive about drinking water and will actually stop when they notice someone is watching them drink. This comes from a wild feline instinct to be wary about being vulnerable to predators when stopping somewhere to take a drink.
Lots of water is important for good overall health and kidney function. In order to encourage your cat to drink more water, try having water out in more than one place. If you bring water to where your cat is hanging out, he’ll be more likely to take a drink. You can also consider a pet fountain that runs continuously to capture your cat’s interest and to keep his water fresh. Wet food is about 80% water, and adding extra water to wet food or choosing extra liquidus varieties like soups or stews can help increase daily water intake.
Cats’ unique vision makes it somewhat difficult for them to see the water line. In other words, it’s hard for them to discern where the water begins and where the air above it stops. Putting in an ice cube or two makes it easier for cats to see the water line, and it will make their water extra fresh and cool.
Watch How Your Cat Chews
Tooth decay and infection is very common in cats, particularly as they age. Observe how your cat chews his food to try to detect if he is experiencing any dental problems. Cats typically don’t need to chew their food very much before swallowing it, so overly exaggerated chewing may be a sign of a problem. Monitor if he appears to be taking too many bites, he’s dropping food, his bites seem extra big, or his jaw moves forward too much. These may all be signs of oral discomfort.
Choosing healthy food that your cat loves and including nutritional supplements will have significant benefits for your cat’s well-being. Attentive feeding, being responsive to your cat’s tastes, and keeping fresh cold water out at all times will make for happy and healthy mealtimes.