Many people consider a cat of British or Scottish breed a full member of their family. Therefore, her pregnancy is very kind and look forward to the appearance of furry offspring. Undoubtedly, this is a huge responsibility assigned to its owner. He is obliged throughout the entire period to create suitable and favorable conditions for the universal darling, as well as to take care of her full and portioned nutrition. Of course, it is very important to understand how to feed a pregnant cat of such breeds in order for the offspring that are rapidly growing in her tummy to be born healthy and strong.
Pregnancy Overview
This interesting period of life is the same for Scottish and British favorites. It lasts about sixty five days. In the early stages it is quite difficult to understand whether the cat is in position, but still there is a certain number of points that can indicate such a condition. At the very beginning of gestation, her activity significantly decreases, her appetite disappears and her nipples turn pink. The animal becomes more affectionate and significantly adds weight.
During this period, the pet needs excessive love, protection, attention and help. During the entire pregnancy it is necessary to pay attention to numerous points. For example, you need to make sure that the cat does not jump from a height. In addition, it will be best for all this time to protect the animal from communication with children.
It is also important to ensure that the fluffy pet avoids hypothermia, drafts and all kinds of stressful situations, as they can only harm her during this period. If any disturbing symptoms or ailments appear, you should immediately visit a veterinarian who can recommend how to feed a pregnant Scottish cat or a British cat in order to avoid such situations in the future.
Serving ration rules
The most important principle that owners of pets of these breeds should be guided during their pregnancy is to give them extremely balanced and high-calorie dishes. Therefore, it is important not only to know how to feed a pregnant cat, but also to understand how to do it correctly.
At each stage of gestation, the expectant mother has a completely different need for the amount of food and variety of products. One rule only should remain unchanged throughout the gestation period. It consists in the fact that all food must be of high quality and healthy. It should contain proteins, minerals, a variety of vitamins and all kinds of useful substances.
In addition, you can’t overfeed your pet, because the excessive congestion of her body can lead to a difficult birth.
Frequency of meals
It is already known that animals of these breeds bear their offspring for about nine weeks. Therefore, any specialist, answering the question of how to feed a pregnant cat, will conditionally divide its entire diet in this period into these three stages:
Up to three weeks, since usually during this period the appetite increases significantly, respectively, the portion of food every day should increase by ten percent of the norm. But this does not mean that kitty needs to be overfed. This is especially important to remember, if it is not yet determined exactly how to feed a pregnant cat (British or Scottish). As these animals tend to be overweight.
Starting from the fourth week, it will be necessary to increase the amount of food consumed approximately two times, but to do this by adding more feedings, and not increasing the servings.
Approximately from the second month of pregnancy, a deterioration in appetite in a future fluffy mother can be noticed. At this stage, the babies are already fully formed and exert strong pressure on all the organs of the digestive tract. Therefore, at this stage of gestation, it is best to slightly reduce portions of dishes.
The diet throughout the entire period should be divided into five meals.
Essential Products
Now you can talk about how to feed a pregnant cat, and what is generally contraindicated for her. First of all, her diet should be rid of the following delicacies: sausages, sweets, eggs and food containing nuts. These foods usually cause unpleasant feline ailments, from heart disease to bowel upset.
The following foods will be the most useful for the pet of the whole family during this interesting period of her life: any low-fat and boiled meat, cottage cheese, fermented baked milk, kefir, various vegetables and warm milk.
At the very beginning of the term, it is very important to start gradually introducing specialized dry food for pregnant women into the cat's diet.
Lure
This type of food during the interesting position of kitty should be only premium. But not all manufacturers have such a series, so it is important to know how to feed a pregnant cat in order to avoid adverse effects.
It must be high quality, because inexpensive can have a bad effect on the overall health of kitty. These products, as a rule, include all the necessary ingredients that the animal needs throughout the entire period of gestation.
Also, one should not forget that due to the lack of necessary microelements, a kitten may be born early or may have weakened kittens.
Vitamin Complex
Therefore, you need to know not only how to feed a pregnant cat (Scottish fold or British), but also what to give her restorative components. This complex usually consists of calcium, magnesium, iodine, potassium, zinc, sodium, iron. In addition, such vitamins must be present in it: A, D, C, B and E.
One of the most important nutritional supplements during feline pregnancy is taurine, as it can prevent the development of various defects in kittens in the womb. To strengthen the heart muscles, you can give amino acids to the pussycat, which will also help to prevent all kinds of digestion problems.
Medications
But in order for the pet to give birth to healthy offspring, you need not only to know how to feed a pregnant cat, but also that it should not be given in any case. Since various pills and anthelmintic drugs are contraindicated during this period.
Therefore, if there are any diseases, a qualified specialist should prescribe appropriate treatment, excluding vaccinations, antibiotics, hormones, as well as funds from fleas and other parasites.
Postpartum Feeding
To help your pet move away from such stress for the body, you also need to know how to behave in the very first days after kittens are born. At this stage, the animal will need a plentiful drink and basically completely refuse any food. For this reason, you can give him a little warm milk and small portions of low-fat meat broths.
A cat may experience a calcium deficiency while feeding its offspring. Therefore, in the first month after giving birth, the kitty menu should not differ from the diet of a pregnant pet.
If you clearly follow all of the above recommendations, then the health of future kittens will undoubtedly be excellent and strong from the very first days of their lives.