Many people are sure that there is nothing complicated in caring for a cat. It is enough to pour in a bowl of food from a bag into her bowl. What could be easier?
But such owners do not think that such food can harm the animal. If a cat accustomed to feed has already fallen into your hands, it is absolutely not necessary to poison the fuzz further. With a little perseverance and patience, you can wean a cat from food. How to do this, we will tell in today's article.
Why is it difficult to wean a cat from "drying"?
This task, indeed, can be quite difficult. Finding a way to wean a cat from dry food, many pet owners may encounter amazing stubbornness of the animal. Feline habits are much more stable than human habits, and therefore it is more difficult to deal with them. In addition, many people who have never dealt with these furry animals often simply do not know how to feed a domestic cat. What does she like? Can I give her soup, candy or milk?
Another difficulty is that most manufacturers add a variety of flavor enhancers, flavors and food additives to their feed. Cats are so accustomed to this "chemistry" that sometimes it is simply impossible to shift their addictions. Compared to store crackers, homemade food seems simply tasteless to them.
If you want to save money and buy cheap pet food for your animal, get ready to become a regular veterinarian. Budget "drying" contains a record number of carcinogens that a priori will not add health to your pet.
Why is it worth weaning a cat from dry food?
If you are ready to think about how to wean a cat from food, then you have already understood what disadvantages canned food has:
- In the vast majority of feed manufacturers introduce stimulants. The cat eats a lot, but saturation does not occur.
- The stomach of the animal with this method of nutrition loses its ability to stretch. As a result, it becomes physically difficult for a cat to eat regular food.
- Even the most expensive brands of dry food are very far from ideal. They contain only chemical elements, nothing natural.
- Cat food of more or less tolerable quality costs a lot of money. If you are trying to feed your animal budget food, get ready to visit a veterinary clinic.
- Ready-made cat food most often consists of small granules, pastes, mashed potatoes or small pieces. The animal has absolutely no need to load the teeth. It just swallows the food. This is fraught with the appearance of tartar, plaque and other troubles.
- The cat eats monotonously. The composition of the granules is almost the same. Only the smell is different, and even then not always. This can be easily verified by opening two or three packs of food with different tastes at the same time and comparing their contents.
If you are still not sure whether cats can eat raw meat, and prefer to dispense with pellets, look at the list of troubles that store crackers can bring to your pet:
- vitamin deficiency - in the vast majority of dry feed, the amount of vitamins declared on a pack does not correspond to the internal content;
- renal failure - "crackers" are terribly salty, so the kidneys of many animals simply can not cope with the removal of such an amount of salt
- dysbiosis - beneficial bacteria in the animal’s stomach die over time, diarrhea may open;
- allergy - if the food is not suitable for the cat, sores and hair loss may appear;
- poisoning - cheap feeds contain many dyes that are absolutely not useful for the animal;
- oncology - most dry foods contain monosodium glutamate (a very dangerous substance that can cause cancer).
What should be included in the diet?
In order for your pet to live a long and healthy life, it must be properly fed. What do cats like to eat and what should be included in the weekly diet?
Try to give the cat the following foods regularly:
- Raw lean meat. Chicken, rabbit, turkey or beef is great.
- A fish. It also should not be oily and must undergo heat treatment.
- Egg yolk. One piece per week is enough.
- A variety of dairy products. Here, too, you need to remember fat content.
- Broths and soups. Here diversity is allowed. The main thing is that the pet liked it.
- Boiled liver and offal.
- Raw and stewed vegetables. It all depends on the individual preferences of the animal. Someone loves melon, and someone cucumbers.
- Cereals in the form of cereals and casseroles.
Many not too experienced owners are interested in whether cats can be cheese? On the one hand, it seems to be a dairy product, and on the other, it is quite oily and can harm the animal. The answer in this case is quite simple. If you occasionally treat your pet with a small piece, nothing bad will happen. But feed the cat cheese regularly is not worth it.
Another, no less popular question: is it possible for cats to fish? It is possible, but only in processed form. A large number of heavy metals, helminths and other parasites that can be found in raw fish can cause irreparable harm to your pet.
How to train a cat to natural products?
If you don’t know how to wean a cat from food, take a look at one of the following two options.
Method number 1
The cat needs to be fed 3-4 times a day. Therefore, try to alternate "crackers" with ordinary food. Give the usual food in the morning. At this time of day, digestion only wakes up. To reduce the salinity of dry food, fill a portion with plenty of water. When the “crackers” get wet, drain the liquid, and give the wet lumps to the cat.
Make sure that the pet always has a sufficient amount of clean water.
For lunch and dinner, offer the animal natural food. Do not fall for the indignant cries of a pet requiring canned food. If the cat did not eat, after 20–25 minutes remove the bowl until the next feeding.
Method number 2
This option is to mix canned food with regular food. On the first day, soak the “crackers”, drain the excess water and dilute with homemade food. The proportion is approximately the following: for 5 parts of canned food, 1 part of "natural". Repeat for lunch and dinner. Feed your animal this way for 3 to 5 days.
After that, start to breed food in a ratio of 4: 2, and after a week, switch to option 3: 3. Each week, reduce the portion of dry food by 1 part, and gradually increase the proportion of homemade food.
Some tips
If you find a suitable way to wean a cat from dry food, bring the action to the end. Do not succumb to cat provocations and expressive "hungry" looks. Act confidently and persistently. Stick to your plan.
If the animal has declared a boycott, do not starve it for weeks. It may be dangerous. Try to arouse interest in homemade food by treating yourself to some goodies. Offer little by little different products: a slice of meat, sausages, a slice of bread, a slice of cucumber, a slice of potato. A hungry animal is sure to be interested in something.
What can not be done
Have you already chosen a way to wean a cat from food? Then remember a few rules:
- Take your time. Sometimes it may take months to retrain. A sharp change in the usual diet will smooth your relationship, lead to a boycott and changes in the well-being of the animal.
- Do not pamper your pet. Of course, sometimes treating yourself with something tasty is not only possible, but also necessary. But do not “put” food in the animal’s mouth. You are not going to indulge all his whims until the end of life? So do not start. Attitude to the animal should remain smooth and friendly, as always.
Important points
In the process of retraining an animal, it is important to be persistent and consistent. If you do not live alone, agree with all households to act rationally. Watch your children especially. Protecting their furry pet from the "monster and tyrant", they can feed him familiar and beloved crackers. Such “care” will nullify all efforts and fruitful work on retraining.
Explain to the children that this is not so because you do not like Barsik or Murka. But because you do not want the fluff to get sick. Ask for help and instruct your child to ensure that the pussy always has plenty of fresh water. Most often, such tactics work flawlessly.
What should cats eat?
What can be included in the diet of an adult animal, we have already said. Now let's talk about proportions. Proper nutrition, providing the cat with all the necessary elements, should look something like this:
- 45% - meat and other protein foods (dairy products, eggs, sometimes fish);
- 20% - offal (offal, lungs, liver, heart);
- 20% - vegetables, cereals, a variety of sources of fiber and trace elements;
- 5% - vitamin complexes, oil, bone meal.
Conclusion
Weaning a pet from not-so-useful store feeds can take a lot of your time and energy. But in return you will get a beautiful and healthy animal. If something does not bother you, you should consult a veterinarian or cat nutrition specialist. He will be able to choose an individual diet for your pet and tell you how else you can wean the cat from dry food.