Dry feeds are tightly integrated into the daily lives of busy cat owners. They are convenient to use, and animals love them. Manufacturers assure the benefits of this product, but numerous reviews claim the negative impact of such a diet. Therefore, before buying, you should find out if dry cat food is harmful. Veterinarians do not give a definite answer, because much depends on the composition of the feed and the characteristics of the animal itself. This article will help answer this and other questions related to the nutrition of cats.
Benefit or harm?
This type of food is in great demand among pet owners. The advantages of feeds are their long-term storage and balance. Food can be poured for a day and not be afraid that the animal will be hungry in the absence of the owner. Cats eat food with pleasure, and this is not surprising.
But is dry cat food harmful? The composition of the products of many well-known brands contains components that stimulate appetite and improve taste. Thanks to modern technology, low-quality feeds seem attractive to animals. The use of such a product is addictive, and the cat begins to refuse other food.
Many feeds are oversaturated with carbohydrates, which are harmful to animals. Such nutrition can adversely affect the condition of the stomach and kidneys. Round-the-clock access to food causes obesity in cats, and it is unnatural for animals. It is better to use two meals a day.
Dry food is the main cause of urolithiasis in cats. The reason is insufficient saturation of the body with liquid. Also, a high carbohydrate content in the feed raises sugar levels and can lead to diabetes. To avoid this, you should choose meat-based feed.
Dry food recommendations
When using this food, you need to adhere to some rules. First of all, you can not mix ready-made feed with natural food, because the imbalance of nutrients is disturbed. If a problem arises, it will be difficult to understand the real reason. Also, do not often change the brand of feed. This leads to poor absorption of substances and causes disorders in the body. If it is necessary to change the feed, then it should be done gradually over 1-2 weeks, adding a new product, increasing its quantity.
Cats by their nature consume little water, and dry food is recommended to drink plenty of fluids. Therefore, for better absorption, you need to make sure that there is always water next to the food bowl. Veterinarians recommend diluting the diet with wet food. When feeding kittens, you should pay attention to the labeling of the package, where the age at which the product can be consumed should be indicated.
Which food is better to choose?
When choosing a diet for a cat, one should focus on the composition, according to which it will become clear whether it is harmful to feed a cat with dry food of this brand. The highest quality are feed made from animal meat and ocean fish. They contain all the necessary nutrients and do not contain harmful components.
A high-quality product will not cause allergies and other unpleasant consequences, but rather will help prevent them. Often, special dry food is used to treat diseases. Many are repelled by the price of such “cat-like joy”, but given the cost of fresh food, it is justified. And if you calculate the strength and time that will be required to prepare a balanced menu for the pet, then dry food will be a priority.
Is Kitekat and Whiskas dry cat food harmful?
Since cats are predators, their digestive system is not adjusted to food of plant origin. In meat products there are absolutely no carbohydrates and other vitamins that the animal needs. But wild cats get the right substances from the stomachs of herbivores that they feed on. At the same time, they come to the predators in a processed form, which allows them to absorb some of the carbohydrates. The resulting dietary fiber helps cleanse the intestines. But apartment residents can only rely on a person. The owner takes responsibility and must know if the dry food is harmful to cats, which he feeds the pet.
"Kitekat" and "Whiskas" are unbalanced or poorly balanced foods, do not contain all the necessary nutrients. Their use often leads to various disorders in the cat's body. These feeds belong to the economy class and contain meat waste: skin, intestines, heads, as well as offal with low nutritional value. They contain too much corn, wheat and rice flour. In this case, the question can be answered positively: is dry food harmful to cats and kittens? Daily consumption of such food leads to gastrointestinal disorders, kidney and liver diseases, and also hair loss. Such a product negatively affects the growth and development of kittens. Carbohydrates are not digested and disrupt the intestines.
Is Royal Canin and Proplan dry cat food harmful?
If you want to save money, manufacturers often add moldy products to the feed, which causes irreparable harm to the animal. Is such dry food bad for cats? Reviews of veterinarians say that it is better to give preference to products of a medium or premium class. These include Royal Canin feed. They are made from muscle meat tissue, without the use of flavor enhancers and fragrances. This food is saturated with all the necessary nutrients that are necessary for the daily diet of the animal. It improves immunity and makes the animal more resistant to stressful situations. Also, many are interested in whether dry food for cats "Proplan" is harmful. No, because all feeds are developed taking into account the age characteristics of the cat and its activity. But even premium feeds can harm the animal if they are improperly selected. Any expired product will also negatively affect the health of the pet, so you should pay attention to the shelf life.
How to feed a cat?
It is important to take into account the physiological characteristics of the animal and adhere to certain rules, forming a daily diet.
- A healthy cat eats no more than twice a day. For pregnant and lactating pets, 4-6 meals a day are suitable.
- It is important to monitor drinking, the animal needs to drink 20-30 ml per 1 kg of weight, if the diet consists of natural products or wet food. 3 times more fluid - when using dry food.
- The water bowl should be wide-edged, because cats do not like it when the mustache touches its edges. Liquid should always be available for a pet, especially if its diet consists of dry food.
Natural food
If the owners decided not to use food, but to cook food for the pet themselves, then you need to know that it is different from "human food". It should not contain spices, salt, oils and other components familiar to people. Self-preparation of food for an animal saturated with vitamins increases the life expectancy of a pet by 30%, when compared with cats that eat dry food. The main disadvantage of this method is the difficulty of preparation and the fragility of the feed.
To prepare natural food for cats use: beef, poultry, oatmeal, vegetables. Prepare soups on meat broth. Offal can be given raw, but should be pre-treated with boiling water and chopped. So that the cat does not have constipation from natural food, you need to dilute the diet with vegetables and cereals. Do not feed the animal with fish, especially in the presence of urolithiasis. It is better to mix milk with water or remove it from the cat's menu, as it can cause diarrhea. Also, do not give foods that contain bones, they can get stuck in the throat or injure the mucous membrane. Chicken skin has a bad effect on the stomach, it can be found in it for a long time without digestion, and fatty pork can cause upsets. Feeding an animal with warm food less irritates the mucous membrane compared to cold food.
How to make a diet?
A cat can be fed mixed using natural food and feed at the same time. But this method is considered the worst. Do not mix natural food with wet or dry food, unless the animal is transferred to a different type of food. The animal’s body gets used to a certain type of feeding and produces the necessary enzymes for cleavage. You can mix dry and wet food, but preferably one brand.
So, whether dry food for cats is harmful depends on the brand and its composition. For the diet of an animal, it is better to use premium products that contain meat, not food waste, or cook natural food on their own. You can combine food, but with extreme caution. In any case, you should not save, as this affects the health of the cat.