Cats have been the most popular pets for a long time. However, often owners of felines do not follow basic rules of care, including proper nutrition. Compliance with the diet for cats is very important, because it is the main source of vitamins and microelements, which is necessary for the health and development of the pet.
Junk food is just as dangerous for cats as overeating. It is worth noting that the digestive system of cats and humans is significantly different, so food that is easily digested by the human body and has a beneficial effect on its systems can be dangerous to the health and life of a cat. When talking about harmful foods, we cannot fail to mention chips.
Can cats eat avocados?
4) Some vegetables and fruits are also harmful to cats: avocados, apricots, cherries, garlic, onions, mushrooms, grapes and raisins. They contain toxic substances: for example, onions contain thiosulfates, which have a harmful effect on red blood cells.
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Ingredients of chips: what's included?
Some people are convinced that the product consists of natural potatoes, which are quickly cooked and minimally fried. However, this opinion is not true and the actual composition of the chips is not so safe. The product is based on soy starch; sometimes there are admixtures of wheat flour. In addition, chips contain dyes, preservatives and flavor enhancers, one of the most common being monosodium glutamate. These components include chemical compounds that are harmful to the cat’s body. To make the product look attractive and crunchy, chips are fried in oil for a long time, as a result of which they are saturated with harmful carcinogens.
What is not recommended to do when feeding cats dry food
- Mix dry and canned food from different brands. This way you upset the balance of your diet in terms of nutrition, vitamins and minerals.
- Mix natural foods and dry food.
- Do not monitor your drinking regime. For one part dry food, your cat needs to drink four parts water. Milk and broth are food! If the cat drinks little, then it needs to be given canned food from the same manufacturer (it contains only 10% dry matter). Often, owners provide cats with double bowls for food and water. It is not right. Food and drinking water should be in separate places. This way the water will remain clean longer and the food will not get wet. You can put water for your cat in a glass jar. This way you will see how much water your cat drinks per day. Fountain drinking bowls are popular (look for them in a pet store).
- Transferring from one type of food to another or changing dry food is carried out within 5-7 days. Gradually mix the new type of food with the usual one.
- With proper nutrition, the cat has normal fatness (no excess fat), the cat is cheerful and cheerful, it has shiny, tangle-free fur and good daily stool. You should be wary of weight gain or thinness, permanent shedding, constipation or indigestion.
- Urolithiasis most often affects castrated and sterilized cats. Feed them high-quality dry food or raw meat with the addition of cereals in the form of porridge, egg yolk and fermented milk products. Do not feed boiled fish with rolled oats! Monitor the drinking regime and do not overfeed the animal. At risk are neutered cats, animals of the Persian breed and related ones, as well as outbred cats and female cats. Red cats are most seriously ill.
Cats and chips
Veterinarians have a whole list of foods that are dangerous for pets. This includes chocolate and dairy products, which often surprises people. We often see cats lapping milk in movies, but in reality this should be avoided.
Yes, chips are not included in such lists, but not a single doctor will tell you that feeding your cat them is right.
The structure of the cat's digestive system
In order to determine whether you can give chips to your cat, it is worth considering its digestive system. The digestive systems of cats and humans are similar in many ways. Digestion begins in the mouth, which contains strong teeth that crush food and salivary glands that secrete saliva to break down food bolus.
The esophagus secretes mucus to move the bolus of food into the stomach, and in the stomach itself food is digested under the influence of acid. The stomach of cats has a simple structure - it consists of one chamber. The stomach is controlled by the thyroid gland, so changes in its activity greatly affect digestion.
Absorption of nutrients occurs in the small intestine - fats, proteins, carbohydrates. Cats digest carbohydrates less well than humans, which can cause cat obesity and metabolic disorders. Absorption of liquid substances occurs in the colon.
A cat's liver is extremely small, so it is difficult for it to cope with large amounts of toxins coming from junk food. For normal liver function, a cat needs a sufficient amount of animal protein, because if it is deficient, cats can develop liver diseases with a fatal outcome.
The pancreas produces the hormone insulin and regulates the amount of glucose in the body.
Interesting facts about cats
1. The oldest known domestic cat existed 9,500 years ago.
It was initially believed that the Egyptians domesticated cats. But in 2004, French archaeologists discovered a 9,500-year-old cat grave in Cyprus. It predates Egyptian records of cats by 4,000 years.
2. The record for the length of a cat is 123 centimeters
Domestic cats are generally considered to be rather small and graceful creatures. But did you know that the longest cat in the world was a Maine Coon named Stewie, and his length was 123 centimeters?
3. The richest cat in the world had £7 million.
The richest cat in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records is Blackie. When its millionaire owner passed away, he gave his entire £7 million fortune to Blackie!
4. In 1963, a cat was sent into space
You've heard about monkeys and dogs in space, but did you know that a cat has also challenged the great and vast cosmos? On October 18, 1963, Felicette, also known as "Astro the Cat", was the first and only cat to go into space.
5. Domestic cats are 95.6% genetically similar to tigers
A study has shown that our small domestic cats are 95.6% genetically similar to tigers!
PS: the accordion meter cursed at the pictures.
Grapes - fresh and dried
If eaten even in small quantities, grapes can cause kidney failure in a cat.
Don't let your cat play with the grapes; after rolling them around enough, she will most likely eat the “prey.” The first symptoms of grape poisoning are vomiting and refusal to eat, severe thirst.
Is it possible to train a cat to use the toilet?
Having rewatched “Meet the Fockers” and being the owner of one cat, I decided to study the question of whether it is possible to accustom a pet to a human toilet.
The short answer is yes. According to relatives, when I was a child, my grandmother had a large and very smart black cat who brought sausages into the family, stolen from neighbors, and used the toilet, flushing it after itself. Their flushing worked using a chain, which was quite convenient for the cat.
Internet excavations, including on Peekaboo, also confirmed that cats have this ability. There are even special devices that help train a cat in a few weeks by gradually removing discs from a device attached to the toilet rim.
However, I also came across the opinion of animal psychologists who do not approve of turning a cat into a toilet prodigy, and suggest using a traditional litter box for several reasons:
1. According to their instincts, cats are supposed to leave waste products in a place where their smell remains, and also bury them. Departure from this practice can cause regular cat stress.
2. Using a toilet with a large hole and constant balancing while dealing with natural needs causes physical stress in the animal. Some cats can even constantly endure to the last, which is physically harmful.
3. When a cat uses the toilet, the cat owner is deprived of a unique source of “feedback”, since urine and feces, as well as the frequency of appearance in the litter box, can say a lot about the health of the animal.
4. A cat may get into trouble in the form of falling into the toilet. He, of course, will not drown, but he will have an unpleasant experience and may stop using the toilet. But naturally it will continue to defecate, and not where people would like.
5. Also, if there is a large accumulation of “leather bags” in the apartment, for example, when guests arrive, the cat will not wait for its turn to go to the toilet, but will find another place.
6. Cats can also be taught to flush water, but there is another possible setup here: for the animal it will become entertainment, and for the owners it will increase the water bill.
So it’s possible to teach cats toilet tricks, but it’s not necessary. Happy and healthy cats to all! /my text, pictures and information from the Internet: one, two/
Even if a cat eats commercial food, most owners see nothing wrong with treating their pet to some delicacy from their table.
If we don’t talk about banal things (smoked, salted, fried foods are not allowed), then some specific prohibitions remain.
All foods that are prohibited for dogs are also prohibited for cats. But they were not included in the list for the reason that it is a rare cat that will show interest in chocolate or avocado.
So, 10 food taboos for cats:
Salt is very harmful to cats
Salt can cause increased thirst, and therefore increased urination, and sometimes sodium ion poisoning. If your cat develops symptoms such as lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, chills, or even passing out, it may mean that she has eaten too much salt. In particular, if you have an adult pet (over 7 years old), he may have even more health problems, especially with his kidneys.
It is also worth remembering that flavorings are added to chips, and such as cheese, onion and garlic are simply dangerous.
Chicken bones, fish heads
Often pets are thrown from the table something that is “not a pity”, for example, bones. The cat will probably eat such a treat, at his own peril and risk.
The bone can get stuck in the esophagus (and then the pet cannot be saved without surgery), injuring any part of the digestive tract with sharp edges. When eaten in large quantities, bones cause painful constipation.
Don't give your cat bones, and make sure she doesn't steal them from the trash. The same can be said about bony fish, fish heads and tails.
How to give your cat dry food
Feeding dry food is convenient, especially if the owner works. Free access to dry food is preferable, then the cat can eat small portions up to 40 times a day. Canned food from the same manufacturer can be an addition to dry food. When feeding high-quality dry food, there is no need to provide additional vitamins and minerals, since the finished food is completely balanced. Ready-made food includes additives for the prevention of urolithiasis. The manufacturer's recommendations must be strictly followed. On the packaging of good food there is a table with the dosage of food depending on the age, body weight of the animal and its physiological condition.
Harm to the body of cats
Since this product is rich in salt, it can cause the animal to develop heart and vascular diseases.
According to numerous studies, even a healthy person who eats chips daily will, after a short time, begin to suffer from heartburn and gastrointestinal diseases. What can we say about cats, whose body is much weaker than a human’s? The amount of carcinogens in chips is off the charts, so pets may develop malignant tumors. Excessive amounts of salt cause metabolic deterioration. Sodium chloride, also present in some foods, contributes to the development of cardiovascular diseases and impaired bone growth.
Monosodium glutamate, which is abused by some manufacturers, causes addiction to chips and disrupts taste buds. While this substance does not cause harm to humans in small quantities, in cats it can cause deterioration in visual function and even lead to death. To make chips look more attractive, dyes are often added to them. In some cats, these substances cause allergic reactions. The owner may notice the following signs in the cat:
- rashes;
- itching;
- discharge from the eyes and nose.
