How to choose the right food for castrated cats
Very often the owners who decided to castrate their pet have questions about how to properly feed it, providing a long and healthy life.
It should be noted that these doubts are not unfounded - castrated cats really need a special diet that takes into account the needs and characteristics of their body.
The most important problem that can arisea cat has urolithiasis. It is precisely the castrated animals that are at greater risk of its occurrence, since, as a result of the operation, they tend to increase the concentration and mineralization of the urine. If this tendency is strengthened by an improperly selected unbalanced food for castrated cats, then the likelihood of a urolithiasis and death is very high in a cat.
Another danger that lurkscastrated cats are obesity. Everything is quite logical - as a result of a sharp decline in testosterone levels, which is responsible for accelerated metabolism, animals begin to gain weight quickly. That portion, which previously corresponded to the needs of a non-castrated animal, would be too great for a cat, and the surpluses left by the body would go "to the depot" -fatty sediments. And the animals themselves begin to eat several times more, become less active, which also leads to obesity. In good dry food, everything is balanced and exceeding the recommended rate of your pet is fraught with the occurrence of endocrine problems, increased urine mineralization and all the same urolithiasis.
So, how to choose the right food for castrated cats?
First, decide whether you will feed the catdry food, special canned food or natural food. Please note that natural food is not the scum from the kitchen and not the food from the table, but a special diet designed for the needs of your beast.
If you have chosen a natural food forcastrated cats, then you need to take care of yourself so that it is nutritious, but not too high in calories. Do not feed the cat starchy vegetables like potatoes, exclude high-calorie cereals (mango, wheat), limit the consumption of rice. It is best to prepare a mixture of low-fat raw meat (chicken, rabbit, beef, but not pork) and insides (liver, stomach, heart, lungs), diluting it with raw or boiled green vegetable sources of fiber. You can and should give the cat low-fat dairy products (except cheese). In the quality of goodies you can occasionally treat your cat with special canned food or meat. You can give small doses of fish, but not more often several times a month - the fish contains a lot of phosphorus, which contributes to urolithiasis. If you want to add special supplements and vitamins to your diet, you should always consult a veterinarian.
If for you feeding natural foodit is best to choose a ready-made industrial feed. It is better if it is canned food, designed specifically for castrated animals. If you chose the dry food, then you should be very careful:
- Immediately give up the feed of economy class typewhiskas or kitiket and other cheap feeds - they contain almost no meat, only harmful and very poorly balanced additives of unknown origin, as well as flavor enhancers. Never buy food by weight from large packages in tents and stalls.
- Choose specialized feed forcastrated cats. However, always pay attention to the composition. Many manufacturers make such feeds on the principle of "less meat, more ballast substances." These substances in unbearable quantities stretch the stomach of the cat and force it to consume large portions, from which only a small part is actually absorbed. A good dry food for castrated cats should contain easily digestible protein, special acidifiers (usually cranberries and plant extracts) and a minimum of heavy grains (instead of corn there should be brown rice or barley). Such food should have low levels of calcium and phosphorus and not too high fat content. The most qualitative are holmist fodders (made from foods suitable for human consumption) and feed, close to them. They can be fed to animals at any stage of life, but at the same time slightly reducing the portion by weight of the animal. Such food is also more economical - a small amount is enough to saturate the animal and provide its body with all the necessary substances, without overloading the body with excess chemistry and ballast waste.
- Whatever the quality of food you have chosenfor castrated cats, you must feed the animal strictly according to the norms. The norm can even be reduced, but in no case should it be exceeded. The main condition for feeding a castrated cat with dry food is sufficient drinking of fresh water. If the cat drinks a little or reluctantly and in any way you can not accustom it to drink more - you should transfer it to natural food or canned food
If you are the owner of a castrated cat, it's worthperiodically do blood and urine tests - the doctor will determine the health status of the genitourinary and endocrine system of your pet, and, in case of problems, will help to adjust the diet, not allowing the disease to go too far. Remember, the health of your animal is much easier to maintain proper nutrition and care, prolonging the life of the pet.
