Cat Care

Feeding a Cat
The Healthy Cat
The Bored Cat

Grannies Pet Supermarket: a UK online pet store.

Feeding a Cat

A cat is a carnivore, and needs a diet of meat. Unlike dogs, cats are unable to digest vegetable protein, unless it has already been partially digested, for example in the stomachs of their prey.

The primary source of food energy is protein, which should form 25 to 30 percent of a cat's diet. Protein can come from meat, fish, eggs and dairy products. However, protein is also taxing on the kidneys so should not be fed to excess, especially to older cats or ones with kidney problems.

Cats also need a lot of fat, far more then humans. A diet of up to 40 percent fat is considered healthy for felines. This is processed more efficiently by the cat's metabolism, so is not nearly such a burden on the kidneys. This is one of the reasons why diets for old cats increase the ratio of fat to protein.

Another five percent of the cat's diet comes from simple carbohydrates, or sugars. You can feed your cat complex carbohydrates such as potatoes or pasta, but only if they are cooked first to convert the complex carbohydrates to simple ones.

Vitamins should be provided by the cat's normal diet. If a proprietary balanced cat food is being fed, it may be dangerous to give vitamin supplements.

A cat should never be given milk as a substitute for water, as the lower amount of fluid can cause kidney damage. Also many cats, like some people, are lactose intolerant, so milks which are low in lactose should be provided.

It is also a good idea, if using commercial foods, to give your cat a mixture of moist and dry foods, as although moist foods may taste better, dry foods are better for the teeth, and can be left down all day without going off for your cat to snack on.

Fresh Foods

Meat: Muscle tissue is the basic food of any carnivore. Cheap, fatty cuts of meat will also provide necessary fat. Most meat (especially pork) should be lightly cooked to kill parasites.
Liver: Cats love liver as a source of vitamin A and iron. Too much vitamin A can be dangerous, though. Feed in moderation.
Kidneys: A good source of iron, but should be soaked in cold water to remove the uric acid before serving.
Heart: The protein provided by the heart muscle is very good for cats, especially if the paracardial sac is left on to provide fat.
Offal: Don't shirk from giving your cat offal - it is, after all, a large constituent of their natural diet.
Bones: Bones provide necessary calcium and phosphorus. A knuckle or tail bone is about the right size for a cat. All bones may be lightly cooked to kill parasites, but cooking makes bones brittle and those of birds may shatter and damage a cat's throat or stomach.
Fish: Fish is a welcome addition to the diet, but be wary of feeding too much, especially of oily fish such as tuna, since it can cause vitamin B toxicity.
Butter and Cream: Butter is a marvellous source of fat, and good for the coat. Cream combines the tastes and benefits of butter and milk, and should be fed rarely as a treat.
Eggs: Whole eggs are welcome if they are cooked first. Avoid giving your cat raw egg whites, as they destroy B vitamins. The raw egg yolk, on the other hand, is very beneficial, providing many vitamins and minerals.
Fruit: Fruit can be fed to cats without cooking, as it contains primarily simple carbohydrates (sugars). This is fine in moderation.

The Healthy Cat

Cats are very good at hiding their illnesses, so it is up to the owner to find them out. There are a few regular checks which can help with this.

Weighing your cat. A cat should have a slight waist behind its ribs, and the ribs themselves should be detectable without sticking out.
Check the coat. It should feel smooth, and parting the coat along the spine allows the owner to check for scales, cuts or fleas.
Healthy eyes. The whites of the eye should be white, with no redness, and the pupil should respond to light. If you pull down the lower eyelid, the colour should be pink.
The teeth. The colour of the gums should be pink, and should return quickly after pressing on them with a finger. The teeth should be relatively clean - peridontal disease can have serious consequences.

Unusual Threats to Health

One often unrecognised threat to a cat's health is its litter. Clay clumping litters have killed both cats and rabbits. Remember that when cats use a litter box they often lick themselves clean, and so there is a considerable likelihood that they will ingest the litter.

Consider this in the context of a cat litter that swells to many times its volume, and even warns that it can block plumbing. The swelling clay can have dire consequences for the cat who swallows it - and even occasionally the owner who breathes it.

Another problem is feline vaccination sarcoma. There is no particular vaccine which causes tumours, but the tumours which can result from vaccination are often fatal.

Luckily, the incidence of these tumours is rare - less than 0.13 per cent, so the risk still justifies vaccinating your cat. There are also some precautions which can lessen the risk.

Vaccinate in the hind leg. If vaccination sarcoma follows, the leg can be amputated to save the patient's life.
Minimise inflammation following the vaccination. This can be achieved by avoiding killed adjuvant vaccinations (ask your veterinarian).
Avoid unnecessary vaccinations. Indoor cats may not need FeLV or FIV vaccinations. Again, ask your vet.

More information on cat health may be found at the Feline Advisory Bureau web site.

The Bored Cat

Though indoor cats live longer, it is vitally important to give them the same quality of life as that experienced by cats who go out. Boredom can lead to behavioural problems such as toileting problems or aggression.

Cats like to climb, and can get untold hours of pleasure out of a series of shelves or perches at different heights. A 'cat tree' with sisal posts will also provide somewhere for the cat to scratch other than the sofa.

Variety is the spice of life, and cats love to explore new things just as much as we do. A box with holes in it for jumping, hiding and peeking can hold their attention for much longer than you might think.

Another way of keeping your cat occupied is to hide part, or all, of its food in places around the house, making it hunt and explore as it would in the wild. It is important to remember where you put the food, though, as gifts to ants and mice are a bad idea, and even dried food can go off in the end.

Play

Most importantly, play with your cat at least twice a day for at least ten minutes per session. Good toys are those like fishing rods with toys dangling on the end - I've had good times with a Whiskas goldfish.

Remember, play is pretend hunting, so when you're playing try to think like a mouse or bird. Small, twitching movements on the spot should alternate with quick running to keep your cat interested and alert. Near the end of playtime the game should slow down - allow the prey to 'die', and thus become less interesting for the cat, although it may still play with it.

In a two cat household one may 'hog' the toy, but try to include the other, perhaps wriggling the line attached to the toy at it, or simply waiting until the more dominant cat has got bored.

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