On the surface, the topic of what cats eat is nothing, but in fact there is constant controversy.

The various debates between the raw meat and meat pie and the dry food pie have been around for a long time. Some loyal believers of each will talk about each other's shortcomings.

As a breeder, I combine more than ten years of experience in cat breeding and communication with different breeders.

Let me first clarify my own point of view:

In my cat diet, there are dry food, canned food and homemade food. For breeder cat breeders, it is necessary to combine various forms of cat food.

In China, there seems to be a chain of contempt as follows regarding how to raise cats and what to feed them:

Those who are fed imported meat despise those who are fed domestic meat

Those who are fed domestic meat despise those who are fed canned staple food

Those who feed staple food cans despise those who feed chicken breasts

Those who feed chicken breasts despise those who feed imported food

Those who feed imported food despise those who feed domestic food

Those who feed domestically produced food are despised by everyone else

Eating and drinking is indeed a big issue, but many times in China, we seem to need to be more rational.

I have read almost all books about cat breeds at home and abroad, and I have also had in-depth discussions on FB with all the cattery owners in Europe and the United States where I have bought cats.

The opinions they gave me were basically the same: there is no cattery that only relies on self-feeding. Basically it’s a combination of homemade, canned and dry food.

Since the self-made faction stands at the commanding heights of the contempt chain, today I will translate an article by DR. Ron Hinse DVM PHD.

Let’s take a look at what this highly respected zoologist, who is sought after by many professional veterinarians in China, thinks about what cats should eat.

Dr. Ronald Hines, an expert in animal medicine and a Ph.D. in microbiology. He worked at the National Institutes of Health in the United States since 1966 and had to leave the public health system for health reasons due to an accident in 1973. He has since become a full-time veterinarian, running animal clinics in Florida and working with several zoos, including SeaWorld Orlando. Due to age and health, he finally officially retired in 2002. After that, I created a website, participated in animal rescue activities, and used my remaining energy on the Internet. Dr. Hines is an extremely experienced professional veterinarian with an open mind. Even after retirement, the website he founded has indeed helped more than 700 owners successfully treat their pets.

cook,Public account: RawMeat

If you love it, don’t blindly sterilize it

The following is the text

For most parents, cat food (dry food) is very convenient: it is easy to store, convenient and affordable.

However, in recent years, more and more voices on the Internet have questioned this feeding method, and many professional veterinarians are among the voices of doubt.

They believe that this feeding method goes against the natural diet of cats. You must know that cats are "absolutely carnivorous" animals.

Good nutrition and a balanced diet are naturally an essential part of a cat’s health.

Many people often ask me what they should feed their cats.

Over the years, I have observed a large number of cats with different eating habits. and tracked their health.

The following are some conclusions I have drawn:

Cats’ nutritional needs are very similar to those of their wild ancestors. They are particularly good at digesting animal protein, but cannot use dietary fiber well.

But if the nutritional content of a food contains 20% animal protein, 9% fat, 35% carbohydrates and up to 10% fiber, cats can also digest it well.

　▍Should I feed my cat canned food or dry food

Let the cat choose. Most cats will choose canned food. Because in terms of smell and palatability, canned food generally wins.

Cats are creatures of habit. If they get used to a kind of food or flavor, they will continue to maintain this consistency.

No matter what type of product you buy, you must buy one with AAFCO certification.

Over the years, I have found that cats that eat dry food have less dental calculus and less periodontal disease. Canned food can cause gingivitis, periodontal tissue degradation and loose teeth.

Over time, the bacteria in the mouth will penetrate into the kidneys and liver through the blood circulation and cause damage to them.

In addition, dry food is more calorie-rich because, in comparison, canned food contains 75% water.

Of course, I personally do not recommend semi-moist food (such as Miaoxian Bao) because this kind of cat food contains a lot of preservatives.

How to put it this way, how good is dry food diet at present, and what is the ratio of pros and cons?In this way, I am not as sure as before.

Because we know that dry food contains grain carbohydrates, preservatives, and compounds that cats cannot metabolize.

Based on the above, many veterinarians believe that the increase in diabetes and obesity in older adults is related to this: they find excess grain carbohydrates in the throats of cats eating dry food.

　▍Should I feed my cat raw food

In the past few years, raw meat has become a popular topic.

However, I have always been very hesitant whether to recommend it. Because I've seen several cats get serious salmonella infections from this.

All the vitamins you know contained in raw meat and bones are found in current commercial cat foods.

In addition, if you decide to feed your cat raw food, be sure to choose human-grade meat sources and carefully calculate the calcium and vitamin supplements you need.

Simple cooking will kill the disease-causing microorganisms lurking in the meat. Cooking releases many of the nutrients in food (and destroys some, of course).

My personal opinion is that the risk of bacterial and viral infection in cats eating raw food is greater than the imagined health benefits to the cat.

If you feel that cooked food is lacking, you can definitely supplement it with extra vitamins.

The advice you see online on how to feed a raw diet is based on unfounded beliefs – not science or unbiased observation.

In 2011, the University of Illinois, Department of Nutritional Sciences conducted a study and they found:

There is no significant difference between raw and cooked foods in terms of nutrients available to cats and digestibility.

　▍How much should I give my cat?

To achieve optimal weight and health, the amount of food allocated to each cat should be different.

We can observe that most adult cats are overweight. Overweight cats store all of their fat in their bellies so they may not look too fat to us.

Growing kittens may eat more than adult cats, because it takes a lot of food to grow.

The following table roughly gives a cat’s appetite based on age and weight. Since different brands of food have different ingredients, this is only a rough reference.

　▍Nutritional needs of cats

Cats are absolutely carnivorous animals.Therefore, one cannot rely on vegetarian food or grains to sustain life.

Cats are also picky eaters. They may not care about nutrition. They care more about the taste, aroma, texture and moisture content of food.

Unlike humans, cats convert carotene into vitamin A just like humans.

They can only obtain vitamin A from the liver organ, which is necessary for the health of the cat’s internal lining.

If it is lacking, the cat’s respiratory tract, eyes and skin are susceptible to infection.

Niacin is also an essential nutrient in cats. Lack of it can lead to intestinal inflammation, rough skin, oral ulcers and other problems.

Most mammals can use tryptophan to synthesize niacin.

But cats can’t, they must get it directly from their diet.

The same goes for arachidonic acid, which cats must get directly from animal fat.

Unlike most mammals, cats cannot synthesize taurine themselves.

Cats must consume taurine through the use of muscle tissue.

A lack of taurine can lead to blindness and heart problems.

In addition to these nutrients, cats have higher protein and fat requirements than dogs and many other mammals.

Although high-fiber dry food is not a natural diet for cats, some fiber is also an important component of gastrointestinal motility.

Dietary fiber also seems to help prevent high blood sugar and diabetes in the elderly, but excessive intake can also hinder the absorption of vitamins and minerals, and even cause diarrhea.

There are 12 minerals that are essential for cats. Calcium is one of them.

Calcium is essential for the formation of bones and teeth and is a signaling mediator between cells.

If there is a lack of calcium, the kitten's teeth will be underdeveloped and even cause joint pain. Fractures somewhere are relatively common in kittens, and are basically caused by calcium deficiency.

I have observed that these malnourished kittens are basically the descendants of stray cats and wild cats.

For some cats, if their main food is meat and fish, the calcium content in the meat is low and the phosphorus content is high.

High phosphorus will interfere with cats' absorption of the small amount of calcium in meat.

Older cats that eat a meat diet low in calcium and high in phosphorus will suffer from dental and bone problems.

　▍How often should I feed?

A cat of average size and weighing 8 pounds needs to eat a lot of food every day.Consume approximately 240 kcal.

A neutered cat will require fewer calories than an unneutered cat.

Cats like to eat whenever they have nothing to do throughout the day, so my personal suggestion is to just put the cat food there. Or frequent small meals.

Frequent small meals combined with exercise can reduce the possibility of digestive tract diseases, such as triad syndrome.

When food is constantly available, cats will eat 10-20 small meals per day.

Young cats will control their food intake to keep themselves in good shape.

Of course, 20% - 40% of cats will be overweight if they eat ad libitum, so as cats grow older, they can be fed low-calorie foods.

When planning a diet, you need to consider your cat’s age and physical condition.

In a multi-cat household, there always seem to be some cats that eat more and some that eat less.

The only way I've found to solve this problem is to feed a different cat in a different room every day. Give them about 20 minutes at a time.

Those cats that are thinner should be encouraged to eat 1.5 times the normal amount. You can achieve this through some snacks or cat MSG.

Fat cats need to be given low-calorie food, or simply control their intake.

Obesity leads to a higher risk of diabetes and liver disease.

This type of cat only needs to be given two-thirds of the standard feeding amount, and the weight will gradually decrease.

　▍What brand of cat food should I buy?

The main difference between cat foods is the source of their protein.

Ordinary cat food and cheap cat food have poor protein sources and are generally mostly plant-based.

Good cat food will have a high content of animal protein.

So don’t be misled by vague protein percentages on labels. Protein percentages do not reflect the quality and digestibility of the product.

Generally speaking, high quality and high price are linked.

Cats like the taste of fish.

However, thyroid problems and premature aging have been linked to fish-flavored foods. It is currently unclear whether it is due to the spoilage of fish in the food, or whether it is a problem with the fish itself.

It could even be a chemical in the can packaging itself that causes the problem.

Some nutritionists believe that fish contains high levels of unsaturated fatty acids, which help free radicalsFormation. So if you must feed canned fish, it's best to supplement your cat with 25 - 50 units of vitamin E and 1 mg of thiamine per day.

　▍How much water does my cat need

Cats don’t like to drink water.

They drink much less water than dogs - possibly because they are descendants of desert cats.

If they eat dry food for a long time, they may be troubled by urine crystals and later lower urinary tract diseases.

Therefore, cats need fresh water to drink at all times.

However, the best way to rehydrate them is to give them some canned food.

Original address: https://www.2ndchance.info/catfood.htm

Complete text

Although I don’t agree with all the views in this article, many of the conclusions from the old man’s many years of clinical experience are worthy of reference and reference.

In view of the fact that many families in China still rely on cat dry food as their main food, I think we should find some opinions supporting this feeding method for everyone's reference.

In fact, in my personal opinion, there are indeed benefits to self-feeding, but there is no need to completely abandon dry food.

The benefits of homemade food can be taken as a daily snack.

In addition, consider that as a breeder, you come into contact with kittens from the earliest stages of their lives, and there are too many things that will go through in the process of growing into adult cats.

Years of breeding experience tell me that there has never been any abnormality in the combination of dry food, meat and canned food during the kitten stage. On the contrary, many breeders who feed themselves have told me that the kittens cannot grow up.

I am not against self-control, nor am I superstitious about self-control. In short, I think everyone should look at this issue with an open mind.