Today there is a healthy diet trend, even in the pet world. Pet owners are more interested in what they give their pets, which is definitely good. But what mistakes do we often make?
There isn't a universal way of feeding a cat properly. As with humans, it depends on the stage of the pet's life, its health and mental condition, physical condition, level of activity, its environment and many other factors.
Fortunately, giving them poor quality food is no longer a common mistake. It is also essential to always buy food according to the needs of your pet. Just choose an honest manufacturer and then find the right product. Granules and canned food are now made to fit all the normal stages of a cat's life, taking into account its nutritional needs, whether it be a kitten, senior cat, pregnant cat, neutered cat or outdoor cat. It is no longer necessary to balance the nutrient and vitamin ratio. You can read how to recognize good food here.
However, we often still let our pets overeat. I read somewhere that up to 35% of cats are obese. Obesity significantly shortens the quality and length of their life. If your cat is prone to obesity and overeating, don't underestimate it. Replace its granules with reduced calorie granules, i.e. "light" granules (sometimes it's necessary to put the cat on a special veterinary diet), don't give it unlimited access to food and motivate it to get some exercise. You can read more in the article about cat obesity.
Another common mistake is suddenly changing their food. Even if you decide to buy better cat food, this should not happen overnight. Your cat's digestion is set to a certain ratio of nutrients. If you suddenly give her something else, her body won't be able to cope with it and she may have digestive problems. Imagine if you would suddenly start eating only Indian food; your stomach wouldn't be too happy either. The change must take place slowly, gradually increasing the proportion of new food in the old food.
It used to be normal to give cats cow's milk, but fortunately most of us now know that they cannot digest it, namely the lactose it contains. Although cats like the taste, the moment of pleasure is replaced with diarrhea and other digestive problems. Therefore, if we want to treat our cat with milk, we should buy special cat milk.
The latest trend is vegetarian and vegan cat food. However, cats are naturally carnivorous, so it logically makes sense that they simply cannot thrive on such a diet.
The opposite extreme is only feeding them meat. Cats are exclusive carnivores, but they consume their prey (mainly herbivores) along with the content of their stomach. They therefore won't find all the necessary substances in pure muscle meat.
Another mistake is feeding them with only dry food, i.e. granules. Cats often don't drink much, and their kidneys start to fail with insufficient water intake. Such a fluid-depleted diet may thus contribute to dehydration and other health problems. In this case you should at least make sure that your pet drinks enough water.
It's also wrong to feed your cat dog granules. I wrote more on this topic in the article “The differences between dog and cat food“. Can you think of another mistake that cat owners often make, albeit with good intentions?
According to the data published at the end of last year, more than half of the people from around the world lives with at least one pet. The most numerous dog population is in the United States (70 million dogs), followed by Brazil (36 million) and...
When I travel, I'm always interested in what is the view of the given country upon the keeping of pets. And generally, how animals are treated there. The position of cats, dogs and rodents varies significantly in different countries, so there’s...
People often confuse the grey wolf with the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog. This shepherd’s and today a very popular breed was bred from the German Shepherd by crossbreeding with the Carpathian wolf. Even though the dog and the wolf are very similar in...
The golden hamster, sometimes referred to as hamster-teddy bear because of its appearance, was first captured less than a century ago by zoologists in Syria. Hence also its second name – the Syrian hamster. Over time, it became a popular pet throughout...
The cloning of dogs or cats is slowly becoming a completely normal reality. For now, you can encounter it mostly in Asian countries. It’s the companies in South Korea that are most famous for their business plans focusing on the grieving dog and cat...
It would probably entirely unnecessary to describe the appearance of the German Shepherd. Probably everyone, even non-dog-lovers, have seen the German series Inspector Rex. Apart from the most famous colouring with black or golden marks, it is bred...
Getting a cat doesn’t mean only buying a cat toilet, bowls, a bed and a couple of toys. You also have to realise that the animal will also need certain care and count with this already before getting it. Each breed has its own specifics. While some are...
The Persian Longhairs, which have most likely descended from the Turkish Angoras, were bred in England at the end of the 19th century. Since then, they have undergone great changes, and today they have a much more compact body in comparison to the...
The desire for your own dog friend can also lead to a great disappointment. Since a lot of people fall for scammers when buying through an ad. Getting a dog this way is a risk not only from the money point of view, but also with respect to the mental...
Traveling with a dog in the city is stressful for many dog owners. One of the reasons may be the fear of riding escalators. If the dog is not accustomed to them since young age, he can have issue with it as an adult. Even in the case that your dog aces...
For the majority of dog breeders, winter is the period that has to be waited out somehow. But this time of year provides ideal conditions for the musher sport. And if you found pleasure in summer trainings with the dog, don’t hang the dog harness on an...
Most owners consider pets kept at home to be full-fledged family members. And year after year, they invest more and more money in them. Just for dog and cat food, Czechs spend around eight billion crowns a year. The business around pets is experiencing...
