Avoiding Cat Health Care Problems with Diet
There’s an old saying that you are what you eat. It might not literally be true, but nobody will deny the importance of a healthy diet: for cat health care as well as human health care. It’s a big responsibility to ensure that our pets get the nutrition they require to stay healthy but as long as we understand a few simple points it doesn’t have to be complex.
Drinking plenty of water is really important both for us and our pets. If a cat is denied fresh drinking water it can become seriously ill in a matter of hours. Serious cat health care problems and even death can result from dehydration.
The diet of a cat must be very specific. Because they are obligate carnivores, felines cannot survive on a vegetarian diet. Cat health care problems such as malnutrition, blindness and eventually death would result from depriving a cat of a meat based diet.
Because of the very specific dietary requirements of our feline friends, owners must take care to try not to upset the delicate balance of their diets. Although we may think of it as a harmless treat, giving titbits of human food can have serious consequences for cat health care. Human food is often too fatty and calorific for cats and may even poison them. Onions, for example, are highly toxic to felines.
In the wild, cats would eat several small meals everyday and owners should try to accommodate this. Obviously, work or school obligations could mean that feeding regular small meals through the day is not feasible. One option to overcome this problem is to give the cat dried food which it will be able to return to at regular intervals through the day.
Lastly, as well as diet we must think about obesity, which is one of the most common cat health care problems at the moment. Because obesity can cause such serious problems as heart disease, breathing problems, arthritis and even death, it must be avoided at all costs. As a rule of thumb, a short haired cat would be a healthy weight if its ribs can be felt but are not visible. Pay close attention to the instructions for serving sizes on cat food and always see a vet if you believe that your cat’s weight is a problem.
