Cat Food Overload Dangers: Avoid These Risks!
How Should Cat Owners Feed Their Feline Friends?
For cat owners who are always at home, it's recommended to feed their cats two to three times a day. While feeding in smaller, more frequent portions ensures that the food doesn't sit out for too long, it's crucial to maintain a consistent feeding schedule.
Just like humans, if we don't eat on time, our stomachs start to rebel, and over time, we may develop stomach problems. Similarly, irregular feeding times can have adverse effects on a cat's digestive system. For busy working professionals, leaving dry food out before heading to work can only be a temporary solution to prevent the cat from going hungry.
It's best not to overfeed your cat; the amount of food should not exceed what the cat needs in a day.
Feeding Cats of Different Ages
1. Feeding Kitten
For growth, kittens require about double the nutrition of adult cats. Clearly, kittens can't eat much at one time, so just like human infants, they need to eat more frequently when they're young and gradually reduce the frequency as they grow older.
During this period, it's important to regularly weigh the kitten to ensure it's gaining weight gradually. Whether the kitten is meowing for food can be a sign of whether it's receiving enough nutrition.
Kitten Feeding Types
Typically, kittens under six weeks should stay with their mothers. If that's not possible, kittens can be fed with a bottle from four to six weeks old. Additionally, at five weeks, kittens can start to try kitten canned food mixed with an equal amount of kitten milk powder.
By the time the kitten is six weeks old, the milk powder can be gradually reduced until the kitten only eats canned food or dry kibble.
Kitten Feeding Frequency
Sixweekold kittens: Feed four or more times a day with small amounts of canned food. It's advisable to weigh and record the kitten regularly to track its growth.
Twelveweekold kittens: You can increase the portion size per meal and reduce the feeding frequency to three times a day.
Approximately sixmonthold kittens: Continue to increase the portion size of each meal, and if it's too麻烦, you can gradually reduce the feeding frequency to twice a day.
2. Feeding Adult Cats
Generally, cats can be considered adults after reaching one year old. During the following eight years, you can feed them two to three times a day with adult cat food and supplement with canned food as needed.
When choosing cat food, consider the cat's eating habits. Even the bestrated food may not suit every cat, so there's no onesizefitsall solution; what's best is what suits your cat.
However, never compromise on quality by buying lowcost, poorly reviewed cat food. It's not worth the suffering for both you and your cat, especially when the cost of veterinary care is much higher than the cost of food.
3. Feeding Senior Cats and Cats with Special Needs
Most commercial cat foods are designed for general cats. If your cat has specific dietary needs, the feeding frequency may be higher. It's best to consult with a veterinarian for advice on feeding frequency and food types.
About Dry Food
Cat owners might worry if dry food alone is enough to meet their cat's nutritional needs.
Choosing the right cat food requires a bit of knowhow, and you'll need to look at the ingredient list to make that determination.
If the dry cat food has a balanced nutritional formula, it's fine for your cat to eat only dry food, but it's important for the cat to drink plenty of water.
