In This Chapter
- Understanding the challenges of creating commercial pet food
- Discovering your cat’s nutritional requirements
- Choosing the right food
- Feeding a fat or finicky cat
The very first thing you need to understand about feline
nutrition is that cats are obligate carnivores;
Although some pet cats still hunt — to the detriment, some
argue, of songbird populations — few must do so to survive. And that brings us
to the second thing you need to understand about feline nutrition: The industry
that’s grown to supply your cat’s needs is very, very big.
How big? Try billions of dollars spent for cat food just in
the United States, from tiny pop-lid tins of the most delectable “gourmet”
kitty paté to the biggest bags of least-expensive food that caretakers of
feral-cat colonies spread in alleys, on riverbanks, and in vacant lots for the
legions of the not-so-lucky.
Cool Cat Facts
If you doubt us when we tell you about the vastness of the pet-food industry, do a little research on your own. You won’t have to go any farther away than your local supermarket or pet-supply warehouse. Pet food takes up as much space in your supermarket as any product line there, with the possible exception of cereals and candy — made, in many cases, by the same companies! And at the pet-supply warehouse . . . so much cat food is sold that it must be moved around by forklift.
And don’t forget your veterinarian, who likely also sells
food — so-called “premium” brands as well as therapeutic diets meant to help
your cat deal with various health problems from obesity to kidney and heart
disease to plaque buildup on his teeth.
So many manufacturers. So many places to buy. So many choices! Where do you begin to find the
food that provides your cat with what he needs: the essential elements of
nutrition found for generations in the bodies of billions of prey animals? Can
you really find such nutrition in a can, box, or bag?
We guide you through all of it, of course: We tell you
what’s known and, more important, what isn’t known about feline nutrition; what
your cat needs and what’s being marketed directly at your desires, not your cat’s; how to keep your cat eating correctly
after you choose the “right” foods — so that your cat doesn’t get too fat or
too thin.
Remember
Is all this information important? You bet, especially if you want a cat in good health with a shiny coat, bright eyes, and energy to burn. Good nutrition keeps your cat’s body purring along through the years, and choosing good food is as important as anything else you do in the hope of providing your pet with a happy, long life.
Convenience . . . at a Price?
Like the cat box and litter, commercial pet foods are a
modern addition to the lives of cats, created as much — if not more — for the
convenience of people as for the needs of their pets. Which is not to say that
cats haven’t picked up something from the deal as well. Prepared pet foods have
freed cats from worrying about their next meal so that they can enjoy being pampered,
thus living longer, healthier lives than ever before.
Cool Cat Facts
A few false steps were taken along the way to developing cat foods, to be sure — some health problems were actually caused by nutritional deficiencies in manufactured pet food products. Two notable examples of nutrition-related health problems: dilated cardiomyopathy and feline lower urinary tract disease, or FLUTD. Another health problem, hyperthyroidism (that seemed to suddenly appear in cats around the world in the late 1970s and is still absent from some locales where commercial pet foods are not as popular), increasingly gets attention from researchers interested in feline nutrition.
What will they find? Perhaps they will discover that
something in foods or some other manufactured agent is responsible for the rise
of this disease or, quite the contrary, that improved nutrition, health care,
and other factors leading to a greater proportion of the feline population
living longer are unmasking this problem of aged cats.
Maintaining the “Perfect” Cat Diet
Part of the challenge of manufacturing a cat food is that
whatever you come up with as a commercially viable product that people are
willing to buy is usually a long way from what you start with, especially if
you consider what cats eat if left to their own devices. If cats ran the
pet-food industry, in fact, the recipe for a good, nutritious meal would
probably read as follows:
Take one small mouse
from the freezer. Thaw. Put in a blender and hit “frappé.” Serve at feline body
temperature on a clean plate.
Yuck, you say? That’s probably why, instead of one fresh,
frozen mouse, you’re going to give your cat a dry food, where the label lists
the first five ingredients as corn gluten meal, ground yellow corn, chicken,
brewers rice, and wheat flour. Or you’re going to feed him a canned food that
lists wheat gluten and brewers rice just a notch or two below turkey.
Rice? Wheat? Corn? What gives? Are cats carnivores or aren’t
they?
Yes, but not all their needs must be met by animal-based
food, as they would in the wild. The commercial pet-food industry has managed
to provide what seems impossible: a diet with a high percentage of plant material
that, nonetheless, keeps an obligate carnivore well fed.
As we said earlier, this balancing of convenience,
nutrition, and aesthetics (appealing to both human and feline tastes) is a lot harder than it looks. All in all,
commercial pet food has to be considered one of the great marvels of living in
a modern age — and it keeps getting better, as our knowledge of nutrition increases.
Cat Tracks
Do cats need to drink cow’s milk? Not at all, although in most cases, a little dose of the white stuff is much appreciated — unless they are lactose- intolerant. Check out the facts on these and other feline myths in Chapter Ten Cat Myths Debunked.
Fulfilling Basic Nutritional Needs
A lot of different elements (about 60) go into keeping your
pet healthy, all working together to keep his body working as it should be.
These nutrients each play a role, and although some seem to have a bigger part
than others, each is necessary to keep your cat’s body functioning. We touch on
each of the main feline nutrition needs in the following sections.
Protein
As part of their animal-consuming design, cats naturally
have high protein requirements — more
than double the amount per pound of body weight than dogs or humans do. Kittens
need even more — about quarter again as much to support their rapid growth into
adults.
Consumed protein provides the amino acids, which your cat reassembles into the protein parts of
his body. All animals require these life-giving nutrients. Some amino acids,
called nonessential, are synthesized
in the cat’s body; others, called essential,
must be obtained from food. Variety is the important thing to remember when
considering protein sources. A combination of meat, poultry, fish, dairy
products, and other protein sources ensures that your cat is getting all the
essential amino acids he needs in his diet.
Technical Stuff
Protein comes from both animal and plant material, and varies in digestibility, or the amount of protein that’s available to your cat as his body makes use of the food he eats. Meat, poultry, dairy products, and eggs are highly digestible and, therefore, are high-quality sources of protein; some other parts of animals, such as feathers, beaks, and bones, are not as highly digestible. Grains are somewhere in the middle in terms of digestibility.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates —
sugars and starches — are a source of energy, but not one that cats need in
their diets to survive. Of all the ingredients in prepared cat foods,
carbohydrates are farthest from what they would acquire naturally in our mouse
cocktail formulation.
This is not to say that cats can’t use the carbohydrates that commercial cat foods provide, and
a good thing, too, because by weight these plant products are the largest
component of most commercial cat foods. Enzymes in cats’ bodies break down and
convert the sugars and more-complex carbohydrates into products they can use.
Cat Tracks
The fiber in commercial foods serves another function: It aids in keeping waste products moving through the digestive system and helps prevent constipation and obstipation (total blockage), which is why canned pumpkin is a good thing to give a cat with hairballs. (For more on hairballs, see Chapter Ten Cat Myths Debunked. Obstipation is a problem often seen in older cats, so it’s covered in Chapter Caring for an Older Cat.)
Can a cat be a vegetarian? |
|
Many people choose a diet devoid of animal-based proteins,
and they want to extend their dietary choices to their cats. No matter how opposed you may be to the idea of meat, your
cat’s body has a different opinion, and when your cat’s health is at stake,
you’d better listen. Besides taurine,
cats require more than a dozen nutrients including vitamins, fatty acids, and
amino acids veterinary nutritionists call essential,
because they can’t be manufactured in a cat’s body and must be obtained from
an outside source — that is, from animal tissues. |
Fats
In our society, we worry endlessly about the amount of fat
in our diets, which experts say is too high. But again, we must realize that
cats are not people, and their dietary needs are different concerning fats —
commercial cat foods have a fairly high percentage of fat to increase a cat’s
desire to eat.
Fat from animal sources carries essential fatty acids that
cats can’t derive from vegetable sources. Fat also is essential for the
absorption and movement around the body of certain vitamins, and it also
provides food that appeals to the feline nose and palate.
Caution
A cat can’t thrive on a diet of dog food, and fat is a major reason. Dogs can manufacture essential fatty acids from vegetable sources; cats can’t. The protein levels in dog food are also too low for your cat’s health. Most dog food also lacks enough taurine to meet the needs of your cat.
Not surprisingly, cat food isn’t any better for your dog
than dog food is for your cat. The higher levels of protein may be troublesome
for older dogs with kidney problems, and the high fat content contributes to
obesity and may cause diarrhea.
Vitamins
Vitamins are
divided into two categories — water-soluble
and fat-soluble. Both are important
to your cat’s health, and the lack of any of them in your cat’s diet can have
dire effects. Water-soluble vitamins include the B vitamins, niacin,
panthothenic acid, folic acid, biotin, choline, and vitamin C. Cats require
niacin, which is not present in high concentrations in nonanimal food sources
in their diets. Fat-soluble vitamins are vitamins A, D, E, and K. Cats also
need animal products to ensure they get vitamin A, because cats can’t
manufacture vitamin A from carotene. Don’t expect to feed your cat carrots to
ensure good eyesight — it won’t happen!
Caution
Oil-based hairball remedies can tie up the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, which is why you shouldn’t be giving them on a regular basis without talking to your veterinarian. For more on hairball treatment and prevention, see Chapter Good Grooming.
Minerals
Mineral nutrients
your cat needs include potassium, magnesium, zinc, calcium, iron, phosphorus,
sodium, chloride, and others. Like vitamins, they make up a small part of your
cat’s diet, but in the correct amounts, they’re essential for good health.
Technical Stuff
In the past many were concerned over excess ash (especially magnesium) in cat foods. This worry proved to be unfounded but continues to be a marketing gimmick many cat owners and veterinarians respond to by opening their wallets.
The important thing to know about vitamins and minerals is
that your cat needs the correct amount — but not more. “If a little is good, a
lot must be better” simply doesn’t apply in the case of vitamins — and nearly
all other nutrients. The oversupply of vitamins and minerals can prove
dangerous, which is why you should not give your pet supplements unless you’ve discussed
it with your veterinarian first. Although excess amounts of water-soluble
vitamins are passed in the urine, fat-soluble vitamins can — and do — build up
to toxic levels.
Water
Do you think about nutrition as being about what your cat
eats? Don’t forget that what your cat drinks is just as important to her
well-being. Water — clean, fresh, and ever-present — is essential to nearly
every process of your cat’s body, which is 70 percent water.
 |
| Figure 10-1: A cat who’s fed a proper diet will be a happy, healthy companion. |
Remember
Always make sure to supply your cat with water and encourage her to drink by keeping the dish clean and the water fresh. Some cats prefer running water, and some owners oblige by opening taps to drip for their pets. Some manufacturers even sell pet fountains that constantly recycle water to make it seem fresh to a finicky feline. If your pet-products supplier doesn’t carry these products, check out the ads in the back of any cat magazine. Feline fountains pop up pretty regularly there.
Concerns over fat preservatives |
|
In the last few years, a lot of controversy has been
generated over the use of preservatives — primarily BHT, BHA, and ethoxyquin
— to keep the necessary fats in pet foods from going rancid. These synthetic preservatives
have been blamed for just about every pet health problem, not to mention the
increase in violence on our streets and the perceived decline in traditional
values. Those who hate these additives really
hate them, believe us! Many manufacturers have adopted the “if you can’t beat
‘em, join ‘em” approach, which is why some products are now labled
“ethoxyquin free” or “naturally preserved,” usually with vitamins C and E.
And some canned products boast of being completely free of preservatives of
any kind. But here’s something we believe you must bear in mind: No good scientific evidence exists to
support the decision to avoid synthetic preservatives, either by
manufacturers or consumers. If the issue worries you, choose a food that
doesn’t have these preservatives. But be aware that you have likely fallen
prey to marketing strategies and fear rather than scientific fact in that
buying decision. In fact, more data exists supporting the beneficial effects of these products
in foods (reduced cancer, reduced birth defects, and so on) than do
allegations of negative effects. This, of course, does nothing to end the controversy. |
Choosing Foods
Pet food is more complexly regulated than human food is, and
most passes the testing of the Association
of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). This may sound impressive, but
only one kind of verification passes Paul’s muster.
Manufacturers have two ways to go when substantiating their
claims. One is based on a chemical analysis of the food, and some say that
motor oil plus a few vitamins and minerals could pass — not very impressive!
The second is more sound and is based on feeding the food to cats. To pass these
feeding tests, the pet-food manufacturers provide their products to cats and then
ensure that the products are maintaining good cat health.
Technical Stuff
Before researching this chapter, it had been several years since Paul had reviewed the AAFCO feeding requirements. He was quite pleased to learn that they are more stringent and complete than he remembers from when he was a researcher in the area of feline nutrition in the 1980s. He was particularly proud to read the requirement for testing blood taurine concentration, since taurine deficiency was the focus of his study.
Still, if Paul were king — and his friends and family do
have to remind him on a regular basis that he is not — he’d ask that all foods
be required to support two generations of normal health: in other words, that a
food would be fed for several months to adults who then successfully produced
kittens who were subsequently raised on the food and matured normally and produced
normal litters of kittens. This testing would provide pretty conclusive
evidence that nothing major was wrong in the formulation.
The problem is that these tests would take almost two years,
which would be quite expensive in terms of direct costs and more so in terms of
the time it would take to bring a product or reformulation of a product to
market. Fortunately, the competition in the industry has heated up to the point
where the major companies have decided that they cannot afford a major mistake,
and many pursue what in essence amounts to these types of studies.
Tip
For these reasons, we recommend you stay with the big-name manufacturers when choosing food for your cat.They are probably the only ones who can afford to do this type of extensive internal testing. For this reason, some say the most valuable information on the bag is the company’s phone number. Call your cat’s food manufacturer and ask what the company has done to ensure that you can rest assured that their food meets all your cat’s needs despite the limitations of AAFCO testing.
You could perform hours of research on all the ingredients
in cat food. Whole books are available on the subject; you could go to the
library at your closest school or college of veterinary medicine and lose
yourself in the stacks for days. We don’t think you need to go to such lengths,
however, to make sure your kitty’s eating right. We think you can do just fine
if you follow our simple guidelines:
- Choose foods that are appropriate for your cat’s age. Although older cats can do just fine on regular adult cat food, kittens need more fat and protein and so should be fed products designed for them. Look for the words “Complete and Balanced Nutrition” on the label, as well as the AAFCO animal feeding tested statement “for all life stages” (for kittens). This does not mean you need to buy kitten food for your kitten. In fact, unless your veterinarian suggests a special food, we feel most comfortable with at least part of any cat’s diet including a food with the “all life stages” statement on the label. That way, your cat gets the variety of food he needs to ensure that all his nutritional needs are met. If your cat is gaining weight because of the calorie-dense nature of a food designed for all life stages, try mixing the food with one meant exclusively for older cats to reduce his caloric intake.
- Choose foods from major manufacturers. The older, nonpremium pet-food brands were hurt by the growth of the “premium” pet food market, but their manufacturers have done a lot to improve their product in recent years, and we have no problem in recommending them. Whether you buy your cat’s food from the supermarket, a pet-supply store, or your veterinarian, as long as you’re dealing with a major manufacturer’s food that carries the “AAFCO animal tested” statement, you should be fine.
Caution
Large, established pet-food companies have a huge investment in maintaining the quality of their products, and they test them constantly in feeding trials. Don’t choose generic or store brands unless you know for certain which manufacturer made the food in the same way as its regular brand. Store brands are usually just major brands that have been relabeled and are less expensive — and if they are, who are we to suggest not saving a few pennies? Skip trendy brands from unknown manufacturers, though — the accountability is just not there.
Tip
Should you pop the extra dough for the more expensive “premium” foods from these manufacturers? That’s up to you. Some owners like them because they often contain higher-quality, more digestible ingredients that are more easily absorbed, which means that the cat uses more of the food and ultimately deposits less in the litter box. But other than that, the fact is these diets offer no proven health advantage.
Choose a variety of foods to ensure nutritional balance.
Feline nutrition is still as much defined by what we don’t know as what we do.
The best way to make sure your cat is getting all the nutrients he needs is to
feed him a variety of food types — poultry, beef, and fish — from a variety of
major manufacturers. Varying your cat’s food also keeps him from becoming “addicted”
to one kind — that may go off the market. Unless your cat is sensitive to
changes in his diet (reacting by refusing to eat, having diarrhea, or
vomiting), feed him a variety of food from a variety of manufacturers, mixed or
on a rotating basis.
What type?
Even knowing what to look for in a cat food doesn’t answer
all your questions as you’re gazing at all the choices in a pet-supply store.
Cat foods come in different forms, with advantages and disadvantages to each.
The following list describes the three main types of cat food from which you may
choose:
- Dry food: Also called kibble, this variety comes in a box or bag, is less expensive than other kinds, and gives you the most options for feeding your cat. You can fill a dish with dry food and leave it out, and it doesn’t go bad. Dry food enables you to make sure your pet has food if you must leave him alone for more than a few hours at a time. Dry food also helps reduce tartar buildup on your pet’s teeth. Cats generally aren’t as crazy about dry food, however, as they are about freshly opened canned food.
- Canned food: Cats love this stuff, but it’s expensive to feed because you’re paying for a lot of water. Canned food lasts almost forever . . . until you open it, and then it lasts about half an hour before your cat decides it’s no longer fresh enough to suit him. You can refrigerate leftovers (although you need to bring them to room temperature before feeding again), or you can buy the tiniest cans, which are even more expensive. Canned food can be great for nursing ill or older cats, however, especially those whose teeth make dry food hard to handle. We recommend feeding a variety of flavors to keep your cat from getting hung up on any one brand and flavor — it could go off the market, after all, and then where would you be?
- Semi-moist: Sort of a midway point between dry and canned in terms of ease of use and cost, semi-moist foods are often criticized for appealing more to humans — with clever shapes and artificial colors — than to cats.
Tip
In the interests of nutrition and cost efficiency, we like to recommend a basic diet of dry food with daily rations of canned food to increase your cat’s interest in his meals.
When to feed?
Many people like to leave dry rations out for a cat to eat
whenever she’s hungry, and that’s fine, with a couple of exceptions. The most obvious
exception is if your cat is overweight — more on that later in this chapter —
or is on a diet that’s otherwise restricted. Called free feeding (also called ad
lib ), leaving dry food out at all times doesn’t work if you have two cats
who need to eat different foods or if you have a dog who’s especially clever
about getting into the cat food.
Free feeding also doesn’t feel very satisfying to some
people, who like the excitement their cats show as they pop open a can of food.
If you’re one of these people, you can compromise if you like: Offer dry food
always and canned food once daily.
Tip
Your dog isn’t going to like us for telling you this, but the best way to make sure cat food is consumed only by your cat is to put the food dish on something your dog can’t reach — like on top of the dryer. Alternatively, you could feed the cat in a room that’s off-limits to the dog — and made so by the use of a baby gate. These strategies won’t keep your agile cat from chowing down, but they will keep your dog’s nose out of the cat-food dish.
What about veterinarian-prescribed foods?
Under certain conditions, your cat’s doctor may recommend
one of several specially formulated diets that are available only through your
veterinarian. If your cat has a health problem that one of these foods may
help, your veterinarian may suggest it. These foods come in both dry and canned
varieties, so you can choose the kind you and your cat prefer.
In some cases, your cat’s time on these foods is temporary;
for other conditions, your veterinarian may suggest that your pet stay on the
diet for the rest of his life. Any situation that requires your pet to be on a
special diet for any length of time also requires you to work with your
veterinarian to ensure the management of the disease in other ways, too, and to
make sure your questions about the course of the disease are answered.
Caution
Although your veterinarian has all the best intentions in recommending these diets, you should be aware that, other than those designed for patients with urinary bladder stones/crystals, obesity, and perhaps kidney disease and some cases of diarrhea, no scientific data is available to support the medicinal claims for these foods. Until such data is available, press your veterinarian for information as to why you are being asked to fork over the extra money for these diets. This will in turn push your veterinarian to pressure the manufacturers to generate and provide the data, or to stop trying to convince veterinarians and pet owners that there is reason to spend the extra money. (If you can’t tell, Paul has real concerns about long-term use of “therapeutic” diets.)
A sweet treat for cat lovers |
|
Your cat’s nutrition isn’t the only thing on our minds —
we want to make sure you have
something special to eat, too. And so Paul has decided to share his recipe
for Litter Box Cake, which came to him through his online colleagues at the
Veterinary Information Network. Children love this cake. Adults . . . well, you’d better
hope your friends have a sense of humor. The editors at Gina’s newspaper
didn’t. They thought the recipe was “too gross” to put in the newspaper. To
them, we say: “Ha! Let them eat Litter Box Cake.” We wouldn’t think
of denying you the pleasure. Litter Box Cake 1 package spice cake
mix 1 package white cake
mix 1 package white
sandwich cookies Green food coloring 12 small Tootsie
Rolls 1 box vanilla
pudding mix (not instant) 1 new, clean litter
box 1 new, clean
litter-box scoop Prepare the cake mixes and bake according to their
directions. Prepare the pudding mix and chill until ready to assemble. Use a
blender on a low setting to crumble the white sandwich cookies in small
batches; they tend to stick, so scrape often. Set aside all but about 1/4
cup. To the 1/4 cup of cookie crumbs, add a few drops of green food coloring
and mix by using a fork. After the cakes cool to room temperature, crumble them
into a large bowl. Toss with half the remaining cookie crumbs and the chilled
pudding. Gently combine. Line a new,
clean litter box with plastic wrap. Put the mixture into the box. Put
three unwrapped Tootsie Rolls in a microwave-safe dish and heat until they’re
soft and pliable. Shape the ends so that they’re no longer blunt, curving
them slightly. Repeat with three more Tootsie Rolls and bury them in the
mixture. Sprinkle the other half of the cookie crumbs over the top
of the mixture. Scatter the green cookie crumbs lightly over the top, too —
these are supposed to look like the chlorophyll in cat litter. Heat the
remaining Toostie Rolls, three at a time, in the microwave until they’re
almost melted. Taper the ends as before, plop them on top of the cake, and sprinkle
with cookie crumbs. Serve with a new,
clean cat-box scoop. Enjoy! |
What about a homemade diet? |
|
Although most people don’t have the time for or the
interest in preparing a homemade diet for their cats, those who do are
convinced their pets do better because of the fresh ingredients they get
every day. Interest in homemade diets — especially diets comprised almost
exclusively of raw meat and bones — has never been higher. You can create a diet for your pet by using fresh meats or
other protein sources, grains, vegetables, and mineral and vitamin supplements,
but you can’t plan such a diet casually. Several books offer “natural” or “raw-food”
diets, and information on these feeding plans — as well as lots of discussion
— is prevalent on the Internet. We don’t believe homemade diets are any better for your
pet than a high-quality commercial food — and we worry about the possibility
that such a diet won’t provide all
the 60 or so nutrients your cat needs in the right amounts and ratios. If you’re carefully following a good homemade diet plan,
though, you aren’t likely to cause any harm. A great many cats are on
home-prepared diets today, and the proponents of such feeding programs are
nearly religious in their belief in the superiority of these diets. Still, Paul’s clinical experience gives him a bad feeling
about this practice of preparing homemade meals for your cat. His stand may
not be popular with raw-food proponents, but he’d rather wait for solid evidence
of benefits than endorse something that may not be best for your cat. In the
end, the decision is yours, of course, but you need to make sure you’re
making a fully informed choice before proceeding. |
Treat your cat!
The Cat’s Meow
Giving your pet a little something special from time to time isn’t going to do him any harm and can be very useful in training situations. Here are a couple things to keep in mind, however:
- All things in moderation. Treats, whether store-bought or from your dinner plate, don’t make a good diet for your pet. Make sure the majority of his food is high quality, complete, and balanced.
- Avoid some foods entirely. Food that’s heavily spiced or has onions can upset your cat’s digestion, leading to diarrhea or vomiting. Onion can also lead to severe blood problems in cats. Avoid onion or onion powder in foods you prepare for your cat and in baby foods you may use as an occasional treat or for nursing a sick cat (the latter under the supervision of your veterinarian, of course). (Read the label — not all baby foods have onion or onion powder.)
- Consider your cat. If you give your cat treats from your plate, you can’t complain that he’s a pest at mealtime. And if your cat’s supposed to be losing weight, you shouldn’t give him a treat at all.
Tip
We humans tend to confuse food with love, and we extend this idea to our interactions with our companion animals. Your cat doesn’t really need treats. Pet your cat, play an interactive game, or just hang out together — these activities are better options in the long run than overdoing the goodies.
Curbing Eating Problems
Although maintaining your pet’s nutritional levels may not
require much more than choosing good foods and standing back, in the cases of
cats who are too fat or too thin, you need to monitor the situation more
closely.
A healthy cat generally weighs between 8 and 10 pounds,
although some breeds are smaller (such as the Singapura), and others are larger
(such as the Ragdoll). You can generally judge your cat’s correct weight by his
ribs: If they’re too prominent, your cat is too thin; if they’re too hard to
find, your cat is too fat. Your cat’s ribs ideally should be covered by a layer
of fat, but you should be able to feel his ribs easily if you put your hands on
him.
The too-much cat
Obesity is the top nutrition-related problem seen in cats,
with up to four out of ten cats showing up at their veterinarian’s office
carrying too much weight. An overweight cat is prone to a host of related
problems, including diabetes; joint, ligament, and tendon problems; breathing
problems; and even skin problems in exceptionally fat cats who can’t groom
themselves correctly.
Caution
These cats are also more prone to a very serious and often-fatal liver problem called hepatic lipidosis. This condition is most often seen in obese cats that have not eaten for some reason for an extended period of time. Fasting or “starvation diets” should never be used as a means of weight loss in a fat cat. Talk with your veterinarian about the correct amount of food for your cat and do what you can through playing to make your cat more active.
The finicky kitty
Although some cats have never met a dish of food they didn’t
love, others are very picky about what they eat. Feeding a variety of foods
from a variety of manufacturers helps to keep cats eating, as does warming the food
or feeding them canned rations instead of dry. Be aware, however, that your cat
may not be as finicky as you think. If you leave dry food down all the time, he
may be nibbling more than a dozen times throughout the day and thus never
eating very much in any one observed sitting.
Another possibility occurs if yours is an indoor-outdoor
cat: He may be picking up meals at another house besides your own — or maybe at
more than one! Or perhaps he’s using his natural killer instincts and “cooking”
for himself!
Caution
Finickiness is not a reason for concern as long as your cat’s not losing weight. A half-pound or even a pound up or down is no big deal, but more than that and you need to call your veterinarian. Weight loss is one of the first indications that something’s going wrong with your cat. (We talk about some other signs of health problems in Chapter Preventive Health Care for Your Cat.)
Unlike dogs or kids (the human kind), who we insist will not starve theselves to death, cats
are indeed capable of dying from starvation despite your best efforts.
Some cats simply do not like to eat a variety of foods and
will refuse to eat anything but their favorite. Others will simply hold out
until they get what they like. Playing “chicken” with your dog or kids is fine
with us. They are both great manipulators, so we wish you luck. But playing
this game with cats can be serious business — especially when “played” with
overweight cats.
Remember
Not eating can lead to serious medical problems in cats. This is true for the sick cat who is “off-feed” and losing weight or the cat who refuses to eat. We are not talking about concern over a cat missing one or two meals. That can be normal and healthy (as long as he looks and acts healthy otherwise). We’re talking about a cat who simply refuses to eat and is losing weight. Don’t take chances. See your veterinarian.
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| Figure 10-2: A cat with the right amount of fat on him looks sleek, such as the cat at the top. Too bony (bottom left) and too fat (bottom right) can both mean health problems. |
The Cat’s Meow
Greens for nibbling |
|
Many cats love to graze, some for the fiber, some because
their tummies are upset, and some . . . well, they just like it. Indulge them by planting safe greens for them to nibble or
just enjoy. Here are a few winners:
Not all greens are good for cats, though. Check out our
list of the deadly ones in Chapter Ten
Common Household Dangers to Your Cat. You can find more information on
catnip in Chapter All the
Right Stuff. |
by Gina Spadafori and Paul D. Pion
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