Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Just like humans, there are some cats who have food allergies and
cannot eat certain kinds of proteins. If your cat vomits after eating cer-
tain foods, look at the ingredients and try offering her something dif-
ferent. Many cat foods have similar ingredients, so you may need to
consult with your veterinarian for help in finding a suitable diet. It can
take six to eight weeks for a diet change to significantly decrease vom-
iting in a cat with food allergies.
FEEDING BY LIFE STAGE
Kittens, adult cats and senior cats all have different nutritional require-
ments. Kittens should eat kitten food for the first 6 to 12 months of
their lives. Kitten or growth formula foods are generally more calorie-
dense and have higher levels of vitamins and minerals. Senior cats are
usually less active and diets formulated for them contain fewer calories,
more fiber and less protein. Adult cats do well on maintenance diets,
unless they are pregnant, nursing or have a medical problem that
requires them to eat special foods. Once a cat has been spayed or
neutered, her metabolic rate slows, so to prevent obesity it is recom-
mended to feed a diet that is less than 20 percent fat.
Many owners are faced with the dilemma of having to feed a
kitten and an adult at the same time.The solution to this problem lies
in the weight of the adult. If the adult cat is trim, leaving kitten food
out is not a problem. If the adult is overweight, the adult mainte-
nance food should be free-fed, and the kitten should be supplement-
ed with kitten food that is fed privately, where the adult can't get
at it.
Most special and prescription diets are fine for all adult cats, but may
not be suitable for growing kittens or seniors. Discuss these individual
feeding issues with your veterinarian so that you can tailor a proper
feeding program for your cats.
Dieting for overweight cats is a challenge. Many “light” feline diets
are available for overweight cats, but these diets are not equal in quali-
ty and some brands have two to three times the number of calories per
cup than others.
There are two main diet theories for cats. One is to feed a larger
amount of a low-fat, high-fiber diet because it fills them up.The other
is to feed more protein and less carbohydrate because it better satisfies
cats—the Atkins Diet approach.
