Overweight, listless cats or those that are wasting from nutritional diseases and organ failure worry many pet owners. The way to keep a pet cat healthy and happy longer is to feed them a diet as close as possible to what they would eat in the wild. It takes only a little dedication to please a finicky feline with a healthy diet.
Lose the Dry Kibble
Most people know an exclusive diet of dry cat food results in chronically dehydrated cats with digestive and urinary problems. Some commercial cat products cut costs by using refined starches flavored with grease and then add vitamins to meet standards. Don't be fooled by the words "complete" on the label--for one thing, it is missing moisture. Cats become addicted to the stuff after eating it for many years, resisting attempts by owners to change their diet. Dry cat food is convenient so many owners rely heavily on it. But how convenient is it to be taking a cat to the vet and trying to administer special treatments and medication? Prevention is the best treatment, but for a cat with health problems, changing to a more natural diet is probably the best hope for recovery.
Cats are Omnivores
Felines eat a mixed diet of small fish, birds, rodents and reptiles in the wild. The food they catch has organs, bones, and gastric contents that consist of partially digested greens, seeds, other plant matter and sometimes insects. Cats will also eat grass, and many of them are known to like fruits and vegetables. None of their natural diet is cooked, and unlike dogs they are not usually scavengers. Their natural food is warm, fresh, just-killed.
Make it a Game
For finicky cats try using fresh raw chicken gizzard at room temperature. Wave and dangle the meat, keeping it moving, before tossing it to the cat. Add a bit of catnip to ground turkey and vegetables.
Add Greens and Supplements
Some pet owners use a base of steamed brown rice, but this is not necessary. Avoid milk products and beef for cats with urinary problems and do add Omega-3 rich fish oils and vitamin E. Brewer's yeast adds B vitamins that will increase energy and appetite. Other important supplements are probiotics and digestive enzymes. Egg, chicken and fish should all be fed raw.
When the cat is eating those items well, add increasing amounts of vegetables. Alfalfa sprouts are highly digestible and a good source of vegetable proteins and greens. Finely chopped spinach, kale and carrot can be tried. Do not use cooked spinach. Wheatgrass juice and spirulina are two green superfoods that some cats love, while others tolerate small amounts mixed with meat that they like.
Healthy Cats Care
Be sure to use safe handling practices when using raw meat. Never give a cat onions or anything with onion flavoring. Be sure to keep fresh filtered or distilled water available at all times, especially for older cats.
For more cat information Holisticats is a website dedicated to feline wellness.
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