Is
it better to prepare my cat's food myself? Feeding is one of the major ways to
bond with your cat. Don't feel that his gratitude to you for food
is just cupboard love. It is one of the main ways he knows you
care for him.
Because of this, some people feel that it
shows more devotion to their cat to prepare his food themselves, rather
than use bought products. First and foremost, the MOST
important thing is to feed a balanced diet so that he gets his full
nutritional requirements - the number 1 being protein. He also
needs the correct proportions of animal fats, and particular
vitamins and minerals. In my opinion it is quite difficult
to get this right if you prepare his food yourself and you will need to
use supplements to ensure he gets his full nutritional
requirements. Examples of excellent products:
The advantage of buying commercial cat foods
is that you can see on the label exactly what the
nutritional make-up of the food is. Foods labeled
"Complete" foods will contain the full nutritional requirements.
Manufacturers are very strictly controlled as to how accurately they
represent the food content on the can or packet, so you can believe
what it says, as far as the content is concerned (whether he will like
it is another matter....)
More and more people are looking to natural
products to ensure their cat gets the healthiest possible diet.
In my view, the "Only Natural" range of products is a really excellent
source of healthy cat food - check it out here: All
Natural, Premium Cat Food at Only Natural Pet Store
If
my
cat is finicky about food, should I give in to him? You need to give your cat a variety
of food - first, to prevent him getting bored, and, second, to make
sure he doesn't get addicted to a particular food, e.g. liver, and thus
risk not getting a balanced diet. However, he will soon make it
very clear what he likes and what he doesn't. Every single cat
has his individual likes and dislikes. As long as he is getting a
proper balanced diet, I see no problem at all with giving him what he
likes. In fact, I see no point in trying to force a cat to eat
something he doesn't like - he can hold out longer than you. It
is simply not true to say "If he's really hungry he will eat it" - he
won't. Eventually you will have to take it away as it will start
to smell, and he certainly won't eat it then. It is essential to
remove stale food completely and wash the dish before putting more food
in it - if it still smells of the rancid food, it will put him
off.
Your cat likes clean dishes and a clean eating area, just as you do.
