What to feed a pregnant cat?

Each caring owner wonders what you can feed the cat so that it feels good and can bring healthy offspring. In fact, this question is not so simple - you need to take care of a full-fledged diet, the animal should have enough nutrients, minerals and vitamins. Consider how to feed the expectant mother, what products she can give, and which should be excluded and other interesting information.

How to calculate the amount of feed?

Experts say that in this case there are no unambiguous recommendations, since the size of a portion of a pregnant cat depends on its weight and breed. Therefore, it is necessary to initially calculate how much an animal’s stomach is - to make it simple.The size is equal to the brush of the cat (this is the end of the paw), after the cat eats - the stomach is doubled. Based on these parameters, it is necessary to calculate the portion size.

A pregnant cat needs more food - and it is necessary to “catch up” it not with an increase in servings, but with the frequency of feeding. The best option: measure the amount of food that the animal consumes in early pregnancy, and calculate the size, based on the following rules:

7-14 day - we increase by about 10% (monitor the condition of the animal).

from 21 days - by 50%.

from 28 days - we leave the same amount of food, but the food will need to be divided into small portions in order for the cat to eat more often.

Important: No need to increase the size of servings! So you can harm your pet. Veterinarians argue that it is necessary to increase the number of meals. For example, if the cat previously ate 2 times a day, now it is desirable to feed her 4 times a day. This is the average rate.

If in the later periods your pet does not want to eat anything at all - get ready, this is a quick harbinger of childbirth.

Can I give dry food to a pregnant cat?

This is a moot point.If the animal previously fed exclusively on dry food - in this case you should not change the usual diet. You can add natural, wholesome food - it will only be better, but the main meal is still better to leave food.

At the same time, it is important for the owner to monitor the quality of the feed - it is better to buy a premium class, today even specialized feed for pregnant cats exists. Do not forget that you need to monitor the amount of food absorbed, because the food in the stomach tends to swell in half, and an incorrectly chosen portion can lead to digestive problems. It is also important that your pet always has clean water available.

Important! If a cat eats food during pregnancy, you do not need to give it special vitamin supplements. An overabundance of minerals and vitamins is just as harmful as their lack.

A certain category of breeds - Scottish, British, Persian cats are quite problematic in matters of nutrition. It is necessary to take care that there is enough vitamin D in their diet. The best option is to consult with the breeder, he will specifically tell you how to feed this or that breed, as well as the peculiarities of the diet.

What can lead to an unbalanced diet?

If you do not take care that the pet has proper nutrition during pregnancy, a sufficient amount of minerals and vitamins - this may negatively affect the future offspring of the cat. Kittens may have problems with the musculoskeletal system, which will lead to delays in overall development.

Consider the relationship between the lack of certain substances in the diet during pregnancy, as well as the possible consequences for kittens:

1. With a shortage of mineral substances in the offspring, there will be a shortage of necessary elements for the formation of bone tissue, and this can provoke rickets in kittens.
2. With a lack of salt will be observed problems with the teeth.
3. With a lack of vitamins, kittens can have problems with the central nervous system, there may be growth retardation, as well as congenital defects.
4. A lack of proteins, as well as amino acids, can lead to miscarriage, as these are the most important materials that are necessary for the construction of new organs.

Based on the foregoing, one can only say one thing: if you find out that your pet is in position, you need to carefully consider the ration, portions.And you need to take care of this from the first weeks of pregnancy - already at this time, significant changes begin to occur in the cat's body.

We make a daily diet

Consider what products to feed the cat so that she feels good and is able to give you healthy offspring:

• chicken, beef in boiled form, broth;
• chicken egg, boiled - twice a week;
• low-fat dairy products - cottage cheese, sour cream, natural cottage cheese, milk;
• cereals - oatmeal, buckwheat, rice;
• vegetables, raw or boiled;
• beets or fatty foods - only if your pet suffers from constipation;
• jelly, boiled cartilage.

Not every cat will be happy to absorb boiled vegetables. Therefore, you can trick it - grind them together with meat in a blender. Ideal - add a little cereal there too.

Nevertheless, despite such a rich diet, this is not enough, since not all useful elements are assimilated. Therefore, it is important to visit the veterinary store and purchase there special vitamin complexes for pregnant cats.

How to choose the right vitamins?

So, your favorite eats only natural food, and you decided to go to the nearest store in order to buy her a supplement. Here, too, you need to be careful - not always popular and expensive means quality. Pay attention to the composition, there must be present:

1. Proteins. Necessary for the formation of tissues, a sufficient amount of milk, as well as the normal development of offspring. Proteins are the same proteins that are vital for the cat to properly carry offspring.
2. Taurine. It is also an important element for pregnant women - if it is deficient, the pregnancy can fail, kittens can die inside the cat's womb, there have been cases of development of pathology in the offspring, as well as all sorts of physical disabilities.
3. Linoleic and arachidonic acids are necessary to prevent intrauterine mortality, with their deficiency the cat may even remain infertile.
4. Phosphorus and calcium - play an important role in the normal development of joints, bones, teeth. With a lack of calcium, eclampsia can occur.
5. Vitamins of group B, A, and also vitamin D.
6. Iron, copper - are needed to prevent anemia, but it is important not to overdo it.Excess may threaten constipation.

Important! No need to be zealous, believing that, the more - the better. Hypervitaminosis is as bad as beriberi. Therefore, the most optimal option: to pass blood tests and find out specifically what substances are missing in the body of your pet.

Read more about natural nutrition.

Above, we looked at what products and in what quantities the cat should be fed. Now find out what kind of nutrients they contain.

1. Meat products. Experts say that before you give the cat meat, it must be pre-processed, or kept in the freezer - in order to avoid infection with helminths. Beef, veal, poultry - all this must be present in the diet of pregnant women, since these products are the main source of protein, which serves as the basis for the synthesis of new body tissues.
2. A fish. Many experts recommend to abandon the fish during this period completely, but still it is sometimes useful to arrange a holiday for your pet. Do not give raw! Only boil and sort out carefully so that there are no bones.Fish is also a source of protein.
3. Milk products. Curd and yogurt are products that must be present "on the table" in an animal. They contain calcium, which is important for the formation of bones, teeth, claws.
4. Cereals. There are still disputes about this. Experts say that they should be present in the diet, explaining that the cereals are present in the body of the victims, which the cat eats in the wild. In principle, it is a logical explanation, so you do not need to completely abandon them.

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