How to feed an old cat: useful tips

Aging affects the health of cats is not the best way, forcing the metabolism to change from year to year. Teeth crumble, there are problems with chewing food. A worn digestive system periodically rejects food. That is why it is so important to attend to the selection of the right food for this period so that the pet's body does not spend extra forces on assimilating the wrong food.

How to make the diet of the old cat

Nature laid down that cats are predators, not omnivores. The length of the intestine does not allow them to process large amounts of carbohydrates and fiber, but with protein digestion copes with a bang. But an excess of this nutrient is also not beneficial, forcing the liver to fight the increased load. In the wild, cats dilute their food with grass and plants, getting vitamins.But pets do not have such an opportunity, because their food is completely controlled by the owner.

And the more time a cat lives, the harder it is for it to absorb vitamins and trace elements. Feed manufacturers take these features into account. There are many lines of ready-made feeds for aging cats, which are created based on the needs of the animal.

Vitamin Supplements: Pros and Cons

Before adding vitamin complexes to the diet of an old cat, you should consult with a veterinarian. An excess of certain substances leads to the emergence of chronic diseases, which are particularly susceptible to the elderly individuals. For example, excess calcium often causes urolithiasis. But the lack of vitamin A causes aging to progress. A veterinarian will help you choose such a set of vitamins and trace elements so that they do not harm the animal.

Loss of appetite

In this situation, the best solution would be pate bought in a store or cooked at home in a blender. If you have problems with the digestion of food, you can dilute the diet with fiber: the need for protein is not so strong, and fiber will stimulate the bowels, keeping it toned.

During aging, the risk of obesity increases dramatically. If the cat gains weight in old age, then put it on a diet and make it lose weight is almost impossible. Sometimes after a long loss of appetite, the animal regains a love for food. And in this case it is important to balance the cat's diet, increasing the number of daily portions of food, but at the same time reducing their volume.

Natural nutrition

If the owner prefers natural food to dry food, he must adhere to several rules.

1. It is necessary to completely eliminate fish from the diet of the animal: it contains phosphorus, the accumulation of which in the body leads to kidney disease.
2. Do not force-feed the animal, let it eat as much as necessary. Over time, the cat may thin, but a slight decrease in body weight is natural with the onset of old age.
3. Dilute the ration with cottage cheese. This product is rich in calcium, but not enough to cause an excess of this substance.
4. To replenish the supply of carbohydrates is better to use cereals, and not bakery products. Cereals contain a lot of fiber and little fat.
5. Regularly add a little bran to the meat and vegetable feed. They will speed up the digestion of food.

The myth of fastidiousness or something to pamper your pet

There is a popular belief that with age cats become more capricious in the choice of food. This is partly true, since the perception of taste receptors in an elderly animal is deformed. On the other hand, in most cases, refusal to eat occurs not at the request of the cat, but because of the reasons described in one of the preceding paragraphs. But even in this situation, you can slightly stimulate the appetite of your pet.

Firstly, cats love warm food, so it is best to warm the food in the microwave before serving. Secondly, the pleasant aromas also make cats want to start eating. Thirdly, animals prefer wet food, so bought dry food is better to soak in water or gravy.

And in order not to bother with questions about how to feed in a more appetizing form, you can use simple recipes.

Beef Meatballs
For their preparation, you will need 2 kg of young beef, 1 cup of rice, 0.5 kg of frozen vegetables, half a cup of broth and 2 tablespoons. olive oil.

Fresh or frozen vegetables are required to boil. While they are cooked, beef must be chopped into small cubes. After boiling the vegetables need to cool. Rice is also boiled and cooled. Further, all products must be twisted in a meat grinder with the addition of butter and broth, and from the resulting minced meatballs form. After the dish is ready, it should be frozen and cooked in portions as needed. The amount of ingredients in the recipe is enough for a week.

Chicken Pate
This pate is a tasty addition to the rest of the menu, so it will last for a long time. So, to cook it, you need to take 1 kg of chicken giblets, 1 carrot, a glass of broth, 100 g of walnuts, 50 g of butter. Carrots and offal must be boiled and cooled. After that, they need to grind in a blender until smooth. The remaining ingredients are added to the slurry and diluted with chicken broth, then placed in the refrigerator. After a couple of hours, the pate will thicken, and then it can be served in a bowl.

vanilla ice cream
This delicacy is perfect for a hot day. Offer it to the animal, which is exhausted from the heat, and the answer will be a satisfied purr.

In a blender, you need to mix half a kilogram of cottage cheese, half a cup of kefir or ryazhenka and a pinch of vanillin. After the ingredients turn into a homogeneous mass, they must be packaged in plastic ice cream trays, pasting a jar into each cup and placing the ice cream in the refrigerator for 6 hours. Before serving, it is better to hold the glass in your hands a little, so that the delicacy is easier to separate from the walls.

When cooking these dishes, it should be remembered that cats, especially old ones, are contraindicated for any spices, including natural. Therefore, you can not add to the cat food salt and sugar, hoping to attract his appetite.

Aging cats need our care and attention more than ever. They can sometimes behave aggressively, but often the cause of their discontent is hidden physical pain, which only a veterinarian is able to identify. Therefore, do not neglect to visit a specialist, and then your pet will live a long life.

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