For many years, heated debates between supporters and opponents of dry food and natural nutrition have not subsided. The former are confident that dry food is beneficial for the body of furry animals, the latter consider natural food products to be an ideal option.
But most often, pet owners are interested in the question: is it possible to feed a cat dry food and homemade food at the same time?
According to veterinarians, feeding your pet different types of food can create problems and lead to the development of a number of chronic diseases.
It's all about the physiology of the animal, the cat's stomach is capable of producing one type of enzyme, therefore, combining different types of food can ruin the animal's digestion.
Is it possible to feed dry food and natural food at the same time?
A varied diet is important for cats ; this does not mean that a small predator needs delicacies. Under natural conditions, representatives of the cat family eat certain foods throughout their lives. The main thing is that food serves as a source of nutrients in the right proportion.
A pet cannot choose its own food ; the owner must decide what type of food is suitable for the animal. Dry pads are preferable to food from a person's table. But natural products (meat, milk, fish, vegetables), prepared taking into account the cat’s needs, will bring tangible benefits to the body.
Doctors do not recommend feeding industrial food and natural food at the same time. A mixed type of feeding will lead to imbalance, indigestion, gastritis, and colitis. The animal's metabolism will be disrupted.
Natural feeding for cats
Natural feeding, as the name suggests, consists exclusively of feeding homemade food.
But I’ll make a reservation right away: homemade food is not feeding a cat from your table. This type of food is unacceptable for cats and is fraught with health problems.
You don't need to feed your cat the same food you eat. At least for the reason that a number of “human” food products are prohibited for consumption by cats. The same applies to the types of its preparation. For example, cats should absolutely not eat fried or smoked foods.
Natural nutrition implies a balanced diet consisting of:
- meat products and products of animal origin;
- cereals;
- vegetables
This type of feeding has the following advantages :
- it is relatively inexpensive;
- you can choose the most beneficial products for your pet and be confident in their quality.
At first, natural food was the basis of my cat’s diet.
But after some time, I was forced to admit that this type of feeding a cat also has its drawbacks . And this:
- The difficulty of creating a balanced diet that takes into account all the needs of the cat’s body in protein, minerals, vitamins, fats, and so on.
- The need for additional vitamin supplements.
- Time costs. It takes a lot of time to prepare a diet for a month - and I prepared food and then froze it. You need to boil the meat, chop it, and separate it into portions. You need to think through the vegetable part of the diet in advance and so on. In addition, every day you need to collect these products together and give them to your pet. This is very inconvenient for a working person.
Is it possible to feed a kitten this way?
In some cases, an adult animal can be given two types of food, dividing the intake by time. It is strictly forbidden to feed a kitten with natural food if the baby is accustomed to specialized canned food from birth.
Be sure to read:
Is it possible to feed a cat dry and wet food at the same time: rules, pros and cons
A gradual transition to natural food is possible from the age of two months.
Feeding factory wet food
If you are against dry food, you can stick to wet food. But things are not so simple here.
Not all wet canned foods are complete, which means that their composition is not completely balanced.
Many canned cat foods indicate that the product is a supplementary food. That is, it is used for mixed feeding.
This type of feeding has disadvantages, the most important of which are:
- High cost of wet food. One pouch of such food or canned packaging of the product will cost at least 70 rubles, and more often even more expensive. If you feed this food constantly, keeping a cat will cost a pretty penny. Of course, we are talking about high-quality food, and not mass-market food for 15 rubles apiece.
- In addition, such food will not always be complete. You need to pay attention to the manufacturers, composition and information on the packaging.
When do you need to change the type or diet of feeding?
Restrictions:
- It is prohibited to introduce dry food and homemade food into your pet’s diet.
- You cannot feed raw and boiled foods at the same time.
It should be noted that premium industrial food contains a sufficient amount of useful substances: necessary for the full development of a small predator. Adding natural food to the diet can cause disruption in the animal’s body.
The combined use of two types of products is allowed only when changing the diet.
A change in diet is necessary if:
- the animal ages, matures;
- the pet has been diagnosed with a chronic disease;
- castration or sterilization surgery awaits;
- food allergy detected.
The change in diet should be gradual, new food should be introduced in small portions, gradually completely removing the previous food from the diet. The cat is transferred to a new diet within 20-25 days.
It is forbidden to treat your cat with pieces “from the table”. Food is given out in several stages. One stage is natural food, the second stage is dry pads, the share of new food increases every day. Food bowls should be removed as soon as the animal has eaten.
Is it possible to feed dry food and meat at the same time?
A meat diet is most suitable for cats, and dry mixtures do not always contain the required amount of meat ingredients. Many owners of furry animals try to supplement their pets' diet with meat, fearing that the animal is not getting enough nutrients.
Premium industrial mixtures are perfectly balanced and contain all the nutrients necessary for a cat’s body. It is allowed to allow your pet some meat (boiled, frozen) as a treat, but introducing meat products into daily feeding is irrational.
The share of treats should be no more than ten percent of the daily portion. It is recommended to serve meat a few hours after eating.
Be sure to read:
How to feed a cat correctly: natural or dry food and how many times
It is forbidden to mix dry mixture and raw meat. Heat-treated mixtures are digested faster than raw meat, resulting in vomiting, discomfort, and digestive problems in the cat.
History of appearance
The first dry food appeared in England 150 years ago. Biscuits for dogs were invented by James Spratt in 1861. It looked like a bone, and the composition included flour, vegetables, blood and minced meat. The food released for sale was initially perceived only as a delicacy and was available only to wealthy dog breeders. The popularity of the new food came a decade later, when the meat dog biscuit was replaced by a milk biscuit. The food actually contained milk and was advertised as a healthy treat for your pet's dental health.
In 1922, the Purina company, one of the largest manufacturers of dry food of our time, bought all the rights and put the production of dog biscuits on stream. And a little later she founded a research center dealing with nutrition and diet planning, which all major manufacturers have today. Before the outbreak of World War II, the US economy was experiencing difficulties and therefore low-cost food began to appear on sale. They used grains as a source of energy. Since then, there has been a misconception about the dangers of dry food for pets.
Is it possible and how to rinse a dog’s nose at home?
In the middle of the 20th century, dry food finally conquered the market, showing that they were more convenient and easier to feed pets. At this time, new manufacturers and brands begin to appear, and food is produced from food waste that cannot be used for human nutrition. The next step was the appearance of the first complete food, the purpose of which was to completely replace natural nutrition. It was distinguished by a completely balanced composition and ease of use. In addition, it was cheaper compared to natural food.
Further, in the 70s, food for pets with health problems began to appear. Moreover, they were actively prescribed by veterinarian prescription. In the 80s, manufacturers became seriously concerned about their quality. This is how super-premium food appeared, which was more meat-containing. In addition, vitamins and minerals were added to feed for the first time.
In Russia, the first dry dog food began to appear in the early 1990s. At first these were foreign brands, but soon Russian manufacturers began to appear. Modern manufacturers are not limited to producing only dry food. On sale you can find canned food, artificial bones for chewing, cookies and biscuits belonging to different classes.
Dry food Acana
When is industrial food better than natural food?
Your pet should be switched to dry pads if:
- The owner does not have the opportunity to devote much time to the animal. The ideal choice in this case is an automatic feeder. Wet canned food, cereals, and meat spoil if they lie in a bowl for a long time. The pads always stay fresh.
- The animal was castrated and sterilized. Feeding your pet after surgery should be completely changed. The body ceases to need large amounts of carbohydrates, but the volume of food should be kept at the same level. The solution is specialized dry pads for sterilized animals.
- with liver and kidney pathology, urolithiasis, diabetes, and allergic reactions. In this case, the doctor recommends specialized food.
Which is better: natural or prepared food?
It is difficult to answer the question unambiguously. Premium class industrial mixtures contain all the nutrients an animal needs. The mixtures do not require a long time to prepare, always remain fresh, free the owner from constant care, but are expensive.
Eating natural foods has many benefits. The owner is confident in the contents of the bowl, knows exactly what ingredients were prepared, and can adjust the diet depending on the cat’s taste preferences.
Disadvantages - food spoils quickly, a lot of time is spent on preparation, the cost of quality products is high.
What happens in the stomach?
The main difference between dry food and natural food is the liquid content. For example, raw meat contains 60 to 70% water, cooked rice contains 65%, and dry food contains about 10%.
Once in the stomach, natural food releases water, and the digestion process proceeds faster, while dry food, on the contrary, first absorbs water, swells, and thus completely different times are spent on digesting natural and dry food. If you give both at the same time, some of the insufficiently digested dry food may move into the intestines. And this is fraught with impaired absorption of nutrients; not everything necessary is absorbed from insufficiently digested food, and it can also cause the processes of rotting and fermentation.
