Fat cat

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How To Feed Your Pet And Keep Away The Vet

Once-a-day? Twice-a-day? Free-feed? Ask around and you'll hear lots of different opinions on what is the optimal feeding schedule for your cat or dog food. So what is the correct answer? Well first off, rest easy as there is no hard and fast correct answer. That said, however, it's our opinion that free-feeding is the worst way to go.

The best comparison we can make is that free-feeding would be like a person having a full buffet in your house, stocked with food 24 hours-a-day. When you think of it this way, it's not hard to understand why pets that are free-fed tend to be sluggish, lethargic, and passionless about their pet food -- in addition to having a variety of dog health problems. After all, how excited would you be about that lasagna if you had a big bowl of it sitting in the corner all day long. In a dog or cat's life food is the #1 motivation they have. Sure, they love rides in the car, going for a walk, or getting a visit from the neighbor's pet. But nothing beats a great natural dog food. A critter with no passion for food is an unhappy critter. A pet should have a unbridled passion for food. They need to look forward to their next meal with anticipation and excitement. This lays the foundation for a well-tempered, happy pet. In addition the negative effect on disposition, having access to food 24 hours-a-day is not ideal for the digestive system. Dogs and cats in the wild have long breaks between meals -- far longer than humans who operate ideally on 3 meals per day. These breaks give their digestive system a chance to rest and prepare for the next meal. So if this is all true, why do some pet foods suggest free-feeding? For the same reason that your shampoo bottle tells you to lather, rinse, and repeat . . . to sell more shampoo. The sad fact is that many pet food manufacturers are far more concerned with the almighty dollar than the health of your pets.

So now that we've eliminated free-feeding, should you go with once or twice-per-day? (We don't suggest three meals for the same reasons that free-feeding is not ideal). Between once-a-day and twice-a-day, it's really a matter of convenience and preference. If you need a definite answer, we would go with once-per day. This allows for a long period of rest for the digestive system and has shown to produce the best results over the years as far as the health and attitude of the dog or cat. However, once-a-day feeding has proven difficult. Many dogs and cats drive their owners crazy begging for food throughout the day when on a once-a-day diet. Usually this type of behavior can be trained out of the pet of you stick with it for a couple of weeks. But it does take a lot of patience in those cases. That said, twice-a-day does work for many people and they still have very good results -- along with a dog that's not quite so obsessive about food throughout the day. Whether you're trying to achieve once-per-day or twice-per-day feeding, the best way to do it is to be as consistent as possible with your feeding times. Put the pet food down for a specified feeding window and pick it up after around 10 minutes regardless of if they've finished or not. They will quickly conform to this new feeding window. The more you cave in to your pet's demands, the longer it will take them to become accustomed to their new feeding schedule. If you're going to do snacks during the day, we recommend feeding them as rewards only, and to use healthy foods like raw carrots or apples. Also, the more you stick to a routine of specific times and events for reward snacks, the less your dog or cat will beg between meals.

If you're doing twice-per-day feeding we suggest one meal in the morning and one at night. If you're feeding once-per-day, either morning or night will work. Also, keep in mind that these rules do not apply to puppies and kittens, which do need 2-3 smaller meals throughout the day as opposed to once-a-day feeding.


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Ward Johnson
Holistic dog food

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My Cat Won't Eat! - What is Wrong?

Occasionally you may find that your cat seems fussier about its food, only choosing to sample its food before walking away. Perhaps your cat could show signs of refusing to eat whenever you try to set your feline down. Perhaps your pet is not eating at all and seems disinterested in anything.

Being familiar with your cat's habits will help you recognize any behavioral changes and you can work out why it may be unwilling or unable to eat as it did before. Cats are very sensitive to changes in routine and atmosphere and it may be something as simple as your having introduced a new cat to your household and this arouses feelings of insecurity. A change in the arrangement of furniture could also unsettle your cat.

Have you been on holiday recently and left him with a cat kennel, or perhaps hired someone to come in to feed and look after him daily? A disinterest in food might be due to a simple case of depression that will only be relieved once you've coaxed it back into being his old self with some TLC and a few healthy nibbles.

Such minor issues will not present much of a headache for you as they can be dealt with easily. Offering a little healthy treat to tempt your cat or putting a little bit of meat jelly onto its gums just might persuade it to have a little something. You could try offering a taste of something your cat really does like, to see whether it's turning its nose up at what's on the menu or if there are other reasons for its reluctance to eat.

With cats accustomed to receiving titbits and carbohydrate rich food, a switch to a more health conscious diet could be the reason for its disinterest in food. A refusal of food may be a cat's attempt to show its displeasure in being denied its desires. Your cat may be under the mistaken impression that if it waits long enough you may relent and give in.

However, you should also note that putting an overweight cat on a crash diet of low carbohydrate food can result in your cat refusing to eat for more than two days. In such circumstances, a prolonged period of rejecting nourishment is likely to result in liver problems as your cat draws on his fat reserves and doesn't take in the protein which he needs.

In other circumstances, should your cat persist in not eating for more than a day or two, it could hint at an underlying health problem. In such situations, a consultation with your veterinarian is advised.

Your cat might have a problem with its teeth or jaw which makes eating painful or difficult, as would any problems associated with its digestive system. It could be suffering from inflamed gums or a broken tooth, a cut in its mouth, or an abscess in its jaw arising from a deep scratch. Your feline might be experiencing discomfort in its stomach or have an intestinal condition which will reduce its appetite. Your veterinarian will advise on the best course of treatment in these scenarios.

However, by keeping an eye on your cat and its behavior will help you deal with any problems before they get worse or chronic, and both you and your vet can make sure it has a full and happy life.


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Moses Wright
CatCustomer.com

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