How to feed a Scottish straight cat?

This breed of Scottish cats won the hearts of breeders around the world. An interesting appearance and a soft, flexible character prompts more and more people to buy such a small fluffy miracle. However, in order for a cat to be able to fully grow and develop, she needs care and proper balanced nutrition.

For any cats, including Scottish straight, there are 3 types of food:

• feeding "natural";
• feeding prepared dry or wet food;
• mixed feeding, in which both natural products and prepared mixtures are present in the diet.

An unequivocal answer to the question of what kind of feeding is more rational does not exist - each type of menu preparation will be correct, therefore, a decision should be made based on the taste preferences of the pet and the availability of free time. Keep in mind that feeding "natural" requires a certain amount of time to search and prepare all the products necessary for a balanced nutrition of a cat.

When feeding "natural" 70% should be pre-frozen beef or white meat of chicken breasts. Once a week, you can add offal - it is best to take the liver and heart, it is often not worth introducing them into the diet - in this case, the indigestion may begin in the pet.

It is believed that any cat is useful fish. This is not entirely true even ordinary "yard" breeds, this product should not be given more than 1 time per week, and Scots can only be given low-fat varieties (carp and hake) in boiled form, in small quantities and not more than 1 time in 10-14 days.

Another common misconception is feline love for milk. The fact is that the fluffy organism secretes the enzymes necessary for the assimilation of this product only until the kitten reaches two months of age. Therefore, in older cats, milk is simply not digested and creates a burden on the digestive organs. However, low-fat cottage cheese, sour cream, fermented baked milk or kefir are of exceptional utility to animals - they must be given to their pets once a week.

From time to time, you can offer the Scots a boiled chicken yolk - two a week will be enough. Cereals are very important for cats, they are a source of energy, vitamins and minerals. Cereals such as oats, buckwheat, semolina and oatmeal are rich in carbohydrates, so they are mixed with meat and given to animals every day. If possible, you can supplement the mash with steamed vegetables - carrots, zucchini, cauliflower or green beans.

When feeding Scottish cats there are several taboos, their observance is very important for animal health.

• You should not overfeed your pet - this is a very common mistake of the owners of the Scots: many believe that kittens need a lot of food so that they grow and develop. This is not so - the fact is that cats of this breed do not know the measure and often eat more than necessary, so the amount of product obtained should be controlled.
• Any salty, smoked, spicy and fried food is forbidden - any products “from your own table” that seem tasty and healthy for people are too heavy for the body of fluffies and can lead to the development of various pathologies of internal organs.
• In no case should cats be given bones; they can injure the animal and even lead to death. However, bone meal can be included in the diet from time to time.
• Pork and other fatty foods should be completely omitted from the menu.

A sufficient number of calories for a pet is considered to be one that provides the cat with high activity, maintaining the necessary body temperature, and allows the digestive, respiratory and cardiovascular systems to function normally. The average adult cat consumption per day is 200-300 J per kilogram of weight.

In this way, a pet weighing 3 kg needs about 1000 J daily, for cats weighing 4 kg - 14 J, 5 kg - 1500 J.

1 option:

• 25 g of beef or veal;
• 5 g of lung;
• 10 g of water;
• 2 g of vegetable oil;
• 5 g of yeast;
• 4 g cereal flakes.

2 recipe:

• 10 g of liver;
• 25 g low-fat fish;
• 4 g buckwheat;
• 7 g of water;
• 0.2 g of yeast;
• 5 g low-fat cottage cheese.

There are peculiarities of feeding small kittens and adult cats. But with any type of feeding, it is important to ensure that the pet has constant access to clean water.

In the daily diet of an adult Scot, a sufficient amount of balanced nutritious food must be present, which allows you to satisfy all the animal's energy needs and maintain muscle tissue. Do not forget that cats spend a lot of energy on games and they need energy sources.

The quantity and quality of food directly depends on the lifestyle and dimensions of the furry pet. The fact is that each domestic cat has its own level of activity and this must certainly affect the calorie content and amount of feed.So, for a cat with an average level of mobility, you need a basic amount of calories, and for balanced cats, leading a rather contemplative lifestyle, their number can be reduced by 10-14%. Mischievous badasses who like to play all day should get much more - their diet can be safely increased by 40% of the norm.

It is advisable to feed an adult cat 2-3 times a day, the intervals between meals are approximately 8-10 hours. If the cat eats all the food offered at once, then you can transfer it to three meals a day, and if it leaves, then two feedings will be quite enough.

Unfortunately, some breeders, due to the peculiarities of the work schedule, cannot provide the required diet and leave their pets a supply of food so that they can eat during the day. Often the Scots abuse it and eat all the food offered at once. To prevent this, It is advisable to purchase a special dispenser that delivers a predetermined quantity of products at a time set by the breeder.

Ready-made feeds are usually made in dry and wet form, they can be combined only if they are made by one manufacturer. Besides, it is advisable to offer them at different times, for example, in the morning - wet food, and in the evening - dry. These two types of foods are digested in different ways, so combining them in the same feed often leads to digestive problems in animals.

When choosing brands, it is better to give preference to well-known brands. They are notable for their high cost, but at the same time their quality does not cause any complaints. Low-cost food formulations may contain an insufficient amount of protein, offal is used in their manufacture, and there are also no vitamin-mineral additives.

According to reviews by breeders and veterinarian advice, products are preferred for animals Royal Canin, Hill's, Matisse and other premium feeds.

Cheap options that are widely available at any point of sale, - Sheba, Kitekat and Whiskas undesirable, their nutritional value is small, and the composition is not always "transparent".

The nutrition of kittens should be given special attention, since the health of your pet, its full growth and development, largely depend on it. Up to 3 months, the main food is mother’s milk, although starting from 1.5 months of age, low-fat dairy products, minced meat and boiled cereals in small portions can be introduced into the diet.

The consistency of the food offered should be fluid so that the young Scot can easily take it. That is, the porridge should not be steeply cooked, which they are cooked for adult cats, but liquid, and the thinner the mash, the better.

Ready-made feeds already contain all the necessary nutrients, and supporters of the “natural” will need to balance the kitten’s nutrition with the additional inclusion of vitamin complexes. Keep in mind that dosages should strictly correspond to the age of the animal and state of health.

Regardless of which vitamins you prefer, fish oil must be included in the kitten's diet - it is extremely useful for growing Scottish, as it is a rich source of omega, vitamins D and A.

At first, the kitten may refuse to take solid food, kids often play with pieces of food - this should not upset you, soon the pets will get used to it and begin to use them for their intended purpose.

At the age of 5 months, kittens are fed 5 times a day, after reaching 9 months they are transferred to 4 times a day, and by the year kittens are already eating, like adult animals 2-3 times a day.

After sterilization and castration, Scots often have a tendency to obesity. The reason for this is the hormonal imbalance that occurs after surgery. In order to prevent unpleasant consequences, it is desirable to reduce the amount of food offered to the animal, but at the same time, the quantity of feedings, on the contrary, should be increased. That is, the principle here is simple - you need to feed often, but in small portions. Once a month you need to conduct tests for the condition of the pet - for this, the cat is stroked on the sides: if you can feel the bones, then the condition is satisfactory.

When feeding a castrated cat or a sterilized cat with natural products, there are subtleties:

• fiber-rich foods should be included in the diet;
• it is better to exclude fish from the diet altogether, it contains a lot of phosphorus and magnesium, which, in combination with a passive lifestyle and hormonal disorders, often causes urolithiasis;
• from meat only chicken, rabbit and beef are suitable for consumption;
• porridge must be present in the diet, it is advisable to add a little meat to them to give a taste;
• it is very important to provide the animal with vitamins, for this they need to offer fresh chopped vegetables, as well as sprouted grains;
• cats really like low-fat broth;
• when choosing ready-made feeds, you should choose products marked "for a castrated animal";
• in this condition, the animal is preferable to give liquid feed than dry.

Special attention deserves the preparation of an optimal diet for future and nursing mothers. During this period, animals need much more food and the proteins, vitamins and minerals that come with it. That is why the quality of feeding at such a moment is extremely important. However, an increased serving size should be avoided, since the stomach of a pregnant cat does not increase, therefore, the ability to digest large volumes of food does not acquire.

When organizing a feeding of a pregnant Scottish cat, several rules should be followed.

• It is forbidden to give fish. It is better to include the liver (chicken or beef) in the menu.
• It is important to provide the cat with calcium-containing feeds. This is cheese, low-fat cottage cheese or fermented baked milk. Calcex should be added to the feed, as well as meat and bone meal.
• It is very important to provide a pregnant cat with constant access to clean water, especially if she is fed with dry fodder mixtures.
• You can not dramatically change the diet of the animal.If the cat was fed with prepared foods before pregnancy, then you should not change them to “natural” - a sharp change in the type of food will not benefit the pet.

However, you can transfer the Scottish to a specialized composition for pregnant and lactating cats of the same manufacturer to which she is accustomed. Usually it includes more calories, vitamins and other nutrients, ensuring the full development of kittens in the womb and maintaining the health and vitality of the mother. Thus, when receiving the same amount of feed, the animal will have much more strength and energy for carrying healthy kittens.

A couple of weeks before birth, the amount of food is reduced by about a quarter - it is important that the kittens do not gain too much weight. Otherwise, there is a risk of complications during childbirth.

A few days before birth, the cat begins to refuse the proposed food. You don’t need to worry - this is a completely normal phenomenon, do not force it to eat, just provide peace and prepare everything necessary for the birth of babies.

After giving birth, the young mother also often lacks appetite. Usually the reason for this is that she eats up her afterbirth - do not let her eat more than three, as this can cause diarrhea.

During lactation, the animal’s appetite increases sharply, because it needs to provide life energy not only to itself, but also to its children. When forming the cat's diet at this moment, you need to consider the mass of kittens and their number in the litter.

As the cubs switch to solid food, the cat often eats the same foods that are offered to her cubs - this happens at the instinct level, since consuming the same food makes milk more easily digestible for kittens.

As a rule, during feeding, the Scottish woman loses much weight and quickly comes into shape, which she had before her pregnancy. Be sure to ensure that she does not have exhaustion. If you notice that the weight of the young mother is below normal, you should offer more high-calorie foods or use ready-made feed for kittens.

See how to feed Scottish kittens in the next video.