How to feed Scottish fold cats?

A cat or cat of the Scottish fold breed appeared in your family, and immediately the question arose about the pet's diet. After all, a properly selected menu is the key to the health of your pet, so it is so important to know how many times a day a kitten eats, and what should be included in each feeding at home.

From birth to 2 months, kittens feed on mother's milk. Such feedings can be up to 7-8 times a day.

In the veterinary pharmacy, special milk mixtures are purchased, which must be fed every 2.5-3 hours, including at night, until the kittens reach the age of 14 days. Then every 3 hours up to 1 month.

In this period, milk is the basis of the diet, there should not be any lures. During the second month, babies already need water, and are also allowed to give food other than milk. Slices of new food should be small, necessarily soaked in milk or meat broth. At 2 months, Scottish cats continue to drink milk. The number of feedings is stored up to 7 times a day.

From 3 months, lactation in the mother stops. The number of feedings is still large and reaches 6 times a day. The food should be semi-liquid, you can give milk. From 4 to 9 months, gradually reduce feedings to 4 times. Give solid food more and more, gradually increasing density.

At this age, it is also important to observe the dosage indicated by the manufacturer, as well as choose food by age.

Cottage cheese is allowed to be given no more than once a week, since it contains an excessive amount of calcium and, most likely, will lead to straightening of the ears of the fold Scots. But the rest of the dairy products, let us more often, about 3 times a week. From 10 months it is already possible to transfer a cat to an adult diet 2-3 times a day. On natural nutrition, give milk; cottage cheese from this moment is allowed more often.

The basis of the diet is meat, it is necessary to give cereals and vegetables. Be sure to give the herbs fresh, in the form of a finely chopped supplement. When feeding with dry food, choose the right manufacturer. This should not be a mass market, it is desirable to purchase premium feed. Divide the daily norm by 2-3 times, pour into a bowl before eating. Provide constant access to fresh water.

The rules for eating cats older than a year on natural nutrition include several points.

1. Meat should be present in the diet daily, at every meal. Choose low-fat varieties: chicken, rabbit, beef.
2. Fish in the diet is needed 2 times a week. Desirable marine representatives with low fat meat.
3. Give porridge about 3-4 times a week. It can be buckwheat, barley, wheat.
4. Dairy products.
5. Vegetables should also be on your pet's menu. The multiplicity in the diet is the same as in cereals.
6. Fruits can be given in small quantities, preferably in the morning. Choose unsweetened fruits: apples, pears. Very rarely, let the pet indulge in grapes.
7. Give fresh grass daily. To do this, you can sprout wheat yourself, green buckwheat. You can also purchase special herbs in pharmacies.
8. On natural feed, cats need supplements in the form of vitamins and minerals once every 6-12 months.
9. It is forbidden to give cats food from their table, as well as pamper them with pastries, confectionery.

When feeding dry food you will not have any difficulties. Manufacturers have fully taken into account the needs of the pet in nutrients, vitamins, minerals, supplements in the form of herbs. You will only need to observe the dosage indicated on the pack.

The most important thing on artificial feed is the constant access to fresh water. Since there must be a lot of it for digesting crackers.

After a year, you need to decide whether you will castrate the kitten or not. If you decide on sterilization, you first need to transfer the cat to a special feed and only then send the animal for surgery. With natural feeding, you just need to reduce the serving size and the overall fat content of the diet for a sterilized cat.

Let's take a closer look at the list of allowed products when breastfeeding.

1. You chose lean meat, but how to give it to your pet? Make minced meat and put it in the freezer for about 24 hours. This is an excellent prevention of helminthic invasions. Before cooking, remove it and pour over boiling water. Cats should receive meat daily, as they are predators. You can diversify the menu by-products: chicken stomachs, liver, hearts. They must be boiled until soft. Paste can be made from the liver.
2. Very important for the growth of kittens and fish. Scottish fold cannot offer river fish. There are a lot of sharp and small bones that can damage the cat’s tender intestines. It is best to choose sea fish, hake, perch, carp.Make fillet out of the carcass, boil in salted water for about 20 minutes. Make sure there are no bones left, only then offer the dish to your pet. Do not give fish too often, it will be enough once a week.
3. Give porridge together with meat. It should be buckwheat, barley, wheat. Boil them until cooked, you can add a little oil. Porridge should not be given daily, they are included in the diet 3-4 times a week.
4. Also combine meat with vegetables. They can be given both cooked and raw. Choose the foods your cat loves. Experiment, it may take a long time before your kitten gets used to vegetables. Give them also 3-4 times a week.
5. Milk and dairy products. After a year, milk is not necessary. It is poorly absorbed by adult cats. But dairy products - this is what a pet needs. Give fermented baked milk, kefir, cottage cheese, cream. Make sure that the fat content is not too high. Cottage cheese is enough 2 times a week, but the rest of the products about 3 times.
6. Fruits will also be useful to the Scots. But if the cat refuses treats, do not insist. Pets usually like pears, apples, grapes, and bananas. Enter them in the menu once a week.
7. For good digestion, cats need grass. Kittens are reluctant to eat it. Cut as small as possible, mix with cereals and vegetables. It is best to use fresh grass, which must be grown independently. If this is not possible, get a special mixture at a veterinary pharmacy.
8. Remember that natural food is not balanced by vitamins and minerals, so your cat will need to be fed. For the first time, be sure to consult with a veterinarian about the composition and frequency of taking dietary supplements. In the future, they must be used once every six months - a year. Focus on your pet’s coat condition and activity level. With a lack of vitamins, the hair will lose its luster and will shed very much.

All of these principles will provide your cat with decent content.

All of the above disadvantages are deprived of dry food. You do not have to stand daily at the stove, come up with new combinations of dishes. In the adult state, cats independently regulate the amount of food eaten at a time, and the kids need to fill the bowl several times a day. When feeding "crackers" it is easy to ensure that your cat does not overeat. Also, you will not need to introduce special additives in the cat's diet. Vitamins, minerals, trace elements, grass and fiber have already been added to industrial feed. Another undoubted advantage of such a diet is a decrease in feces.

In order for you to be completely sure of the quality of the feed, you must carefully read the composition indicated on the package. Choose those manufacturers who add natural meat in the form of dried fibers. Good nutrition should not contain extraneous impurities, such as dyes, flavor enhancers, or flavors. All this is present in the feed of the mass market. They are made from low quality ingredients. For cats, it’s the same as for a person chips and crackers.

But premium premium food is quite suitable for your Scot. It can be: Pronature, Purina, Royal Canin and a special series for kittens Royal Canin Size nutrition Mini Junior, Hills and Hills Science Plan Puppy & Kitten - for babies, Eukanuba Puppy & Junior Small Breed - only for the smallest.

Kittens buy special food that is appropriate for age. Do not exceed the dosages indicated on the pack.

In order to transfer the baby to "crackers", a transition period is necessary. At first, cook weak meat broths and soups, where soak the crackers completely. This option is suitable for a 2-month-old kitten. Over time, slightly change the consistency and by the sixth month in the meal should come across crackers. Complete the transition by 9-10 months. From a year there will already be food for an adult cat. To ensure that your cat does not have difficulty digesting industrial feed, provide it with water.

Place a bowl of liquid next to the food bowl. Change the water every time after eating. Its attenuation, as well as flowering, is unacceptable.

The option of feeding, which combines natural and industrial nutrition, also has a right to exist. A few simple rules to follow:

• Do not give dry food at the same time as natural food;
• Before giving industrial food, make sure that after eating the “natural” a minimum of 4 hours has passed;
• frequent changes of home-cooked food and industrial feed are not recommended by veterinarians, since different digestive tract mechanisms are used for digestion, and problems can arise.

We discussed in detail the rules of nutrition, discussed what can be given to Scottish fold cats. Let's now decide what they can’t.

1. Food from the master table. Smoked meats, pickles, pastries are harmful to a small organism.
2. Milk for pets older than a year, it can be fatal.
3. Poor quality feed. We have already said that they are made from low quality ingredients and only harm the "Scots."
4. Fat meat: pork, lamb are difficult to digest and can lead to digestion.
5. Raw, raw meatin which parasites may be present.
6. River fish It is forbidden, since a large number of small bones are present in it.
7. Onions, potatoes Do not digest the cat's body.
8. Parsley, dill, cilantro - can push the cat away from food.

Fatty meat, pastries, confectionery will lead to obesity of your pet, especially if he is neutered. Therefore, do not accustom a cat to them from infancy. If you do not know the taste of the dish, it is easy to refuse it.

You will learn more about the rules of feeding Scottish fold cats by watching the following video.

Experienced breeders recommend from the first day the cat is in your house to decide on the principles of feeding it. Usually, acquaintance with food takes place in the breeder’s house, so when you get a cat, ask how it was fed to you. The nursery will tell you in detail about the feed, give advice on how and in what quantity to give food.