Cat Health Care: Feeding your cat a healthy diet

The modern domestic cat is descended from wild cats that hunted for their living in the desert regions of North Africa and the Middle East. Although most pet cats are now fed entirely on tinned or packaged food, their nutritional requirements are exactly the same as their ancestors' centuries ago. So for proper cat health care, a domestic cat must receive a balanced diet containing all the nutrients that would be found in the natural diet of a hunting cat. Proper health care also requires the cat receive a balance of other nutrients. Many of these are found in tissues forming part of the natural diet like bone and skin, so a diet of lean steak will not give your cat everything it needs. Most of these ingredients are either present in, or added to, commercially prepared cat foods.

Animal fat is important for cat health both as an energy source and because it contains essential vitamins like vitamin A. Fat also gives flavor and texture to the food. The carbohydrates used for energy by humans and other animals are less important for cat health because they use proteins for the same purpose. Indeed, a diet containing too much carbohydrate is likely to give a cat an upset stomach.

It is a myth that cats need to be given milk. Milk is certainly a good source of calcium for building bones but calcium is usually found in sufficient quantities in commercially prepared pet foods. As kittens are weaned they lose the ability to digest lactose, a sugar found in cow's milk. Too much milk may therefore give an adult cat diarrhea. Water is the best thing for your cat to drink. As the cat is still, at heart, a desert animal it can survive on less water than many other animals. But cats do need a regular supply of clean fresh water, particularly if they are being fed dried food. Canned cat food is three quarters water so cats fed on a moist diet may not be seen drinking.

Quick Cat Care Tips

• Liver can be dangerous to cats. Feeding liver more than twice weekly is not advised as the high vitamin A levels can lead to spinal and leg damage.
• Many drugs that are safe for dogs and people are poisonous to cats. Always check with your vet before giving any medication that is not labeled for cats.
• How cats purr is still not completely understood. The sound is produced by the larynx (voice box) and results from vibration of the vocal cords.
• Cats often dribble when they are happy and purring, but other reasons for dribbling include a sore mouth or teeth, a bad taste in their mouth or nausea.
• Slicker brushes are one of the easiest and least stressful ways to remove dead undercoat in coats and prevent knots. They're more flexible than combs and are therefore more comfortable.
• Cats can catch feline leukemia and feline aids from fighting. Early neutering and no roaming at nights are the best preventions. Neither disease can be passed to people.
• Cats often get tapeworm by swallowing a flea while grooming. The flea acts as an intermediate host for the tapeworm lifecycle. Effective flea control and 3 monthly worming with a broad spectrum wormer is the best strategy for prevention. Ringworm in cats is actually a fungal disease and cannot be treated with worm tablets.
• Cats with white fur, ears and nose are prone to sunburn which can lead to skin cancer. Many white cats need surgery to remove a cancerous ear. Preventative measures include sunscreen or keeping the cat indoors. Tattooing is no longer considered effective.

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