How many times a day is it necessary to feed a cat and what does it depend on?

Sometimes the owners of cats and do not think about how to properly feed their pets and usually do not adhere to any regime. But a properly organized diet is not only a guarantee of the health of the animal, but also a necessary condition for its activity and emotional attitude.

Properly organized feeding routine is important. A well-fed animal, trained to receive food at a certain time, does not require additional feeding in the interval between feedings, the cat is calm and contented. Features of proper feeding are in compliance with rules such as:

• feed costs at the same specific time;
• food intake time should be limited - it usually takes about 20 minutes for a cat to finally get enough of it; the feeder must be removed if the cat has not eaten all the food;
• A single amount of food should be fixed - with two meals a day, the daily rate should be divided in half.

The frequency of feeding cats depends on many factors. One of them is the daily life of the owner. Under it is also necessary to adjust the feeding of the pet. It is necessary to take into account several important factors.

The frequency of feeding cats depends on age. Feeding an adult pet is fundamentally different from feeding kittens. At an early and young age, when there is an active growth and development of the animal, the animal needs to be fed much more often. The need for kittens to eat in the first days of life is very large - about 8 times a day. cat feeds them. Monthly kittens eat a little and less, but still quite often - up to 6 times daily. Gradually, the number of meals decreases.

At three months of age and up to about 6 months, you need to feed the kittens 4-5 times. Cats older than one year old are limited to three or four feedings daily.

Pet from 1 year to 10 years is considered an adult. Cats older than 1 year old need to be transferred to two meals and feed preferably in the morning and evening. With 7 years of age and older, the aging process begins gradually, which is manifested in slowing down the metabolism and problems with teeth. Cats over 10 years old are considered old.

The frequency of feeding also depends on the overall well-being of the cat. In the presence of any disease in animals, there is often a decrease or complete lack of appetite. Sometimes a sick animal even has to be fed by force. And only after complete recovery, the cat again has an appetite and can transfer it to the usual feeding schedule.

The correct order of nutrition and the amount of food to the sick pet should appoint a veterinarian. Most often, an individual diet is prescribed according to the disease. Typically, a sick cat is often fed about 3-4 times. But one-time portions of food less. If the pet's health condition allows, you can leave two meals.

Features feeding sick cats depend on their diseases.Feeding cats with diabetes and taking insulin should be associated with insulin in the meantime. To feed such a cat you need 4 to 6 times and in small doses. Frequent feeding in small doses is recommended for cats that have problems with digestion and assimilation of food. If the pet has a food allergy, the frequency of feeding does not matter. It is important not to give the food that is allergic.

Obesity is also a disease. To lose weight in a cat, it must be fed often and in small doses. It is necessary to exclude foods rich in carbohydrates, increase the protein content and increase the activity of a pet with the help of games. A sick kitten needs to be fed frequently, approximately every 2 hours, and in small portions. In this mode, the daily feed rate should be equally divided between all feedings.

The activity of cats depends primarily on their age and changes as the animal matures. The more active and mobile pet, the more energy it spends. Therefore, small kittens need to be fed more often when compared with adults. Besides, neutered cats and sterilized cats are more passive and spend less energy. Therefore, they should receive fewer calories from food, but this does not affect the frequency of its intake. It remains the same, but at the same time reduces the daily rate.

Cats living in a private house, have the opportunity to go out and lead a very active life. Such a pet can be fed once by placing the entire daily allowance in the feeder. Passive pets so feed is not recommended, it is better to adhere to the traditional two meals.

It is believed that cats need more food than cats. This is due to the fact that the cat has a higher need for nutrients, so they are recommended to slightly increase the daily rate. With regard to the frequency of feeding, it is no different from the routine of eating cats, that is 2 times a day.

Feeding cats in the period of carrying kittens also has some differences. In the first half of carrying a cat's appetite is almost the same. During the second half, she already needs more feed. The pregnant cat is fed more often, about 4 or 5 times a day, and the daily ration of food is gradually increased.

Besides, food should be high in vitamins and high in calories. Before the very birth, the animal can not eat at all. It is completely natural. At the end of the birth, the cat can ask for food only after 3 or 4 hours. While feeding newborn kittens, the cat continues to be fed fractionally - 4 to 6 times a day, but the portions should be small.

Basically, cats need to eat 2 times a day. However, cats of some breeds require a slightly different diet. So, large individuals, for example, the Maine Coon, need more feed. They can be fed not 2, but 3 times, adding one more feed during the day.. And also three meals a day are recommended to Siamese and Shorthair cats of Asian breeds, Persian and Munchkin cats.

To determine how many times you need to feed a cat per day, you need to keep in mind other important factors. The frequency of giving food also depends on the caloric content of food. In order not to overfeed the animal and not to leave it hungry, you need to know how many calories are in the daily feed and how much pet they need per day.

The best option would be a well-balanced feeding ration, which will fully satisfy the cat's appetite when it is fed twice a day. It is preferable to give the cat a smaller amount of food, but having a higher caloric content.

Caloric content affects the daily rate of feed and can be from 30 to 60 grams per 1 kilogram of pet. Thus, a healthy and adult cat weighing about 5 kg will need about 350 kcal per day and about 250 g of food. Naturally, the lower the calorie content of the feed, the greater its quantity will be required, it is necessary to feed the pet more often. Therefore, it is necessary to choose high quality feed, which has a high content of protein components and useful additives. There are several pet food options.

The use of dry food for feeding domestic cats has the following advantages:

• if necessary, you can feed the animal in such feed not two, but once, by placing in the feeder the entire daily allowance, which will allow your pet to regulate the food and eat at will;
• Determining the size of portions and the total amount of dry food is quite easy and simple, since they are always indicated in detail on the package;
• ready-made mixtures can not deteriorate and harm the pet;
• this food is properly balanced and includes all the nutrients, trace elements and vitamins that are required by the animal;
• a large variety of species allows you to choose exactly the food that is required by a pet; there are feeds for castrated and sterilized animals, for kittens of different ages, young individuals and other options;
• feeding dry food is convenient and for the owner of the cat - no need to make a daily menu;
• feeding on such food and cracking the pads, the animal cleans its teeth from plaque and stone.

Of course, this feed has its drawbacks. First of all, it is its cost, especially for high-quality premium class feed. At the same time, the animal very quickly becomes accustomed to it and subsequently, when the need arises, it is difficult to transfer it to another diet. In addition, there is a somewhat high salt content in dry feed, especially in the cheaper species. Animals that eat dry food require abundant drinking, so fresh water should always be available and available to the pet.

There are still ready-made wet food. They may differ in varying degrees of density and density. They are divided into stews, pieces of meat in different sauces, pies. They can be used as a supplement to the main feed. However, it must be remembered that they contain various preservatives that can cause digestive disorders in the animal.

The best option and better nutrition are canned food for animals. They are composed of meat ingredients with the addition of cereals, minerals and vitamins in properly balanced proportions. Canned food in the form of pastes are recommended even to kittens, old and cats with diseases. Dry food and wet can be combined. It is important to observe such a ratio as: dry food - 70%, wet - 30%

The advantages of wet food are as follows:

• large range of taste indicators: with the taste of beef, chicken, rabbit and many others;
• the consistency is very similar to natural food; in quality species, meat fibers can be distinguished with exactly the flavor that is indicated on the package;
• calorie content is easily controlled and the daily feed rate is indicated.

The main problems of natural nutrition is the difficulty of determining the energy content and the preparation of properly balanced food, which would include all the necessary elements.Meat is the main and most important part of natural cat food and is complemented by a small amount of by-products.

The advantage of natural food is that only natural products are used without preservatives and harmful additives. And the disadvantages are the need to spend time on cooking and a small shelf life.

Meat can be given both boiled and raw, but previously doused with boiling water. Very useful for cats and hryashchiki.

Boiled sea fish feed the pet is recommended 1 time per week. More frequent feeding of fish can disrupt the animal's magnesium-phosphorus balance and lead to the occurrence of diseases. Boiled or raw vegetables are also needed for pets. Necessary supplements for nutrition are various cereals - from buckwheat, oatmeal, rice, which include vegetables and meat ingredients. Dairy products - cottage cheese, kefir, ryazhenka, natural yoghurt, as well as cheese should be included in the diet.

The daily feed volume for kittens up to 9 months is 10% of their weight, and over 9 months and for adults - 5%, respectively.. So, for a cat weighing about 4 kg a day, 200 g of food will be needed, including meat (it should be 50%), dairy products, cereals and other components. With this diet, cats, starting from 1 year old, are required to give vitamins.

Determine that the cat is fed, you can by its behavior. Usually after eating cats prefer to rest. A pet that gets enough food is active, energetic and cheerful. But the weight of the animal must be monitored, since not only excess weight is dangerous, but also too small. Adult cats weigh an average of 2.5-5 kg. Periodically you need to control the weight of your pet. In case of its excess or deficiency, it is required to reduce or increase the caloric content of a serving accordingly.

Cat owners often make such mistakes in the organization of their food, such as:

• when cooking natural food, owners add salt; this can not be done, since cats are prone to urolithiasis;
• often pets are given dry food for other purposes: for example, sterilized cats are offered regular food or vice versa;
• feeding from the table is also unacceptable, as many dishes are not allowed for cats, including pork meat, fried spicy meat, smoked meats and sweet foods;
• It is also impossible to combine dry and natural food, as the cat's stomach feature does not allow you to quickly tune in to another type of food;
• the transition from one type of feed to another should be carried out gradually, approximately within two weeks.

How many times a day to feed a cat, see the following video.