We feed the cat properly with natural food: what to feed at home, advice from veterinarians and menus. Pet food

19.05.2019

Many owners choose to feed their pets with natural homemade food. The advantages of such nutrition are the natural composition, the absence of artificial additives, preservatives and dyes, control of the quality and freshness of the ingredients used for preparation and the possibility of creating a new recipe for the individual characteristics of the animal (diet for diseases, pet fussy). It will be better to form principles of feeding and options for dishes according to the advice of a veterinarian.

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The importance of proper nutrition for cats

Nutrition is the most important component of an animal's health, well-being and appearance. In nature, representatives of the feline family feed exclusively on meat (caught birds and other animals). It is this diet that fully meets the nutritional needs of cats.

Unfortunately, some owners underestimate the importance of proper nutrition for their pet, offering monotonous or inappropriate food.

The body of a cat cannot independently produce some important micronutrients. For this reason, the food must contain all the necessary proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and trace elements.

Unbalanced cat food leads to various diseases:

reduced visual acuity;
the heart muscle is weakened (death is possible);
digestion is disturbed;
urolithiasis develops;
problems with reproductive function appear:
there is rapid fatigue, weakness.

An attentive owner can also see the changes in the appearance of the animal:

the coat becomes dull, shine disappears;
dandruff appears;
the wool becomes thinner, sticks out in tufts.

The basics of good cat nutrition

Forming the right diet for your pet, you need to remember that it will differ significantly from a healthy human diet. In other words, not every food on the human table is suitable for a pet.

A cat's diet should contain a number of important ingredients.

There are several trace minerals that are essential for the health and well-being of cats.

Item name	What role does it play in nutrition	What products contain
Taurine	Maintains visual acuity. Responsible for the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system	Beef, poultry, seafood, white fish
Vitamin A	Boosts immunity. Maintains good vision. Adds shine and gloss to the coat	Eggs, milk, liver
Vitamin E	Prevents the appearance of fatty deposits. Supports Normal Reproductive Function	Groats, fish, vegetable oil, eggs
B vitamins	Normalize digestion	Meat, fish, eggs
Calcium	Accelerates skeletal growth in young individuals. Responsible for the strength of bones	Eggs, dairy products, fish

Hill "s line of food for cats: types and composition

Advantages and Disadvantages of Natural Nutrition

Pros of natural nutrition:

Freshness. By preparing food for cats on their own, the owner can control the quality and freshness of the food.
Balanced composition. In such food, you can include all the necessary elements for the health and good mood of your pet.
Taking into account individual characteristics. Ready-made store food takes into account the general feeding requirements, an individual approach is provided only by homemade food (recommended for cats with diseases and intolerances to certain foods).
No harmful additives, artificial preservatives or colors.

As good as homemade cat food is, this approach to feeding still has its drawbacks:

1. Cost of time. Pets take a long time to prepare food. That is why this method is not suitable for people with a tight schedule.
2. Special knowledge. Developing a balanced diet for your cat requires veterinary knowledge. On the other hand, you can always consult a dietitian veterinarian on this matter.
3. This method is not always cheap.

Feeding rules

Before you start planning a healthy diet for your furry pet, there are some rules to consider:

1. Kittens that are 3 weeks old should be fed 3-4 times a day. Adult cats (from 6 months old) need two meals a day.
2. If several animals live in the house (cat, dog, chinchilla), you will have to prepare food for each of them separately. This is due to the different nutrient requirements. For example, cats need 5 times more protein than dogs.
3. Cat's water should always be freely available. The food bowl can be removed after each feeding, and can be left on for adult cats.
4. The bowl must always be clean. Food leftovers turn sour quickly and can cause digestive upset.
5. It is not at all necessary to completely transfer the pet to natural food. It can be successfully combined with ready-made feed.
6. Including raw eggs in your pet's diet, you should avoid protein - this product is not digested by the feline body. In a boiled form, you can safely give both the yolk and the protein.

Particular attention should be paid to the list of foods that must be included in the diet:

meat (lamb, beef, horse meat, rabbit meat);
poultry meat (chicken, turkey) should be introduced into food with caution, since some breeds of cats do not tolerate this product well;
offal (heart, liver, lungs) are very useful, but giving is often not recommended;
fish (ocean, sea, river) should be lean and not bony;
dairy products (cottage cheese, milk-based starter cultures, kefir) are often not worth giving, since these products have a laxative effect;
boiled vegetables (carrots, potatoes) - in small quantities;
cereals.

When preparing food for a cat, take the following formula as a basis: ½ protein (meat) + ¼ carbohydrates (cereals) + ¼ fiber (vegetables).

Prohibited foods

Many foods that are good for the human body can be extremely harmful to animals. That is why the owner should pay attention to the list of foods prohibited for cats. It includes:

pork (this meat is too fat for the cat's digestive system);
garlic and onions (they are toxic to animals);
chocolate (white and black);
raisins;
raw dough;
sugar;
nutmeg;
ready-made dog food (it has different proportions of nutrients, so this food does not meet the needs of cats);
sweets (the sweeteners included in the composition negatively affect the animal's liver);
tea, coffee and other products with caffeine (cases of poisoning of cats with caffeine are known);
medicines for humans (including pain relievers and for colds).

How to properly transfer a cat to natural food?

Cats are picky about food. They get used to one food and are reluctant to change their diet. To transfer them to homemade food, the owner needs to be patient and enlist the advice of experienced veterinarians-nutritionists:

The cat may refuse new food. This behavior is completely normal. Do not persist, it is better to remove the rejected food. At the next feeding, the pet should be offered the same dish again. Soon, the animal will be interested in the new taste.
You can add some homemade food to your usual food. This will facilitate and speed up the transition to homemade food.
When introducing new food into the diet, attention should be paid to the behavior of the cat. Foods can cause digestive upset. Next time, this will need to be taken into account.

Homemade Cat Food Recipes

In order to make food at home, you need to use both meat and vegetables. Do not forget about porridge and cottage cheese.

Do-it-yourself cooking requires a blender or food processor. You can experiment and mix recipes.

Chicken liver with vegetables

Not all cats love liver, so offering a new dish is worth small portions.

This recipe requires:

1.5 cups chicken liver;
0.5 cups carrots (can be replaced with celery);
0.5 cups of rice.

Boil all ingredients separately until cooked. Do not throw away the liquid left after cooking the liver. Put all the products in a blender and chop thoroughly, add a little liver broth.

Cottage cheese with meat

Great recipe with a dairy product. Very easy to prepare.

Includes:

100 g of poultry, beef or other meat;
1 tbsp. l. fresh cottage cheese;
1 tbsp. l. vegetable oil;
1 tbsp. l. carrots.

Boil meat and carrots, grind well and add cottage cheese and butter.

Chicken Breasts with Egg

A recipe that even the most capricious cat will appreciate.

It included:

part of boiled chicken breasts the size of a palm (do not use skin);
1 tbsp. l. boiled green beans;
1 egg;
1 tbsp. l. boiled carrots;
⅓ glasses of rice (brown);
some olive oil.

All products can be finely chopped, or you can grind in a blender to a puree state.

Oatmeal liver

The liver is a product that is often not recommended for cats, so it can be safely replaced with kidneys.

As part of the dish:

1 glass of boiled kidneys or liver;
3 tbsp. spoons of zucchini or carrots;
¾ glasses of boiled oatmeal;
1 tbsp. a spoonful of butter;
⅓ kefir.

Boil offal, finely chop or chop in a blender and mix with oatmeal and chopped carrots. Add butter and kefir, bring to a puree state.

Chicken vegetables

The basis of this recipe is poultry meat, so this dish will suit most cats.

For cooking you will need:

2 cups chicken
1 cup brown rice;
¼ Art. carrots.

Boil the chicken and chop finely. Boil rice until cooked, grate boiled carrots on a fine grater. Mix all ingredients. Another option is to grind all foods in a blender.

To do this, you need to take 4 elements:

1.5 cups of meat (this is any meat - turkey, lamb, horse meat, beef, rabbit);
½ glass of vegetables (you can choose zucchini, carrots, wheat germ or pumpkin) - over time you will notice that the cat eats one thing with pleasure and does not like the other;
½ tbsp. vegetables or grains (boiled potatoes, oatmeal, or rice);
1 tbsp. l. vegetable oil.

Cook all the ingredients separately and grind them in a blender.

Fragrant beef with herbs

Greens in this case effectively replace previous vegetables.

Would need:

1 cup beef (boiled and chopped)
¼ glasses of parsley (you can use alfalfa);
half a glass of cottage cheese with cream.

All products are finely chopped and mixed.

Shrimp with carrots

An original dish for a pet, rich in nutrients.

To prepare food for 1 meal, the following is taken:

2-3 shrimps (their tail is cut off and the top layer is removed);
2 tablespoons of carrots.

Boiled shrimps are finely chopped and mixed with boiled carrots chopped in a blender.

In order not to have to prepare food for each meal, food can be cooked for several days at once. The finished mixture is laid out in bags and frozen. It is best to freeze food in portions. It should be borne in mind: depending on the size of the body and the needs of the body, the cat eats about 150-200 g of food at a time.

In fact, transferring your pet to homemade food is not difficult. It is enough just to periodically spend 20-30 minutes on this, keeping the cooked food in the refrigerator.

Veterinarians remind: you need to approach homemade food wisely.

Dominique Granjean, Doctor of Veterinary Science, author of books and studies on pet nutrition: “Of course you can cook yourself. The only problem is that pets need certain nutrients: for dogs there are 52, for cats - 54. And it is not so easy to balance home food so that all of them are present in the diet. And malnutrition shortens the life of animals, it has been proven. "

Experts advise against experimenting with pets: there is no guarantee that homemade food will provide everything you need. Moreover, some of our products are just poison for them. Others slowly but surely harm health. Many people give their cats milk. Just for the reason that since childhood they are used to seeing it in pictures.

Natalia, breeder: "Cow's milk is not digested by cats at all, and it can also cause diarrhea in cats, that is, indigestion, that is, it is wrong nutrition, wrong milk."

Another trend - feeding according to the BARF system - from English it stands for "biologically appropriate raw food". It is also called evolutionary. The system is based on the fact that dogs and cats are carnivores that in nature feed on non-thermally processed food. Therefore, BARF diets are mainly composed of raw meat, bones and liver with added fruits, vegetables, herbs, eggs and some dairy products. There are also ready-made feeds - they are sold frozen. However, there are no clinical studies on this score yet. And many experts are suspicious of such nutrition: science does not support the idea of \u200b\u200bwildness of dogs and cats. In addition, pathogenic bacteria can be found in raw meat.

So what to feed? The author of numerous encyclopedias on animal nutrition, Professor Grandjean of the French National School of Veterinary Medicine, insists: it is a good ready-made food (not so important, dry or wet, - most importantly, not the cheapest) should now form the basis of nutrition for any cat or dog. All the ingredients you need are the best in these pieces.

The main complaint about inexpensive food is that there is usually too little meat, which is critically needed by former predators - cats and dogs. It is necessary to correctly understand the wording of the manufacturers. According to existing standards, if the packaging says "from turkey" or, for example, "from lamb", there must be at least 26% meat. If it is indicated "with meat" or "contains such and such meat" - then not less than 4%. The inscription “tasteful” means that such a product may not contain meat at all.

Biologist Olga Levtsova, who has been developing pet food for many years, gives specific advice on choosing. In the first places in the list of ingredients should be meat and offal. Dry food may contain meat flour and dehydrated meat - they are also not scary. And if at the very beginning of the composition there are cereals - it is better to pass by. In addition, good wet feed should contain no less than 10% protein, and no more than 7-10% fat, and dry feed no less than 25% protein, and no more than 20% fat.

The main recommendation is to regularly show the animal to the veterinarian and adjust the nutrition in accordance with his advice, not forgetting to control the volumes. Dogs and cats always have a tendency to beg for food, and you shouldn't give in to them every time. Unless, of course, you really love your pet and want him to be with you as long as possible.

This article was born out of the ongoing debate about nutrition for dogs and cats, and the best diet for them. Although, nevertheless, we must pay tribute, the overwhelming majority of questions on this matter and the very problematic in connection with feeding pets are generated by the manufacturers of ready-made feeds. But this is a separate topic for conversation.

Recently, along with food for humans, there have been a lot of pet food offers. Once upon a time, the problem of choice did not exist at all - what is the best way to feed pets, whether natural products or ready-made feeds - there were only natural products. Now, in a sense, mankind has made it easier for itself by inventing special food - dry and jelly-like. Hence the questions - what is better to feed.

Modern veterinarians naturally argue that you need to feed the animal either only with natural food, or only with purchased food, moreover, with the most expensive brands and preferably dry food. Such feeding is not cheap, to put it mildly, and not every cat or dog owner can afford to constantly feed his pet with such food, but sometimes, of course, you can pamper him. So how do you answer the question about the compatibility of feed with natural nutrition?

Both types of food have their advantages and disadvantages. Natural products are certainly good, but food from the common table can be poor for an animal in vitamins. After all, the sausage and cookies that people eat will not benefit not only the owners, but also their little friends - there is simply nothing useful in these products. In addition, if the animal is thoroughbred, then you need to feed it very competently in order to maintain its real health and beautiful appearance. And it is also impossible to feed the animal with meat alone or meat with fish - they will receive less vitamins and minerals in the end. If fed with one dry food, for example, cats develop nephrolithiasis. Of course, ready-made jellies are the best option, but only from expensive brands, and this is expensive.

Many people practice simultaneous feeding with ready-made feed and natural products. But at the same time, they do not know that this can only be practiced with healthy animals. If the animal is in pain with something, veterinarians usually strongly recommend feeding only with expensive food of a certain therapeutic orientation. And this is largely justified. And it is more convenient to use ready-made food than to calculate what and how much a pet needs, it is already balanced and ready to eat.

But if you do decide to feed your "little brother" with natural food, you should remember the following. Food should always be freshly prepared. In addition to proteins, food must also contain carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins. From vegetables and fruits, you need to give non-colored ones - zucchini, cucumbers, potatoes, melon, apples.

If, before its illness, the animal ate natural food, then it must be gradually transferred to a special dietary feed, every day decreasing the natural food and increasing the portion of the finished feed.

Distributed on the Internet and the media. Today we will refute some of them.

Myth: It's okay to feed your dog leftover food from the table.
Reality: Since the food is intended to be the only food source for a healthy dog \u200b\u200bor cat, supplementing the pet's diet with scraps or other foods is unnecessary for humans and often causes health problems. Many food leftovers contain too much sugar, salt, fat, or other foods that are harmful to pets. Certain foods, such as chocolate for dogs and onions for cats, can be very harmful to your pet's health. In addition, feeding scraps to pets encourages begging and other unwanted pet behaviors.

Myth: I can feed dog food to my cat.
Reality: Dogs and cats each have special dietary needs and must be fed appropriate pet food. Cats should not eat dog food because it does not provide all the essential nutrients a healthy cat needs. As their names suggest, dog food is designed to meet the nutritional needs of dogs, and cat food is designed to meet the needs of cats.

Myth: Homemade pet food is better for my pet than food I can buy at the store.
Reality: The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) does not recommend homemade food for pets, due in large part to the complex dietary needs of pets. Pets have different needs from humans; both dogs and cats have distinct needs from each other. This is why it is difficult for even a very well-trained pet owner to meet their pet's nutritional requirements by feeding it home-made food. Many basic human foods, such as onions and chocolate, are unsafe for pets, plus there is a high chance of bacterial contamination from microorganisms such as Salmonella and E. coli, which can be introduced into raw materials or improperly cooked homemade foods.

Nutrient balance in cat and dog foods is important for the health of pets. If the proper balance of nutrients is not achieved, certain health problems can develop, for example:

Abnormal Calcium Levels - Too much calcium can lead to growth problems, especially for puppies and kittens, and too little calcium can cause weak bones that are susceptible to tearing.
Consuming too much fat can lead to pancreatic problems.

Myth: Feed production is not regulated in any way.
Reality: In many countries, feed production is regulated by different organizations. In the United States, pet food is the most regulated of all foods with the exception of infant formula. Animal feed is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the state regulates through laws and regulations issued by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), the Federal Trade Commission Commission (FTC) and the US Department of Agriculture Department of Agriculture (USDA). This multi-layered regulation and industry commitment to scientific research can ensure that pet food continues to be safe and nutritious for pet dogs and cats.

Myth: I don’t need to follow the stated feeding guidelines on my pet food packaging.
Reality: Recommended feeding rates for pet foods are developed specifically for a specific product, taking into account the life stage, breed, age and level of activity of the pet. Feeding more or less, just based on experience with other foods, may not provide proper nutrition for your pet.
Pets, like some people, can eat too much if given the opportunity. Nutritional intake rates for pet food are designed to prevent a dog or cat from eating too much food. Being overweight can lead to health problems. Typically, the recommended nutritional value is in a range based on the size of the pet. It is important to know the ideal body condition for your pet. If you notice that the animal is gaining weight, then the amount of food should be reduced. If the animal becomes too thin, then increasing the food intake is usually advisable.

Myth: Some of the ingredients in my pet food are empty litters.
Reality: Every component used in animal feed is there for its own reason. Decades of research and development count towards the creation of pet foods that meet the nutritional needs of dogs and cats. Certain ingredients serve multiple functions (they can provide nutrients as well as create a pleasant "mouthfeel"). Pet food manufacturers don't add anything extra.

Myth: Animal feed companies "strip" ingredients to hide the actual amount in the product.
Reality: Some people incorrectly believe that pet food manufacturers separate ingredients to create the illusion that some ingredients are in higher concentrations than others. Pet food manufacturers are required to carefully label their products in accordance with strict government regulations. Just as with food for humans, the description of the animal food should clearly show which ingredients are included in the product. Each component in animal feed is there for a reason and serves a specific purpose.

Myth: Calcium carbonate is dangerous for dogs.
Reality: Calcium carbonate is a common ingredient in animal feed and is an important source of calcium and is completely safe. Calcium carbonate was identified as a component by AAFCO in 1945 and has been used safely for many years.

Based on materials from Pet Food Institute

At the beginning of the year, the three founders of the Sir Cat pet hotel began producing pet food. It differs from dry food and canned food in that it uses the meat of the entire carcass of the animal - such prey was eaten by the wild ancestors of domestic dogs and cats. Some vegetables are added to this meat, grinded and sold in the form of frozen sausages. A daily portion of such food for a small dog costs about 200 rubles. The Village spoke with the co-founder of the company and asked the first buyers if they were ready to transfer their pets to a new diet.

Idea

Expenses

At the preparatory stage, we spent about 300 thousand rubles on research, focus groups and testing. After that, the most expensive stage began: production. Finding and renting a space that meets the requirements of the food industry took a long time and was more expensive than we expected. But in the end we found a great option, and now we have production in the food cluster in Korolev. We spent about 8 million rubles on equipping and preparing the premises. The most interesting and unpredictable part of the cost is marketing: we experiment a lot and look for effective channels, so we don't know how much we will ultimately spend on building a sustainable model.

Raw materials

A predator in the wild eats prey along with internal organs and even bones. Therefore, we strive to recreate it in every package. We use whole carcass meat (highest, first, second grade of meat) and offal of the first category.

As a result, we buy beef in Belarus, meat only in carcasses, and not leftovers, as manufacturers of industrial feed usually do. We buy turkey in Russia, in the Penza and Rostov regions. With chicken meat, everything is more complicated: there are few suppliers in Russia who can guarantee quality and provide the necessary documents, now we are working with a farm in the Belgorod region. But we are open to suggestions, so we will be glad if farmers from neighboring regions write to us.

Sales

We launched in test mode in December, and have been on sale on our website since January. This is our main sales channel. There are also partners, the first was the express delivery of products from the MoscowFresh market. We wrote them an offer, sent the products for testing, sent videos of satisfied pets, and they decided to work with us. In April, Hati will appear in two more online stores and on one e-commerce platform, and from April 10 it will be possible to place orders with delivery in St. Petersburg.

We carefully add partners, because the requirements for storage and delivery are very high, we cannot, for example, work with stores from which couriers pick up packages in the morning and deliver them all day. But we will expand with pick-up points, now we have four of them in Moscow. In addition, we plan to participate in city markets and dog and cat exhibitions. We will also work in offline retail, we need a little more time to prepare.

What buyers say

Olga

owner of a dog of breed Bichon Frize

The food is excellent: the quality - even if you eat it yourself, the dog adores it. Everything is very convenient: ordering, delivery, packaging. I used both delivery (everything is very clear), and self-pickup from the hotel "Sir Cat". We take it for a month, it doesn't take up much space in the freezer. The price practically does not differ from dry food, maybe 20 percent more expensive. But if you only saw the dog greet me with this food! We have a Bichon Frize (little French lapdog), and when promising this meal, he behaves like a trained service dog!

We take packages of 150 grams, transfer them from the freezer to the main department in the morning, and feed them in the evening. Allergies, diarrhea, vomiting and the like have never happened, even during the transition period. We spend about 2 thousand rubles a month on Hati, but we also buy dry food. My dog \u200b\u200band I travel a lot, and on the road with dry food is easier.

Michael

french Bulldog owner

It seems to me that the dog perceives this food much better than dry food. There were periodic problems with dry food, I refused to eat, I had to go for tricks (sprinkle with something more attractive). With sausages - always ready! Watching the bowl in the morning and in the evening. At the price, Hati is 20-30% more expensive than dry food, we spend about 6 thousand a month on it.

At first it was not clear to us how much to give and whether the dog was starving or not. At first I followed Hati's recommendations on calories, it turned out 300 grams of sausages per day, but still then I added another 50-100 grams, plus they began to dilute with barley. Maybe I'm wrong, but the dog looks constantly hungry, maybe just because he likes food.

The packaging is generally comfortable, but we can probably work on it. I open it with a knife in the middle, squeezing out the contents, so some of the meat remains at the edges. It will be great if the guys start using something like vacuum packaging, without metal clips. Plus, you must constantly remember that after feeding you need to get a portion out of the freezer for the next time. I don't forget often, but it happens. The habit has not yet formed. In such cases, a reserve supply of dry food saves.

Ksenia

rhodesian Ridgeback owner

Usually the dog does not respond very well to food changes. Most often, he simply refuses to eat for three to four days, and the food in the bowl can stand for many hours until the dog is completely hungry. She ate Hati with great pleasure. No allergies or side effects.

Since my dog \u200b\u200bis a large breed, it is very expensive to buy pure meat with offal for her. On average, a bag of feed for three to four weeks costs 5-6 thousand rubles. And with Hati it would have been 13-15 thousand. But a couple of days ago I read a message from the company that they developed a diet for large breeds at the price of 7 thousand. We will definitely try, because I want my dog \u200b\u200bto be healthy and live longer. And our veterinarian is an avid proponent of live food for animals. I would also attribute the issue of storage to the difficulties: it is quite difficult to place an order for a month, since it will clog the entire freezer.