Cat diet natural
Cats are similar in anatomy to the other felids, with a strong, flexible body, quick reflexes, sharp retractable claws, and teeth adapted to killing small prey. There is nothing fresh about this source of food and it certainly does not come close to resembling a bird or a mouse. Putting a little thought into what you feed your cat(s) can pay big dividends over their lifetime and very possibly help them avoid serious, painful, and costly illnesses. Many pedigreed and especially purebred cats are exhibited as show cats. The importance of animal proteins, versus plant proteins. Cats have either a mutualistic or commensal relationship with humans. Cats can hear sounds too faint or too high in frequency for human ears, such as those made by mice and other small animals. Attested only from the 16th century, it may have been introduced from Dutch poes or from Low German puuskatte, related to Swedish kattepus, or Norwegian pus, pusekatt. A pedigreed cat is one whose ancestry is recorded by a cat fancier organization. This article is about the cat species that is commonly kept as a pet. Many readers of this website have kindly donated their valuable time to translate this important information into various languages. Cats of unrecorded, mixed ancestry are referred to as domestic short-haired or domestic long-haired cats, by coat type, or commonly as random-bred, moggies (chiefly British ), or (using terms borrowed from dog breeding ) mongrels or mutt-cats. A purebred cat is one whose ancestry contains only individuals of the same breed. Please click on the links below to read more about optimal nutrition for cats. There is no doubt that dry food is responsible for far more intestinal problems, and other diseases, than most veterinarians and cat owners realize. Two main theories are given about how cats were domesticated.
The African wildcat, Felis silvestris lybica, is an extant subspecies that is ancestral to the domestic cat. Cats are obligate (strict) carnivores and are very different from dogs in their nutritional needs. This web page lays out some often-ignored principles of feline nutrition and explains why cats have a better chance at optimal health if they are fed canned food (or a balanced homemade diet) instead of dry kibble. Of course, in order to be on board with the preventative nutrition argument, a person has to understand the following facts. Cat senses fit a crepuscular and predatory ecological niche. In addition, dry food is very heavily processed which includes being subjected to high temperatures for a long time resulting in alteration and destruction of nutrients. The three key negative issues associated with dry food are. Like most other mammals, cats have poorer color vision and a better sense of smell than humans. For other uses, see Cat (disambiguation) and Cats (disambiguation). Also keep in mind that dry foods are not refrigerated and they sit in warm warehouses, on pet store shelves, and in your cupboards for weeks or months before your pets consume them. If you do not want to read this entire webpage, please review this shortened version. While the African wildcat is the ancestral subspecies from which domestic cats are descended, and wildcats and domestic cats can completely interbreed (Being subspecies of the same species), several intermediate stages occur between domestic pet and pedigree cats on one hand and those entirely wild animals on the other. An increasing number of nutrition-savvy veterinarians, including board-certified veterinary internists, are now strongly recommending the feeding of canned food instead of dry kibble. Fats can easily become rancid, and bacteria will proliferate, in this type of environment. The semiferal cat, a mostly outdoor cat, is not owned by any one individual, but is generally friendly to people and may be fed by several households. Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition.
