British Shorthair Cats
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Unlike the dog which can live quite healhily on a vegetarian diet, the cat is an obligate carnivore - it means she cannot survive without meat. Her nutritional needs derive from the days when she had to hunt to survive - and she hunted animals, not plants. The best example of the cat's dependence on meat is taurine, a substance that is essential for a cat's eyesight, and which can only be found in meat sources.
Initially, after bringing your cat home, you should feed your cut whatever she has been fed prevoiusly. A rapid change of food may cause stomach problems, particulary in connection with the stress accompanying moving homes.
Dry Food
These foods are usually complete foods, meaning theay are nnutritionally complete. However, this does not apply to all foods - you have to study the ingredients thoroughly. They are a very convenient way of feeding your cat, since you don't have to bother whether or not your cat gets all she needs. Provided you feed her with a high quality dry food, she does. Dry foods also help to prevent plaque build-up on the teeth, and they come in many different flavours and varieties for all life stages. Another advantage is that you can put a full bowl in the morning and leave it till the evening not worrying it will go off. However, you have to remember to ALWAYS provide your cat with fresh water, as dry foods are highly hygroscopic, and the lack of water will cause serious problems in your cat. It is also worth remembering that particular kinds of dry foods are especially adjusted to help cure various medical problems, like indigestion or urinary problems.
Wet Food.
Wet food comes in cans or pouches, and is the type favoured by many cats. Many brands are "complete", but as with dry foods, you should always check the label. You may also have more trouble finding the kind of food your cat will accept - my cats will only eat the food that consists of pieces of meat in jelly, and by the pieces I understand meat in its genuine form, uprocessed in any way. I know the cats that will only eat wet food served in the form of paste. You will have a lot of fun sometimes finding out what you cat's favourite food is! You have to remember not to depend only on wet foods, as they are more likely to cause plaque build-up on the teeth. They are also more frequently responsible for different indigestion problems. Do not leave wet food down for your cat - it will go off quickly.
Home-made Diets.
It is very tempting to to think that a natural diet of fresh ingredients is healthy for humans and so must be the best for our feline friends, too. This not necessarily the case. Tha cat's nutritional requirements are complex, and feeding a diet of tuna or chicken, adding some multi-vitamin pills can be dangerous. Pet manufacturers have years of experince of providing the right food for cats, so the best solution is to leave it to them. However, if you have the time to prepare fresh meals every day, you must seek advice from your veterinarian.
Mealtimes
Evolution has designed the cat to survive on small amounts of prey throughout the day, so her digestive system is used to small but frequent snacks, therefore meals at your home should be small and frequent. Kittens should have more meals than adult cats, as their stomachs are relatively small, and they cannot digest large amounts of food. They burn a lot of energy while playing and exploring the world, which makes their apetites even bigger, so a small kitten should have an access to his bowl with dry food all the time.