A cat that does not find food to her taste can develop behavioral problems. And if you skimp on the quality of her meals, she is likely to be more vulnerable to diseases. So better do everything correctly right form the beginning!
Cats are said to be picky. The term of “maniac” would be more appropriate! Indeed, a cat will never touch food whose freshness seems suspicious to her. In the same way, she will give her food bowl the cold shoulder if you place it too close to her litter.
Lastly, since plastic is releasing molecules that certain cats find repulsive, you’d better choose a food bowl out of glass or porcelain (of an irreproachable cleanliness and perfectly rinsed), especially not too deep because your new friend wants to be able to watch what happens around her while eating. Same for her drinking water, to be available 24 hours a day, and replaced twice a day.
Cat Food: pâté or croquettes?
In fact, it is not so much the presentation but the quality of the nutrients that matters. Privilege the high-end, on sale in specialized stores and at the veterinarian, because the proteins provided are true pieces of meats or selected fish and not bits of tendons or other parts considered to be unsuitable to human consumption. As a cat must have available access to food 24 hours a day (she likes to nibble), kibbles are particularly practical.
However, nothing prevents you, if you really want it, from offering a pâté (same brand, same range) the morning for example and croquettes at will, the rest of the day. To give her just wet food and leaving it home is more complicated, because after of a few hours, it would be likely to stink out especially in summer! This risk is all the more important as a cat hates to be fed meal that is too cold: she wants it tepid or at room temperature, or else she believes she’s dealing with a corpse and refuses to touch it.
The menu of your cat: skip the fantasy!
Thinking doing the right thing, many owners often change the menu of their pet, by fear that they will find the meals too monotonous. But except for eventually changing tastes, while remaining in the same range and the same brand, this fantasy is useless.
Useless and even harmful because cats have the enzymatic equipment necessary to digest their usual meals, but not inevitably the new food which you wish to introduce. By changing its dietary habits, you are thus likely to cause especially digestive disorders (in particular, diarrhea). For the same reasons, do not give her your leftovers: cats, not more than dogs, are table trash.
Finally, if you change her meal as soon as she pretends not touching it, your cat quickly will understand this little game and will play it difficult, in the hope of having always better food. So many reasons to find a food which is appropriate to her taking account of her age, her condition and by getting advise from your veterinarian – and to stick to it!
