With evolution, people’s behavior towards animals has also evolved. Keeping pets is no less than a fashion, and who else does not want to stay updated with all the trends around. This trend made the way for animals to homes. But people who keep pets are quite concerned about them and those pets are no less than a family member to them.
As pet owners, people wonder a lot to understand what they need to feed their cats with. As much as the kind of food is kept in view, it is necessary to keep in view the quantity of food to feed your cat. This can massively affect the activities of your cat. If not fed properly, your cat can face nutritional deficiencies and due to improper nutrients, weight loss can be the final result.
However, overfeeding can lead to obesity. Obesity can increase the risk of a lot of pathologies including blood pressure issues, heart issues, fatty liver, skin diseases, diabetes, etc. in the cat. That is why feeding your pet with the appropriate amount of food is much significant for the maintenance of a healthy body and yes, only a healthy body can have a healthy mind. A healthy mind can eventually result in a happy and active pet.
In this article, we will discuss the quantity of dry food we can give to a cat,
Advantages of Dry Food
Dry food brings a lot of advantages to pet owners. The main advantage of dry food is the ease it brings to the owner. It can be stored for months and can provide the same nutrition as fresh. Another advantage of dry food is its use along with food dispenser toys that can serve for environmental enrichment and positively affect the mental health of the cat.
Dry food is available at a lower cost and still can go for the long term. If the food is taken with proper water intake, it can be more advantageous for the cat and the owner than the wet food, but in other cases, it can lead to dehydration [there are a few symptoms of dehydration] and therefore several other associated diseases.
Factors that affect the food amount of cat
Although the food you feed your cat should be complete and balanced, still there are many factors to consider to determine the amount to feed your cat daily,
- Age of your cat
- Weight of the cat
- Energy level of the cat
- Reproductive status of cat
- Health status of your cat
- Type of cat, whether a street cat or pet
Maintaining Water Intake of Your Cat
Cats that are fed with dry food need to intake more water than the ones with wet food. Wet food contains water already that’s why water intake separately doesn’t really matter in that case. But in the case of dry food, if the water is not properly taken it can lead to kidney and lower urinary tract diseases. Make sure to properly supervise water intake, keep the bowl of your cat clean and fill it at regular intervals. You can also add water to the dry food of your cat to retain the moisture required by the body. The ratio to add water is proposed as 2-3 cups of water per bowl of dry food.
How often should the Cat be Fed?
You should make two small meals instead of one big meal. Small meals are better as they eliminate the chances of obesity. After each meal, make your cat play or do some activity so that the food can be properly digested. Small meals are easily digestible and therefore the body can properly breakdown the food and therefore it can be more advantageous. According to Vet, The most recommended (in general) calorie count is 25-35 per day.