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Should You Free-Feed Your Cat?
Posted on April 19th, 2013Feeding tips for your cat.
Do you wonder how much your cat should eat? Is your cat overweight? Check out some helpful tips below to find out what type of feeding schedule your cat should be on:
Age: Of course age makes a huge difference in how often your cat should eat. Kittens require more food per pound of body weight to support growth than adult cats do. Kittens should be fed more often throughout the day. Kittens up to six months of age may require three meals a day. Once an adult, a cat can get fed once or twice a day. Senior cats age seven and above, should maintain the same feeding schedule.
Health: If your cat suffers from a health problem like diabetes, you may need to feed him depending on when his insulin he is administered. It is best to check with your veterinarian. If your cat has hyperthyroidism, he may want to eat all the time. When a cat ages, his teeth may go bad or may develop gum disease making it difficult to chew dry food. If this is the case, offering wet food is usually best. Or you can mash up dry food in the wet food to make it easier for your cat to chew his food.
Dry vs. Wet Food: Feeding only dry food is fine as long as it is complete and balanced. Cats that only eat dry food must be provided with lots of fresh water, especially if they are prone to developing urinary tract issues. It is usually a good idea to provide both dry and wet food to your cat.
Schedule: Pick a time that is easiest for you to prepare your cats meal. If mornings work best, make that a time you can give him his wet food. Once you start doing that for a couple days, your cat will already know his schedule and expect his food in the morning.
Do you have questions about feeding your cat? Please comment on our blog!
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Cat Owner Tips
Posted on September 12th, 2012Tips for cat owners.
If you have a cat as a pet, check out these helpful tips provided by Clear the Air to ensure your cat is properly taken care of.
Collars: All collars on cats are dangerous unless the collar has an elastic insert or is the “breakaway” style. Cats can strangle if the collar gets caught on something, or injure themselves trying to get the collar off. If you put a collar on a kitten, please be sure to check that it does not become too tight as the kitten grows! If your cat goes outside, prevent the cat from killing birds by adding a small bell to the collar.
Feeding: Do not feed your cat food made for dogs or use any dog care products on cats. Dog food and “human” table food lack essential vitamins and minerals cats need such as taurine – an essential amino acid for cats. Lack of taurine in the diet causes blindness, serious heart problems (dilated cardiomyopathy), and may promote urinary tract problems as well. Feed only well-balanced cat food, appropriate to the age and activity level of your cat. Avoid dairy products! Dog flea preparations often kill cats. Likewise, medications, shampoos and other products made for dogs (or humans) can be toxic to cats. Never give aspirin to a cat!
Surgical Claw Removal or Declawing: This is an extreme measure in which the entire last part of the ten front toes are amputated. A graphic comparison in human terms would be cutting off a person’s finger at the last joint. General anesthesia is used for this surgery, which always has a risk of disability or death associated with it. Because declawing provides no medical benefit to cats, even slight risk can be considered unacceptable. In addition, the recovery from declawing can be painful and lengthy and may involve postoperative complications such as infections, hemorrhage, and nail regrowth. The latter may subject the cat to additional surgery. Declawing not only robs a cat of an integral means of movement and defense, but it can also cause cats to undergo a profound personality change, in which they may become extremely timid or unusually aggressive. Other options include the use of scratching posts, adhesive plastic nail caps, regularly trimming the cat’s nails, and discouragement of unwanted behavior. Methods of discouragement include placing a sheet over the target furniture or using aluminum foil or double-sided tape on the object. It is also possible to discourage scratching by using a scent which cats generally do not like, such as the fresh smell of citrus.
Indoor cat: It is important to consider making your cat a strictly indoor pet. The list of risks to outdoor cats include poison (like antifreeze), injury (falls, cars, attacks by other animals or humans, or broken glass), parasites (fleas, ticks, or worms), disease (feline leukemia virus, feline immunodeficiency virus, feline infectious peritonitis, upper respiratory viruses, etc.), and theft. Believe it or not, pets are regularly stolen by unscrupulous individuals for sale to the animal research industry, for cult use, or as food for snakes. Keep your cat indoors, and you will have a healthier, more socialized, and content family companion.
Keep your pet entertained: Provide your indoor cat with toys and a tall, sturdy scratching post made of a rough material such as sisal (hemp-like rope) or a strong woven material (carpeting is rarely a good material for a post), regular claw-clipping (we do not recommend de-clawing!!!), nutritious food, fresh water, and lots of love and companionship. You will both enjoy it!