The Behavior of Feeding – Why Meal Feed Your Cat

Posted on by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6
Leaving tasty kibble out all day is like a having a bowl of potato chips on the counter.

A wild cat’s day begins in the late afternoon. He is an opportunistic feeder, a generalist, who will eat anything from bugs to bunny rabbits. He may snack on a lizard, sunning in the late afternoon sun. As the shadows grow longer, he will go on the prowl, looking for the small rodents that make up most of his diet. If he is lucky enough to catch something, he will retire and dine al fresco, alone. He will then doze or nap a bit while his meal digests. If he is part of a cat colony, he may groom or play with the kittens, while their mothers hunt.

In a few hours, he’s off to hunt again and will keep on prowling, looking for prey. He is not above scavenging a meal from other animals’ leftovers or from human garbage. His stomach is small and he will eat a 6-10 meals as he hunts through the night. When the sun starts to rise, he will turn in for the day, sleeping, grooming and sunning.

The behavior of feeding – why meal feed your cat

Our indoor cats have chosen a different lifestyle.  They depend on us, their human caretakers, for their food. They may be fed in one location with other cats, once or twice a day or be free fed from a large bowl of kibble available 24/7 (Reference 1).

The Problem with The big bowl and free feeding

Imagine a big bowl of potato chips or crisps left on the counter.  You pick one or two as you go by.  It is very easy to continue snacking and before you know it, that bowl is getting empty.  In the same way, it is easy for a cat to eat too much of  palatable and caloric kibbles left out, nibbling a little at a time.

Free feeding with more than one cat in the home

  • Cats with more dominant personalities will nose smaller, more timid cats out of the food bowl.
  • Victim cats may gorge and eat their food quickly, leading to “scarf and barf”.
  • Victim cats may start to lose weight.
  • House-soiling issues can start if the “bully” decides the game should extend to resources other than the food bowl.

The behavior of feeding – what can we learn from wild cats?

  • Cats have evolved to eat multiple, small, low calorie meals every day.
  • Cats prefer to eat alone – without other cats around.
  • Cats spend most of their waking hours hunting and foraging for food.

the take-away for indoor cats

  • Meal feeding reflects the way cats naturally eat.
  • Cats need to be fed separately from other pets (cats, dogs) in the house.
  • Cats need to engage in hunting/foraging behavior.

Choosing to meal feed your cat

It does not need to take a lot of time and effort to meal feed your cat. Divide your cat’s daily allotment of food into 4-5 portions. Your cat will be happier – he will have more to look forward to and his food will be fresher, as smaller portions will be put out frequently instead of topping up the bowl.  Check out the Meal Planner below – mix and match the meals that work for you!

canned cat food meal feeding
Canned foods lend themselves to meal feeding.

Meal #1

If your cat enjoys wet food, offer a wet meal when you are home to pick up the dishes.  Choose an amount your cat can finish in 15 minutes or so.

 

Timed Puzzle Feeder
This Cat Mate feeder can accommodate a food puzzle.

Meal #2

Dry food can be placed in bowls or feeders around the house. You can change the locations of these daily if you like to keep your cat on his game.  Timed feeders can meter out the food while you are away.

Cats plays with featther toy1
Core workout – Zelda plays with feather toy!

Meal #3

Hunting practice: play with your cat with a fishing pole toy for a few minutes.  Make sure to end the game with a small snack.

Zelda has the treat in sight, ready to pounce.

Meal #4

Tossing treats or kibble: Zelda chases dental kibbles down the hallway and pounces on them as if they were grasshoppers. This can be a fun game with larger kibbles like those from dental foods, where 10-15 pieces of kibble are about 30 kcal.

cat with food puzzle
Marley works the Poker Box, a food puzzle.

Meal #5

Food puzzles offer foraging opportunities to cats. But be forewarned: most cats are lazy – they will choose food that they do not have to do anything for.  You have to meal feed for this to work – otherwise, the cat will just go and snack out of his bowl.

More About Food Puzzles

Most likely, you will need to “train” your cat to use a food puzzle. Once your cat learns one, she will pick up on others more quickly.  When your cat knows how to do several of these puzzles, you can rotate them to keep her interest. For more about the psychology of food puzzles and training your cat to use one, see  “Cats Eating From a Food Puzzle: Contrafreeloading?“

Choosing to meal feed your cat allows him to engage in more natural feeding behaviors.  It will be easier for you to regulate his intake which is better for his health and longevity.  With a little bit of creativity and using the Meal Planner, you should be able to meal feed your cat, whether she is a dry food addict or eats a combination of wet and dry foods.

references

  1. Sadek,T. (chair) “Feline Feeding Programs:Addressing behavioral needs to improve feline health and wellbeing” Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (2018) 20, 1049-1055

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Choosing a Diet for Your Cat – Wet or Dry?

Posted on by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6
Daily Food Portion Cat
Gus looks at his daily food allotment. Treats count!

What should you feed your cat – wet food? dry food? a mixture?

A diet for your cat – wet or dry must be balanced and nutritious. Dry cat food is convenient and less costly than wet foods. It can be left out without as much concern for spoilage. You don’t have to be home to feed your cat. But will your cat drink enough water? How do wet and dry foods compare with regard to providing your cat enough protein and not too many calories?

Choosing a diet for your cat – wet or dry?

moisture

A wild cat gets most of his moisture from the prey he eats. He typically consumes the entire animal, including the fur and gut contents and eats the equivalent of 6-10 mice a day.

Wet cat foods typically contain 80% moisture by weight. Dry foods are closer to 10% by weight. Cats eating a dry diet must supplement their diet by drinking water. 

Let’s look at the moisture some typical foods would offer a 10 lb cat eating 200 kcal daily.

 

Food 1 (wet)

Food 2 (wet)

Food 3 (dry)

Food 4 (dry)

Moisture (%)

78

80

 12 12

Metabolizable Energy (kcal/kg)

 942 700 4342 3770
Cat’s weight (lbs)

10

10

 10 10
Amount of food daily (g)

212

285

 46 53
Moisture from food ( ml) 165 228 5.5 6.4
Moisture in food (ounces) 5.6 7.7 0.19 0.22

This table shows how much moisture (water) our cat will get by eating 200 kcal of each of these foods. The wet foods provide about 6-8 oz daily where the dry foods provide a fraction of that.

but my cat drinks plenty of water…

Cats should drink about 4 ounces of water per five pounds of lean body weight daily. Our 10 pound cat needs to drink about one cup of water per day. If he does not drink enough, he may become constipated or risk having urinary crystals. If he eats the wet diet, he will get most of this water in his food.

But, you say, my cat drinks plenty of water. She is at the water bowl frequently. Cats don’t scoop water up with their tongues, instead when the curled-back tip of the tongue touches the water surface, a thin column of liquid is drawn up into the mouth. That column of water is about 3/100 of a teaspoon.  A lot of lapping is needed to reach 1 cup of water daily.

If your cat’s stools tend to be hard or her skin around her shoulders doesn’t snap back quickly when you tent it, you may want to encourage her to drink more or add some canned food to her diet.

choosing a diet for your cat – wet or dry: protein

A diet for your cat -wet or dry should provide your cat with enough protein to maintain Lean Body Mass (LBM). 

If you compare foods on a dry matter basis (removing all the water), protein content can look similar, at 40-50%. Wet foods, however, often have a higher protein/energy ratio –  they deliver more protein per 100 kcal than dry cat foods. The carbohydrate needed to process the dry foods may be the culprit here – the amount of protein is diluted by the additional calories provided by the carbohydrate.

In this chart, you can see that our 10 lb cat will more than satisfy his LBM protein requirements with 200 kcal of Food 2; he will be close with Food 1. The two dry foods require  230-240 kcal to provide enough protein to satisfy the LBM . These additional calories could result in weight gain. (These calculations are done on an “as-fed” basis using the Atwater equation).

 

Food 1 (wet)

Food 2 (wet)

Food 3 (dry)

Food 4 (dry)
Metabolizable Energy(kcal/kg)

942

700

 4342 3770

Protein (g/100 kcal)

 10.6 15.7 9.7 10

Cat’s weight (lbs)

 10 10 10 10
Protein for LBM 23 23 23 23

Calories Needed to Satisfy LBM (kcal)

 216 146 237 230

a diet for your cat – wet or dry: calories

Dry cat foods tend to be more “calorie dense” than the canned foods. The dry foods in the table have over 4 x the amount of kilocalories per kg of food of the wet foods. Dry food is concentrated – a small amount has a lot of calories.  A bored cat can easily eat too much and put on weight. The water in the wet foods tends to fill our cats up and give them a feeling of satiety.

choosing a diet for your cat – wet or dry?

A lot boils down to your cat’s preferences. Both dry and wet diets provide balanced nutrition but wet foods provide your cat with

  • water
  • higher protein/energy
  • lower calorie meal plan

a compromise: wet and dry

If your cat will eat wet and dry, consider a combination feeding program.  Here is one where your cat gets two wet meals that are supplemented with tasty dry food in between in food puzzles, as training treats, or in a treat toss game.  The two wet meals can go a long way to providing your cat with moisture and protein to maintain LBM. 

  1. Breakfast:  wet meal
  2. Day Time: food puzzles or feeders with dry food
  3. Dinner: wet meal
  4. Bedtime Snack: Treat Time – treat toss or training ( sitting , targeting )

My cat refuses wet foods

Some cat prefer dry food. Why?

  • Food preferences are established when cats are kittens. They eat what their mother eats.
  • If the kittens do not eat wet foods at weaning and the first few months afterwards, they will often refuse to eat them later. 
  • This can be a problem when cats become older and wet food can help manage medical conditions, such as kidney disease.  (Reference 1)

The pet food industry works hard to make those kibbles appealing to cats.  Not only is there the texture or “mouth feel”, the kibbles are often sprayed with protein hydrolysates or “digest” to increase palatablity.  Soy sauce is an example of protein hydrolysates used to enhance the taste of foods for humans. (Reference 2)

for dry food addicts only…

  1. Make sure to hydrate your cat – try water from tuna, water used to poach chicken or fish (offer alone, add to the water bowl, or try frozen in an ice cube tray and added to the water bowl) (Reference 3)
  2. Try some of the high protein, low calorie (low fat, low carb) dry diets.
  3. Try moistening your cat’s kibble with low-sodium chicken broth.
  4. Try mixing some canned food with your cat’s dry.  Start with a small amount and increase if she accepts it.

 

references

  1. Zoran, Debra. “Feline Nutrition: Understanding How to Feed Cats for Obesity Prevention and Weight Management”, dvm360.com, 11/10/13
  2. Ahmet Yavuz Pekela, Serkan BarışMülazımoğlub and Nüket Acar(2020) “Taste preferences and diet palatability in cats,” Journal of Applied Animal Research, 48:1, 281-292, DOI:10.1080/09712119.2020.1786391
  3. Caney, S., Gunn-Moore, D.  Caring for a cat with lower urinary tract disease, Cat Professional 2011, www.catprofessional.com, p. 45

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How Many Calories Should Your Cat Eat in Day?

Posted on by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6

If your cat consumes more calories than she burns, she will gain weight. So, how many calories should your cat eat in day to maintain a healthy body weight?

Like people, cats are individuals; some have higher metabolisms than others. Things that affect how heavy or thin a cat is include (Reference 1):

  • Genetics
  • Sex
  • Spayed? neutered?
  • Hormonal changes eg. hyperthyroidism, diabetes

The feeding guidelines on cat food cans or packages are a start but they can be misleading. Many of these guidelines are based on feeding intact cats and often recommend 25-35% more food than most housecats (spayed or neutered) need to eat. Immediately after spaying or neutering, the cat undergoes hormonal changes (changes in estrogen, progestin, insulin-like growth factor) that affect metabolism. The results are an increased appetite, decreased energy requirements, changes in glucose tolerance and fat metabolism. (Reference 1)

How Many Calories Should Your Cat Eat in a day?

A Rule of Thumb

  • Most average-sized (9 to 11 pounds) spayed and neutered cats need to eat about 200 kcal daily to maintain lean body condition.
  • Neutered males may need to eat less, about 180 kcal/day. (Reference 1)

Monitor your cat’s body condition

  • Be attuned to factors that can lead to weight gain or loss, such as disease (hyperthyroidism), feeding behavior (a cat eats another cat’s food) or lifestyle change (access to a catio).
  • Monitor your cat’s body weight, his body condition score and his muscle condition score regularly.

How Many Calories Should Your Cat Eat?

Weigh Your Cat

You can weigh your cat at the veterinary clinic but, even better, purchase a baby scale to weigh your cat at home. This is more convenient, especially if your cat is on a weight-loss program and needs to be weighed frequently. You can make this fun by training your cat to get on the scale for a yummy reward (something low calorie, of course!)

“How Do I Look” – the Body Condition Score (BCS)

Look at your cat’s profile from above and from the side. Ideal body condition is defined as a visible waist (when viewed from above) and tummy tuck (side profile). You should be able to easily feel his ribs under his skin and fur. Compare what you see with the pictures on the Body Condition Chart.  Give your cat a score.

Once you know your cat’s weight and Body Condition Score, you can get a calorie estimate from a convenient calculator at https://petnutritionalliance.org/resources/calorie-calculator?type=cats

How Many Calories Should Your Cat Eat?

Here are some photos of Gus, who currently weighs 12.50 pounds. You can feel his ribs but there is some fat over them. His waist and shoulders are distinguishable but he does not have much of an abdominal tuck.  We will give him a BCS of 6. The Pet Nutrition Alliance site recommends an ideal weight of 11.4 lbs and 216 kcal daily for weight loss.

 

 

 

Lean Body Mass and Healthy Weight

In a previous post, we talked about Lean Body Mass (LBM) and the benefits of a higher LBM for cats:

  • A higher percent of muscle will boost your cat’s metabolism
  • Make it easier for her to maintain a health body weight
  • Can help your cat live longer.

Choosing a diet to promote LBM – A Math Problem

Studies indicate that to maintain LBM, a cat should consume around 5.2 g protein per kg or 2.3 g protein per pound. (Reference 2). Using your cat’s weight, you can multiply by 2.3 (weight in pounds) or 5.2 (weight in kg) to estimate the protein he or she needs. Gus weighs 12.5 lbs and needs 28.8 grams of protein daily.

Here are two canned foods and two dry foods, with guaranteed analysis and protein content. As you can see in the chart, there is only one food (wet) out of the 4 foods that will provide Gus with the protein he needs while he loses weight eating 216 kcal daily.  Food 2 can give him the 28.8 g protein in 183 kcal. (See “How Much Protein Should You Feed Your Cat?” for estimating the amount of protein in a food.)

 

 

Food 1 (wet)

Food 2 (wet)

Food 3 (dry)

Food 4 (dry)
Crude Protein (%)

10

11

42

42
Crude Fat (%)

5

2

19

9

Crude Fiber (%)

1.5

1.5

3.2

5.0
Moisture (%)

78

80

12

12
Ash (%)

3.2

3.5

0

0
Carbohydrate (%)

2.3

2

23.8

32
MER (kcal/kg)

942

700

4342

3770
Protein (g/ 100 kcal)

10.6

15.7

9.7

11.1
Cat’s weight (lbs)

12.5

12.5

12.5

12.5
Protein for LBM

28.8

28.8

28.8

28.8
Calories of Food Needed (kcal)

270.8

183.0

297.2

258.1

The muscle condition score

There is one more thing we need to monitor – the cat’s Muscle Condition Score (MCS).  Loss of muscle  over the spine, shoulder blades, skull, and hips (that “bony” feeling) is an indicator of LBM loss.  Although you cannot prevent loss of muscle due to aging,  you may be able to slow it down by feeding a higher protein diet.  Here is a chart to help score the muscle condition.  Gus, at age 7, still has normal muscle mass, which we will try to maintain by ensuring he gets enough protein in his diet.

Feeding your cat is more than just how many calories should your cat eat.  We must balance calories and nutrients and monitor weight, BCS and MCS regularly to make sure the feeding plan is working.  AAFCO labeled foods ensure that your cat receives the basic nutritional requirements.  Optimal nutrition for the individual cat, especially one with medical conditions, may require a more detailed plan and possibly the services of a board-certified veterinary nutritionist.

references:

  1.  Zoran, Debra. “Feline Obesity: Clinical Recognition and Management” Compendium, June 2009 (Vol 31, No 6).
  2. Laflamme DP, Hannah SS. Discrepancy between use of lean body mass or nitrogen balance to determine protein requirements for adult cats. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. 2013;15(8):691-697. doi:10.1177/1098612X12474448

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How Much Protein Should You Feed Your Cat?

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Your cat evolved to eat a diet high in protein.  How much protein should you feed your cat? Research suggests feeding enough protein to maintain Lean Body Mass.

Measuring Protein in Food

Nitrogen Balance

The protein content of a food is determined by measuring the nitrogen in it. The difference between the nitrogen we that take in (by eating food) and the nitrogen we put out (in urine) reflects the gain or loss of total body protein and is called the nitrogen balance. Traditionally, the amount of protein that maintains a zero nitrogen balance was considered the minimum protein required to be healthy. [Reference 1]

Nitrogen is one of the most common chemical elements in the universe. The atmosphere surrounding the Earth is about 78% nitrogen. Proteins, those molecules in our bodies that are used to build and repair tissues and act as hormones or enzymes, contain nitrogen. 

 

Lean Body Mass

Recent research in both human and animal nutrition suggests that it is not enough just to maintain a zero nitrogen balance – animals and humans should consume enough protein to maintain their Lean Body Mass (LBM). Lean body mass is the difference between total body weight and the weight of body fat. LBM is made up of the muscle and internal organs.

Muscle and internal organs have a higher metabolic rate than fat. So, a higher percentage of muscle will boost your metabolism, help you maintain a healthy weight, and may help you to live longer. [Reference 2]

How much protein should you feed your cat?

A study followed 24 adult neutered male cats over several months to compare the amount of protein necessary to achieve nitrogen balance with the protein required to maintain LBM (measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry or DEXA).

The cats were divided into 3 groups and fed diets with different amounts of protein: one group received a “low” protein diet, the second a “moderate” protein diet and the third group was given a “high” protein diet. [Reference 1]

Results: more dietary protein was required to maintain LBM than to satisfy the nitrogen balance.

  • Nitrogen balance was maintained with 1.5 g protein/kg (0.7 g/pound) of body weight.
  • LBM was maintained with 5.2 g protein/kg  (2.3 g/pound) of body weight .

how much food will give your cat enough protein?

There is no easy answer to this. Not only are there differences in the metabolisms of individual cats and different food formulations, not all the energy in that can or bag of cat food can be metabolized.

To measure how much metabolizable energy (ME) a particular cat food provides your cat, you would need to do a “feeding study”.  Such a study measures what goes into the cat and what comes out. The difference is what is metabolized.

Feeding studies are expensive so the pet food industry has devised formulas to estimate the amount of metabolizable energy (ME) in a food using the guaranteed analysis on the pet food label. (The percentage of carbohydrates can be calculated by adding up the protein, fat, crude fiber, moisture and ash listed in the guaranteed analysis and subtracting this total from 100%.)

One of the simpler formulas used is the Atwater equation shown below.   [Reference 3]

ME (kcal/kg) = [4x Crude Protein(%) + 4 x Carbohydrate (%) + 9 x Crude Fat (%)] x 10

Nutrients for feeding guidelines are reported per 100 kcal of ME. To find out how much protein your cat food provides per 100 kcal of metabolizable food, we return to the crude protein estimate and reference it to the ME.

Grams protein/ 100 kcal ME = [Crude Protein(%) x 1000] / ME (kcal/kg)

How much protein should you feed your cat?  Let’s look at some protein estimates using values from a few typical food labels. These calculations are done on an “as fed” basis.

  Crude Protein (%)

Carbohydrate

(%)

 Crude Fat (%) ME (kcal/kg) Protein

(grams/100 kcal)
Canned A 12 2.1 2.2 762 15.7
Canned B 10 3.8 5 942 10.6
Dry A 43 24.5 19 4410 9.8
Dry B 33.5 30.6 21.1 4463 7.5

 

Let’s take the example of a 10 lb or 4.5 kg cat in average condition – not fat, not thin. Per the research referenced above, this cat would need about 23 grams of protein daily.

The average 10 lb cat burns about 200 kcal daily. Looking at the foods above, 200 kcal of Canned A would give our 10 lb cat more than 23 g protein; Canned B gives him 22 g, a little short of the daily goal. Neither of the dry foods provide enough protein in 200 kcal to meet the lean body mass requirement: Dry A provides 19.6 g per 200 kcal and Dry B, 15 g per 200 kcal.

How much protein should you feed your cat?

    • The 5.2 g protein/kg body weight is the result of two studies – more work is needed to establish accurate protein requirements.
    • Protein requirements may vary with age, gender, and breed.
    • Medical conditions such as chronic kidney disease can also affect your cat’s protein requirements.

Your veterinarian is a good resource for helping you figure out how much protein to feed your cat. He or she can assess your cat’s body and muscle condition and health to determine if your cat is receiving enough protein and calories.

In our next post, we will consider how many calories your cat should eat every day and how Body Condition Score and Muscle Condition Score can give you an idea of your cat’s body composition, muscle-to-fat ratio and nutritional status.

 

references

  1. Laflamme DP, Hannah SS. Discrepancy between use of lean body mass or nitrogen balance to determine protein requirements for adult cats. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. 2013;15(8):691-697. doi:10.1177/1098612X12474448
  2. Zhang X, Wang C, Dou Q, Zhang W, Yang Y, Xie X. Sarcopenia as a predictor of all-cause mortality among older nursing home residents: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open. 2018 Nov 12;8(11):e021252. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-021252.
  3. Asaro NJ, Guevara MA, Berendt K, Zijlstra R, Shoveller AK. Digestibility Is Similar between Commercial Diets That Provide Ingredients with Different Perceived Glycemic Responses and the Inaccuracy of Using the Modified Atwater Calculation to Calculate Metabolizable Energy. Vet Sci. 2017 Nov 8;4(4):54. doi: 10.3390/vetsci4040054.

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Feeding Your Cat A Complete and Balanced Diet

Posted on by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6
What goes into Gus’s food dish?

In the last post, we spoke about your cat and some of her unique nutritional needs. She is an obligate carnivore, designed to eat small animals but she does have some flexibility and can use carbohydrates for energy. Lean times are hard for cats and their livers are slow to process stored fat. Unlike other mammals, her body does not synthesize the amino acids, taurine and arginine, and these must be provided in her diet.

Cats dine on small rodents, rabbits, birds, reptiles and insects. They will consume the entire animal, fur, tendons, blood, gut contents…  Even if your cat is an active outdoor hunter, you are going to offer her some food and will probably turn to some of the many commercial cat foods available.

feeding your cat A complete and balanced diet

A feral cat gets about 52% of his energy from protein and 46% from the fat of the prey he eats.  Your cat will need a diet with protein and fat.  Like other animals, the cells in his body require glucose (a carbohydrate) to function. Cats typically use proteins for energy and produce glucose via gluconeogenesis, regardless of fasting or starvation. But cats are flexible and if they consume a minimum amount of protein, they can use dietary carbohydrate as a source of glucose, and spare the proteins for other tasks, such as building and repairing tissues and acting as hormones (reference 3). When feeding your cat, you will want to offer him some fat and carbohydrates, in addition to protein.

How much fat? carbohydrates? protein?

Like people, cats are individuals and their dietary intake varies. Most of the time, we feed our cats and note if they gain or lose weight, and adjust their intake accordingly. 

What is a complete and balanced diet for a cat? A complete and balanced diet will provide the cat all the nutrition she needs, including essential amino acids, protein, fat and minerals. Most pet foods on the market will have a label stating that the food is formulated according to the guidelines established by the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) or in Europe, the European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF).  We look briefly at the AAFCO guidelines.

About AAFCO

The original guidelines were formulated in 1990 and have been revised several times; the latest iteration was in 2007-2008. The guidelines establish nutrient concentrations for ingredients typically sourced for pet food.  Nutrients include protein, fat, essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals.

AAFCO profiles guarantee that the product contains the minimum (or maximum) concentrations for the nutrients in the profile.   For example, protein in excess of the minimum concentration is acceptable whereas a maximum concentration for Vitamin D avoids concerns with toxicity. There are two profiles for cats: one for “growth and reproduction” and a second for “adult maintenance”.  The chart below shows the recommendations for fat and protein in cat foods. (Reference 1)

AAFCO Nutrient Profile Protein Fat
Growth & Reproduction 30% 9%
Adult Maintenance 26% 9%

The Cat Food Label:

The label that goes on a can or bag of cat food has eight items.  We will focus on item 4: the Guaranteed Analysis. This is a list of the percentage of each of the nutrients in the food. The minimum percent of crude protein and crude fat, and the maximum percent of crude fiber and moisture must be included. (See Feeding Your Cat: Choosing a Food for more about AAFCO labels).

Fats

There is not an established requirement for fat. The minimum concentration of 9% in the AAFCO guidelines is based on recognition of the role that fat plays in the diet: a source of essential fatty acids, a carrier of fat-soluble vitamins, enhances palatability, and supplies adequate calories. (Reference 1)

Fats are used for energy (providing 9 kcals/g) and if there is more fat than the cat needs in his diet, he will store it – like those “chonky” cats on the internet. Fats also increases the palatability of the diet and may encourage over-eating.  There are low-calorie diets containing less than 9% fat that have an AAFCO label.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are not listed in the guaranteed analysis. An estimated percentage of carbohydrates can be calculated by adding up the protein, fat, crude fiber, moisture and ash listed in the guaranteed analysis and subtracting this total from 100%. (Reference 2).

In the wild, cats eat a diet that is primarily protein and fat. This leads many folks to think that cats do not need or use carbohydrates. But like other animals, their cells require glucose to function.  They can either get this by breaking down protein or from dietary carbohydrate.

Carbohydrates are necessary in the processing of commercial cat food, particularly kibble. Most commercial dry foods contain 33-45% as carbohydrates (dry matter)(Reference 4); canned foods tend to have less than 10%.

Some carbohydrates in the cat’s diet will not present a problem providing he gets enough protein. Too much carbohydrate (even highly digestible carbohydrates) can cause diarrhea, flatulence and bloating (Reference 3).  Feeding your cat too much carbohydrate can also “dilute” the protein in the food – the cat may reach satiety before getting his necessary protein. Diets greater than 60% dry matter risk nutrient unbalance.  Even smaller amounts (50% dry matter) can be a problem – for example, kittens need a lot of protein and too many carbohydrates will reduce the protein available to them. (Reference 4)

And Now for Protein…

Your cat is an obligate carnivore and protein is an essential part of a cat’s complete and balanced diet.  Cats have distinct dietary requirements for protein and these will be the subject of the next post in “Feeding Your Cat”.

References

  1. AAFCO Methods for Substantiating Nutritional Adequacy of Dog and Cat Foods. https://www.aafco.org/
  2. Heinz, C. “Carb Confusion: Part 2. Measuring and Comparing Carbohydrates in Pet Foods” (9/27/21) https://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2021/09/carb-confusion-part-2-measuring-carbs/.
  3. Verbrugghe A, Hesta M. Cats and Carbohydrates: The Carnivore Fantasy? Vet Sci. 2017 Nov 15;4(4):55. doi: 10.3390/vetsci4040055. PMID: 29140289; PMCID: PMC5753635.
  4. Kirk, Claudia. “Feline Nutrition: What Is Excess Carbohydrate?”. Purina Companion Animal Nutrition Summit: Tackling Myths About Pet Nutrition, Atlanta, GA March 21-23, 2013.

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Three Things to Know When Feeding Your Cat

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Finicky cat with food choicesCats are what we call “obligate carnivores” – they have evolved to eat a diet primarily of animal meat. They have small stomachs, short intestinal tracts, and are designed to eat frequently.  A feral cat eats eats the equivalent of 6-8 mice as he hunts from dusk to dawn. In addition to small rodents, reptiles, birds, insects, and rabbits are also on the menu. He consumes the entire prey, including the blood, hair, skin, bones, tendons, and gut contents. These prey are high in protein, have some fat, but little carbohydrate. A feral cat gets about 52% of his energy from protein and 46% from the fat of the prey he eats.

This post is the first in a series that aims to highlight things you need to know when feeding your cat.

Three things to know when feeding your cat

Essential Amino Acids

Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, those molecules that are used to build and repair tissues and act as hormones or enzymes, among other roles.
Amino acids not synthesized in the body are called essential amino acids and must be consumed in the diet. The 9 essential amino acids required by most mammals are: histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. (Reference 1)

Cats must consume two additional amino acids: arginine and taurine. (Reference 1)

  • Taurine (for vision, cardiac muscle function and the function of nervous, reproductive and immune systems). Sources are meat, poultry (in particular the heart) and fish.
  • Arginine (for making proteins, stimulating the release of growth hormone and insulin, helps eliminate ammonia from the body).  Sources are animal tissue.

#1. These 11 essential amino acids will be supplemented in cat foods that are formulated according to the AAFCO feeding guidelines.

Feeding Your Cat – Can Cats Digest Carbohydrates?

Cats in the wild eat a diet high in protein and fat, with little carbohydrate.  Carbohydrates (grains, corn, potatoes, legumes) are needed to make dry commercial pet foods. Carbohydrates are combined with other nutrients to make a “dough” that is formed into kibble and cooked.  These foods certainly are convenient and many cats like them, but can they digest the carbohydrates in these foods?

CATS AND CARBOHYDRATES

Dietary carbohydrate provides glucose to the cells for most species including humans. If there is not enough dietary carbohydrate, proteins can be used as a glucose source via the process of gluconeogenesis. Gluconeogenesis occurs in the liver and is activated for most species during fasting and starvation.

In contrast, cats are obligate carnivores and consume a diet high in protein in the wild. They typically use proteins for energy and produce glucose via the gluconeogenesis pathway, regardless of fasting or starvation. Glucose can be stored in the tissues in the form of glycogen (Reference 2).

#2. Cats have low levels of the enzymes needed to digest carbohydrates in their saliva and gastrointestinal tract. However, recent studies have found that adult cats can digest carbohydrates added to a meat-based diet, providing the starches and grains are processed appropriately, for example, by cooking.

These studies also show that cats can increase or decrease protein metabolism depending on how much protein is available.  For this to happen, the cat has to eat a minimum amount of protein. After that threshold (about 15% metabolizable energy in cats) is reached, cats can use carbohydrates to produce glucose, sparing the proteins for other essential processes in the body, such as building and repairing tissues and acting as hormones. (Reference 3)

feeding your cat – make sure your cat eats every day

The Process of Starvation

Cats are designed to eat frequently.  When faced with dwindling food supplies, the cat will initially use glycogen for energy.  Once glycogen stores are depleted, amino acids are mobilized from lean muscle. Within a few days, the cat’s body will start to use fat stores for energy.

The fat moves to the liver to compensate for the fat that would normally be eaten in food. The cat’s liver can only process so much fat at a time and, consequently, fat can accumulate in the cat’s liver (“fatty liver syndrome”) and prevent the liver from functioning properly.

Hepatic Lipidosis – “Fatty Liver Syndome”

  • The liver of a cat with hepatic lipidosis may triple in size due to accumulation of fat.
  • Hepatic lipidosis is associated with anorexia (not eating).
  • The onset can be rapid, maybe 2-7 days.
  • Hepatic lipidosis can be FATAL!

Treatment of the Yellow Cat

The typical patient with hepatic lipdosis is a cat around 7 years old who is overweight. Clinical signs include lack of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy. As the disorder progresses, the cat’s ears, mouth and skin may take on a yellowish hue.

Cats with hepatic lipidosis require nutritional support and intravenous fluids to correct dehydration and electrolyte imbalances. Diagnostic bloodwork is done to identify possible underlying disease.

A feeding tube may be passed through the nose into the stomach or placed surgically in the esophagus via an incision in the neck.

With appropriate care, most patients survive although recovery often involves 3-6 weeks of tube feedings.

#3.  Please seek veterinary care promptly if your cat does not eat for 24-48 hours. Hepatic lipidosis is less costly to treat and the prognosis is better the sooner treatment starts.

 

Your cat evolved to be a superb hunter.  Along the way, her body adapted to a diet high in animal protein with a unique physiology and metabolism.  Here are three things to remember when feeding your cat:

  1. Choose a food formulated for cats to ensure that she will get all the essential amino acids she needs and enough protein.
  2. Cats can digest carbohydrates that have been processed appropriately if they consume sufficient protein.
  3. Make sure your cat eats every day. Seek veterinary care if she does not eat for 24-48 hours.
Daily Food Portion Cat
Gus looks at his daily food allotment. Treats count!

references

1. Danks, Lee. “The cat as a carnivore: proteins, carbohydrate and beyond” https://www.veterinary-practice.com/article/the-cat-as-a-carnivore-proteins-carbohydrates-and-beyond (viewed 4/29/23)

2. Schermerhorn, T. Front. Endocrinol., 03 December 2013, Sec. Clinical Diabetes,Volume 4 – 2013 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2013.00188

3. Laflamme, Dottie “Focus on Nutrition: Cats and Carbohydrates: Implications for Health and Disease”, Nutrition Compendium January 2010 (Vol 32, No 1). https://www.vetfolio.com/learn/article/focus-on-nutrition-cats-and-carbohydrates-implications-for-health-and-disease

 

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Reducing Your Cat’s Carbon Pawprint: Sustainable Cat Litter

Posted on by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6

In celebration of Earth Day, this week’s post continues to focus on sustainable cat care. One of your cat’s essential resources is his litter box. Litter boxes are typically made of plastic but there are many choices of litter box filler. How can your choice of cat box filler help in reducing your cat’s carbon pawprint?

What makes a cat litter sustainable?

  • Made from renewable resources
  • High absorbency to reduce the amount needed
  • Biodegradable

Reducing your cat’s carbon pawprint: sustainable cat litters

the scoop on kitty litter

Kitty litter is the brainchild of Edward Lowe. He began promoting fuller’s earth, an absorbent clay, as  a cat box filler in 1947. Previously sand and ashes had been used as cat box filler – neither had the absorbency of the new clay product.

Clay cat litters are still with us. The original kitty litter was a non-clumping litter. In 1984, Thomas Nelson developed clumping cat litter using calcium bentonite. Clay materials dominated the cat litter market in 2021 with a share of 83.6% per Grandview Research

Clay Litters are not sustainable

These materials come from strip mines. Not only are they not renewable (at least in our lifetimes), they wreak havoc on the environment. They are not biodegradable. They are, however, relatively inexpensive.

Alternatives to Clay Litters

Other types of litters include those made from silica, recycled paper, wood, corn, peas, walnut shells, coconut husks, and grass.

Cat litter made from silica (crystal litters) and diatomaceous earth also must be mined. Diatomaceous earth is the fossilized remains of tiny aquatic organisms called diatoms – again, these litters are not renewable and not sustainable.

Recycled Paper

Litters made from recycled paper come from sustainable sources. However, some paper litters are not very absorbent and have to be changed frequently.  This may contribute to increased mass in a landfill. Paper is biodegradable.

Clumping or non-clumping?
Clumping litters make it easier to scoop the litter box frequently (at least once a day!) The clumping litter sticks to the waste and keeps it from contaminating the remaining litter. It more likely that you will dump non-clumping litter more frequently because the soiled litter with  mixes the non-soiled litter.  Using non-clumping litter may increase the amount of litter in the landfill.

Plant-based Litters

Plant-based litters are made from corn, peas, wheat, wood, and even tofu by-products. Starch and plant fibers such as guar gum make these litters clump. These litters tend to be lighter, less dusty and more absorbent than clay litter and are biodegradable. They are unfortunately more expensive than the old clay standby but they are sustainable.

  • You can grow more plants to produce more litter.
  • The growing and harvesting methods do not damage the environment as much as strip mining.
  • Plant-based litters are more absorbent than clay and less plant-based litter is needed for the litter pan.

A Better Mousetrap?

The Tidy Cat Breeze system uses zeolite pellets on a grate with a disposable pad underneath to catch liquid waste. Per the manufacturer, the pad is changed every week and the pellets monthly.

Zeolite is another mined material so loses some marks in sustainability although some people wash and reuse these pellets. This can extend the life of the pellets by a few months. The absorbent pad is plastic-backed so this is more plastic to go in the landfill.  Another downside to this system is you may have to train your cat to use it – cats prefer softer finer particles in their litter.

litter in the landfill

 Disposal options for cat litters include landfills, flushing down the toilet, and composting.

  • Clay litters cannot be flushed down the toilet or composted.
  • Even biodegradable litters may not degrade much in a landfill.
  • Although much of the plant-based products can be flushed, there are the risks of clogged plumbing and introduction of pathogens into the water supply.
  • These litters can be composted although there are concerns about parasites and bacteria from decomposing pet waste.

Composting cat litter
This is a controversial topic. Although plant and paper-based soiled cat litters can be composted, home compost piles do not get hot enough to kill pathogens so you certainly do not want to use composted cat litter on vegetable gardens.

Reducing Your cat’s carbon pawprint using sustainable cat litter

As the sun sets on 2023 Earth Day, here are some conclusions:

  • Clay and other mineral based cat litters come from limited natural resources and are not sustainable.
  • Paper and plant-based litters come from renewable resources, are biodegradable, and more sustainable.
  • Paper and plant-based cat litters absorb more liquid than clay litters so not as much litter is needed in the litter tray.

If you are interested in reducing your cat’s carbon pawprint, consider trying the paper and plant-based litters.

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Reducing Your Cat’s Carbon Pawprint: Insect-based Foods

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Can insect-based cat food help you reduce your cat’s carbon pawprint?

Sustainability is a word you hear a lot these days, as more and more people compete for natural resources and deal with the effects of climate change. Sustainability is defined as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (United Nations Brundtland Commission 1987). So, you recycle plastics, take reusable bags to the grocery store, and limit the use of your car to reduce your “carbon footprint”.

How can you care for your cat sustainably? How can you go about reducing your cat’s carbon pawprint? In this post, we will talk about one of the recent trends in pet food aimed at sustainability: the use of insects as a food source (Reference 1)

reducing your cat’s carbon pawprint

Do Insect-based Foods Provide Sufficient Nutrition for Cats?

Our cats are obligate carnivores and are designed to eat primarily meat. Since many of our cats live indoors with us, they are not out hunting – we provide them meat-based cat food. Raising food animals (chickens, cattle, pigs…) for pet food produces significant amounts of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor…)  and so is not very sustainable.

Insect Nutrition

  • Meal made from insects has as much protein as animal meal.
  • Insects have amino acids that are very similar to those in animals and cats are able to digest these.
  • Insect larvae are a good source of energy due to their fat content.
  • Insects are rich in minerals and provide necessary dietary fiber.
  • Insects are more protein dense – per weight, it takes 3 times more chicken leg meat to provide the same protein as insect meal.
  • Insects make up 2% or more of a feral cat’s diet.

Reducing Your Cat’s Carbon Pawprint by Feeding Insect-based Foods

  • Insects require less water and land use than food animals.
  • There are lower greenhouse gas emissions when farming insects compared to food animals.
  • Mealworms and fly larvae convert 45-55% dietary protein into edible body mass compared to the 33% conversion rate of a chicken.
  • Insects can feed on fruit and vegetable by products, household waste, slaughter plant waste and convert this into edible food.

What Insects are Used for Pet Food?

There are three insects currently used in animal foods: black soldier fly larvae, mealworm larvae, and adult house crickets. Black soldier fly larvae are most commonly used in pet foods.

Are Insect Foods Safe for Our Pets?

The insect larvae are blanched, chilled or frozen, then dried and ground into meal. In the process, moisture is removed, reducing microorgansims and inactivating enzymes that cause spoilage.  Heat treatment of the meal when making pelleted foods helps reduce bacteria and microorganisms.

Most insect bacteria and viruses usually do not affect animals and humans.  However, insects can be vectors of some pathogens, parasites, and prions.  Feeding the insects on vegetable waste (and not animal waste) makes insect food safer.

More studies aimed specifically at cats eating insect-based foods are needed.

Do I want my cat to eat bugs?

In Asia, Africa and South America, it is not uncommon to find insects on the menu. Chapulines or fried grasshoppers can also be found in restaurants in Mexico and even in California and Texas. However, insect consumption is not widespread in western countries.

Researchers from Oklahoma State University conducted a survey of 1,021 Americans in 2021 to see if they would be more willing to consume food containing powdered crickets than raw oysters (a food that although widely eaten is viewed as “yucky” by some). The findings: about one-third of Americans are willing to both try and consume insect products on a regular basis, provided they are tasty and safe to eat. (see Reference 2)

Another survey (Reference 3) in the United States that targeted dog owners found that participants:

  • were more likely themselves to try food made with insect flour than to eat the whole insects
  • were  more willing to incorporate insect meal but not whole insects into their dogs’ diets.

Where Can I Buy Insect-based Cat Food?

A casual Internet search turned up a handful of companies marketing cat foods with insect protein.  Most of these are based in Europe and Asia.  The only cat food that I could easily purchase in the US is made by the Canadian company Catit.  Catit offers dry cat food mixes of insect protein with chicken or herring called Catit Nuna. I contacted Catit regarding feeding trials with these foods.  They responded that Catit Nuna is formulated by pet nutritionists and has undergone feeding trials per AAFCO protocols for acceptability, digestibility and palatability.

Insect-based cat foods certainly sound like they may offer some options in reducing your cat’s carbon pawprint. However, it looks like we will need to wait for more research and development before these foods become mainstream.

REFERENCES:

  1. Valdes et al., Insects as Feed for Companion and Exotic Pets: A Current Trend. Animals 2022, 12, 1450. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12111450
  2. Melissa Reed, Bailey F. Norwood, W. Wyatt Hoback, Angel Riggs, A survey of willingness to consume insects and a measure of college student perceptions of insect consumption using Q methodology, Future Foods,Volume 4, 2021,100046,ISSN 2666-8335, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fufo.2021.100046.
  3. Jennifer E. Higa, Matthew B. Ruby, Paul Rozin, Americans’ acceptance of black soldier fly larvae as food for themselves, their dogs, and farmed animals, Food Quality and Preference,Volume 90,2021, 104119, ISSN 0950-3293, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2020.104119.

 

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Ways to Socialize the Cat Afraid of Strangers

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A safe place for a cat when visitors come. This cat can CHOOSE to go higher or to another room if he wants to avoid strangers.

The doorbell rings and your cat runs and hides under the bed. You answer the door and your friend comes in. After some small talk, she says “By the way, how is Fluffy?” You explain that Fluffy is fine and is hiding – she just isn’t a very friendly cat.

The cat afraid of strangers may freeze or feel she has to protect herself with her claws and teeth during her veterinary exam.  Medication and training help but these will work better if your cat has some ongoing positive or at least neutral experiences with strangers.

Socialization for the cat afraid of strangers

Kittens handled gently and appropriately by a variety of humans when they are 2-7 weeks old (the sensitive period) quickly learn to accept people and enjoy being with them.

That is fine and good you say, but my cat is older now and I don’t have a time machine. It is true that we can’t have the same impact on an older cat as a kitten.  However,  we can still provide the older cat positive, predictable experiences with humans in and outside the cat’s household.

Ways to Socialize the cat afraid of strangers

Safe Places
Consider having some high perches or maybe a cat tree in your living room. Cats are curious folk and want to satisfy their curiosity if they can do it safely. A high perch or cat tree allows a cat to CHOOSE to interact or not.

CAT guidelines – Rules for Humans!
If a cat anticipates that a human will treat her in a positive and predictable way, she will be more likely to interact with that person. The CAT human-cat interaction guidelines  developed at the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, aim to make cats more comfortable when interacting with us and are easy follow.

Point out these guidelines to guests and ask that they follow them. The video version may be more appealing to children. After a few experiences of visitors seemingly ignoring your cat, she may start to show up when strangers come over.

Desensitizing Your Cat to the Sound of the Doorbell
Doorbells can be noisy and startling.  After all, doorbells are designed to alert us to deliveries or the arrival of visitors.

  • Record the doorbell sound on your phone.
  • Lure your cat to her high perch or cat tree in the livingroom.
  • Play the doorbell sound at a very low volume and offer her a high value treat.
  • Lure her down with target stick or treat. Repeat.

Gradually increase the volume of the doorbell sound over time. The doorbell will still be an unexpected noise but now has a positive association with it. You can also use the doorbell sound to cue your cat to go to her safe place (very useful if you have a door-dashing cat).

The Calm Before The Storm

For big holiday gatherings, you may also want to consider giving the cat afraid of strangers a supplement such as Zylkene or Anxitane a few days before the big event. These non-prescription supplements can make your kitty feel calmer when lots of unfamiliar humans are around.

Regular veterinary care is an essential part of a long and pain-free life for your cat. Regular visits can head off problems and spread veterinary costs out over time. Desensitizing your cat to strangers can help reduce his fear and anxiety at the vet clinic, making it easier to take him to the vet.

If you have concerns about how your cat is handled at the veterinary practice, consider taking your cat to a Cat Friendly practice, where staff is trained in feline handling techniques.

This is the final post in the “Better Vet Visits for Your Cat” series. I hope you try some of the techniques suggested in these posts. Remember to break things up in simple steps that your cat can understand and master. And, always try to see things from the “feline purrspective”.

 

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How to Give Your Cat A Bitter Pill

Posted on by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6
Pilling a Cat with Pet Piller
This cat knows how to take medication from a pet piller.

Many cats are terrified coming to the veterinary clinic. Some freeze in fear while others fight for their lives.  Calming medications given before the vet visit can reduce your cat’s anxiety!

Your vet has prescribed calming medication for your cat. So, what’s next?

How to Give Your Cat a Bitter Pill

Calming medications such as gabapentin and trazadone are bitter.  How do you give your cat a bitter pill?

Giving Medication in Food
Pros: convenient for the caregiver
Cons: If you give your cat a bitter pill in her food, she may refuse to eat that food in the future. Use something other than your cat’s regular diet, say, tuna fish.
Cons: Your cat needs to eat all the food to get her full dose of medication. Use as small an amount as possible of strongly flavored food to deliver the medication.

Tip: “Hunger is the best sauce” according to Sancho Panza’s wife, Teresa, in the novel Don Quixote. If your kitty is hungry, she will be more likely to eat the food containing the medication. Fast your cat overnight or pick up her food 2-3 hours before offering the medication in food.

Pilling by hand
If your cat accepts being “pilled”, coat the capsule or tablet in some butter or a pill treat, and slip it down kitty’s throat. Video Link.

Pros: You will know that your cat has gotten the medication
Cons: No one likes having something shoved down his throat. Your cat may gag and spit out the tablet.
Cons: It may be hard to repeat the dose if your cat decides to hide.

Tip: Reward your cat with some tuna juice or a tuna paste treat after she swallows the pill.  This will also help the tablet or capsule go down.

Other Ways to Give Your Cat a Bitter Pill

Make your cat a partner in his health care. Let’s reward him with something of value for taking the medication. Take a few minutes and think about what your cat really likes.  Is there a particular treat he likes – liverwurst, cheese, tuna or chicken paste? Catnip? Grooming session?

Do some “pill training” with the following methods before you try giving the medication. You can use hard treats or kibble as “fake pills”.  Start 3-4 days before you have to give the medication. This way you can practice your technique without wasting the prescription medication or running the risk of your cat biting into the bitter pill.

Introducing a pill into a stream of treats

This technique works best if the tablets are small and the cat is hungry. With larger tablets, you run the risk that the cat will bite into the bitter pill.

  • Offer your cat several treats.
  • Then offer a “fake” pill (a treat in a “pill treat”, cheese, liverwurst – something you can mold around the pill).
  • Immediately present more treats as your cat finishes eating the “fake” pill.
  • Video Link

Using a Pet Piller

Contercondition Pet Piller
Niki enjoys some chicken baby food on a pet piller.

You can use a “pet piller” to give the capsule or tablet. A pet piller is a tube with a plunger and a soft tip. The pill fits into the tip.

To use a “piller”, it is best to practice first with treats. If your cat likes tuna or chicken paste, start by offering your cat the paste on the piller and letting him lick it off. This way he associates swallowing with piller.

Work up to offering a “fake” pill in the piller after your cat has licked off the paste. You want to ease the “fake pill” into the side of mouth onto the “wave” (back) of the tongue. Avoid cramming the piller down the cat’s throat and making him gag. Follow with more paste on the piller to help your cat swallow the pill.

It may take a few trials for your cat to learn to use this gadget. Once he does, he will voluntarily swallow the pill in anticipation of getting more treats. This method works well for a variety of sizes of tablets and capsules. Video Link.

Using a Squeeze-Up Treat

If your cat likes the tubes of paste (Churu, Delectable) that you can squeeze up into her mouth, you can try to give small capsules or tablets using squeeze-up treats. You will want to cut the tube so that the opening is wide enough to accommodate the tablet or capsule that you are giving.

  • Give your cat some of the paste
  • Slip the capsule/tablet into the tube
  • Squeeze the paste with the medication up into your cat’s mouth.
  • Squeeze fast enough so that the tablet or capsule slips up into your cat’s mouth while she is licking and swallowing. On the other hand, don’t squeeze too fast or your cat will gag and refuse the treat.

Zelda, a Maine Coon cat, needs several gabapentin tablets to be calm for a lion cut. The other day, she bit into the first tablet in a pill pocket and then, understandably, refused the next treat-wrapped tablet. Fortunately, Zelda is trained to accept medication via a pet piller. She readily took the next tablet with the piller and was rewarded with a Churu treat.

Calming medications help reduce your cat’s anxiety and fear, resulting in a more productive veterinary visit. But it is challenging to give your cat a bitter pill. Training your cat to take medication not only ensures that your cat gets the medication he needs but also strengthens your relationship with him.

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