What to feed the Scottish cats?

There is an opinion among breeders that a Scottish Fold cat should be fed with special food, unlike its straight relative - otherwise it will have ears.

But this is not so - the representatives of both species need the same feeding ration. However, the list of recommended products differs from that which is suitable for representatives of other breeds.

Before the kitten reaches the age of 1 month, the mother feeds him, usually for the first 2 weeks the number of feedings reaches 10 times a day, and by the month there are already 8 of them, including night time.

If for any reason the mother is not there, or she cannot feed the young, then the owner should take care of the newborn.

In the first 2 weeks, feeding should be carried out every 2 hours at the rate of 30 ml per 100 g of body weight of the baby, from 2 to 4 weeks the volume of feeding should be already 50 ml per 100 g of weight and a month later - about 55 g

Enter the product with a syringe or a special pipette. The mixture is poured very carefully, so that the baby does not choke. Cow's milk kittens are not suitable. The fact is that cat's milk consists of 70% of water, it contains 11% of proteins and 3% of lactose, the fat content does not exceed 11%.

Cow's milk contains about 89% of water, 3.2% of proteins, 3.2% of fats and 5.3% of lactose. With all the similarity of the composition of the volume of proteins in cow's milk is much lower, but the amount of lactose, by contrast, is much higher than the proportion of the component in the cat. And any veterinarian will confirm that a large amount of lactose is absorbed by the body of a small kitten with great difficulty.

Monthly kitten begin to enter into the diet solid food. However, the concept of "solid" in this case is relative. The first time it is crushed and diluted to a mushy state, and the more liquid the mash is, the better for the young Scotsman.

Sometimes breeders are forced to inject feed up to 1 month - this happens if the cat is exhausted and has very little milk. - Then the kittens often begin to squeak, trying to stick to the cat's chest and the fingers of their owners.

Begin to lure from one kind of food, and only after the kitten has learned it, the next one is offered. Best of all, if fermented milk products - for example, low-fat cottage cheese or ryazhenka, act as the first food additive.

At 2 months, the Scottish body is already ready for weaning, but not sharp - the transfer to solid food should come slowly, which is why breeders rarely sell kittens under three months.At this time, the kitten eats about 6 times a day, and the total amount of food consumed is about 180 g per day.

By the end of the second month, you can offer your pet small pieces of meat - by this time his teeth are already formed. It will be better if you mix the meat with grated vegetables or soaked bran.

In 2 months, he is immunized against distemper and rhinotracheitis, and in 3 months he is boosted.

In 3-4 months, the kitten begins to grow actively, and its digestive tract is finally formed. During this period, it will be useful to introduce in the diet vitamin-mineral complexes, necessarily containing calcium.

From 4.5 months, the kitten is considered already a teenager, continues to grow, so it needs high-protein food. It best meets its protein needs meat. At the same time there is no need to grind the product, it can be served in sliced ​​medium-sized pieces, the animal at this stage of its life should definitely train the jaws.

From 5 months you can enter into the diet lean fish, it is desirable to take the sea - this product is offered to cats only in the form of boiled and no more than once a week.

From 9 months, the kitten is already considered an adult, although the Scots form up to two years, nevertheless, the animal's need for protein and calories is the same as that of older pets - 2-3 feedings per day are enough for it, the total amount of food is usually 180 -200 g

The little Scotsman must have his own bowls and constant access to water. Water should be changed daily, and the water bottle should be kept perfectly clean. By the way, cats are very fond of running water, so they like all kinds of "fountains".

Breeders around the world for many years now have been arguing that it is more useful for a small pet - natural or factory feed. An unequivocal answer to this question can not be given, since much depends on the owner's ability to work out a balanced menu for his pet at home, because nothing has been thought of as better than natural food.

But if you do not have the necessary time, it is better to stop at the feed, which contains all the necessary micro and macro elements, but keep in mind that preference should be given to premium class and superpremium class compositions necessarily marked “for kittens”.

When the kitten reaches one year old, the breeder no longer faces the task of fattening him, but the pet still requires proteins, as the main building material of organs and tissues, carbohydrates as an energy source, fats, vitamins and minerals.

Feeding naturalka is very useful for a cat, but it is necessary to make a diet correctly. About 80% of the menu should be protein foods - meat and fish.

• Meat. Usually the Scots give beef, veal, rabbit and chicken. The product must be low-fat and fresh, it can be given boiled or raw. In the latter case, it is necessary to pre-freeze it for several days to exclude infection with helminths.
• From offal It is recommended to include a liver in a kitten's diet, which contains vitamins that are beneficial for the hair and bones, as well as the heart - it includes taurine, which has a beneficial effect on the state of the digestive system and organs of vision.
• Fish they are given once in 7-10 days, it is best to stay in a hake or cod, the product is strictly forbidden to be given raw - only boiled or in the form of soup, do not forget to certainly separate the meat from the bones.
• Cottage cheese. Non-sour and non-fat varieties of the product are suitable for feeding the Scotchman. Cottage cheese is a rich source of potassium, which is required to maintain healthy bones. In addition, it contains proteins, which are the universal building material of the body.
• Cheese Scots can from time to time to offer unsalted and mild varieties of cheese. The product is rich in proteins and calcium, beneficial to the health of the pet.
• Sour milk. Other lactic acid products recommended for inclusion in the feline diet include whey or ryazhenka. But to feed a representative of the cat family with milk is not recommended. The fact is that after two months in the body of a kitten, the enzyme that is responsible for the absorption of this product ceases to be synthesized, which is why milk in the body of an adult cat is not processed, but only creates an additional load on the digestive system organs. Milk is allowed to be given only to small kittens and cats immediately after giving birth.
• Eggs Cats once a week, you can give the yolk of chicken eggs. The product contains vitamins, it is rich in amino acids and minerals, but you should not give proteins to your pet - they contain substances that prevent the absorption of taurine. If you feed an animal with quail eggs, you can use proteins and yolks, preferably in raw form.
• Despite the fact that cats are predators, they need vitamins, and the best source of them are vegetables. The cat's everyday menu should definitely include chopped carrots, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower and beets. In addition, vegetables are rich in fiber - it prevents constipation in an animal.
• Porridges are useful not only for children, but also for animals, so they must be present in the diet of an animal. For Scots, oats, barley, buckwheat and rice are useful. Due to the inclusion of croup in the nutritional system, a more effective dilution of the fecal masses takes place, peristalsis is improved and digestion is generally normalized. In addition, cereals are a good source of energy for an adult animal, so they are offered to a pet at least 3-4 times a week, always boiled without salt and oil. It is advisable to mix cereals with meat and vegetables.
• Greenery. It would not be superfluous to add chopped dill, parsley, as well as sprouted grains of millet and oats into the Scottish diet - these foods are rich in vitamins and have the most beneficial effect on the health of the Scottish cat.
• Butter. In small quantities in the cat's menu include unrefined oil of flax, sunflower, grapes and sea buckthorn. It is given in limited quantities - no more than one spoon a couple of times a week.

Ready-made cat foods are usually represented by canned food, jelly pieces and dry pads. As a rule, they include the same products as with natural feeding, only specially processed to keep them longer.

Keep in mind that not every food is equally useful for a pet.

Widely advertised Whiskas, Kitekat, Sheba or Friskies are cheap and sold in any store. However, the percentage of meat in them does not always correspond to the recommended, and the composition itself does not differ in "transparency".

As a result, the use of mass-market feed by Scotch is often the cause of serious pet health problems.

Mixed food involves the inclusion in the diet of both natural products and ready store. Immediately, we note that in this case it is better to combine a naturalka with wet food, dry ones require more water consumption, and it is more difficult for cats to “switch over”.

The finished feed also contains all the useful amino acids and probiotics, which contribute to the better digestion of pets and serve as prevention of many dangerous diseases of cats and cats.

Keep in mind that combining both types of foods in the same feeding is not worth it. It will be optimal if in one meal you offer a naturalka animal, and the next - the finished composition. Thus, all the beneficial micro-and macronutrients will be ingested by the Scot gradually.

The nutrition of sterilized cats and neutered cats has its own specifics. So, for the first time at 12 o'clock, the cat is moving away from the anesthesia - at this moment you do not need to offer food, as soon as the animal begins to feel better, you should give it a drink through a syringe, making sure that the pet does not choke.

Usually on the first day the Scots refuse to eat, forcing them to eat by force is not worth it. On the second day, the animal is offered about a third of the usual portion, this is important so that the animal does not strain during the bowel movement.

After 3 days, the appetite returns to the Scots, and they begin to show an interest in food - from this point on, one can begin to gradually increase the amount of food, bringing it to 150 g per day.

From time to time, check your fluffy: once a month you spend your hands on its sides - if you feel for the ribs, it means you have nothing to worry about, and if the cat has gained too much weight, you should temporarily eliminate the cereals from its diet, focusing on meat, vegetable and fish products.

If you feed your pet ready mixes, you should purchase specialized formulations "for neutered and sterilized animals."

In conclusion, let's talk about what products have no place in the menu of the Scottish cat.

• Sweet. Candy, cakes, cakes and chocolate are under strict prohibition - they lead to the development of diabetes in an animal.
• Salty. Canned pickles are becoming a common cause of kidney disease, including urolithiasis, to which the Scots are already prone by nature.
• Sharp Dishes with spices cause indigestion in adult cats, and in kittens can lead to serious diseases.
• Fatty. Allowed in minimal quantities and only for adult cats. This applies to both sour cream and pork - with the abuse of these products, the pancreas of the pet simply does not withstand the load.
• Canned food. Any canned foods contain a large amount of salt, vinegar, all sorts of synthetic additives that are harmful to the kidneys of the pet.
• Citrus. Able to permanently disable the organs of smell of the Scottish cat.
• Fruits. Unlike some other breeds of cats, the Scots can not digest the fruit, so their abuse causes problems with digestion.
• Mushrooms and legumes. Considered too heavy food for animals.

How to make the first lure for monthly kittens, see the following video.