Prepared Food
These can be divided into three categories:
1. Canned, moist - Ideal for nutritious. instant meals
2. Packet, semi moist - Convenience food in the owner's absense
3. Packet, dry - Generally fed as a treat, not as a main meal.
Canned foods
These can be meat- or fish-based. The main ingredients are meat/fish, cereals, fat, vitamins and minerals, preservatives, water and gelling agents.
Semi moist foods
Can be fed as altenative to the canned food, again in meat and fish varietics, or a combination. The main ingredients are cereal, protein, vitamins and minerals, flavoring, preservatives and water.
Dry foods
Again, all meat and fish flavours are available. The main ingredient are cereal, protein, vitamins and minerals, flavoring, preservatives and water. These foods are specially dehydrated and drinking water should always be made available with this type of meal.
Fresh foods
Never offer raw meat or fish. It is a good idea to mix finely grated carrots and other root vegetables with the main meat/fish meal. If you can outwit your cat into eating it!
Nutritional treats
Other edible goodies specially formulated to provide extra vitamins/nutrients and delight the cat at the same time are; cat sweets; meat, fish or cheese flavoured cat 'treats' ; yeast tablets, vitamin-fortified milk food drops or powder; feline friendly flavored mineral and vitamin powder to sprinkle onto a meal.
Cat chews
Just the job to keep kitty's jaws in good fettle - with the added bonus of cleaning the teeth. Never forget that cats are oblig are carnivores and that gnawing and chewing is, to them, just part life's rich tapes-try. Cat chews come in meat, fish, cheese and even "mouse" flavours.
Cat milk
A highly nutritious cat milk is available - waxed cartons, so that you can return it to a cool place after use. This product is ideal for food-shy, sickly or elderly cat who will take milk rather than food, and as suppliment for the pragnent or lactating queen. It typically contains vitamins, iron, taurine and lactose.
Liquid refreshment
Water: All cats and kittens need ready access to fresh, clean water at all times. Tap water can be treated with chemicals and your cat may not take to it. If this case, the water should be purified.
Milk: Some cats and kittens cannot tolerate milk, since it causes them diarrhea and other intestinal upsets, particularly the foreign and Oriental pedigree breeds. Domestic felines can well do without milk since it is a food, not a means of quenching their thirst.
Picture: Serve dry foods in a double dish, with the food in one side and water in the other.