What cereals can be given to cats in the diet

Approaching the issue of making up a diet for a fluffy pet, it is worth remembering that it is important not only to choose a cereal, but also to determine whether it satisfies physiological needs and takes into account individual health characteristics. This is done in two stages: theoretical – by studying the various indicators of cereals; and practical – by trying different cereals and monitoring the condition of the cat.

Veterinarian's Notes. Feeding the cat natural food

Many cat owners choose pre-packaged cat food, and they are understandable. According to a survey I did, 86% of us use ready-made cat food for our cats (60% feed only cat food and another 26% alternate between cat food and natural food).

Veterinarian's Notes. How pets affect us, what do you feed your kitties and your dogs' favorite hobbies, survey results

Every type of feeding has its pros and cons, and today we're going to look at the basics of feeding cats and cats natural food.

A natural diet for a cat is not food from your table, but specially prepared and balanced food.

1. The basis of the diet (up to 90 percent of the bowl) should be meat. Preferably raw meat. Deep-frozen (2-3 days at minus 18 degrees) meat from a decent vendor:

On pork, the opinion of experts is controversial. And not even because of fat content, there is lean pork. And because there are diseases that are transmitted with pig meat to cats. Freezing the meat does not help. Since these diseases are not transmitted to humans, pork is not tested for them.

Of the by-products, beef, chicken and turkey hearts are very useful. They contain most of all the taurine that cats need. Muscle meat also contains it, but only in raw form.

Keep in mind, meat is high in phosphorus but low in calcium. You will have to give the cat cartilage (useful for brushing teeth), chopped and chopped chicken necks. Some owners give their cats chicken heads.

If you don't give the cat meat and bone components, you'll have to give calcium. Calcium chilate or calcium citrate is better. Their digestibility in cats is much higher than that of calcium carbonate and calcium gluconate.

You can: lean oceanic fish, no skin or bones. Deep-frozen beforehand. In chunks.

Fish can be replaced with fish oil or omega-6 and omega-3 supplements.

In nature, regular cats do not eat fish. It is more of an exception to the rule if the cat manages to catch a fish.

4. vegetables. Preferably seasonal. A chubby cat can increase the proportion of vegetables in the bowl.

You can: zucchini, beets, pumpkin, carrots, broccoli, cucumber, cauliflower, leaf lettuce, celery, spinach, parsley, dill. Be guided by your pet's taste. And keep in mind that vegetables need to be chopped.

For better absorption of vitamins from vegetables, you can drop a few drops of vegetable or linseed oil into the prepared bowl.

5. Dairy products. Sour cream is too greasy. It is better to treat kitty with ryazhenka, kefir, sour milk, cottage cheese, yogurt.

Cereals for cats: do you need them in your cat's diet?

This makes sense: before you ask what cereals can cats eat, you need to figure out if they are needed at all. In general, cats are 100% carnivores and should have meat (live protein) as the main component of their diet.

But if your cat doesn't suffer from any serious illnesses, then you can dilute his diet with some cereals suitable for cats.

If your cat eats porridge with pleasure and no side effects are observed, it can be a great addition to his diet plan. Don't forget that cereals are carbohydrates, and their amount should not exceed 5-10% of the total amount eaten during the day.

How do I give my cat gruel?

We have already talked about the amount of porridge in a cat's daily diet. But you should not forget about the rules of serving, which will make this food as safe and healthy as possible for the animal:

• Don't let your cat eat raw porridge. Grits of porridge can be very spicy and a cat can choke or damage its internal organs.
• Do not add any condiments or sauces, especially salt, oil, sugar, garlic and so on to the porridge. These are all very unhealthy and sometimes life-threatening for the cat.
• Do not give your cat stew with porridge. These are usually very fatty dishes and can give the cat an upset stomach.
• Do not replace your cat's main meals with porridge. You must keep a healthy diet plan for your cat.
• Always check which cereals can be given to cats and which cannot. In addition, a cat can be allergic to certain foods, so any new food should be given cautiously and after that you must monitor the general condition of your cat.
• Do you have porridge in the fridge that has been sitting there for a week? It should not be given to the cat. The stomachs of our small pets are very sensitive and they tolerate poisoning worse than humans. You should only feed your cats fresh food.
• Do not give your cat porridge cooked with milk, because lactose intolerance is common among adult cats.

Allowed types of cereals

Not all cereals can be given to domestic cats, only four of them are allowed.

Oatmeal

Oatmeal is well digested, has a coating and anti-inflammatory effect, has a positive effect on the gastrointestinal tract, so it is recommended to include it in the diet of cats with sensitive digestion, kittens and animals of advanced age.

Rice

Rice is a natural absorbent that cleanses the intestines and stabilizes digestion. It contains more than half of the carbohydrates, 10 different macronutrients and trace elements, vitamin C and 5 B vitamins.

For preparing cat food, it is better to use unpolished rice, (it retains more nutrients). Fish, meat, and cooked vegetables can be added to the rice porridge prepared for the cat.

Buckwheat

Like other cereals, buckwheat contains a lot of carbohydrates. It also contains 6 types of B vitamins, vitamins A, C, D, E, H, K, PP. The list of mineral elements contained in buckwheat grains is represented by the list of 19 names. Buckwheat porridge for cats can be boiled in water or broth, topped with vegetable oil or animal fat and finely chopped meat can be added.

Pearl (barley)

Barley grains contain a standard set of vitamins and minerals for cereals. The caloric value of barley porridge is low, but it takes a long time to digest it, and it cleanses the gastrointestinal tract well, so it is useful for overweight cats. It is better to boil barley or barley porridge together with pieces of meat or fish. To speed up cooking, it is recommended to soak the groats for several hours before cooking.

Cereals not allowed for cats

Cats should not eat porridge made from cereals such as semolina, millet, corn. The reasons for the bans for each cereal are different:

• Semolina is high in calories, while at the same time the amount of nutrients in it is low. If consumed frequently, this millet cereal can cause obesity, vitamin and mineral deficiencies and even diabetes in a cat.
• The grains millet too much coarse fiber, millet gruel takes a very long time to digest, so it can lead to gastrointestinal problems. The disadvantages of this type of cereal also include its high content of gluten (gluten), to which the body of cats often react with persistent digestive disorders: bloating, flatulence, dyspepsia.
• Corn gruel Is very poorly digested. While giving a feeling of fullness over a long period of time, it provides hardly any nutrients to the cat's body. This product should only be given to cats on the recommendation of the veterinarian if a good colon cleansing is necessary.

Do not give cats cereal gruel together with dry or wet ready meals, as the veterinarian advises. It overloads the digestive system of the animal and causes imbalance of vitamins and microelements in his body. It is recommended to take at least a six-hour break between meals of ready-made and homemade food.

Questions and Answers about Feeding Cats with Porridge

Let's look at the most popular questions and answers about feeding cats porridge:

• At what age can cats be fed porridge? 1-1.5 months is the earliest age when baby kittens can be given some porridge with milk, and from 2 months onwards porridges with meat or vegetable broth can be cooked. Grown-up cats can have porridge with meat, fish or vegetable broth, but you may have to stop using milk porridge: many cats have diarrhea with this natural product, while others do not use milk due to lactose intolerance. However, if the stool is alright after eating the milk porridge, without excessive gas and stomach cramps, then you do not have to give up milk;
• Can cats be given porridge together with prepared food? No, this is not the right way to feed your cat. First of all, it overloads the digestive system. Secondly, it leads to an imbalance of vitamins and minerals. Good quality premium food already has everything a cat needs. Therefore, animals accustomed to store-bought dry or canned foods do not need porridge;
• Can I give cats instant porridge? As a matter of fact, such foods should not be eaten either by cats or humans. They contain little dietary fiber and nutrients, but a lot of flavorings and preservatives, soy, palm oil. In addition, these porridges contain a lot of sugar and salt, products which are undesirable for cats;
• How to cook cat porridge correctly? Porridge for cats is cooked exactly the same way as for humans. For example, buckwheat is boiled as follows:

1. First, prepare a clean pot, a pan, the groats themselves, clean cold water and 1 tbsp. of vegetable (preferably olive oil). Cats do not need salt;
2. Then the buckwheat is sorted by hand to remove small debris, if any;
3. Afterwards the buckwheat is burned in a pan for a few minutes. This point can be skipped, but then the porridge will not be so crumbly;
4. Pour the buckwheat into a pot and rinse it several times with water;
5. Pour the buckwheat with boiling water. The water should be 2.5-3 times more than the groats. For example, to boil 1 tbsp. of buckwheat you need 2.5-3 tbsp. of water. By the way, instead of water you can take broth, which makes the porridge more tasty and nutritious;
6. Boil the buckwheat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the porridge is not ready (grits are stiff and uncooked), you should add a little more water and increase the cooking time;
7. In the cooked hot porridge add butter and stir (butter, and the more so spread for cat porridge is better not to use);
8. Porridge before serving the pet can be flavored with chopped boiled vegetables (zucchini, pumpkin, carrots), and better meat (chicken without skin or turkey, veal, rabbit) or by-products (some liver, chicken hearts, etc.). Store the cooled porridge should be in the refrigerator no more than 3 days in a glass jar under a lid. So you should not cook a lot of porridge for one kitty at once. Cooked buckwheat, like any other porridge, spoils rather quickly and loses its taste;

Forbidden porridges in the cat's diet

Cereals take a long time to digest in the cat's body, so there are a number of "forbidden" cereals that disrupt the entire gastrointestinal tract of the cat. The animal's body simply can not digest them. These include the following cereals:

• Manna. The heaviest cereal. Recent medical studies show that this cereal should not be given even to young children due to its difficult digestibility. Manna is also harmful to cats. The opinion that skinny cats should be fed semolina is wrong! Moreover, this "type" of feeding can kill the cat.
• Millet. This dish is also very caloric and puts a serious strain on the stomach of the animal.
• Any kind of instant porridge. In the process of digestion, this food releases twice as much sugar, one of the most harmful products for the cat's gastrointestinal tract.

The "right" cereals for cats

Many cereals are good for cats. They are easy to digest and boost the animal's immune system.

The most useful for cats is considered to be rice. And it is better to use rice, which is not ground, as it has more trace elements and useful substances. Rice stabilizes the very process of digestion, improves the frequency of stools. It is better to cook rice porridge in meat broth and add meat pieces or vegetables to the portion.

No spices except for a pinch of salt should be added to cat food, since it can cause serious harm to animals, either to cause indigestion or to provoke the beginning of gastrointestinal diseases.

The second most popular among breeders is buckwheat. It is rich in carbohydrates, fiber, and healthy proteins, which are well synthesized into energy rather than fat. Buckwheat also contains a lot of iron and calcium, which is important for the growth and development of kittens.

You can give cats porridge in meat broth or milk, if the cat is still small. For better digestibility and nutrition, dress the buckwheat with butter. Slices of cooked meat should also be added.

Another useful porridge is oatmeal. You can give herkules, mixing it with cat food, as practice shows that oatmeal is not to the taste of many pets. However, this cereal is very necessary for the cat's body, as it contains a special vitamin – biotin, which helps to prevent skin diseases. In addition, it has a whole set of useful substances:

Oatmeal is the only porridge that can be cooked with milk, even for an adult cat. If you cook oatmeal on water, then mix it with vegetables and meat.

Another "proper" porridge is pearl barley. Its main purpose in a cat's menu is to clean the digestive tract. In addition to being rich in vitamins A, B and D, it also contains phosphorus, iodine, as well as amino acids that the cat's body needs, which help improve intestinal peristalsis and also help with allergic reactions.

How often can a cat eat porridge?

Porridge with chicken for a cat is a common treat for a cat, and if you look into it, there are plenty of benefits. Naturally, gruel cannot be compared to meat, but if you draw a parallel with cheap food, poultry and cereal are definitely preferable. When formulating a cat's diet, it is important to consider the cat's needs, in our case, we need to not overdo the carbohydrates.

You certainly can't do your cat any harm by feeding it meat porridge 1 or 2 times a week.. Young animals and cats with a fast metabolism can be given gruel up to 3 times a week.

In any case, if you decide to feed your cat porridge you need to be careful and observant. With long-term and excessive consumption of cereals, some cats develop dysbacteriosis. This disorder is unnoticeable at first glance, but it can cause various disorders and diseases. Dysbacteriosis is followed by metabolic disorders, and then unstable operation of internal organs and reduced immune defense of the body. All these changes happen gradually and very slowly, so the cat's condition must be monitored regularly. Frequent consumption of porridge leads to excess carbohydrates and obesity. Excess weight is detrimental to the whole body, but the heart suffers the most.

The introduction of porridge into the diet is justified, because when consuming only meat, some cats also develop digestive problems. For example, young animals may be constipated due to a lack of coarse fiber. Adult cats who are not used to eating vegetables and herbs also suffer from digestive disorders. The reason is all the same – a lack of coarse fiber. In both cases, gruel will act as a brush and stimulant for intestinal peristalsis.

How to prepare porridge?

You can find different recipes for making porridge for animals, but the general rules are the same. Cereal can be cooked in a low-fat broth or in water, here the situation is individual. Young animals are happy to eat porridge on broth, but adult cats may refuse such a treat. The reason is that too fatty food puts additional strain on the liver.

Boil the cat's porridge with Make porridge for cats in the following proportions: 50% meat and by-products, 35% groats, 12-13% vegetables and herbs and the rest are supplements, vitamins and oils. It is important that all the components of the meat porridge be of the same degree of readiness. If the grits are boiled and the meat is raw, such a treat simply will not be digested.

No spices or salt should be used in the porridge preparation process! All flavors are addictive to cats and salt leads to urolithiasis. You can boil a quarter of an onion in the broth to enhance the flavor (no onions should be added to the porridge). To enhance the flavor, stew the meat and vegetables with a few drops of meat and a tablespoon of broth.

Before serving, the porridge should be cooled and stirred. Keep the cooked treat should be in the refrigerator. Cold porridge can be heated in the microwave, in a water bath or mixed with hot broth. Remember that cold food is much less digestible than warm food.

Should you make a mixture?

The answer to the question about mixing different varieties of cereals is unambiguous: you should not experiment. Each porridge has its own characteristics of digestion and assimilation by the body, so you should not complicate and "weight" this process. You can alternate grains, change them and otherwise diversify the diet, but mixing should be avoided. This is the golden rule of veterinary nutrition.

Veterinary experts around the world include buckwheat and rice in their recommendations for natural nutrition, because these two cereals are well tolerated by pets, do not cause allergic reactions, they are nourishing enough and do not burden the digestive tract. At the same time the veterinarians say that you should not feed these cereals to cats in excess, but always in moderation.

Cereals for cats should not be fed that have been prepared for humans. Cereals for cats should be cooked in separate portions, without sugar and salt, without spices, and without vegetable and butter.

As already mentioned, the cereal content of the daily diet should not exceed 20-30% for adult cats and 20% for kittens. The latter need a lot of animal protein for growth and development, which is found in meat products, not cereals. As a pet grows up, you should exclude porridges cooked with milk from its menu, replacing them with porridges cooked with water or meat or fish broth.

The best choice

Based on all the parameters of porridges and the recommendations of veterinarians, we would like to advise to make buckwheat the main type of porridge in the diet. If the pet has no contraindications (diabetes, autoimmune, allergic and cancer), then it will be the best option. In this case you can alternate it with other porridges according to the scheme:

• Monday – buckwheat groats;
• Tuesday – buckwheat;
• Wednesday – rice grits;
• Thursday – buckwheat;
• Friday – buckwheat;
• Saturday – buckwheat or oatmeal;
• Sunday – rice or oatmeal.

What porridges are recommended to feed to cats

Given the physiological characteristics of the gastrointestinal tract of carnivores, dietary easily digestible cereals, namely buckwheat, rice and oatmeal, are most suitable for cat food.

Buckwheat porridge is rich in vitamins B, E, PP, folic acid, and contains minerals – iron, calcium, phosphorus, copper, iodine, cobalt. The high content of vegetable protein provides its high nutritional value, and the richness of fat-like substances called "lecithins" causes its use in diseases of the liver, gallbladder and pancreas.

This is the only porridge that can be safely fed to cats suffering from diabetes. It is also suitable for animals suffering from gastritis and colitis. Regular consumption of buckwheat has good effects on the immune system, hematopoiesis, skin and coat.

Rice grits is considered a source of pantothenic acid, choline, folic acid, biotin, as well as selenium, potassium, iodine, iron, calcium, zinc. The usefulness of rice for the body is determined primarily by its ability to form at boiling a large amount of mucous decoction, favorably affecting the gastrointestinal tract.

Regular use of rice porridge normalizes the stool at gastritis and colitis, and also has a beneficial effect on metabolic processes and the condition of the hair coat. This porridge is excellent for cats with gluten allergies. The mild, neutral taste of rice cooked in meat or fish broth, with the addition of a protein component (muscle meat, offal, fish) usually pleases even the most capricious murkies.

Oatmeal made of flaked oatmeal is also very popular with kitties. It boils well and is considered suitable even for feeding small kittens. However, some cats may be allergic to the gluten of oats, which is manifested by indigestion of this food, diarrhea and inflammation in the intestines (so-called "celiac disease").

Characteristics of other cereals

In Soviet times, semolina was considered the best cereal for children's and dietary nutrition because of its high digestibility and rapid digestibility of nutrients. Young animals fed on semolina are excellent for gaining weight. In addition to high protein and easily digestible carbohydrates, semolina is rich in iron and gallium, which is part of the shell of red blood cells and is a permanent element of the blood.

However, many modern nutritionists question the usefulness of this cereal because of the high content of wheat gluten, which is the most well-known allergen.

Wheat gruel – is one of the cheapest, and is therefore a traditional staple in the menu of thrifty dog owners. For cats, whose digestive tract is evolutionarily adapted to the processing of meat food, wheatgrass has more of a ballast function and is difficult to digest because of the abundance of coarse vegetable fiber. Allergenicity of ground wheat porridge is another significant disadvantage.

Barley porridge (barley and barley groats) are also rich in fiber and have a low digestibility for meat-eating cats. The value of the composition is determined by considerable content of iron and folic acid, which is important for hematopoiesis. Barley gruel, if thoroughly digested, can be included in the menu of cats for obesity and constipation, but animals with delicate stomachs are contraindicated.

Corn grits Causes indigestion and flatulence in cats. Oddly enough, however, many whiskers adore it, as well as boiled corn right off the cob and a crunchy extruded product called "corn sticks." It is noteworthy that many manufacturers of ready-to-eat pet foods massively add corn to dry feeds. Note that corn is a natural source of trace elements (iron, molybdenum and nickel), contributing to body replenishment.

Millet porridge is not recommended for cats as a regular diet because of the high probability of intestinal problems: fermentation, constipation and diarrhea. Especially undesirable is the use of millet for animals suffering from chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. With all this product contains quite a lot of nicotinic acid, copper, manganese and zinc. When storing millet, the fats it contains quickly oxidize, and the porridge acquires a bitter, rancid taste.

How to feed natural food to your cat: rules for choosing and preparing food

Deciding to feed natural food to the cat, be prepared for the fact that you will have to make a separate menu, taking into account all the needs of the cat. In theory it is more complicated than in practice, you just need to know the allowed foods and know how to combine them.

Cats are carnivores, so feeding natural food is more natural for them. Many owners transfer their pets to industrial food, and there are a number of reasonable reasons for this.

It's worth understanding that Industrial food – a worthy alternative to natural food, if:

• You do not have time to cook for the cat, that is better dry food than leftovers from the table.
• The cat needs a therapeutic diet, such as acute allergies or urolithiasis.
• You do not have the ability to purchase quality (natural) food.
• Neither you nor the veterinarian can choose the optimal diet for the cat, that is, the animal is constantly suffering from avitaminosis or metabolic disorders.

Please note! It is wise to transfer a spayed cat after surgery to a low-salt diet, but not to a food that affects metabolism.

Cats need a balanced diet, but there are several important points. Humans, in order to live normally, need to consume proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, trace elements and amino acids. In a cat, everything is the same except for the carbohydrates. Your pet's body synthesizes slow carbohydrates, from which the okra gets enough energy to power the brain. Simply put, a cat doesn't need additional carbohydrates unless there is a specific reason for consuming them. Porridge is usually used as a supplement, but it should be the basis. Ideally, a healthy cat's diet should not contain more than 10% carbohydrate foods.

A cat's natural diet

Properly feeding a cat a natural diet means following the pet's natural principles of nutrition as much as possible. The diet should be based on raw meat, because a feral cat does not cook a mouse before eating it. However, raw meat can be a source of dangerous parasites, so the product should be deep-frozen before feeding.

Please note! Deep freezing involves storing the product in a frozen state for 2-5 days.

For the proper functioning of the digestive tract, the cat should receive food in its natural form, that is, in pieces. There is no point or benefit in chopping meat into minced meat (unless we are talking about feeding it to a kitten). Feeding ground meat to mince or pate is relevant if the cat is missing teeth or has gum problems.

Meat

Cats do not cook caught game and do not clean it, that is, they eat it together with the fur, stomach and its contents. Knowing this fact, we can conclude that pure meat is not really a natural diet for a cat. A pet needs by-products, which should make up 15 to 30% of the protein food (depending on the cat's needs). By-products should not completely replace meat. To be fair, we should note that many owners feed their cats mostly meat by-products because it is cheaper that way. In this case, priority should be given to the heart and stomach.

Important: A cat's diet should necessarily include poultry or beef heart, because this product contains the amino acid taurine. The cat is the only pet that has a need for taurine but cannot synthesize it.

The general principle of feeding for all cats, regardless of age or lifestyle, is to separate different types of foods. That is, if the cat eats meat, milk can be given in the next feeding. An adult cat should take food 2 times a day, and in case of health problems the daily rate of food is split into 3-4 parts. An adult cat should get 300-400 grams of meat every day, in addition to additional foods.