Cat diet food can be prescribed for felines that need to lose some weight or that suffer from a medical condition. The diet will be suited to speed up the recovery or to help the cat lose weight. Prescription diet foods are available in pet stores and should be administered only if the vet recommends these.
Prescription Diet Food
The prescription diet food for felines may be of different types, depending on the reason the cat needs the diet food.
The prescription food may contain various amounts of proteins, fats or fibers depending on the health condition of the cat. A cat with a weakened immune system will require an increased amount of proteins (over 30%, which is the amount recommended for adult healthy cats); on the other hand, if the cat has a kidney or liver dysfunction or bladder stones, the intake of proteins should be lowered.
A cat with digestive problems should receive a diet that is higher in fibers and lower in fats.
Diabetic cats also have special prescription diet food.
If the cat needs to lose weight, the prescription food will be poor in calories, but maintain a healthy amount of proteins fibers and fats.
It is important to check the types of preservatives used in these prescription cat diet foods; synthetic preservatives may not be recommended. Natural preservatives and antioxidants are preferred to the artificial ingredients.
Prescription Diet Food Prepared at Home
The prescription diet food may be purchased or prepared at home. The best way to ensure that your dog only gets certain ingredients is by feeding him home made food.
This can help healing or managing certain health conditions and may also be helpful in a weight loss program. The calorie intake on commercial food may only be approximate; estimating the amount of calories that exist in each fresh ingredient is easier.
Feline commercial food contains an unhealthy amount of carbohydrates that may cause obesity and other health problems or accentuate a present health problem.
Another advantage of home prescription cat diet food is that it won’t contain the additives and preservatives that are not needed by the cat’s organism.
The disadvantages of home prepared diet food include the fact that preparing the food every day is time consuming, may be more expensive and you may also fail to administer the right amounts of proteins, fats and fibers to your pet. Consult the vet and get a guide to an optimal diet that is recommended for your pet and his health condition.
Dietary Supplements
Typically, the prescription cat diet food should contain all the necessary nutrients for your pet; however, your vet may recommend a few supplements such as omega 3 or 9 and vitamin E, which will ensure that the skin and the coat of the cat are healthy.
The prescription diet food should be administered for life or for a limited time, depending on your cat’s condition. Talk to your vet and see what type of prescription food your cat requires and where to get this diet food from.