Food and Drink
Food
Cats all have different food preferences. Some like moist food some prefer the dry food but most vets recommend dry foods, which they say are better balanced. The best thing is to see what your cat prefers. Mine eat the better quality dry foods, but every so often I treat them with some moist. Bebel my Siamese loves fresh fish but the other two are never interested in it!
Personally I think that cheap moist cat food is a bit like human junk food! Let's face it, that can of sub animal products with the 4% real meat in it has been in existence for at least 6 months, so without the chemical flavouring which makes it attractive, your cat wouldn't touch it with a barge pole, nor would you! Another thing to bear in mind also is about the quantity of sugars present in the dry foods and particularly the special treats available! Why do you think there is an increase in cats suffering from tooth decay and diabetes!!!
Never give cats chocolate as this is poisonous to them (dogs too) at certain concentrations. Also, avoid too much of the following: red tuna, raw liver as this can cause bone disease. Some American Vets say that garlic and onions can cause enemia in cats, however a Vet I know says garlic is good for them! Aspirin and other drugs, as well as insecticides for fleas if eaten can poison cats. (Although your vet may prescribe the correct aspirin dose for your cat for certain conditions).
Remember pregnant and lactating females will eat a lot more than normal and you can give them a little cheese and yoghurt to supplement their diet. Cats often have strange tastes both in food and in smells. For instance, my cat Misty likes peanut butter and the smell of our feet! When she was pregnant she loved cheese but after the kittens were weaned she wasn't interested. I read of one cat who loved a certain brand of tooth paste and insisted on smelling inside her owners mouth after they had cleaned their teeth!
Unlike dogs, cats cannot survive long-term on a purely vegetarian diet as they will not receive sufficient levels of the fatty acids and amino acids they require. But cats do need some fresh vegetable matter in their diets, and cat grass and/or catnip can help provide this. Many cats go crazy for catnip. They actually behave as though they are intoxicated. They often lie on their backs and roll around with their paws in the air.
My cat Misty gets upset if I even touch her grass or move it, but it made her day when I moved it next to the cushion where she sleeps and now she's perfectly happy for me to stroke her all over while she nibbles at and inhales the grass! So if you want your cat to sleep in a particular spot and she's partial to cat grass then put it next to this spot and see if she gets the message.
Drink
Cats like any animal need to drink! They need clean drinking water readily available (especially if they mainly eat dry food) although many people find their cats prefer to drink running water (in basins and toilets so keep the lid down!) or dirty puddles when given the chance. This may be due to the fact that they can't smell the clean water so it's invisible to them, or in fact they can smell it but it is full of chemicals they dislike (too much chlorine?) so they won't drink it!
Some people and vets say that milk is bad for cats, yes, certain cats may get diarrhoea because they can't digest it but many other cats in the past have been fed on milk everyday of their lives with no problems. You can buy 'cat milk' which is specially formulated for cats.
