+ What food should I feed my cat?
Our understanding of nutrition has come on leaps and bounds in the last few decades and there is more to choosing a diet than just “wet or dry” food. What food you choose is dependent on many factors. Home cooked or commercial? Branded or own brand? How many treats? Do old cats need different food to young cats? … and the list goes on. As more pet food companies appear adding more options to the mix, so the choice of pet food becomes an increasing list rather than decreasing.
The internet is a great place to get background research on nutrition. However, caution should be exercised when reading posts, or blogs, because the internet provides everyone with the opportunity for people to write and post anything unfiltered or unchecked. Thus, we are left with many sources of information, of which some sources are contradictory to each other, and combine to make matters even more confusing. If this is what you have already experienced then give us a call and we will be happy to advise and offer a guiding hand when needed.
A good starting place is to consider these questions: what breed are they, how old are they, how active are they, are they neutered, or do they have any health conditions. From here we can then narrow down the options to suit your cat’s needs best.
+ What is better - Home Cooked or Commercial diet?
This is not a simple question to answer. You may wish to feed a home cooked diet because you want to ensure the best ingredients are given to your cat, or you may believe it will be more cost effective. Likewise, you may wish to stay on commercial pet food because they are formulated to include everything your cat will need and you won’t have to worry about getting the correct concentration of nutrients, just work out the right volume of food to feed.
When feeding cats it is important to remember that cats are obligate carnivores. This means they must eat high levels of protein. If a home prepared diet is desired then employing a feline nutritionist is essential, whilst all commercial foods will be certain to include the right nutrients to ensure this protein need is met.
Whichever feeding method you choose, we are here to help you deliver the best to your pet.
+ More than just food: What conditions does it help with?
Nutrition can be a useful way to manage a multitude of conditions. The following list is not comprehensive but it gives some examples where we may advise food changes to help keep your cat in the best condition:
- Skin allergies
- Kidney issues
- Arthritis and joint pain
- Digestive issues such as IBD
- Bladder stones
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Pregnancy and lactation
+ How long does the treatment take?
A discussion on nutrition can be 15 to 30 minutes. More detailed discussions can be longer.
+ How many visits are required?
An initial visit is often all that is needed but more can be booked if desired or your cat’s health requires closer monitoring.
+ How much does it cost?
It may only require a single consultation with a Vet, however if a Weight Clinics is recommended, these are included in our Silver and Gold Wellenss Subscriptions. Otherwise you may choose to pay the nurse consultation fee each visit.
