Is It Possible To Soak Dry Food For Cats And Cats: Features Of Soaking For Adult Animals And Kittens, Recommendations Of Veterinarians

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Why and how cat food is soaked

Most breeders and veterinarians prefer a balanced diet for cats that can be provided by high quality dry food. However, situations often arise when drying is too difficult for animals to perceive and it must be soaked. How to do it correctly?

Content

• 1 Do I need to soak dry cat food

  • 1.1 How to soak feed

    • 1.1.1 For an adult cat
    • 1.1.2 For small kittens
  • 1.2 Can such feed be stored
• 2 How to train your cat to eat soaked food
• 3 Opinions of veterinarians

Do you need to soak dry cat food?

If we are talking about high-quality freeze-dried food - and our pets deserve only the best! - then they are already completely ready for use and do not require any additions or preliminary preparation before use. Dry cat food manufacturers claim that pets need to chew on these hard and crunchy granules in order to strengthen their jaws and clean the teeth of plaque that precedes tartar.

Dry food for cats is completely ready to eat

However, soaking the food will definitely not bring any harm to the pets - moreover, there are situations in which it is necessary to do this:

• during the transition from natural feed to freeze-dried feed;
• when teaching small kittens to solid food;
• for animals with dental problems;
• with inflammatory ailments of the gastrointestinal tract;
• if the cat does not drink enough liquid;
• for aged and weakened animals;
• during rehabilitation after abdominal operations.

The cat needs soaked food after surgery

How to soak feed

How and with what to soak dry food? Many owners make a common mistake, pouring milk or broth into the granules - to make the dish tastier for their pet. This cannot be done - only clean water, boiled or filtered, is suitable.

Only clean water is suitable for soaking feed

For an adult cat

Most adult cats do not like it when the food is completely soaked, to the point of mashed potatoes - they prefer that it retain its structure. So the amount of added liquid and the soaking time should be determined experimentally based on the tastes of your pet.

Cats usually like food that is not too wet

Ready food should be slightly warm - usually in order to bring it to the desired condition, a quarter of an hour is enough at an initial water temperature of 60 degrees. The bowl in which the food is soaked can be covered with a clean saucer for safety. Stir well before serving.

Check with your doctor if the additives you mix into the soaked food will benefit your pet?

For little kittens

When transferring a nursing kitten from mother feeding to a common diet, soaked food can be of great service. This happens after the third week of life, and, of course, in such cases only starters should be used - the very first foods for babies; most reputable brands have such offerings.

Pour the required portion of the starter into a clean bowl and fill it with warm water so that it covers the granules. From time to time they mix and check how much the food has softened - you will have to wait about half an hour. Cooked food can be slightly kneaded with a fork until smooth.

It is necessary to transfer kittens to an adult diet competently and carefully.

Up to two or even three months, it is better to give kittens exactly soaked food - in childhood, the digestive system is not yet perfect, and soaking will significantly simplify its work, improve the absorption of nutrients from food. It is desirable that, before reaching six months, half of the animal's diet should be soaked feed.

Up to six months, it is better for a kitten to soak dry food

Is it possible to store such food

There is no point in soaking a large portion of food at once or storing such cat food for future use. When soaked, the feed quickly turns into an unappetizing slurry, which, moreover, is easily weathered, deteriorated and becomes a breeding ground for various undesirable microorganisms. Therefore, soak only as much food with water as the cat can eat at one time. All that remains should be thrown away after half an hour, and the bowl should be washed with hot water.

Soaked feed deteriorates quickly

How to train your cat to eat soaked food

An adult animal usually does not have problems in order to taste an unusual dish for the first time. Warm food that softens well in water smells attractive and stimulates the production of saliva in cats. If your pet is still cautious and does not dare to taste the new food, feed him a few "grains" from your hands - it almost always helps.

The "baby" portion of food should be gradually increased

For the first time, this will be enough, and already for the second feeding, kittens can eat a teaspoon of soft and wet starter. Gradually increasing the portions, they are brought to normal. When transferring adult animals to dry food, portions are also soaked and gradually increased, respectively, reducing the volume of natural food.

Veterinarians' opinions

Properly soaked dry food creates a good alternative for adult cats to wet canned food and pates. And for little kittens, they are simply irreplaceable.