Pet Tips

The Right Foods to Feed Your Ragdoll Cats & Kittens
Cat food can be divided into dry, moist, and semi-moist foods. Each one has its advantages, and Ragdolls require various kinds of food at different stages. Kittens need mainly breast milk and moist food, while adults require more protein and dry food. Pregnant Ragdolls have special dietary needs that alter during the pregnancy as well. A. Feeding Ragdoll Kittens Introductory food Ragdoll kittens should be exclusively breastfed for the first four to five weeks. Cat milk contains all the nutrients required for the kitten’s growth, including antibodies that help discourage disease. Breast milk also passes on other antibodies that the mother produced to fight previous diseases. Additional food ought to be given after four to five weeks, as the kitten needs more nutrients to support its rapid growth. Introductory food ought to be easy to digest. Mix canned food with warm water or kitten replacement milk until it becomes a loose paste. Do NOT use regular cow’s milk this is too heavy for kittens and could cause in indigestion. Dry food After another four to five weeks, your kitten should be ready for dry food. To make the change easier, moisten dry food with a little warm water in the first few feedings. It’s also important to choose high-quality supplements to dry food and some of the good brands are Iams , Science Diet , and Nutro Kitten . Science Diet Feline Growth is popular among Ragdoll kittens. Supplements can be given twice a day with morning and evening feeding. You can change to adult food after approximately 12 months. Choosing and preparing kitten food Ragdoll kittens have delicate stomachs, so take extra care in choosing kitten food. Food ought to always be warm or slightly above room temperature. Discard all food that has been left out for more than 30 minutes, especially in the summer. Bacteria grows quickly in warm, wet foods and could possibly upset your kitten’s stomach, or even lead to food poisoning. To keep from wasting food, just observe how much your kitten eats at a time so you know how much to prepare per feeding. House flies can easily contaminate kitten food, so keep your feeding area as fly-proof as possible. Wash the feeding bowl daily with hot, soapy water and replace water in the drinking bowl several times a day. Wash the drinking bowl at the same time and refill with fresh water. Table scraps can be provided occasionally, but don’t make regular meals out of them. Cooked human foods lack the nutrients necessary for your kitten’s growth. Generic cat food from groceries are better, but Stellarhart recommends high-quality foods from specialty pet stores. Also, cats don’t like the smell of plastic and metal containers, so use only glass drinking bowls. Dry vs wet foods Dry foods are generally superior for your Ragdoll, except in the breastfeeding and introductory stage. They work your kitten’s chewing muscles and help keep the teeth white. Dry food consists predominantly of meat and vegetables, and can be moistened or served dry. Serving them dry allows your cat to nibble throughout the day, rather than eating one large meal at a time. Dry food should contain about 9 to 10% moisture, 8% fat, and 30% protein. Moist food has about 75% moisture and equal amounts of fat and protein. Not all moist foods are the same some are all-meat or all-fish, while others are a mix of meat and vegetables. The former ought to not be used for regular meals, as your cat can get addicted and refuse to eat other foods. The small treat cans of variety foods are usually all-meat or all-fish. As with kitten food, moist foods ought to be warmed to room temperature before serving. Semi-moist food has about 35% water, 27% protein, and 7% fat. Most of them are nutritionally balanced, very tasty, and can be left out for nibbling, but they spoil more rapidly than dry food. Kitten treats Occasional kitten treats will not harm your kitten, but take care not to fill them up so they can still eat regular meals. Treats ought to not provide any more than 10% of your kitten’s daily caloric intake. Look for hard chew treats to help improve your kitten’s dental health B. Feeding Ragdoll Adults Ragdolls are not very active, so they gain weight more rapidly than other cats. Take care not to let them become obese provide them only 70 calories per kilogram of body weight. A lot of what people believe to be cats favourite foods are actually harmful. Here are some of the most common cat food myths: Fish Fish may be good for cats, but it can t cover all their nutritional needs, and too much of the same nutrients can be harmful. Tuna is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, which need vitamin E to break them down. too much tuna in your cat s diet can cause yellow fat disease (steatitis). Milk Milk is rich in water and carbohydrates, but many cats are lactose intolerant and get digestive problems a few hours after drinking milk. Regular cow s milk can lead to diarrhoea and loose stools, which can cause malnutrition and dehydration. If your cat likes milk, use replacement cat milk instead. Catnip Cats love the smell of catnip leaves, but it can cause short-term behavioural changes. Catnip is a hallucinogen and may put your cat in a state of near delirium. Some effects include rolling, rubbing, chasing phantom mice, or simply staring into space. Although it s not addictive, catnip has no place in your cat s diet. Dog food It could be more convenient to feed your cat and dog from the same dish, but it s not very healthy for either pet. Cats require more protein, taurine, preformed vitamin A, B-complex vitamins, and arachidonic acids, which they can get from a meat-heavy diet. A shortage of these nutrients can make your cat seriously ill, and an overdose can have the same effect in dogs. Low ash diets A popular belief among cat owners is that diets low in ash can help deter urinary tract infection. But that s only partly true. Ash is not a single nutrient, but is actually a group of minerals including calcium, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc. Lower levels of magnesium keep urine at its normal, slightly acidic state, but reducing other minerals will have no effect. Other foods to avoid Alcoholic beverages. Alcohol can be toxic and cause fatal complications. Baby food. Many baby foods contain onion powder, which can be harmful to the blood. Fish and meat bones. Small splinters can cut into the digestive tract and cause bleeding. Caffeine (coffee, tea, chocolate). Caffeine can affect the cat s heart and nervous system. Citrus oil extracts. This can lead to stomach upsets and vomiting. Fat. Animal fats can cause pancreatitis. Don t feed your cat fatty cooked meats, or at least trim the fat off first. Grapes and raisins. These contain a toxin that can harm the kidneys. Human vitamin and iron supplements. Excessive iron can damage the liver, kidneys, and the lining of the digestive tract. Liver. Liver is safe in small amounts, but an excess can lead to vitamin A toxicity. Macadamia nuts. Unknown toxins in macadamia can damage the muscles, digestive system, and nervous system. Marijuana. Marijuana can lead to vomiting, depression, and irregular heart rate. Mushrooms. Some mushrooms contain highly toxic substances that can affect multiple systems and even cause death. Onion and garlic (powdered, cooked or raw). These contain disulfides and sulfoxides, which can lead to anaemia. They are harmful to both cats and dogs, but cats are more vulnerable. Persimmons. Persimmons seeds can obstruct the intestines. Potato, tomato and rhubarb. These can be harmful to the nervous, digestive, and urinary systems. The leaves and stems could also be toxic. Raw eggs. Raw eggs can damage your cat s hair and coat. Salt. Salt and salty foods can cause electrolyte imbalance, a potentially fatal condition affecting the heart and nervous system. String. Strings from beans and other vegetables could not be digested, which can lead to blockages. Sugar. Sweets are high in empty calories, which can lead to obesity, diabetes, and dental problems. Yeast dough. Yeast can expand in the stomach during digestion, causing it to rupture. Just remember that you are not feeding a human but an animal with unique feeding requirements. Discover the trade secrets of Ragdoll Cat care, training, breeding and showing. Visit http://www.ragdoll-cat-care.com
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Giving Your Pet A Proper Adoption
There is a severe overpopulation of cats and dogs roaming the streets all over the world. Some animals that are not getting proper care and are being abused by their owners tend to escape from their mistreated homes and tend to wander off on their own. Because of this situation, there are now lots of domesticated animals that are caught and placed on animal shelters or dog pounds, just waiting for someone to adopt them. However, there are lots of municipal shelters that can no longer adopt this great number of abused or abandoned pets, so they just kill them. In general, pets are great companions and friends. Like the dogs, they are very loyal and friendly and can be used to safeguard our homes. They can act as our friends and can provide us with lots of entertainment and love. On the other hand, we have our feline friends. Cats are not so demanding. All you have to give them is a clean litter box; a little affection and they will be satisfied. And in return, these pets will give their loyalty and companionship to you. Some pet owners don?t really abuse their pets; they give their pets away because they love them too much. The reason why pet owners sometimes have to give away their pets is that they are afraid that they could not provide the best care for them. The owner of the pet will look for the right person that will adopt their pet and leave them in good hands. They sometimes go to their relatives and friends and ask for help. If the owners cannot find a suitable person to adopt their pet, there are institutions and organizations that are established to adopt pets that has strictly no killing policies. Here are some of the several pet shelters here you can entrust your pets. 1. The Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons (ARF) - you can find this in the East Hampton Pine Barrens. They rescue those pets that cannot be taken cared of by the owners. The goal of the ARF is to lessen the number of pets that do not have shelters or homes. They provide a sufficient amount of food and a good shelter as well as medical care.. 2. Bide-a-Wee ? this has three shelters that can be found in Wantagh, Westhampton and Manhattan. They keep animals in their shelter, until they can find a new home. You can take your per here if you do not want them anymore. They got a big area where the pets can roam a round. As a matter of fact, Bide-a-Wee has two pet memorials, just goes to show how much they love animals. 3. Grateful Paws Cat Adoption Center ? they rescue the cats from the Town of Huntington Animal Shelter. From here, the cats are being brought to the Grateful Paws Adoption Center. So if you are planning to give your pet to them, you must bring it first to the Town of Huntington Animal Shelter so that it will reach the Grateful Paws Adoption Center. 4. Kent Animal Shelter ? they never kill pets, as much as possible, they want all pets to be healthy. They give protection to those pets that are abandoned, abused and homeless. 5. Little Shelter Animal Rescue and Rescue Center ? They provide shelter and care for all pets. Keeping them in their folds until a new owner can be found. Just a few reminders, before bringing your pets to the shelters mentioned above, make sure that you contact them first so that you will know if your pet can be accommodated or not and there are certain procedures that needs to be followed, so you can inquire about those procedures at the same time. John Rivers is the owner of <a href="http://www.easypetmeds.info">Pet Meds</a>. All you need to know about pets. You will also learn where where to buy ped meds online.
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