Monday, January 18, 2016

Why Mix Feed Your Cats by Whiskas

Looking at my cats, all five of them, I realised one thing. Feeding them is hella tricky due to their different ages, diet requirements and sizes. Especially the fat ones. They are the ones in need of diet control so to cater to all their noms needs, I mix feed them.

Mix feeding is basically mixed the cat's daily diet with wet food and dry food. According to WHISKAS Malaysia, about 71% of cat owners in Malaysia often opt for dry cat food while 28% of owners prefer wet food for their cat.

 While some cat owners swear by wet food and others prefer dry food, research from The Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition suggests that both types have their plus points . Research shows that feeding your cat both dry and wet food will allow them to benefit from the best of both practices. And here's why:

1. Weight management - A high moisture diet aka wet food has them eating less than cats on dry food. At least 25% of your cat’s total calories from daily food intake should come from wet food. In addition, mixed feeding is also highly beneficial when your cat is faced with urinary tract problems, whereby 70% of the total calories consumed should come from wet food .

2.  Healthy Metabolism - Cats are capable of swallowing and digesting their food without chewing it . A healthy balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates can boost your cat’s metabolism and promote easy digestion.



3. Shiny teeth - Similar to wet food, dry food also holds complete and balanced nutrition with the added benefit of improving oral hygiene for your cat. The crunch texture of dry food helps clean your cat’s teeth by chafing away plaque and tartar, which in turn promotes good oral health.

4. Overall healthy diet - A healthy 10 pound cat only requires 220 to 350 calories per day , of which 40% of those calories should come from meat or fish protein. Among the most important minerals your cat requires are sodium, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium . About 20% of protein in a perfectly balanced diet will be used for growth metabolism and another 12% for maintenance by the cat .

Here are also a few fun facts about cats and their diet.


Dr Susan Wan, Veterinarian and Head of Customer Development, Specialist Trade for MARS Malaysia and Singapore highly recommends a mixed-feeding diet for your cat. “Mixed feeding is recommended daily to ensure that your cat gets the benefit of both dry and wet food. You can give your cat wet food for two meals and dry food for the third meal each day or opt to mix both into their meals. The dry food will help improve your cat’s oral health while wet food will provide your cat with much needed water to keep them hydrated. Cat owners can rest assured that their feline friends are getting all the nutrients and water they need with mixed feeding.”

The ideal diet for your cat is typically a healthy and balanced diet that meets your cat’s requirements. Mixed feeding is the best solution if you are looking to give your cat a 100% complete nutritional diet. Not only will this method give cat owners the satisfaction of having a healthy cat, but cats also enjoy a mixture of wet and dry food. Keeping this in mind, WHISKAS offers cat owners a variety of wet and dry food to choose from to keep their cats happy and healthy.

For more information on mixed feeding, log on to www.waltham.com

The star of this post is Kiki Wee the resident bunny cat of the Wee clan. 

1 comment:

Alisonkeyss said...

Cats are natural predators, with bodies ideally suited to pursuing small, fast-moving prey. It shouldn’t take more than a few sudden erratic movements from a cat toy to awaken that hunter instinct in your feline. Cats health and fitness very important for particularly reluctant cats, you can try a few tricks. Hiding small portions of food around the house can make your feline work for its meals, while employing that keen sense of smell that makes cats such effective hunters.