How many times have you heard someone say that cats love fish and / or milk? Many, right? Although these two foods can be given from time to time, it is more recommended to give them the first without thorns and the second that is for feline consumption, the truth is that there is nothing like giving them a proper diet to them.
If it is the first time that you live with a furry one, it is likely that when you go to buy a feed you will not know which one to choose. And, there are so many! To help you, we will explain how is digestion in cats.
As you can see in the image, the digestive system of our friends is very similar to the one we have. The first thing they do is chew and grind the food well, and then direct it to the stomach. Now, if there is something that differentiates us, it is its gastric juices: they are much more powerful than ours, since it must be able to digest animal meat (rodents, birds, etc.). The feathers, the hair, and everything that cannot be digested, will regurgitate it.
Food passes from the stomach to the small intestine through the pylorus, mixing with bile and other substances. Once there, the digestive enzymes are responsible for neutralizing the stomach acids and separating the food into the nutrients that the body needs: proteins, carbohydrates y fat. Finally, what has not been digested accumulates in the duodenum until it is expelled in the form of feces.
This whole process can take a few 14 hours, but it will depend on the type of feeding and the age of the cat that lasts more or less. In fact, the digestion in cats that is fed with a wet feed or with a natural diet, is much shorter than that of another that is fed with a dry feed. The digestion will be lengthened even more if it also has a large percentage of cereal or the like.
So how can you help your cat digest better? Reading carefully the ingredients of the feed. These animals are carnivores, therefore, we have to discard those that have cereals, corn or derivatives in high percentages, and bet on those with a high percentage of meat. They are somewhat more expensive, but think that what you spend on food, you save on veterinary expenses, which is much better, don't you think? 🙂
Hello Monica, thank you very much for your article… I am from Venezuela, although you should know it, we are going through a serious problem of food shortages, and among them there is also a shortage of food for cats, there is also a shortage of rice, and recently I discovered that they like precooked cornmeal arepa, this is good for them ???, however this is also a product that is scarce, but honestly I no longer know what to give it. Thank you very much for the help.
Hi Iriana.
I'm very sorry for what you are going through 🙁. Hopefully things get better very soon. Much encouragement from Spain !!
Regarding what you comment, cereals or their derivatives are foods, let's say, natural for cats. But when food is scarce, if he likes it and you see that he continues to lead a normal life, well, hey, keep eating that. The most that can happen is that you have a little diarrhea, but nothing more serious. You can give him cans of tuna, chicken broths or other types of meat, sausages. You can even try giving him cow's milk to see how he reacts; If you don't feel bad, from time to time it will be good to satisfy your appetite, as it is more nutritious than water (but be careful, it does not quench your thirst).
I said, a lot of courage and strength. A hug.