How to feed a cat and how to pamper her

Your cat loves being given treats. This is immediately clear – she rushes through the whole house, barely hearing you open the closet. Then she curls up at your feet and meows impatiently until you finally give her a treat.

However, if the veterinarian immediately understands that the pet loves and often receives treats, then this is not good news. Just like in humans, being overweight in an animal can lead to health problems, including diabetes, heart disease and osteoarthritis, says Vetstreet. However, the cat does not understand at all that she needs to slow down.

How to spoil your cat with treats without harm to her health?

The key is moderation.

Both your personal therapist and veterinarian will speak the same way: the main thing is moderation. You don’t have to give up treats completely – just try to give treats the right way. For example, owners can give their pet treats when they get home from work.

Are you giving your cat treats because you feel guilty about your absence all day? For not spending enough time with her? It’s better to give her a treat as a training tool to reinforce her good behavior or help her overcome her fear, not to make you feel no remorse! Instead, pet her or play with her for an extra five minutes.

Smart Ways to Give Treats

These five ways will help you treat your cat to treats so that she does not gain extra pounds:

1. Use food instead of high calorie treats. Give her a few bites of regular food when petting her and that might be enough to get her purring motor going. Remember, if she quickly runs to her bowl when you feed her, it means that she probably really likes her dry cat food. Unlike humans, cats don’t mind eating the same food all the time, so a few bites here and there outside of normal feeding times will still be seen as a treat.
2. Divide the meal in half. Dividing the treat into smaller pieces will give your cat the taste it loves, but without the full calorie intake.
3. Replace your usual treats with greens. Catnip and cat grass can be good alternatives. But keep an eye on her while she enjoys the process, because if she eats too much grass, then it can cause indigestion.
4. Replace store-bought treats with homemade treats. Homemade treats don’t have to be complicated. Just a few minutes of prep, a quick oven or microwave, and you’ve got a whole batch of homemade cat biscuits to last a week.
5. Combine treats with physical activity and play. Teach your cat tricks or send him on a treat hunt so he can enjoy food and burn calories at the same time.

No leftovers from the table

Another important reminder about treats for your pet: please do not feed her table scraps and human food in general. Everyday foods like raisins, caffeinated drinks, chocolate, and onions are poisonous to cats. Moreover, everyone in your home should learn this. Just because you feed your cat the right way and don’t give her extra treats doesn’t mean the rest of the family does the same. This is especially true for young children, so make sure they give her treats only under your supervision so that you can control how many treats the animal gets per day.

You love your cat and want her to live a long, happy and healthy life! Keep this in mind when deciding how many times and how to pamper your pet. And if there is nothing else, then hugs and scratches behind the ears will be more than enough – she just needs to feel your love.