Eating Habits in Cats and Dogs
Eating habits: behavior at mealtime in dogs
The dog's behavior at mealtime is reminiscent of its ancestors, the wolves. At mealtime the dog is anxious, eats voraciously and greedily, as if he feels cornered or his hunting instincts emerge. The dog has specific nutritional requirements, which must be considered in relation to age, condition, weight and physical activity. Typically, adult dogs eat once/twice a day. Some dogs, especially small ones, are picky eaters. You should correct this behaviour from the start to avoid dietary deficiencies. The dog must receive so that may have after the food shortages, he shall have full power to all the essential elements, which is why commercial dog food is preferable to a homemade diet: it is easy to feed and contains the corectbe sure that the right amounts of nutrients and to avoid dietary deficiencies.
Eating habits: the ritual of eating in Cats
It is known that a healthy and balanced diet is becoming increasingly common in today's society. In nature, cats are carnivores (although they do not disdain grains, fruits and vegetables) and “occasional eaters”, so they can survive for a long time without food, but not without water. The cat is a methodical animal, therefore it is best to accustom your pet to different types of diets when it is young. For the same reason, it is a good idea to distribute the meals at the time each day and wash the bowls so to eliminate the odour of the previous meal. It is preferable to the use of a ceramic or metal bowl, instead of a plastic one, because plastic tends to retain a bad smell that is difficult to eliminate, even by washing. The bowl should be wide because cats hate to bend their whiskers to reach their food. Some essential ingredients in the diet are taurine and arginine (amino acid found in most animal proteins, less in vegetables), arachidonic acid (fatty acid found mainly in animal fats), vitamin B6 and niacin (present in animal tissue). A deficiency of one or more of these elements in the diet causes serious damage to the cat’s health, and is therefore an important factor in a balanced and complete diet to prevent various diseases.
