Pet's Diet

Every dog and cat has specific dietary needs that have been consistent throughout their evolution.

As household pets, we're now responsible for feeding them so it's important to select their diet carefully and make sure they're getting the nutrients they need.

As your pet grows from a puppy or kitten into an adult, their energy requirements and nutritional needs will change. Recent developments in nutritional science means we know much more about what keeps pets in top condition.

Scientists have discovered that macronutrients, particularly protein, fat and carbohydrate, each play a specific and important role in providing your pet with energy. This means you can now provide your pet with the specific balance of protein, fat and carbohydrate to meet their unique needs at every life stage.

Protein assists in the build and continuous repair of body tissue and structures like muscle and hair and plays an important role in the body's defence against disease. As natural carnivores, cats in particular need a much higher level of protein than other species to help maintain a healthy weight and lean body mass. Puppies and kittens also require a higher level of protein in their diet to support healthy growth and muscle development.

All animals require fat in their diet. Fat provides energy in a more concentrated form which is easily stored within the body to be used for energy when food is scarce. Fat also provides the essential fatty acids needed for a healthy skin and coat, normal cell membranes and kidney function by transporting fat-soluble vitamins around the body. However the level of fat in the diet of an overweight animal should be limited to avoid other health issues.

The third macronutrient, carbohydrate, has two variants - soluble and insoluble. Soluble carbohydrate found in cereal grains such as corn, is highly digestible and provides a good source of readily available energy needed to fuel daily activity. Active or working dogs require high levels of insoluble carbohydrates to provide lasting energy throughout an energetic day.

Insoluble carbohydrate (better known as fibre) doesn't provide energy but improves colon health. Fibre can help slow the digestion time allowing the nutrients within the food to be fully absorbed while promoting firm well formed stools.

Your pet's dietary needs will change throughout its lifetime, which is why it's important to feed them a premium health pet food which has been formulated with the right balance of macronutrients.

This will ensure your pet will receive the specific levels of protein, fat and carbohydrate it needs according to its life stage and dietary requirements. Look for premium health pet foods in your supermarket that have adopted this science to make sure your four legged friend has a perfectly balanced diet.

Cat's Nutritional

You may not know it but nutrition is a very important factor when it comes to keeping your puss healthy.

Their complex bodies require certain things to be able to perform general everyday tasks. Just like us, cats need plenty of food and water but it's what is in their food that counts.

The most part of a cat's diet is protein. Protein supplies them with amino acids. Amino acids are needed in order for the body to manufacture antibodies, enzymes, tissues and a proper PH balance.

Protein is found in foods such as meat and fish, so it is ideal to give your cat meals that contain ingredients such as these. Fat is also required in your cats diet as it gives them an energy source for all that climbing and running around they do!

Along with fat and protein, minerals and vitamins also play a big part in their diet. Minerals and vitamins go hand in hand with having a healthy body so make sure that you pick out a good quality cat food that has all of the nutrients your cat requires.

It's also a great idea to feed dry food as it keeps their teeth healthy and hopefully gets rid of any built up tartar! If you have any concerns or questions regarding nutritional requirements for cats, make an appointment with your vet to obtain a greater insight on this topic.

Insights into your cat's eyesight

The next time you catch your cat staring at you with its big, luminous eyes, try this: Blink at kitty very slowly. There's a good chance your cat will blink right back.

Many feline fanciers suspect that cats communicate with their eyes. And animal shelter workers will swear that if you blink slowly at even a feral cat, the animal often calms down. Cats also use their eyes to intimidate prey and even each other, as a way of establishing dominance.

And for their size, this animal has a lot of eye to work with. If our eyes were as big as those of any cat, in terms of their largeness per head size, our eyes would be eight inches long, each. Even more, a cat's eyes also bulge slightly, giving them excellent peripheral vision.

You may have noticed that, while you stumble around in the dark looking for the light switch, your cat is calmly navigating its way around the furniture. You may have also noticed that sometimes in a dim room, your cat's eyes will glow eerily. As nocturnal predators, cats have developed excellent night vision.

Cats have vertical irises, which can narrow to the tiniest sliver in bright light or open to cover 90 percent of their eye area, enabling the pupil to capture even the smallest amount of light. In addition, a cat has a shiny membrane in the back of the eyes called the "tapetum lucidum," which helps to reflect light back through the retina, enabling the animal to see better in low light situations. That said, there is a limit: cats still can't see in total darkness.

As anyone knows who has watched a bug try to get across the floor and not get pounced on by the cat, this animal is acutely attuned to movement. In our own eyes, rods react to intensities of light, while cones react to color. A cat's eyes have more rods and fewer cones than ours do. This means that while we have better color vision, a cat can detect motion better. But all that sensitivity to motion comes at a price: Cats don't actually see close objects very well. After all, what's the advantage of seeing the mouse once it's in your paws?

Cats also have a third eyelid to protect their eyes as they stalk prey through grass and underbrush. Called the "nictitating membrane," this eyelid rests at the inside corner of the eye. If a feline's eyes are inflamed or irritated, you may see this membrane start to protrude. If a cat is seriously ill or debilitated, the membrane will partially cover the eye (and that's a definite signal to take your pet to your veterinarian).

While it's not completely certain what colors your cat is able to see, there's no doubt that the color of a cat's eyes are simply beautiful -- copper, gold, green, orange, yellow, blue, and lavender. Many cat owners say they chose their cat because of its eye color. Given the power of the cat's eyes, perhaps they were happily mesmerized.