Adult animals dietary advice II

House Cats

• Many cats these days are kept solely as house cats, this can be for many reasons, they live near to busy streets, they are pedigree animals, or they live in flats.
• These animals have different nutritional requirements to animals allowed outdoors, and there are now diets designed especially for them
• These diets tend to be lower in fats and calories, as indoor pets are less active than outdoor ones.
• They also contain high levels of fibre to prevent the formation of hairballs, and often ingredients to promote good hair growth, as cats indoors tend to groom themselves more.
• They are also designed to prevent bladder crystals or stones forming, something which indoor pets can be prone to, and 'Proplan House Cat' formula contains an ingredient which makes the urinesmelllessin the litter tray.

There are several premium diets on the market designed for indoor cats, your vet should be able to help you choose the most suitable for your cat.

Neutering

• Once your pet has been neutered, there is a big change in their metabolic rate, and so their calorific requirements.
• While most pets do well on an ordinary diet, some need to go on a light diet to ensure their weight remains stable.
• It is especially important in neutered, male cats that their diet and weight is controlled, as if they become fat, they will be prone to developing bladder stones and crystals.
• There are now diets on the market designed for neutered cats, both male and female,which are lower in calories, but are also designed to make bladder stones much less likely to develop.
• These foods are able to control stones by altering the acidity of the urine to make it difficult for them to form, and also diluting the urine.
  

• Many very active dogs, such as working animals, those that do a lot of agility, have much higher than average enery requirements and benefit from special 'performance' diets.
• These diets have an optimal protein to fat ratio and are very energy dense, which means the animal doesn't have to eat large volumes of food to get all the energy and nutrition they need.
• They are also designed to be very palatable, it is important these animals eat when they need to, or they may not cope with the stresses and strains of a working day.
• These diets are also generally high in vitamins and anti-oxidants, to help the dog stay in the best possible health while working hard.

Working dogs, such as sheep dogs and gun dogs will need a special diet in order for them to be able to cope with their very active lifestyles	Performance diets are designed with these dogs high energy needs in mind	Dogs who work very hard on agility can also sometimes require special diets.