Persian Eating Habits & Diet
In the wild cats are constantly hunting for food. However, house cats have nothing substantial to hunt for. Therefore, indoor cats should have food left down for them at all times. This is so they won’t develop eating disorders later on in life. Often cats who have eating disorders (cats who over eat) have gone hungry at one point in their lives. I have discovered more commonly that if a cat has food withheld from them, they will gorge any food they see. They will do this out of fear they won't find more later on. Therefore, it is very important to keep food as well as water in their bowls at all times.
Anyone who has ever owned a Persian feline knows they have very big wide faces. Because of this, I recommend feeding them in very big bowls. This makes eating (dry food) and drinking water easier for them. I use two quart stainless steel feeding bowls. I know this might seem excessive. However, this sized bowl fits their face perfectly. And even if I had only one Persian feline to feed and water, I’d still use a feeding bowl of this size.
To keep their dry food from going bad or molding on the bottom of their food bowl. I recommend having an extra set of feeding bowls and pouring their dry food into a clean bowl every day. This will cause the food that is in the bottom of the bowl, to be on the top of the bowl. And if the food on the bottom of the bowl has become slightly dampened, you can toss it.
Do not use plastic feeding bowls. Many felines have allergic reactions to plastic. Plastic feeding bowls will often cause feline acne or they can develop something called Feline eosinophilic granuloma complex, also known as a Rodent Ulcer.
Diet is extremely important for the Persian/Himalayan breed of cat. This is also true for Exotics or any other feline who has the Persian breed within their bloodline. This is because, the Persian breed of cat is prone to developing something called urinary crystals. All cats can develop urinary crystals. However, Persians are notorious for developing them. Eating the proper diet/food helps to prevent these crystals from forming and developing. There are two main types of urinary crystals, struvite and calcium oxalate. One type of crystal will occur if the PH level in a cat’s urine rises to high, and the other type of crystal will develop if PH level in the cat’s urine drops to low. Both male and female cats can develop urinary crystals. However, urinary crystals are more dangerous for male cats because their urethra is narrower then a female’s, and therefore can become obstructed and blocked more easily. The best way to help prevent the occurrence of urinary crystals is by feeding these cats a proper diet. The best over the counter food we have found is Royal Canin’s Persian 30. To learn more about this food you can double click on the following web link: http://products.royalcanin.us/products/cat-food/persian-30.aspx
The only diets that actually work as a preventative to crystals are Prescription diets that need to be purchased through your Veterinarian. And personally knowing the dangers crystals present to males of this breed, I feel that if you have a male over the age of one year, that it should be eating one of these Veterinary prescribed diets. The best one on the market is made by Hill's and is called c/d, it has less sodium then the other brands which is a good thing. And it has also been found to treat Urinary Cystitis which is another common ailment for felines. My second choice is made by Royal Canin and is called s/o. To learn more about this food you can double click on the following web link: http://www.hillspet.com/products/pd-feline-cd-multicare-feline-bladder-health-with-chicken-dry.html
If you notice your kitty straining to urinate or jumping in and out of the litter box with little to no results, get them to your Veterinary as soon as possible to have their urine checked for urinary crystals. If your feline’s urethra blocks and they don’t urinate within 24 hours, their bladder can burst or tare leading to a very painful death or they can develop permanent kidney damage.
Like any living being with teeth, felines develop dental issues due to tarter & plaque buildup. To help prevent tarter & plaque buildup we have discovered another type of dry food that helps breakup plaque buildup. This food is a Veterinary prescribed diet from Hills Science Diet called t/d. To learn more about this food you can double click on the following web link:
http://www.hillspet.com/products/pd-feline-td-feline-dental-health-dry.html
To help prevent dental Plaque buildup, we mix one-fourth Hills Science Diet t/d into the main dry food we are feeding. If your feline already has a problem with crystals you will not want to mix these two diets. It is best for a feline who is prone to developing crystals to exclusively eat their prescription diet in order for it to work properly.
We also feed our felines a daily treat of wet food. If you decide to feed your cat wet food. I recommend feeding them wet food (on a flat plate) and feeding it to them in the evening and not in the morning. This is for two reasons, the first is that after they eat it they often get sleepy which puts us both (human & feline) on more of a same sleeping pattern. And the second reason is that if you feed your cat wet food in the morning, it will expect wet food in the morning. And if ever you want to sleep in, you won’t be able to, because your kitty will wake you up demanding it’s wet food.
The type of wet food you feed your Persian is just as important as the type of dry food you feed them. Remember low quality food is what causes urinary crystals to develop. The best wet food brands and flavors we have found are Wellness (Turkey flavor) And Weruva (Paw Licken Chicken, Grandma's chicken soup, Mediterranean Harvest & Mac & Jack flavors) Trust me on these flavors, you don't want to waste your money on expensive kitty food they won't eat. It is important to understand that both of these wet foods are wonderful and used in conjunction with the dry food. They will make a big difference in you felines health and nutritional needs. To learn more about these brands of food you can double click on the following web links.
Weruva's website: http://www.weruva.com/
Wellness's website: http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/cat_index.html
