Feeding Sterilized Cats

Have you noticed increased body mass in your cats after sterilization or castration? You can think that this is the “normal” reaction of the body, resulting from the slowing down of the metabolic rate. However, in order to don’t think one day: I have an obese cat, what now? It is important to prepare your cat for maintain weight after sterilization. Take care of a properly balanced diet and think about how to increase his or her physical activity.

Recall, castration is the surgical removal of ovaries, fallopian tubes and uterus in female specimens and removal of testes in males. Sterilization involves ligating the fallopian tubes or vas defects without surgically removing the gonads and their appendages. We can also temporarily limit the reproductive capacity of cats by using so-called pharmacological sterilization.

Why is the proper nutrition of sterilized cats so important?

The usual problem in animals after is overweight and obesity. Which can lead to diabetes and other metabolic complications, diseases of the lower urinary tract, osteoarticular system, circulatory, etc. Weight gain in sterilized cats coming from the lack of calorie restriction in the diet and concerns the excessive accumulation of fat in the body. An interesting fact is that it is usually higher in sterilized cats than in castrated tomcat. Maintaining the correct body weight after sterilization is possible thanks to proper diet and increased physical activity. Unfortunately, this second point is difficult to achieve after the procedure and only a small percentage of cats retain the proper activity before sterilization.

How often do you feed sterilized / castrated cats?

After the sterilization or castration, the cat should be fed as usual, with one exception – the food should have a less calories, because the cat usually must eat 6 to 19 meals a day. It might be quite difficult for someone, who does not work at home. If we want to be sure that our cat will be fed during our work hours, we will introduce an automatic bowl, which will give the cat a suitable amount at the time we set. And what about the diet itself; what kind of food to choose? Dry? Wet? Cereal? Grain-free options? The most important thing is to reduce the number of calories consumed by the cat in the diet. To maintain a stable body mass, it should be reduced from 25 to 30%. However, as the appetite increases after sterilization, feeding the standard commercial food our cat ate before the surgery may not be enough for the cat to feel full. Unsatisfied hunger causes considerable discomfort and can lead to a range of abnormal behaviours and even behavioural disorders. That is why it is so important to introduce a product dedicated to sterilized cats – a special food with reduced calorie, reduced fat content, but increased protein and if necessary fibre, with an accurate balance of minerals. Our Teo Sterile taking care of all the aspects. A balanced level of minerals allows to maintain healthy kidneys and natural fibre ensures good metabolism.

Physical activity

High physical activity and proper diet with reduced calorie are the basis for keeping the cat sterilized in a proper condition. It is very important for the owner initiate fun exercise to ensure the movement before and after the sterilization period. A cat scratcher with attached toys, wind-up mice, balls, fishing rods, an automatic “lighthouse” laser or “escaping point”, etc., can be helpful. Sometimes the most amazing thing is for a cat is a rustling paper.

Drinking not enough liquid

The serious risk of lower urinary tract diseases in cats after sterilization results from the insufficient amount of cat fluids. Therefore, veterinarians recommend increasing amount of wet food that contains more than 67% of water in their composition in feeding the cat.

In conclusion, after castration or sterilization, special attention should be paid to:

• the amount of food consumed by the cat,
• body weight,
• physical activity.

And ahead of the problems that may occur after the procedure:

• introduce food for sterilized cats – Try our Complete dry food for adults after sterilization/castration or Complete wet food in sauce for adults cats after sterilization / castration,
• increase the amount of wet foods in cat nutrition,
• provide access to fresh, clean water (appropriate amount of bowls with water, fountain, etc.),
• enrich or adjust the cat’s environment to maintain / ensure sufficiently high physical activity.

If we meet the above points, we will probably enjoy good health and the condition of our cat for many years.