Feeding cats

Read the three texts and give advice to a cat owner on how to feed his cat.

1. Kinds of salad

1. Read the words and phrases from the text:

dry food – сухой корм

semi-moist food – смешанный корм

canned food – корм в гранулах

to eat different kinds of food – питаться различными видами еды

flavor - вкус

to provide enough – снабжать достаточно

to contain - содержать

steatites – стеатит

prescription - предписание

to damage red blood’s cells – наносить вред красным тельцам

Commercial cat foods come in three basic forms: dry, semi-moist, and canned. Many owners feed their cats more than one type of food each day. It is a good idea to accustom a cat to eating several types and flavors of food early in life to avoid firmly established food preferences. The most important thing about choosing cat food is that the label says "complete and balanced". Then any form of food is fine for a cat. Many owners feed a combination of dry and canned foods.

Vegetarian diets will not provide a cat with enough pro­tein, essential fatty acids, and minerals to maintain health. Cats often like vegetables, and some vegetable matter is contained in almost all commercial cat foods.

Semi-moist foods, once popular, are falling out of favor. While some cats loved them, the chemical odor was not ap­preciated by others. Many semi-moist foods are preserved with a high sugar content and many contained propylene glycol, which can damage cats' red blood cells. We do not recommend semi-moist diets, although an occasional semi-moist treat is all right.

Special-formula (prescription) diets are designed to meet the specific needs of cats with medical conditions, such as food-related allergies, heart condition, kidney failure, and so on.

2. Finicky eater

1. Read the words and phrases from the text:

to be particular – быть особенным

finicky eater – разборчивый в еде

a preference for – предпочтение в ч-л

to reject food – отказываться от еды

to lose his appetite – терять аппетит

Some cats are more particular about their food than others. In general there are several kinds of finicky eating. The most common type is when a cat develops a preference for one particular type of flavour of food, usually some sort of fish or chicken. If fish is preferred, it won't hurt a cat as long as the food is properly formulated and balanced. Problems can arise if a cat develops a preference for plain, unsupplemented fish intended for humans. Another problem with all-fish di­ets is steatites, a serious disease causing inflammation of body fat.

A cat may also reject food if he is upset for some reason. A move, a new pet or person in the household, a favorite animal or person going away — all of these events may cause a cat to lose his appetite. An owner will have to become a detective in this case to learn what may be upsetting a cat.

Sometimes there is no apparent cause for a sudden loss of appetite. If a cat is acting normal, in other ways it is safe to wait a day or two, often the cat's favorite food and see what happens. Generally, a cat will begin to eat well again in a few days.