Feeding cats versus feeding dogs.
Four legs, one tail and a VERY cute face. Their food is sold at the same store, and they visit the same doctor. We assume felines and canines are closely related species and should be fed similar.
1. Feeding pattern:
Cats hunt between 8-10 mice per day. Not every hunt is successful, but they eat small meals 4-6 times per day. Feeding them only twice per day, a feeding pattern most dogs are comfortable with will put many cats in distress. If your cat is not good at self-regulating meals, or on a wet or raw diet purchase an automatic feeder that dispenses the daily amount of food split into 4-6 portions per day.
2. Feeding style:
Cats are predators, solitary hunters and very territorial. They have a small stomach, and one mouse only feeds one cat. Most dogs don’t mind being fed close to their friends. Cats prefer to eat alone, and high up if a dog is in the household.
3. Anatomy:
The dental formula and the GI system of cats and dogs explains cats’ discrimination for texture. Adult cats have only 30 teeth, adult dogs have 42 teeth. Both species have enlarged canines and carnassiate teeth, only dogs have enlarged molars for grinding food. Cats don’t chew or grind food, they swallow. Making texture more important.
4. Taste preference:
Cats are obligate carnivores, dogs are omnivores. In domestic and wild cats, the taste receptors for sweet are non-functional as they rely mainly on meat/protein to fuel their bodies.
5. Metabolism and nutritional needs:
Cats have a more complicated metabolism compared to dogs. They require more protein and taurine to maintain body functions:
Cats need preformed taurine, whilst dogs can make their own.
Both, cats and dogs don’t need Vitamin C. They synthesize their own but over supplementation can easily lead to the formation of uroliths.
Cats need for arginine, an amino acid in meat is larger compared to dogs. One meal without arginine may lead to dead.
Dogs can be fasted for a day or two. Cats should never be fasted for long.
6. Discrimination:
When food passes the nose test in dogs down it goes. Cats are predators AND prey animals. They are more discriminative to prevent getting sick. The decision process is therefore much longer in cats. Cats experience food with their whiskers and tongue to decide if they like the texture, aroma and temperature.
Looking at the food chain in nature predators prefer to eat fresh food. Once the prey starts to decompose other animals in the food chain take over.
So, your cat is not picky, she is just a cat!