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What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word ‘cat’? It's probably a cat covered in smooth and shiny fur, right? Not only does it look majestic, but every time we pet a cat, it also feels like we are running our fingers through silk. A shiny coat is no less than a divine blessing. However, this heaven-sent beauty can lose its shine if you stop taking care of it. While grooming plays a vital role in maintaining healthy cat fur, there are multiple other factors that influence its look and feel. If you are not aware of how to care for shiny cat fur, continue reading. This article covers everything around cat fur health.
If your cat’s fur looks dull, instead of directly jumping on to quick fixes, try understanding its cause. Here are a few common reasons why cat fur loses its shine:
Now that you know the causes of dull cat coats, you can work towards bringing its shine back. Here are a few ways to make cat fur shiny:
Use the right shampoo: Picking the right shampoo is imperative, especially because the wrong ones can strip off a cat’s natural skin oil and damage the fur.
Avoid excessive bathing: Frequent bathing can lead to dry and flaky skin. Hence, do not make your cat take a dip unnecessarily.
Follow a healthy diet: We all know that hair strands are 90% protein. Hence, providing protein-rich meals becomes vital for maintaining a shiny cat coat.
Skin is the largest organ. And with cats, this organ is generally fully covered with fur. They shed and regrow hair strands multiple times in their entire lifetime. However, a poor diet can slow down the regrowth process. Basically, lack of nutrition can eventually lead to bald spots. A diet that not only includes high-quality protein but also vitamins, minerals, good fats, and other nutrients will fast-track the hair growth process, maintain a shiny coat, and strengthen the immune system.
IAMS™ Proactive Health™ Indoor Weight & Hairball Care cat food is loaded with omega-3 and 6 fatty acids to give your cat a shiny and healthy coat. Other essential nutrients like proteins, vitamins, and minerals in this premium cat food support your feline friend’s overall health.
Cats can lose their coat’s shine due to multiple factors. Here are a few common reasons why your cat’s coat is not shiny:
Maintaining a healthy and shiny cat coat boils down to two things – hygiene and nutrition. As a cat parent, you must ensure that your feline friend doesn’t groom itself too frequently. However, you cannot neglect hygiene either. Based on its lifestyle and vet recommendation, make sure that your cat doesn’t over or under groom. Moreover, follow a nourishing diet that is packed with proteins, vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids. Not only will it maintain your cat's shiny fur, but it will also boost healthy hair regrowth.
Although applying oil on your cat’s fur might not do any harm, it is best to consult your veterinarian regarding the same.
Cats’ fur can say a lot about their overall health. If your feline friend is nourished and healthy from within, it will be reflected through its skin and coat. So, make sure that your cat receives nutrients like proteins, vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids in the right quantities to help maintain a cat's coat.
Compared to humans, your cat needs a high-fat, high-protein diet along with other important nutrients. Cats usually eat many small meals throughout the day, so they easily adopt a free choice feeding schedule to maintain their normal body weight. Dry foods, such as IAMS™ PROACTIVE HEALTH™ Healthy Adult with Chicken, are best suited for free choice feeding because they stay fresh for a longer period.
Here are few tips on how to feed a cat:
Cats need nutrients from animal-based protein sources. Providing the vitamins, minerals, proteins, and other components found in a portion of complete and balanced pet food can help your cat live a long and healthy life. It is important to avoid supplementing your cat's diet, as doing so may lead to a variety of health problems.
When selecting cat food, look for ones that offer the following nutrients:
A cat's energy intake should be increased gradually by up to 50% over her maintenance intake throughout its pregnancy. You can feed your pregnant cat wholesome kitten food to provide the needed nutritional support during the last few weeks of gestation.
After birth, the mother cat's energy increases by 50% to 75% over normal in the first week to twice the normal in the second week, and up to three times during the third week. The third and fourth weeks are the most demanding because kittens are still feeding on the lactating cat’s milk and have not begun eating dry or canned food. Once kittens begin weaning, the mother cat should be feed normal food portions to avoid unnecessary weight gain.
‘What do cats eat that result in them developing obesity’ is a commonly asked question by cat parents. Several factors are responsible for causing an unhealthy weight gain in your cat. Food and nutritional requirements of a cat are quite different than that of a kitten or even a senior cat. Simply increasing the amount of food your cat eats to satisfy its nutritional need could lead to cat obesity. And this is a health problem that should not be taken lightly. In general, indoor cats are at a higher risk of developing obesity because they do not engage in many physical activities. But as a cat parent, you must pay attention to your cat’s food intake and make sure it remains active. You may also introduce a new kind of diet that may help your cat to maintain its weight. Read further ahead for some useful cat feeding tips that can help you.
same time, we recommend you control the amount of food you feed your cat. Even if it is a weight loss-based cat food, the quantity should be checked properly.
Cats spend a considerable amount of time grooming themselves. In the process, they end up swallowing their body hair. This leads to a hair build-up in the stomach. If the hairball doesn’t pass into the intestines, a cat may try to cough it up. A special diet can help decrease the likelihood of hairballs, but you may decrease its effectiveness if you combine it with other foods.
Underweight cats need more nourishment, which will help them increase their body mass, eventually increasing their weight. For underweight cats, an intake of extra calories is also essential. These extra calories will help your cat gain healthy weight. You may contact your vet who can devise a proper weight gain chart for your cat.
Overweight cats need a calorie-restricted diet for them to come down to their healthy weight. In fact, the food you feed your overweight or obese cat should ideally have high protein and low calories. At the
The amount to feed your cat depends on its age, size, and activity level. Feeding guidelines that recommend the daily amount of food you may feed your cat are included on all IAMS packages. Start feeding your cat the mentioned amount and adjust according to its needs. Remember to divide the portion accordingly if you feed more than once a day. With that said now, take a look at this table to know how much to feed your cat:
Weight of cat (kg) | G/day |
3 | 45 |
4 | 55 |
5 | 60 |
6 | 70 |
7 | 80 |
8 | 90 |
IAMS offers a high protein diet food for cats that are either underweight or overweight. The IAMS Indoor Weight and Hairball Care food is made with a formula that is suitable for cats who are either in need of increasing weight or decreasing it. The benefits of this cat diet plan are as follows:
