Food for sterilised cats Food for sterilised cats

If you’ve had your cat sterilised, or are considering doing so, you need to understand that this will change their metabolism, which means that a change in diet is also needed. This is why there are foods formulated specifically for sterilised cats.  At this stage, diet is key in order to keep your cat fit, and help them to lead a healthy life without putting on weight. Here we explain more. 

Sterilisation in cats 

Sterilisation in cats brings about metabolic changes. This is why it’s a good idea to switch to a food specially formulated for sterilised cats, so that diet and physical health will be balanced.  

Benefits of sterilisation:

• Cats become more home-loving, as they don’t have such a strong instinct to go out in search of a partner for breeding purposes.
• The number of fights and infectious diseases goes down, which increases life expectancy. 
• Male cats are less inclined to mark out their territory with urine in order to keep other cats away. 
• Pregnancies are avoided, and so is in heat behaviour. The chances of suffering from uterine infections and mammary tumors are lower as well.  

Important factors to take into account after sterilisation 

• Cats tend to have a bigger appetite, and to eat more. This can lead to weight gain if you don’t feed them with a food aimed at supporting their ‘new’ metabolism. 
• The urinary tract also becomes more sensitive. Weight gain and a more sedentary lifestyle can increase the chances of your cat suffering from urinary tract problems. 

This is why a change of diet is beneficial if your cat has been sterilised. Want to learn more about this? Read on! 

What is food for sterilised cats like?

Sterilised cats benefit from a diet specifically formulated with their needs in mind, a diet with:

• A moderate amount of fat and number of calories. Together with L-carnitine and fibre, this helps to control weight.  Furthermore, high quality sources of protein help to maintain muscle mass.

The ULTIMA recipe

ULTIMA’s foods for sterilised cats contain salmon or chicken, and are lower in fat and calories. Together with L-Carnitine and fibre, this helps with weight control. They also have the correct balance of minerals that helps to control the pH of your cat’s urine. 

Furthermore, on all packs of ULTIMA you’ll find a table explaining how much you need to feed your cat each day, depending on how much they weigh.

Care of sterilised cats 

As well as a change in diet, you need to remember that from now on there will need to be some other changes too in the way that you care for your cat.  You should try to keep them fit, as they may become less active. It’s also important to keep an eye on how much your furry friend is drinking, to make sure that their urinary system is functioning correctly.

Encourage them to exercise

There are interactive games, for example scratching posts, or those that are rather like fishing rods, which encourage cats to get playful. If these are made of cloth or have feathers, this will serve as a reminder of possible prey, and so will be even more motivating. Playing with your cat helps them to maintain agility and muscle mass, as well as strengthening the bond between you.

Try to get them to drink more water

Try using several drinking bowls made of different materials, give them wet food, or provide various different sources of water: this will encourage your cat to drink more, which is essential in helping to maintain a healthy urinary tract.

As we’ve seen, food for sterilised cats helps to keep your cat healthy, and at an ideal weight. Physical exercise and water consumption are also important factors for keeping your cat fit, and taking care of urinary health, so that your feline friend can enjoy a long and fulfilling life.