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All of these should be taken into account when designing a feeding regime for domestic cats and dogs.
All of these should be taken into account when designing a feeding regime for domestic cats and dogs.
==Feeding Pattern==
It is particularly important to ensure appropriate timing and type of access that satisfies species-specific time and energy allocation; cats and dogs would normally spent large parts of the day on foraging behaviour. A lack of opportunity to do this can lead to welfare and behaviour problems.
It is particularly important to ensure appropriate timing and type of access that satisfies species-specific time and energy allocation; cats and dogs would normally spent large parts of the day on foraging behaviour. A lack of opportunity to do this can lead to welfare and behaviour problems.
* Feral and wild cats allocate 6-8 hours every day on foraging (searching for prey and hunting). They eat 10-20 small meals each day, and return to hunting dirtily after consuming a meal. Frequency of hunting is not affected by satiation; cats will hunt whether hungry or not, but latency to kill-bite delivery is reduced when cats are hungry.
* Feral dogs and wolves hunt more sporadically, as opportunities arise, but also spend several hours each day foraging (often searching for carrion and non-meat food).
For cats, the most ethologically appropriate presentation of food is ad-lib using simulated foraging (activity feeders). A cat given 2 meals per day is effectively having its feeding frequency reduced to the equivalent of a person being fed every 2nd or 3rd day.
For dogs, some opportunity for simulated foraging should also be provided, in the form of activity feeders.
==Dietary Components Which Affect Behaviour==
==Dietary Components Which Affect Behaviour==