Milk should be used as a food, not as a substitute for water. Milk must be used in addition to a balanced diet as it does not provide a complete, balanced diet on its own. For some cats, however, milk may be used as a treat. Milk contains lactose, which requires sufficient quantities of lactase in the intestinal tract to be properly broken down and digested.
If sufficient lactase is not present in the intestinal tract, diarrhoea may result in some cats. Raw eggs should not be repeatedly added to a cat’s diet because they can cause a deficiency of the vitamin biotin, as raw egg whites contain avidin, an enzyme which ties up biotin, making it unavailable for absorption into the body. Symptoms of biotin deficiency include dermatitis, or inflammation of the skin, hair loss, and poor growth.
Table scraps do not provide a sufficiently balanced diet, so these should not make up more than 10% of the cat’s intake of food.
Cats must never be given small, soft bones, such as chicken bones or pork chop bones as they may cause a choking hazard.
Although cats may enjoy meat, it does not provide a balanced diet. Raw meats may contain parasites and cooked meats do not contain a proper balance of nutrients and may be high in fat.
When a normal, healthy cat is being fed a complete, balanced diet, supplements are rarely necessary however, factors like stressful changes of routine, the feeding of table scraps, or inconsistent exercise, can cause cats to have special nutritional requirements
