If you have a cat, a dog, a rabbit, or any other pet, there’s a high chance that you want to treat them like kings and queens. After all, they are an important part of your family, and they deserve to be treated as such. You can do this by making sure they are well looked after, that they get the attention they require, that they are going on walks or get the chance to go outside, and that they are fed well. Most pet owners make their way to the pet store to stock up on food for their specific animal, but have you ever wondered whether you should feed your pets human food?
Going back in time
When you think about it, commercial pet food hasn’t been on the market for that long. It’s a relatively new addition to our lives, which makes you wonder what pets ate before this stuff was readily available from stores across the globe. Well, if you go back in time, you’ll realize that pets used to eat scraps of human food. Their owners would simply give their dogs and cats their leftovers, and there wasn’t such a huge fuss over dry food or wet food. Because of this, many people have decided to go back to this way of life, and are now feeding their animals' human food. This trend became even more prominent after the contaminated pet food scandal in 2007. After many pets fell ill or even passed away after eating food specifically made for pets, many owners decided to go back to basics.
Keeping the food in check
Although it may seem easy to simply make a few extra plates of food each day for your pets, you need to be careful if you are thinking of making this transition. That’s because there are certain foods that your animals can’t eat. The list is fairly extensive, so it’s best to do some research before you decide to feed your animal's human food. Some of these foods can be extremely dangerous, and the last thing you want to do is to put your beloved pets in harm's way. Another thing to note is that you should never give your animals food that you wouldn’t eat yourself. This means that you should avoid things such as big lumps of fat, skin, or gristle. If you won’t eat it, then don’t put it in the food bowl.
Making a gradual change
If your pet has been living off pet food for much of its life, then you might want to make the change from pet food to human food more gradual than instant. Instead of changing up their diet overnight, slowly but surely introduce human foods into their diet while reducing the amount of pet food they are eating. This will not only help the animal cope with the change on a taste level, but it will also help with their digestion.
Are you thinking about feeding your animal human food? Well, it’s not unheard of. You just need to do your research before you make such a drastic change.
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