Tonkineses eat meat. Keep that in mind as you are pondering what food your Tonkinese should eat. If you don’t stick to this, your Tonkinese will seem like a picky eater. You can have trouble getting your Tonkinese to eat if you’re giving him food that is not meat or formulated from meat products.
What should Tonkineses eat?
Always keep in mind Tonkineses are closely related to the largest of felines — leopards, lions and tigers — so take that to heart while feeding your Tonkinese. You will not witness an adult cheetah on National Geographic drinking milk, chewing grass, or eating an apple in nature. You also would never observe a young lion cub in the wild drinking milk from a cow, or any other animal. As preposterous as these examples appear, that’s what many people feed their Tonkineses. So you should not act surprised if your Tonkinese goes on a hunger strike. Tonkineses don’t eat the same way dogs or humans do. With respect to their nutrition, they are very inflexible, and as an owner you must realize that. Tonkineses eat almost exclusively proteins and fats as opposed to omnivores like humans who also eat fruits and vegetables. If we ate like Tonkineses, we’d develop heart disease by age 20. Tonkineses are not at all like humans and they are not little dogs. It’s not uncommon for people to feed their Tonkineses the same way they treat dogs, who can eat a variety of different foods and stay healthy. As a matter of fact, dog food can be fatal to Tonkineses over time because it does not meet their dietary needs and it’s often too high in carbohydrates, which Tonkineses can’t digest well. Tonkineses get severe weight issues from carbs, which can eventually lead to diabetes. The long and short of it is that Tonkineses must avoid carbohydrates at all cost.
how to care for the young Tonkinese
Satiating Your Tonkinese’s Taste Buds
Make certain any food you buy for the Tonkinese satisifies the standards prescribed by the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). Satisfying those standards guarantees that the Tonkinese is getting the right nutrition. It’s ok to ignore terms such as “super-premium”, ” gourmet”, ” premium”, and “natural” which have no standard definition. Always feel free to ask the doctor which food he recommends as well. Once you have decided, let your Tonkinese do a taste test. If your Tonkinese enjoys the food and doesn’t have any gastrointestinal issues (such as constipation) later on, you’ve nailed it. On the other hand, if your Tonkinese doesn’t like the food, you need to be ready to give other choices. Tonkineses will sometimes prefer to go on a hunger strike as opposed to eat something they don’t like, and these strikes can truly be harmful. If she ever decides to stop eating, the Tonkinese runs an extreme risk of liver failure and death. If you do decide to change from one food to another, replace the old food a little at a time, in small quantities over about a week. This makes it easier for your Tonkinese to accept and reduces the chances of somach discomfort.
Portion Size, Snacks, and Feeding Time for Tonkineses
How much food do you need to feed the Tonkinese? There are many elements that determine that answer. For instance, is the Tonkinese a house cat or a yard cat or hybrid? Has the Tonkinese had sterilization surgery? Both affect your Tonkinese’s nutritional requirements. Your best bet is to request more information from the doctor, who will identify your Tonkinese’s ideal weight and daily nutritional requirements. Once you learn how much food your Tonkinese needs, stick to the plan. Although it seems like it’s not enough, your Tonkinese will get used to it and remain at her ideal weight. For Tonkineses, it’s hard to shed extra weight once they get obese. The next step is to schedule the Tonkinese’s meals. Tonkineses like to eat small meals during the day, so expect to leave meals out so he can come and graze when hunger strikes. You can also leave out half for the morning and the other half for the evening for a little portion control. Keep snacks to a minimum. The more snacks they eat, the less room they’ll have for their real dietary requirements.
Don’t forget to check out these other articles about Tonkineses
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