The ancestors of dogs are wolves, and wolves are social animals. They will cooperate with each other to hunt large prey, and then share food in order of high status.
Because wolves eat irregularly when hunting in the wild, they are often full and hungry unevenly, so they are used to eating intermittently. After each successful hunting, they will be full immediately and then hungry for a long time. In addition, because wolves will compete with their companions when eating, they need to eat quickly to ensure that they eat enough food.
Although dogs have been domesticated for a long time, they still retain some characteristics of wolves when eating, so adult dogs only need to feed 1-2 times a day.
Second, the eating habits of cats
The ancestors of cats are wild cats in African grasslands and deserts. They are natural excellent hunters who are good at preying on small rodents, such as voles, squirrels and rabbits. Cats hunt frequently all day, so their eating characteristic is to eat less and eat more, and they need to eat many times a day.
Most wildcats tend to act alone. They hunt alone most of the time. Because there is no competitive pressure during eating, cats eat relatively slowly.
Cats can eat 12~20 meals a day, and each time they eat, they will consume about 20-30 kilocalories. In order to make their bodies more flexible and realize efficient predation, cats who hunt alone will control their food intake to keep their bodies, but domestic cats gradually lose their ability to control their weight because they have no hunting needs, so they are prone to obesity.
Third, drinking habits of dogs and cats
1, the ancestors of cats lived in the desert. Due to environmental influence, cats can concentrate urine more than dogs and people, so they have strong drought tolerance and drink less water at ordinary times. But also because cats don't like drinking water, if they are fed dry food for a long time, it will easily lead to insufficient water for cats, and they are more likely to suffer from urinary tract diseases, urinary calculi, renal failure and other diseases.
Unlike cats, dogs usually drink water normally when they feel thirsty. When a dog is dehydrated, it will quickly replenish about 6% of its body weight within 1 hour, while a cat needs to replenish the same amount of water for 24 hours.
4. What factors will affect the eating of cats and dogs?
1, individual factors
1 olfactory factor: dogs and cats have a very developed sense of smell, so whether a certain food can attract dogs and cats depends mainly on its smell. Losing the sense of smell will make dogs unable to distinguish different kinds of meat, and cats will stop eating completely.
Different types of dogs and cats have different olfactory sensitivities:
Among dogs, long-headed dogs usually have a better sense of smell than short-headed dogs;
The sense of smell of adult cats and dogs >: old cats and dogs > young cats and dogs;
Because estrogen can improve the sense of smell, the sense of smell of female dogs and cats is more sensitive.
The sense of smell of hungry cats and dogs: the sense of smell after eating;
When the air moisture content is less, it will lead to dry mucous membranes of dogs and cats and reduce the olfactory sensitivity;
More than 35% of commonly used drugs will affect the sense of smell of pets, and most cortisol drugs will weaken the sense of smell of dogs and cats.
② Taste factors: There are 9000 taste buds on human tongue, only 1 700 for dogs and only 500 for cats. Both humans and dogs can perceive sweetness and bitterness, but cats can't perceive sweetness and are particularly sensitive to bitterness.
③ Visual effects: Both dogs and cats have poor eyesight, and cats are still typical of myopia, so the visual effects on appetite are not great.
④ Other factors: Long-term feeding of dog food with a single taste will make dogs form a habit, and they are unwilling to choose other flavors of food, which makes people mistakenly think that dogs are picky eaters. However, if dogs are usually fed mixed diets, they will be more likely to accept other flavors of food and will not be picky eaters. In addition, the type, size, physical condition and sex of pets will also affect eating.
2. Food factors
① raw materials: pet dogs and cats prefer animal protein, and the fresher the raw materials, the better;
② Nutritional structure: Dogs will definitely choose dog food with different protein content, while cats will refuse to eat low-sodium cat food. Amino acids and small peptides have great influence on the appetite of cats.
③ Additives: Most pet foods will add some additives to stimulate the appetite of pets, such as sweeteners, umami, umami and other attractants, as well as mildewproof agents and antioxidants.
4 Food appearance: Large granule food can slow down the feeding speed, increase the chewing process of dogs and control the feeding speed of dogs. Cats prefer gelatinous food to powdered food.
⑤ Water content: Cats like foods with low water content and crisp taste, while dogs like foods with high water content and soft taste.
3. Environmental factors
Cats are sensitive animals. They often refuse to eat in unfamiliar environments, and they will start eating when they get used to it. In addition, when the weather is hot, male cats will have a greater appetite for their favorite foods, while female cats will have a better appetite when it is cold.
To sum up, before cats and dogs eat, the smell of food often determines their appetite. In the process of eating, the touch of food such as particle size and texture will have a certain impact on their appetite, and then the taste of food will also affect their eating choices. Therefore, when choosing a pet diet, we should fully consider the raw materials, flavor, processing technology and nutritional components of the food. More importantly, we should pay attention to whether the ingredients are safe and whether the antiseptic technology meets the requirements, so that pets can eat more comfortably and healthily.