|
|
|
|
|
  
 |
|
MORE INFO.
FELINE CARE
|
NUTRITION FOR THE FELINE CARNIVORE In an attempt to provide the best care possible for my kitties, and also be an informed advisor as to the care of every kitten born here that goes to a new home, I'm constantly on the prowl for more information on feline care, behavior, and nutrition. In addition to my own personal library here at home, I've discovered a wealth of information available through many reputable sources on the Internet. In the 'FELINE CARE' section of this website I would like to share some of the information I've gleaned through experience and research. Yes, I am a proponent of a species appropriate, low carbohydrate, high protein MOIST (canned or raw) diet. I feed my cats predominately a home-prepared BALANCED raw meat diet. I supplement with good quality NO grain canned foods. My cats are on scheduled feedings - more or less - and they do not have free access to food throughout the day. They do not get dry food. Kittens are weaned directly onto the raw diet, then introduced to canned in preparation for their new homes. I've been feeding raw since March of 2004. Here's a few things I have learned and/or noticed: 1. The litter boxes have significantly less odor. 2. Pet food manufacturers in the United States are finally coming up to speed on the raw food issue, and more quality commercially prepared raw diets are now available. 3. HOWEVER, on the subject of making your own: preparing raw is not for the faint of heart. It takes commitment and determination. Everyone is going to think you are crazy and tell you so. You will most likely have to go against your veterinarian's recommendations, and he or she will frighten you with a long list of the dangers of raw meat. They will talk down to you as if you are an idiot who hasn't considered the basics of feline nutrition. You will doubt yourself, worrying that you've over-looked something, or didn't do it right. You'll make excuses as to why your cats can't make the transition. You will sabotage your own efforts by convincing yourself that the poor darlings can't go through the night without their dry food to nibble on. In my experience, very few people can, or even should, do this. 4. BUT, many people DO successfully feed a quality raw diet to their cats and their dogs. I know those who manage to feed large numbers of both and hold down a full time job as well. Once you get organized and have your system in place, and see that your cats not only do well, but thrive, it becomes a way of life, and is not that difficult. 5. Cats do fine, gain weight as needed, maintain weight as needed, sometimes loose weight as needed, and remain healthy on a raw diet WITHOUT having food available all of the time. In fact, in the long run, they seem less obsessed with food and more satisfied. 6. And don't get me started on "keeping dry food available for their teeth." I've been there, done that, and have not seen any more dental issues with no dry food in their diet. This is a good article where dental issues are addressed: see the link at the bottom of this page -- "Dry vs Canned?" WHAT DO I RECOMMEND AS FAR A DIET?
I recommend
feeding a well thought out, carefully prepared, balanced raw meat diet
but, quite frankly, I'm not sure I trust everyone to do that, even if
they were so inclined, and if you've done any research into raw feline
diets or BARF or raw meaty bones (RMB), you will see that opinions differ even
among raw feeders as to how it should be done. So all I can in
good conscience recommend is that you DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH, or feed a
quality commercially prepared raw diet. If you are genuinely interested in a raw
diet for your cats, I'm always glad to answer questions, bearing in mind
that I am not an authority nor a cat-care professional.
As I see it, there is considerable
leeway in regards to feeding cats without causing serious health
issues, however this can vary wildly depending on individual cats.
Much like humans--we all knew an old lady who smoked all of her life,
drank alcohol heavily, ate nothing but junk food, and lived into her
nineties in good health. Some people can do this, and some can't.
It's the same with cats, but cats have the added burden of being
OBLIGATE carnivores. Although they can and do digest, and
get by with many of the odd things manufacturers put in their food, they
have absolutely got to have ANIMAL based protein in their diets, and
quite a lot of it. A diet of predominately soy protein, or any
other kind of non-animal protein is just not going to do it for them in
the long run. In addition, a diet high in carbohydrates and grains is
going to be more difficult for them to digest as well as less
nutritious. Feline dietary
research has come a long way and we now know that there are a number of
elements that have been deficient in the commercial diets in the past
due to our ignorance of the complicated dietary requirements of cats.
Perhaps the most publicized is Taurine, an essential amino acid found in
abundance in the natural prey of cats without which blindness and
serious heart conditions can result. Commercial cat foods are now all
fortified with Taurine. However, despite better knowledge of feline
dietary requirements, both commercial food manufacturers as well as
consumers struggle with cost versus quality. In the long run, spending
a little more on food, is likely to mean less spent years down the road
on veterinary bills.
BUT, let's face
it, most of us are average people. Although we are probably crazier
than most about our cats, we still have busy lives with very little time
for fussing over feeding regimens, cat food preparation, and going to
great lengths to research feline diet and find the best foods. So,
what are we to do? Who do we listen to? Every article you read, every
veterinarian, every cat-care specialist is telling you something
different.
We each need to
make up our own minds. Here are a few of my guidelines, for what they
are worth (see the link "Recommended Foods" to the left for more specific
information).
1. Ideally a cat should be on a grain free (i.e. NO
corn, soy, wheat, rice, barley, etc) LOW carbohydrate, HIGH animal
protein diet. This doesn't take a whole lot of thought. In general
even the best dry food is going to be higher in carbohydrates and lower
in protein than the worse canned diet.... and checking ingredient lists
will tell you if a food contains grains or not (this includes glutens -
i.e. wheat gluten).
Why should we
care about grains and carbohydrates?
Because an obligate carnivore was never designed to consume great
quantities of them, and long term diets high in grain and carbohydrates
are now being connected with many chronic health issues in our cats as
they age, such as diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, allergies, and
obesity.
2. Canned food in general is better than dry food
for two reasons: moisture and lower carbohydrate content. Cats derive the majority of their water from their food. They
do not drink enough water to make up for any moisture deficit that they
are not receiving in their food. Cats on dry diets may appear to drink
more, but their total water intake is lower than cats on canned foods.
This has been measured by looking at cats' urine specific gravity. Cats
on dry diets have very high urine specific gravity readings - this is a
risk factor for FLUTD (feline lower urinary tract disease). Any cat
with urinary problems should be on an all canned diet.
Why do we care
about water? They simply are not getting
enough if fed a predominantly dry diet. Years of chronic dehydration
can lead to and/or aggravate a number of health issues we see in many
cats such as kidney disease, constipation and megacolon, cystitis
(bladder inflammation), and bladder/kidney stones.
Do we care about "by-products?" Yes and no. After all, a cat will eat ALL of a mouse for example. This includes by-products such as gristle, brain, feet, and other nutritious parts of the body. In fact, a good feline diet will include organ meats such as liver, heart, gizzards, kidneys, etc. The problem with by-products as listed by a manufacturer is that you don't know if they are using the more nutritional by-products or not. If it says "meat" by-products, you don't know what kind of animal, or animals, they came from. However, having said that, as a result of Dr. Hodgkins book "Your Cat," (Which I highly recommend), I have changed my stance on putting "no by-products" foods at the top of my list. Now my first priority is no grains, no veggies, no fruit. In other words, foods that are totally meat-based and, as it turns out, most of these list "by-products" on their labels. |
|
Art, photography, & web design ©2009, all rights reserved |
|
|
Home | About Us | Available Kittens | Parent Cats | Kitten Gallery | Contact | Tour | FAQ | Links |
|
| Mythicbells Persians - CFA registered Persian kittens raised with LOVE! | |
