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Homemade cat food
I have been wondering about making my cat's food myself. I would like to
feed her something that is fresh, nutritious, and with no additives or unknown ingredients. Here is a list of ingredients I was thinking of using. Pearl barley, Fish entrails & scraps from the wholesaler, chicken by-products from the wholesaler (possibly organic) soy beans and/or lima beans, eggs, vegetable scraps. Does anyone have any ideas as to ingredients and dietary requirements for cats? logically they would need high protein with some added vitamins, but I would prefer to give her vitamin rich foods instead of added vitamins, as most cat foods have. Are there any specific vegies that would provide nutrients important to cats??? any advice would be appreciated. |
#2
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meee wrote:
I have been wondering about making my cat's food myself. I would like to feed her something that is fresh, nutritious, and with no additives or unknown ingredients. Here is a list of ingredients I was thinking of using. Pearl barley, Fish entrails & scraps from the wholesaler, chicken by-products from the wholesaler (possibly organic) soy beans and/or lima beans, eggs, vegetable scraps. Does anyone have any ideas as to ingredients and dietary requirements for cats? Sure, check the following links... http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/resou.../feedcats.html http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Zoo/5650/chart.html Good luck in tryna formulate a food at home that meets those requirements. |
#3
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"meee" wrote in message ... I have been wondering about making my cat's food myself. I would like to feed her something that is fresh, nutritious, and with no additives or unknown ingredients. Here is a list of ingredients I was thinking of using. Pearl barley, Fish entrails & scraps from the wholesaler, chicken by-products from the wholesaler (possibly organic) soy beans and/or lima beans, eggs, vegetable scraps. Does anyone have any ideas as to ingredients and dietary requirements for cats? logically they would need high protein with some added vitamins, but I would prefer to give her vitamin rich foods instead of added vitamins, as most cat foods have. Are there any specific vegies that would provide nutrients important to cats??? any advice would be appreciated. Unless you can find the requirements for a pregnant cat, I'd stick with a quality commercial kitten food until after your cat has weaned her kittens. |
#4
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meee wrote: I have been wondering about making my cat's food myself. I would like to feed her something that is fresh, nutritious, and with no additives or unknown ingredients. Here is a list of ingredients I was thinking of using. Pearl barley, Fish entrails & scraps from the wholesaler, chicken by-products from the wholesaler (possibly organic) soy beans and/or lima beans, eggs, vegetable scraps. Does anyone have any ideas as to ingredients and dietary requirements for cats? logically they would need high protein with some added vitamins, but I would prefer to give her vitamin rich foods instead of added vitamins, as most cat foods have. Are there any specific vegies that would provide nutrients important to cats??? any advice would be appreciated. Making one's own food is not an easy activity. You will need to contact a veterinary nutritionist and work with them to design a food that does not have deficiencies or excesses of one nutrient or another. I would suggest you contact Dr. Rebecca Remillard, DVM, Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Nutritionists - just google on her name and you should find her with no problem. Recipes for this abound all over the internet and the vast majority either contain deficiencies or excesses of one nutrient or another, or worse yet, can't even tell you what the nutrient levels will be for the finshed product. |
#5
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meee wrote: I have been wondering about making my cat's food myself. I would like to feed her something that is fresh, nutritious, and with no additives or unknown ingredients. Here is a list of ingredients I was thinking of using. Pearl barley, Fish entrails & scraps from the wholesaler, chicken by-products from the wholesaler (possibly organic) soy beans and/or lima beans, eggs, vegetable scraps. Does anyone have any ideas as to ingredients and dietary requirements for cats? logically they would need high protein with some added vitamins, but I would prefer to give her vitamin rich foods instead of added vitamins, as most cat foods have. Are there any specific vegies that would provide nutrients important to cats??? any advice would be appreciated. Feeding a cat a homemade diet isn't rocket science, as some vets and/or petfood companies would lead you to believe. Commercial petfood was invented for the convenience of the human, not because it's the only way there is to feed a cat. If you're interested in making your cat's food yourself, I would highly recommend researching and learning as much as you can about it. If you don't think you honestly have the time to dedicate to consistently prepare a balanced and nutritious diet and learn as much as you can, then it might be better to go with a commercial food for now. It's extremely important to learn the nutritional requirements of cats. There are books on the subject, as well as support groups you can join on the net (although be careful as some of the sites can be almost militant in their methods)(I can recommend a few that are very good if you're interested). It's also a good idea to find a vet who is knowledgeable about feline nutrition and is supportive of making your own catfood. I've been feeding my cats a homemade raw diet for several years with excellent results. If you're really serious about doing it yourself, you can also email me. Lauren (and Mickey & Meesha) See my cats: http://tinyurl.com/76tg8 |
#6
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PawsForThought wrote in message oups.com... meee wrote: I have been wondering about making my cat's food myself. I would like to feed her something that is fresh, nutritious, and with no additives or unknown ingredients. Here is a list of ingredients I was thinking of using. Pearl barley, Fish entrails & scraps from the wholesaler, chicken by-products from the wholesaler (possibly organic) soy beans and/or lima beans, eggs, vegetable scraps. Does anyone have any ideas as to ingredients and dietary requirements for cats? logically they would need high protein with some added vitamins, but I would prefer to give her vitamin rich foods instead of added vitamins, as most cat foods have. Are there any specific vegies that would provide nutrients important to cats??? any advice would be appreciated. Feeding a cat a homemade diet isn't rocket science, as some vets and/or petfood companies would lead you to believe. Commercial petfood was invented for the convenience of the human, not because it's the only way there is to feed a cat. If you're interested in making your cat's food yourself, I would highly recommend researching and learning as much as you can about it. If you don't think you honestly have the time to dedicate to consistently prepare a balanced and nutritious diet and learn as much as you can, then it might be better to go with a commercial food for now. It's extremely important to learn the nutritional requirements of cats. There are books on the subject, as well as support groups you can join on the net (although be careful as some of the sites can be almost militant in their methods)(I can recommend a few that are very good if you're interested). It's also a good idea to find a vet who is knowledgeable about feline nutrition and is supportive of making your own catfood. I've been feeding my cats a homemade raw diet for several years with excellent results. If you're really serious about doing it yourself, you can also email me. Lauren (and Mickey & Meesha) See my cats: http://tinyurl.com/76tg8 I am very interested in feeding her homemade food, and don't mind putting in a bit of extra effort. thanks for the links and tips everyone, I will follow them all up. The other reason I want to formulate a home-made cat food, is that we are contemplating moving to my husband's country in a few years, and as it's a smaller country, things like pet food are scarce and expensive. Good pet brands may not even be available. Also my hubby says there are many feral cats who I know i will end up adopting and/or feeding. So if I can find a recipe, as unprocessed foods are common and cheap, that would be a much cheaper and easier way of feeding my family, and additions!! |
#7
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"meee" wrote in message ... I have been wondering about making my cat's food myself. Better do a looooot of research! ;-) Cats have some very peculiar nutritional requirements. Does anyone have any ideas as to ingredients Ingredients should be selected based on their nutrient profiles. Animal tissue supply more nutrients and generally better quality nutrients than plant material. and dietary requirements for cats? http://www.maxshouse.com/feline_nutr...lt_Maintenance http://www.maxshouse.com/feline_nutr...lt_Maintenance http://www.maxshouse.com/feline_nutr...lt_Maintenance http://www.maxshouse.com/feline_nutr...lt_Maintenance logically they would need high protein That's true. But its not just the amount of protein that's important, the digestibility of the protein as well as the amino acid balance and amino acid availability are crucial in meeting the cat's protein requirement. IOW, all of the essential amino acids in the cat's diet must present in the right quantities as well as the correct *ratios*. The higher the quality (biologic value) of the protein the less the cat needs. http://www.maxshouse.com/feline_nutr...ue_of_Proteins Also, the cat has a unique requirement for taurine-- which is another amino acid but it isn't incorporated into proteins- its a free amino acid only found in animal tissues. Cats can't synthesize enough taurine so it must be supplied in the diet. Taurine deficiency can result in feline central retinal degeneration and very serious heart disease (dilated cardiomyopathy) which leads to heart failure. Since different meat sources contain varying amounts of taurine and the method of cooking affects taurine availability, you should use a taurine supplement. with some added vitamins, but I would prefer to give her vitamin rich foods instead of added vitamins, as most cat foods have. Are there any specific vegies that would provide nutrients important to cats??? Cats don't really need any veggies. Cats have no dietary need for carbohydrates. Cats can't convert beta carotene into vitamin A so: they must have pre-formed vitamin A in the diet. Pre-formed vitamin A is found in animal tissue. Be careful- cats are very susceptible to vitamin A toxicity because pre-formed vitamin A absorption isn't regulated by the intestine as is beta carotene. Cats also can't convert tryptophan to niacin nor can they manufacture vitamin D-- so both must also be supplied in the diet. Cats can't synthesize arachidonic acid (an essential omega-6 fatty acid) from linoleic acid or synthesize eicosapentanoic acid ( EPA- an essential omega-3 fatty acid ) from alpha-linoleic acid. so, preformed arachidonic acid must be supplied in the diet. Arachidonic acid only available in animal fats and is not available in any plant material. ("Essential" means the body can't make it for itself, so, it must be supplied in the diet). The ratio of omega-6 to omega 3 fatty acids is important, too --about 5:1 for cats. Fat is also necessary for normal absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. Remember, fat increases the caloric density of the diet 2.25x more than protein. Thus, all the other nutrients must be present in the diet- in the right proportions- so that the cat's nutrient requirements are met *before* the cat's energy needs are met- otherwise the cat will suffer malnutrition. Gotta be careful with fat. Calcium and phosphorus are also very important- but the calcium to phosphorus ratio is even more important- and a little tricky to balance. For every milligram of phosphorus in the diet there must be *at least* an equal amount of calcium before the phosphorus can be absorbed. If the diet doesn't contain at least an equal amount of calcium the body will mobilize calcium from the bones. 1.1:1 is the ideal ratio but 1.2-2 parts calcium to 1 part phosphorus is perfectly acceptable. Too much calcium and phosphorus can result in mineralization of soft tissue- especially in the kidneys. You'll probably hear people recommend chicken necks as a source of calcium and phosphorus because they have a perfect 1.1:1 C:P ratio. What these people don't seem to realize is that chicken necks don't contain enough calcium to balance the additional phosphorus that's in the meat in the diet. This forces the body to draw calcium out of the bones. So use a calcium supplement rather than chicken necks to balance the phosphorus. These people read one $10 paperback about feeding cats and they think they're veterinary nutritionists. So be careful of what you hear and verify everything before you feed it to your cat. any advice would be appreciated. Raise mice and feed them to your cats and forget about formulating your cats' diet! ;-) Mice are complete nutrition for cats and cheaper to raise than the ingredients you'll need. A cat only needs about 6 adult mice a day. ;-) Best of luck, Phil |
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"Diane" wrote in message ... In article , "Phil P." wrote: Mice are complete nutrition for cats and cheaper to raise than the ingredients you'll need. But . . . what happens when they illegally eat intruder spiders and ants and centipedes and such? Does this throw all their values off? Do they gain weight? Do we need to whip out the calipers? Yep- and the bio-impedance meters, too. Might even have to immerse the mice in a water bath to get a precise body fat determination. LOL! |
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