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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / March 2007Making your own cat food?
So with all the horror of tainted commercial cat food, I'm thinking about making my own cat food. I know of a few people who make their own dog food, but nobody who makes cat food. Is it more complicated or something? I'm not going to feed them a raw diet. But I'm thinking about buying meat and cooking it for them. If I were to do this, would I need to add anything to their diet to make it complete? I notice that most cans of cat food list taurine. Doesn't most meat already have taurine? Maybe because the food is made of by-products, they actually have to add the taurine back in? I really hope this thread won't get hijacked by a "raw vs cooked" argument, because I'm asking for advice, and I'm really hoping that people will give me serious and helpful suggestions about feeding my cats *cooked* food. (If some people must get into that argument, can I ask that you please change the subject line? Thanks!) What would be the best meats? Beef? Chicken? Fish? Turkey? A lot of people say that cats shouldn't be fed "people food", but that is exactly what I'm thinking of doing. But meat only. What else does a cat need? Thanks!! Joyce If you cook it, you eliminate much of the nutrients they need, so you would have to add those some other way. Chicken, fish and turkey... I read beef was not a good choice for cats. I did it for awhile and it was a lot of work,,, I found good canned wet food and they now get better nutrition that way. > So with all the horror of tainted commercial cat food, I'm thinking > about making my own cat food. I know of a few people who make their [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > Thanks!! > Joyce  SignaturePosted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com > If you cook it, you eliminate much of the nutrients they need, so you > would have to add those some other way. Brewers yeast, some bran (not wheat gluten! LOL), cod liver oil or a made-for-pets vitamin A, D & E supplement. I give Persia DermCaps liquid oil once a week mixed in with her food. Also fresh vegetables such as grated carrots, alfalfa sprouts or chopped chives. > Chicken, fish and turkey... I read beef was not a good choice for > cats. Actually FISH isn't great for cats. Sherry pointed out the cats on the docks in North Carolina (?) got all the fresh fish they could eat and were some of the least healthy cats she'd ever seen. Fish isn't really good for cats. > I did it for awhile and it was a lot of work,,, I found good canned > wet food and they now get better nutrition that way. Persia eats prescription food and it's dry kibble. Her vet doesn't seem terribly concerned about whether she eats dry or wet, as long as she doesn't have problems with bladder infections and the resulting stones from crystalline oxolate formations. That's $900 I'd rather not spend (actually have John spend) again. She's happy and healthy. Jill >> So with all the horror of tainted commercial cat food, I'm thinking >> about making my own cat food. I know of a few people who make their [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] >> Thanks!! >> Joyce > Brewers yeast, some bran (not wheat gluten! LOL), cod liver oil or a > made-for-pets vitamin A, D & E supplement. I give Persia DermCaps liquid > oil once a week mixed in with her food. Also fresh vegetables such as > grated carrots, alfalfa sprouts or chopped chives. Surely not chives? Chives are related to onions, and onions cause anemia in cats. Cats really don't need any vegetables in their diet. If you cook their meat, you need to add taurine (because cooking destroys it) and calcium. SignatureMarina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki. Stories and pics at http://koti.welho.com/mkurten/ Pics at http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/frankiennikki/ http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki >> Brewers yeast, some bran (not wheat gluten! LOL), cod liver oil or a >> made-for-pets vitamin A, D & E supplement. I give Persia DermCaps [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > meat, you need to add taurine (because cooking destroys it) and > calcium. The book said chives. ? Was published in 1985. Dunno; I can't afford to cook food like this anyway. I can barely afford to cook for myself LOL Jill >>> Brewers yeast, some bran (not wheat gluten! LOL), cod liver oil or a >>> made-for-pets vitamin A, D & E supplement. I give Persia DermCaps [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Jill Do you mean to say that you prescribed a diet that you yourself do not use? SignatureJoey DoWop Dee Remember: It is To Laugh >>>> Brewers yeast, some bran (not wheat gluten! LOL), cod liver oil or >>>> a made-for-pets vitamin A, D & E supplement. I give Persia [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > Do you mean to say that you prescribed a diet that you yourself do > not use? Absolutely. I don't eat cat food. >> Brewers yeast, some bran (not wheat gluten! LOL), cod liver oil or a >> made-for-pets vitamin A, D & E supplement. I give Persia DermCaps [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > meat, you need to add taurine (because cooking destroys it) and > calcium. I agree completely with what you wrote. Onions aren't good, Jill's post about fish was dead on, as well. I'd buy a book or consult a vet. I'm not at all against making your own cat food, though. I'm almost considering it, too. kili >>> Brewers yeast, some bran (not wheat gluten! LOL), cod liver oil or a >>> made-for-pets vitamin A, D & E supplement. I give Persia DermCaps [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > kili I really wouldn't know about chives, although some cat and dog food appears to contain onions. I'm not a huge onion fan... it's the texture for me not the taste. I hate the texture. Jill > So with all the horror of tainted commercial cat food, I'm thinking > about making my own cat food. I know of a few people who make their [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Maybe because the food is made of by-products, they actually have to > add the taurine back in? Cats must have more calcium than you will get in meat. You have to grind bones up as well. Fish is bad as a primary food because it has too much magnesium and not enough calcium. Grinding up beef or lamb bones is going to need a heavy-duty grinder. Don't use pork, it can carry a virus that damages cats' digestive systems. ============== j-c ====== @ ====== purr . demon . co . uk ============== Jack Campin: 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland | tel 0131 660 4760 <http://www.purr.demon.co.uk/jack/> for CD-ROMs and free | fax 0870 0554 975 stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, & Mac logic fonts | mob 07800 739 557 > Don't use pork, it can carry a virus that damages cats' digestive > systems. I think she doesn't have to worry about that if she's going to cook the meat. SignatureMarina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki. Stories and pics at http://koti.welho.com/mkurten/ Pics at http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/frankiennikki/ http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki > Don't use pork, it can carry a virus that damages cats' digestive > systems. Ah! That explains why there's no ham cat food! I didn't know that. Thank you! kili >> Don't use pork, it can carry a virus that damages cats' digestive >> systems. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > kili Cats may like ham but it's not good for them. And it has nothing to do with religious convictions LOL >>>Don't use pork, it can carry a virus that damages cats' digestive >>>systems. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Cats may like ham but it's not good for them. And it has nothing to do with > religious convictions LOL That goes for ANY "cured" meat - ham, corned beef, pastrami, smoked fish, whatever! (An occasional "treat", if they like it, but I've read it tends to cause intestinal inflamations if fed in any quantity.) >>>> Don't use pork, it can carry a virus that damages cats' digestive >>>> systems. [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > it, but I've read it tends to cause intestinal inflamations > if fed in any quantity.) Yes, that's what I've read too. Even "hoomin" canned tuna isn't good for them except on occasion. > Cats must have more calcium than you will get in meat. You have to > grind bones up as well. Are you sure? I've only seen "bone meal" listed on dog food labels - one of the differences between cat and dog food, IIRC. On Mar 24, 8:55 pm, Jack Campin - bogus address > > Fish is bad as a primary food because it has too much magnesium and > not enough calcium. Yes, fish is a No No for male cats prone to urinary blockage where Mg is one of the prime contributing factors. Rusty was on IAM's Ocean Fish when he was first blocked. Winnie have more than one friend/acquaintance that make the cat food they feed. varying recipes, most with some vegetables, most cooked... if I were doing this I would research the crap out of it, interested in what you decide. Lee > So with all the horror of tainted commercial cat food, I'm thinking > about making my own cat food. I know of a few people who make their [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > Thanks!! > Joyce > So with all the horror of tainted commercial cat food, I'm thinking > about making my own cat food. I know of a few people who make their [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > Thanks!! > Joyce Hope your mail doesn't bounce back. I emailed you the recipes I got from the book 'It's a Cat's Life'. Jill > Hope your mail doesn't bounce back. I emailed you the recipes I got from > the book 'It's a Cat's Life'. Jill - I haven't received your email. Did you remove all the X's from my user name? The real name is "jwermont". Could you send it again? I'd really like to see those. Thanks! Joyce > I'm not going to feed them a raw diet. But I'm thinking about buying > meat and cooking it for them. If I were to do this, would I need to > add anything to their diet to make it complete? I notice that most Absolutely! Marina feed Mir-mir a home-made diet, plus suplements. Mir-mir is such a princess, she won't eat cat food. :) SignatureVictor M. Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM) Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov Email me here: pistorLITTER@BOXaustin.rr.com >> I'm not going to feed them a raw diet. But I'm thinking about buying >> meat and cooking it for them. If I were to do this, would I need to >> add anything to their diet to make it complete? I notice that most > > Absolutely! Marina feed Mir-mir a home-made diet, plus suplements. > Mir-mir is such a princess, she won't eat cat food. :) Yes, but I feed her a raw diet (and Caliban, too, in the hopes he will lose some weight - hasn't happened, though :o/ ). Still, though I feed her raw meat, I give her a supplement (the only thing specifically made for cats that she will eat!). Mir was declared perfectly healthy when we visited TED recently for annual shots. SignatureMarina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki. Stories and pics at http://koti.welho.com/mkurten/ Pics at http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/frankiennikki/ http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki > Yes, but I feed her a raw diet (and Caliban, too, in the hopes he will > lose some weight - hasn't happened, though :o/ ). Still, though I feed > her raw meat, I give her a supplement (the only thing specifically made > for cats that she will eat!). I wish ours would eat a raw diet, but you may remember how big a waste it was when we tried it back when Basho got sick. :( SignatureVictor M. Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM) Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov Email me here: pistorLITTER@BOXaustin.rr.com On Mar 24, 5:32 pm, jXwXeXrXmXoX...@sonic.net wrote: > So with all the horror of tainted commercial cat food, I'm thinking > about making my own cat food. I know of a few people who make their [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > Thanks!! > Joyce Joyce, follow this link: It may help answer some of your nutritional questions. http://www.sojournerfarms.com/catfoodmix.html The stuff you buy from them is a dry mix that you soak in water and then add to the meat you feed them, evidently completing and supplementing the nutrients cats need which the meat alone doesn't provide. The directions are included and It's pretty easy to use. In general a good way to get started in making your animal food. I was using SoJo's when Nina was a kitten adding it to raw ground turkey, and I was feeding three cats. One elderly, one young adult and one kitten, and they all seemed to like it and it appeared to agree with them. I had to stop though, because buying fresh meat for them on a weekly basis was sending me to the poorhouse. Hence the change to Science Diet cans for me. I love my cats dearly, but I will not go broke for their sakes! It's sounding like a pretty darn good alternative right now after this cat food mess, though. Melissa > So with all the horror of tainted commercial cat food, I'm thinking > about making my own cat food. I know of a few people who make their > own dog food, but nobody who makes cat food. Is it more complicated > or something? A freind of mine used to cook an assortment of (tough) meat in her slow-cooker for her dog - not sure whether she did for her cats (or whether her recipe included anything but the meat - usually beef in some form). I know she fed both cats and dog a treat of raw liver, a couple of times a week. > So with all the horror of tainted commercial cat food, I'm thinking > about making my own cat food. I know of a few people who make their [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > Thanks!! > Joyce Here is the place to start: http://www.catinfo.org/makingcatfood.htm Dr. Lisa Pierson is the vet that developed DM, but she still doesn't like all the stuff the companie adds. She is truly THE expert. She gives lots of good tips for transitioning and ways to get to the stage of making your own. I know I'm really getting there myself. I think I could get Pearl on board, but Sugar is the big dry food hold out. > Here is the place to start: > http://www.catinfo.org/makingcatfood.htm Thank you! That sounds great. Joyce On Mar 24, 8:32 pm, jXwXeXrXmXoX...@sonic.net wrote: > So with all the horror of tainted commercial cat food, I'm thinking > about making my own cat food. I know of a few people who make their [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > Thanks!! > Joyce If I recall correctly, there are recipes for homemade cat food in the book Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health For Dogs and Cats. Also check The New Natural Cat by Anitra Frazier. Winnie |
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