Cat food prices!!!

[steveswench]

Re: Cat food prices!!!

Cats are strict carnivores and don't need the vegetables and corn and wheat fillers in dry cat food. They can also become addicted to dry cat food and should be slowly switched to wet cat food according to Dr. Michael Fox. Some of his articles about pet foods are very interesting and VERY,VERY scary!!! I have to admit that I don't make my own cat food but I have made my own dog food.

www.doctormwfox.org

Here's what he suggests

Dr. Michael Fox's Homemade 'Natural'
Dietary Supplement for Cats


1/2 cup of peas, chick peas or lentils
Pinch of salt
1 T. vegetable oil (flax seed oil* or safflower oil)
1 T. wheat germ
1 T. cider vinegar
1 T. chopped canned clams in juice
1 t. nutritional yeast*
1 t. dried kelp*
1 t. calcium lactate/citrate/ or carbonate supplement*
1 whole chicken cut in pieces,
or 1 lb. hamburger (not too lean), or ground lamb, or turkey.

1 cup chopped chicken hearts and gizzards.


Combine all above ingredients. Add water to cover all ingredients, simmer and stir, and add more water as needed until cooked and thickened. Stew should be thickened enough to be molded into medium-sized or muffin-size patties (add a little oat meal or bran to thicken if needed). Also, add an egg or cup of cottage cheese. Immediately after cooking and cooling, de-bone and discard bones (cats should not be given cooked bones to eat since they can splinter and cause internal damage). This stew can be served as: 1/2 cup full for a cat with the rest of his/her rations. Freeze the rest of the stew as patties, or in muffin trays, and thaw out as needed. Serve one patty to a cat about three times per week with regular rations.

For variation, substitute 1 pound lightly cooked boneless fish, or mix equal parts of ground or chopped pieces of calf heart, kidney and liver. (NOTE: some cats are allergic to fish, corn, and also to beef and dairy products).

· * These items are available in health food stores. Ideally, all ingredients should be Organically Certified.

· NOTE: Add flax seed oil after the cooked food has cooled to room temperature.



**** In addition, give 4-6 DROPS of fish oil once a day.****



A daily multi-vitamin and multi-mineral supplement is also advisable, and one that also supplies essential amino acids and is recommended by feline vets is called Platinum Performance Feline Wellness. At a pinch, crush up one human a ‘one-a day’ complete multi-vitamin. & mineral supplement and put light sprinkling (about one-tenth or less)

On the cat’s food at one of the daily feedings.

T = Tablespoon
t = teaspoon



--THE ABOVE RECIPE CAN ALSO BE FED AS A COMPLETE MEAL RATHER THAN AS A SUPPLEMENT.--MIX INCREASING AMOUNTS OF YOUR CAT’S NEW FOOD WITH DECREASING AMOUNTS OF THE OLD FOOD OVER A 7-DAY PERIOD TO AVOID POSSIBLE DIGESTIVE UPSET.--- IT IS ADVISABLE TO VARY THE BASIC INGREDIENTS TO PROVIDE VARIETY AND TO AVOID POSSIBLE NUTRITIONAL IMBALANCES, AND TO MONITOR THE ANIMAL'S BODY CONDITION SO AS TO AVOID EITHER OVER-FEEDING OR UNDER-FEEDING, BASED ON THE AVERAGE CAT CONSUMING ONE THIRD OF A CUPFULL THREE OR FOUR TIMES A DAY.

--NOTE: DIFFERENT ANIMALS HAVE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT NUTRITIONAL NEEDS ACCORDING TO AGE, TEMPERAMENT, AMOUNT OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND HEALTH STATUS).

Keep teeth clean by giving a scalded (to kill bacteria) raw chicken wing tip with skin on it for your cat to chew every 3-4 days, or thin strips of scalded raw beef heart or shank meat—the tougher the better! Avoid addictive and potentially harmful dry foods that do little to keep teeth clean.



Home-prepared foods for our animal companions, ideally with organic ingredients that were locally produced, are important because you then know what your animal is being fed if a food-related health problem such as an allergy to a particular ingredient or digestive upset were to arise. With most processed commercial pet foods containing all kinds of human food-industry by-products and ingredients considered unfit/unsafe for human consumption, many of questionable nutritional value after repeated processing, you just don’t know. Aside from coloring agents that may cause problems other than saliva-staining of animals’ faces, and paws, most commercial pet foods contain artificial preservatives like BHA that is linked with cancer of the bladder and stomach; BHT that may cause cancer of the bladder and thyroid gland; and Ethoxyquin, one of Monsanto’s many allegedly harmful products that renderers (meat and poultry processors) add to the fat/tallow that is put into pet foods to prevent rancidity. Ethoxyquin is a recognized hazardous chemical, a highly toxic pesticide. Most pet food manufacturers have recently phased out using BHA and BHT and now use ‘mixed tocopherols’ (a claimed source or form of vitamin E), citric acid, beta-carotene and Rosemary extract as preservatives.

[Huffle]

Re: Cat food prices!!!

My cat is older and was a rescue at the shelter. She is about 11years old and her front teeth not the pointy fang type ones but the ones inbetween are all worn down I guess from dry food. Probably not a lot of nutrition from mom while she nursed also. So I put some water on a bit of dry food and add about 1/3 -1/2 a can of dry twice each day. Makes her happy. My DS1 was the first to notice her teeth about a year ago. She was basicly just trying to swallow the dry food whole.
I would also scan the grocery adds for a sale. Oh and if you look around at the websites some of the company's will send you coupons for a free trial of their food.

Huffle

[Ginger]

Re: Cat food prices!!!

I feed my boys a small can of Friskies every day(plus dry food). Usual price here is 54 cents (Canadian)a can, but when one of the stores has it on sale, I stock up. Furballs are finicky about what flavours they will eat too.

[CrabbyMcClaw]

Re: Cat food prices!!!

My cat (soon to be cats) eat dry food with occasional treats of wet food.

Rube, you have a pregnant kitty? Have you ever offered her a raw egg? My little furbaby loved an egg when she was expecting! (scrambled, raw or cooked)

After my last little sweetie, I swore I would not buy canned cat food. So Mr. Thomas gets dry food and he likes the treats that are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

[mommyx2]

Re: Cat food prices!!!

Huffle.. I will check them out here. Zoe will eat anything DH gives her. My DD's cat goes ape when she sees lettuce. She will scream at you til you give her some.

[Stella]

Re: Cat food prices!!!

rube did you see it too? all these green friendly pet things?

was it cornmeal for the litter?? I should visit my friend google....

[Rubelishous]

Re: Cat food prices!!!

My cat (soon to be cats) eat dry food with occasional treats of wet food.

Stella - corn products make great "flushable" litter. I use one and it smells wonderful. They also make them from pine refuse; wheat as well as one from newsprint.

[wellsms]

Re: Cat food prices!!!

I use Iams dog food for my dogs, so I would guess it would be the same for cats, but I have believed that with Iams it is higher quality and the dogs need less of it to satisfy them. Make sure you are not feeding them too much so they don't get obese. Our vet growled at me because she said 1 of our dogs was over-weight, I did not see it that way, but I guess that is why she is a vet and I am not.

[Huffle]

Re: Cat food prices!!!

I found quite by surprise that the cans of wet foot at Pet's Mart are a lot cheaper. If you sign up for thier "rewards" thingy (keychain tag thing) it makes it even less. I use either 9 lives or Friskies canned the chunky kind with gravey and it was $0.47 a can when I was in a few days ago. Also Coupons, Coupons, Coupons. They accept manufactures coupons at Pet's Mart also.

Huffle

[Traumanurse]

Re: Cat food prices!!!

My cat loves raw hot dogs, any kind of chicken left from our supper. Had one that loved cheetos too. just for snacks. I feed him cat food most of the time.

[SHEL]

Re: Cat food prices!!!

My Cat Will Eat Almost Anything. He Really Likes Gravey, Cottege Cheese, Syrup, Smoked Fish And Cheese.

He Prefers Dry Cat Food. I Just Got A Big Bag Of Purina For 12.99 And I Had A 2.50 Coupon At Tractor Supply.

[Stella]

Re: Cat food prices!!!

your cat eats table food? i didn't think cats did that...
i have never had a cat, allergic to cat dander, and I worry they will claw my furniture.

did you see the news the other night? here they had a segment on pets going green.
pet stores are selling kitty litter made out of ?? i wanna say it was ground corn?

[mommyx2]

These 3 cats will be eating mostly dry food til prices get back to normal. Up until yesterday we were paying 59 cents for big cans of 9 Lives.. yesterday Price is now 1.19. 2 of the cats perfer dry, with an occasional nip here & there of the wet. But our Himaylan is super picky. She wants the chunky wet cat food with gravy. Sorry Zoe.. Canned food will be far and few between for now.
DH has her so pampered. She sits so politely at his feet while he eats. He shares everything with her.
Gas comes down and groceries have gotten nuts!!