Feedback on 'Cat Nutrition'

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

In the wild state, a cat usually eats most of its prey, including the contents of the intestine. If your felines are indoor pets, as mine are, provide a pot of grass for them to nibble instead.

And that brings up the question of vitamin C, which was long considered an unnecessary additive for felines because the animals produce it in their bodies. Illness or disease, however, can quickly deplete a cat's capacity to manufacture enough of this very essential substance. I recommend that a good vitamin supplement with vitamin C and minerals—be added to the daily diet, no matter what it is. Control your pet's intake of vitamins A and D, which are toxic in large doses. (The same rule applies to people.)

If you use canned food, as I do, read that label! Some unscrupulous manufacturers make incomplete rations that can kill kittens if they're fed exclusively on the one brand. Use only those tinned foods that are described on the can as complete and balanced. Almost all such products contain fish, by the way, so don't add more.

Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with the possible ill effects of bone meal on cats. Here's my philosophy, though: If there's any doubt about the safety of an ingredient, don't use it. There are safe and established methods of feeding the creatures and it shouldn't be necessary to experiment with your pet.

Here's a sample diet which I find healthy and practical to feed to my eight cats. The basis is a balanced canned food (Friskies, Puss 'n Boots), a dry ration (Purina) and a vitamin and mineral supplement. To this I add cottage cheese (sparingly); bacon drippings—again sparingly, because of the high salt content—or oil or butter; unseasoned meat broth from chicken backs, necks and skin, steak bones, etc.; egg yolks; chopped leftover meats and fat; liver occasionally; wheat germ . . . whatever I have on hand. It isn't necessary to make exotic mixtures. For kittens I combine strained baby meats and cottage cheese as an extra feeding.

I could go on and on. If you feed your cats raw meat, check them for worms twice a year. Provide some dry food: It cleans the teeth, just as bones clean the teeth of wild felines. Don't give your pets a monotonous diet—variety is the spice of life and health—and don't overfeed them.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print