This link requires Adobe's Acrobat reader. Printer Friendly Version   www.catnutrition.org      You have invested a lot of money for this baby and you want it to be healthy and live a long time. Remember in the "old days" when cats went outside and hunted bugs and prey. They lived to be 20 or so without the health issues we face today. Why are cats dying younger with kidney disease, liver disease, diabetes, tooth decay, urinary crystals, etc? We are what we eat and so is this kitten.      Consider this: CATS are CARNIVORES.meat eaters. As consumers we have been sold a bill of goods by the big cat food companies. Our vets have been taken in also. Cats need only raw meat with very low carbohydrates and dogs can be feed raw meat, vegetables and fruits. You can't run an engine on poor fuel and you can't keep a cat healthy on poor food. Read the ingredient labels on bags and cans of cat food. What do you see? Most have by products, corn, rice, wheat, oats, soy flour, cellulose, fruit and vegetables. Cats don't eat that stuff but we are forcing them to and they are rewarding us by dying young and giving us big vet bills along the way. CATS EAT MEAT AND THEY NEVER COOKED THEIR MICE. As cat owners, we need to WAKE UP and start feeding cats as carnivores. Stop trying to make the cat eat like you do from the different food groups.      A raw moist diet is BEST for your cat. Yes, RAW. Cats have a shorter intestinal track than us and the enzymes to digest raw meat, so they are equipped to eat this diet. You may want to start with the raw food recipe given below which closely parallels the nutrition of an adult mouse. YOU CAN DO THIS! IT IS EASY..and you will be feeding your kitten the food that most resembles the wild prey. You will need to purchase some supplements** to add to the raw chicken, turkey, lamb, rabbit, etc. **see next page You can purchase ground meat/bone from Hare Today Gone Tomorrow and add the supplements or purchase the raw diet ready to use from Feline Pride or Nature's Variety frozen raw. It is best to use real bones ground with the meat. All the details are on Anne's website: www.catnutrition.org I provide dry foods for the nibblers. Innova EVO, Wellness CORE, Timber Wolf Serengeti, and Nature's Variety Raw Instinct have no grains or by products. Remember, grain is carbohydrate and cats are not engineered to assimilate carbs; they need protein. Both of these foods are 50% protein from meat and have a low percentage of carbohydrates. A bowl of fresh water is very important because cats can become dehydrated from eating dry food. READ all of Lisa's links about cat nutrition. See my CAT FOOD COMPARISON CHART so you can select healthy foods. The packaged raw meat diet will keep in the refrigerator for two days. 5 pounds frozen chicken, turkey, rabbit: ground with bones and organs or fresh chicken legs and thighs that you will grind 8 ounces of Raw Chicken liver 5 Egg Yolks 6000 mg Salmon Oil 5 capsules of Raw Adrenal 800 IU Vitamin E 200 mg Vitamin B Complex 6000 mg Taurine 2 1/2 Teaspoons of “lite salt” 2 1/2 Teaspoons of "Kitty Bloom Supplement" Kalac M34 6 Teaspoons of "Kitty Bloom Supplement" VM900+3 2 cups water I put the B-Complex capsules and the powder into 1 cup of hot water along with salmon oil and E. Add water mixture with supplements and eggs to meat. Package in plastic containers and freeze. I use Rubbermaid "Take Along" containers. The packaged raw meat diet will keep in the refrigerator for two days. You can order the supplements online from stores like www.iherb.com “Kitty Bloom” comes from http://www.dogbloom.com/feline/products.html Wal-Mart sells 10lbs of thighs and legs for $6.95, Other stores run a little higher. Each container contains 2 days of Raw Food and will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days once defrosted. Kittens should receive 2 servings per day, a morning feed and an evening feed. Dry food should be left out at all times. The dry food I am feeding is a grain free low carb holistic brand called "Wellness Core". Please go to the "Wellness" website to locate a pet store near you that sells this brand. http://www.wellnesspetfood.com 1. Defrost one container of raw food (each tub contains 4 servings). 2. Measure out one 1/4 cup and place into freezer baggie ( serve #1 in the A.M. & #1 in the P.M.). 3. Fill sink or jug with HOT water and warm to body temperature. Do not warm in a microwave as this will cook the food and destroy all of the nutrition. Raw Food should be fed "RAW" to get the most nutrition and benefit from the food. 4. Once warmed, open bag, pour into a ceramic bowl, and serve. If all food is not eaten within a 2 hour period please remove and throw away. 5. Leave dry food down at all times. Also, remember to have plenty of fresh water available at all times. You can order the supplements online from stores like www.iherb.com “Kitty Bloom” comes from http://www.dogbloom.com/feline/products.html Wal-Mart sells 10lbs of thighs and legs for $6.95, Other stores run a little higher. Each container contains 2 days of Raw Food and will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days once defrosted. Kittens should receive 2 servings per day, a morning feed and an evening feed. Dry food should be left out at all times. The dry food I am feeding is a grain free low carb holistic brand called "Wellness Core". Please go to the "Wellness" website to locate a pet store near you that sells this brand. http://www.wellnesspetfood.com 1. Defrost one container of raw food (each tub contains 4 servings). 2. Measure out one 1/4 cup and place into freezer baggie ( serve #1 in the A.M. & #1 in the P.M.). 3. Fill sink or jug with HOT water and warm to body temperature. Do not warm in a microwave as this will cook the food and destroy all of the nutrition. Raw Food should be fed "RAW" to get the most nutrition and benefit from the food. 4. Once warmed, open bag, pour into a ceramic bowl, and serve. If all food is not eaten within a 2 hour period please remove and throw away. 5. Leave dry food down at all times. Also, remember to have plenty of fresh water available at all times. COST OF RAW DIET BASED ON 40# ORDER OF GROUND MEAT ***prices may vary*** Shipping costs via Fed X: 20# $19.70 / 30# 22.10 / 40# $24.81 / 45# $25.53 Packaging charge: Box $10.00 or insulation returned for estimate of $5.00 US Post, $7.00 Dry Ice/Freezer packs. Ground chicken: $8.95 for 5#, $4.60 delivery, $1.20 supplements/eggs, $14.75 for 6# of food-$0.59-4oz. Ground rabbit: $13.95 for 5#, $4.60 delivery, $1.20 supplements/eggs, $19.75 for 6# of food-$0.82-4oz. SUPPLEMENTS - example from www.iherb.com Before ordering, you may want to check other suppliers.      A cat can not live on meat alone it needs to eat bones to provide the necessary calcium and phosphorus level. It is important to not add more bone meal to the recipe because it will not have the optimal calcium to phosphorus ration and can lead to a diet too high in calcium which causes constipation or other medical problems. Cats also are unable to make their own Vitamin A, Niacin, Arginine, Arachidonic Acid because they do not have the necessary enzymes. They need to get these important elements supplied in their meat source. These supplements are IMPORTANT 1 bottle of Taurine - Brand: Jarrow 1000 mg - 100 caps @ 7.77 (for 50 batches) or NOW 1000 mg. powder 8 oz 1 bottle of Salmon Oil - Brand: Carleson Norwegian 1000 mg - 220 caps .@ 11.31 (enough for 55 batches) 3 bottles of Bone Meal - Brand NOW 1 pound @ 5.76 each - 17.28 (enough for 27 batches) 1 bottle of Vitamin B complex- Brand Natural Factor 50 mg. - 90 caps. @ 6.26 (for 22.5 batches) or NOW B 100 1 bottle Vitamin E dry - Brand Jarrow 400 IU. - 100 caps. @ 10.50 (enough for 50 batches) or NOW 400 softgel 1 bottle Gelatin - Brand NOW 1 pound - @ 9.96 (enough for 32 mixes) 1 bottle Kelp - Grand: Natures Way 600 mg - 180 caps. @ 5.75 (do not know how much equals 1/2 tsp.) 1 bottle Dulce - Brand NOW 4 oz. @ 6.29 ( do not know how much equals 1/2 tsp.) Total cost of this order would be $75.12 before discount. IHERB is offering new customers with an order of $60 or more a discount of $5.00 plus free shipping. Enough for 22 batches or 121 pounds of raw meat diet which is equal to 484 servings of 4 oz each. This amount will feed one kitten/adult cat 1/2 cup of raw diet per day for about 16 months. * Some of the ingredients will make more than 22 batches so you can either order 1 more bottle of Taurine, 3 more bottles of Bone Meal, 2 more bottle of Vitamin B complex, and 1 more bottle Gelatin now or wait until you need more supplements. The additional cost would be $47.48 and you would have supplements for 50 batches of raw meat diet - 275 pounds of food - 1,100 servings of 4 oz each. This amount will feed one kitten/adult cat 1/2 cup of raw diet per day for 3 years.* * Your cat may want to eat more than this amount a day...My cats LOVE this raw food!!!! TRANSITIONING YOUR CAT to the RAW MEAT DIET      The raw meat diet is beneficial for any cat except those with kidney failure. Begin by offering a small amount of the ground chicken raw diet. Some cats welcome the food immediately. You can then slowly increase the amount you give each feeding. Go slowly, so you do not upset the digestive system. If a cat gets soft stools, you can add some psyllium to the mix. For those who resist, you will need to do it slowly and be patient. You can mix a teaspoon of the new raw ground chicken diet into the canned food your cat has been eating. If your cat accepts the addition, you can slowly increase the amount of raw diet while decreasing the original canned food. Transition time depends on the cats acceptance of the new food..      The MOIST food is BEST for the cat because it has about 75% liquid compared to the dry cat food with perhaps a moisture content of 10%. If the cat does not drink adequate water, the dry will dehydrates the cat leading to kidney and bladder problems. There is a correlation between the consumption of a high carbohydrate diets and the formation of struvite crystals, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Diabetes, and Obesity, so check the labels of your current cat food for grains. It is time to transition your other cats to a healthier diet without grains, vegetables and fruits that they can not utilize. If you have any question about feeding your cat, you can contact: Lois Koblizek or Sally Gaetjens. SUMMARY      It is our hope that you will provide the very best diet for your pet. We are well aware of the time and cost factors involved to make this food but the rewards are immeasurable. There are many alternatives to providing a raw diet for your kitten, other cats and dogs. Let's compare the cost of the raw diet to canned cat food. Check canned food information for the carbohydrates in the food you have been using. * converted to dry matter as fed, ** Cost source