The more I think about it the more fear I have about getting a new cat. I know that the biggest part is opening up my heart and making myself vulnerable to this kind of pain again, but even if I can get past that my next worry is what to feed him or her.
Who do you trust? Wet food is out. Dry food causes kidney problems. Organic food is pretty expensive. Real meat is best but then you have to add stuff and grind bones etc.
It's just all so confusing.
John
Hey John,
I just got a new cat today, so I have the same concerns that you do. Wet food is out, dry food can cause problems (not to mention causing autoimmune diseases if they eat it for years, Katie was just diagnosed with that). I have her on an organic prescription dry food diet that is rabbit meat and green pea formula by Royal Canin. It is safe, and hypo-allergenic, but yes, it is very expensive. So I also feed her meat (turkey and chicken, smoked, so it's lean meat). I will add other stuff to her diet as we go, and as I learn what will be good for her. Now that I have Zen, the new kitty, his diet is also taken into consideration. So for the time being, I will have him eat the Rabbit formula. Though he needs to lose weight (he was in a room with other cats for almost two full months at the shelter, so he didn't really get any exercise). So he may need a different diet than Katie sometime in the near future. I have also considered cooking for my animals, since that is the very healthiest alternative.
It's obvious that you really care about giving a safe, healthy diet for your babies John. Do your research, and decide from there what will be the best method of maintaining a healthy diet for the new kitty. When you're ready to adopt again, you'll know and be prepared for it. I will let you know if I come across any good recipe books for making meals for felines. In the meantime, Royal Canin seems to be one of the few brands that had safe foods, as they don't have Menu Foods ingredients in their products.
Much Love,
Jenn (Chaos' Mom)
John,
I just went to the Royal Canin website and found some info on eight recalls with the Rice ingredient in it. They have given a safe food list, and the Limited Ingredient diet is deemed safe along with a number of other foods. Here is the URL if you want to take a look: http://www.royalcanin.us/safelist.html
It seems that cooking, ultimately in the end, is gonna be the very safest bet for now, though Royal Canin has had very few recalls, and no recalls for wheat gluten (they don't use it).
Much Love,
Jenn (Chaos' Mom)
Sadie's death was horrible, it scared you, no surprise there. No matter how they leave us it's painful, but thinking we were doing what was best and having it backfire is very hard.
Just remember that fear is the killer of hope and joy. Remember all the love, joy and wonder Sadie brought to you? I know you wouldn't give up one day with her, she gave you so much. Open your heart, let another baby in. I can't promise you that someday you won't hurt again, the chance is you will, I can promise you lots of love and joy, isn't it worth it?
Try not to be afraid of what to feed a new baby. Spend some money on a good organic and you'll be fine. After all, it's just money, they are worth a splurge. Mine love Wellness. They also like fresh ground turkey. We feed them a little dry, good for the teeth, but as treats, not regular food.
Thank you, Jenn and Moose Mom, for your kind words and research. I will definately be prepared this time. Your right, Moose Mom, any kitty or Dog is worth whatever it takes to keep them happy and healthy. Money is no object. You have to know that going in.
Once again, Moose Mom's advice is worth gold!!!!
Organic meat is best because the meat contains, no hormones, antibiotics, medications etc.. If you can get grass fed organic meat this is better because it's leaner and higher in omega 3's. When it's certified organic it means there are inspectors checking that the farmer is really complying. Good pure food is much better for a source of vitamins and minerals than supplements are so when you are paying a little more,you're getting vitamins and minerals along with it. Also , they will be happier. A neighbour tells me that his chickens were raised on organic grain and one day he couldn't find some organic grain so he got the conventional grain and his chickens wouldn't eat it at first, so even chickens know the difference in taste!
Hi John:
John,
Denise (Muffins) advice was right on. I have been doing ALOT of research, and it turns out that our cats are CARNIVORES (ok, I knew that, but it makes for a good point). I found felinespride.com for pre-prepared raw food diet. There is also another site that grinds your meat, organs and bone for you, and you mix in the supplements (felinespride doesn't offer rabbit-which I am thinking might make the transition easier for my kitties, since they're on the dried rabbit formula already). That site is http://www.hare-today.com/ and will send you the whole rabbit ground up and frozen. When you freeze it, you must add extra taurine, which tends to become depleted when the meat isn't completely fresh.
I bought 10 lbs (enough for three weeks for two cats). It was cheaper than buying their prescription dry food!!! I will check back in and let you know how they are taking the new diet, etc., so you'll know for future reference. I'm keeping you and Sadie in my thoughts...
Much Love,
Jenn
Thanks, guys, I really appreciate all your advice and support. I'm absolutely never going to feed a cat dry food again. If only I could convince my girlfriend to stop feeding her kitties dry food. The raw food thing sounds very good to me...especially if you can order it already ground up and frozen.
I'm not sure that I will be getting another kitty anytime soon anyway... but who knows.
Dry food is not all bad. I wouldn't feed a kitty a strictly dry menu, but to have some to munch on is really good for their teeth, not only for plaque, but for strength. I lay down both canned and dry for my cats, and they love the variety. I feed them a high quality, grain free food, and even my finicky cat will munch a little bit on it.
I'm sorry but that is the opinion of a couple of vets, though others may agree with a non-dry diet, not all will. To tell people to never feed their cats dry foods is a little closed minded. I worked at a vet clinic for 5 years, and I learned about food, and talked food with the vets, and never did they once even suggest to not feed animals dry food. Yes, a low quality strictly dry diet will lead to complications, but on that hand so will a low quality canned. It's more about the ingredients. People need to pay attention to how much liquid their pets are consuming as well as do routine bloodwork.
My one cat basically eats a canned diet, and her teeth are very poor. She nibbles on a bit of dry, but she still needs to go in for teeth cleaning. And the older she gets, the less I am going to want to do that. My cats that eat mostly dry have the most beautifully white clean teeth(and clean teeth helps with some diseases.)
Also, many people who feed their animals dry, will just put out a bowl and keep filling it when it's empty, without control of the amount of food their animal consumes, then wonder why he's fat or has diabetes.
I understand your point, and its fine that you refuse to feed your cat dry, but its not wrong that other people will. People simply need to discuss their options and concerns with their vet, and EVERYONE will be different. This message board is the best, and its nice to have opinions, but it's only opinions, and not dr's advice.
Here's three more articles regarding feline diets (not written by a vet).
http://www.blakkatz.com/dryfood.html
http://www.blakkatz.com/natural.html
http://www.blakkatz.com/naturetooth.html
I'm thinking if it is a high quality organic dry food it may be okay in very very limited quant*ities. Maybe just enough for the bone meal and vitamins that are in it. And something for the teeth. Other than that it makes sense to give the cats high quality meat. It is still confusing. My girlfriend asked me if domesticated cats are still true carnivores. I don't know. I know that Sadie and her (my girlfriend's) 3 cats love eating grass...and not just to throw up.
Hi John,
I think that your idea of organic dry food is a good one. I too have contemplated it. For now I have started sprinkling vitamins and minerals on their food (or I add it to chicken breast, which they love). The raw hare still hasn't made it to me yet (it's being shipped Monday). I will do more research into it, so that I can make the best choice for my babies, however, it is very clear that old way of feeding is gone since all the recalls, and tragic deaths. I've been hearing about alot of pets having diabetes and autoimmune diseases from the dry kibble that was standard for so long. Katie (my 13 year old tortie) was just diagnosed with autoimmune disease (her own body was attacking her skin, savagely). What had me perplexed though, was when I took her for her last steroid shot, I asked the vet how to get weight back on her, and she really didn't have any useful suggestions beyond the treats that I've been giving her. Most vets know about life-saving procedures and drugs, etc., but are not really informed about preventative care. I even asked about the raw diet, and she said she's never known anyone that has done it. She also incorrectly told me that cats were as prone to Salmonella poisoning as humans (they actually aren't, their digestive track is much quicker and was built to eat raw food).
Definitely stuff to think on.
Much Love,
Jenn (Chaos' Mom)
Thanks, Jenn. There is definately a lot to think about.
I just found this again, I've had it for a long time. I thought I'd share. It's from a very wise man, Alan Cohen:
"Love is heaven and fear is hell. Where you place your attention is where you live."
To me it just says so much.
Mr. Cohen has a bunch of books out.
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