For some time now I have been concerned
with my pet food bill and finding helpful ways I can shave a dollar
or two off the cost, perhaps by supplementing healthier sources in
combination with the no name dry and canned products I purchase now.
There are many good ideas on the net
for making homemade cat fare and I have tried some of them usually
with mixed reactions from my cats. I decided to pursue a safer method
and researched several vet sites to get the input of professionals. I
found some interesting insights for feeding an all-natural diet but
drawbacks arose with the added expense of buying specialty items
like whole rabbits, especially if you lack a local supplier and
depending on how dedicated you plan to be in this venture, making
volume amounts of animal provisions is the more beneficial way to go
as it does involve some work.
If you're unsure how your cats will
react to raw meat try giving them a little. When I'm preparing dinner
using meats like fish, chicken, turkey or liver I cut small chucks
and offer them to my felines to test how easily they will take to it.
Usually all four will eat it without hesitation and beg more. You can
also experiment with trying them on cooked meats to see how readily
they will eat that.
To change your
pet’s diet to completely natural foods you will need a quality
Grinder. I purchased a Tasin 180 online from the States after
learning they're not available in Canada. It was cheaper than I
thought and the company got it to me within three days. This machine
is recommended because of its ability to grind small, cooked bones
well. Adding bone to your mixture insures the much needed calcium
content of the food. If you're not certain about grinding the bone
sufficiently, save eggshells and wash them well; leave to dry out
completely for a few days then use a coffee grinder to grind the
shells to a fine powder. Add a teaspoon to the finished food. I’ve
done this myself so I know it works. I found this very idea on
several vet sites that prepare whole raw diets for their cats
otherwise I would never have tried it.
The easiest way to start is to take
leftover cooked chicken or turkey and separate the meat you want to
use; be sure to add skin and fat along with at least two small thigh
or leg bones. Add a few slices of raw liver for more nutrition.
Please note that you don't need to add much bone to get the amount of
calcium required and because they are cooked they will go through
more easily. With a half cup of water grind the meat and bones. I put
it through twice, then I 'feel' the finished meat to find the larger
pieces of bone to remove them. Adding water brings the moisture
content up and makes grinding easier on the machine. Refrigerate in
air tight containers and serve.
Since it comes out like wet canned food
sometimes I will add chunks of meat to make it more attractive. Some
cats prefer chunky fare as apposed to a more liquified consistency.
Don't include a lot of vegetables in the meat mix. I have tried this
and it was not a grand success. Cats are primarily meat eaters,
though I have found that if I add a small chunk of potato, they like
it better; you don't need to add spices of any kind either.
As an additional advantage to being a
proud owner of a Grinder, I make my own sausage by cutting beef and
pork roasts into chunks and mixing in my special spices. The cats
love that too and its pure meat.
After reading about all the herbs and
supplements I would need to invest in and the access to certain
animals like rabbits and other smaller prey that I'd need to
purchase again online, from the States; well, I had my budget to
consider so I decided to go with half measures instead. Surely I
could improve their diets by adding to rather than by making a
complete and drastic change right now. Its gone well so far and my
pocketbook, as well as my cats, are the happier for the alterations.
Catspaw
Posts
