Cat Fur Feeling Dry And Rough

[ifwewerebirds]

We're feeding ground chicken with EZ complete.

We adopted two 7 mo kittens in March and they had really bad diarrhea. It was thought they had a parasite and they did several rounds of Panacur and Albon but to no avail. After 6 weeks of this we gave them pred for a few days and starting feeding them the ground chicken (with rice for the first week) and it cleared up immediately. We're still feeding the ground chicken and add the EZ but their fur feels really rough. It used to feel much fuller and definitely softer.

Any ideas? Do they maybe need more omega 3's?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Azazel]

Are you buying chicken pre-ground, or are you grinding whole chicken at home?

 

[cheesycats]

I would add omegas, yes. Either in a fish oil supplement or by adding salmon/or unsalted canned sardines in oil.

 

[ifwewerebirds]

Are you buying chicken pre-ground, or are you grinding whole chicken at home?

It's pre-ground. Technically, it's 'mechanically separated chicken' from Winco.

 

[ifwewerebirds]

Okay, also, now I'm not sure if we're giving them enough EZ. That scoop amount is so weird. We've been giving them 1 scoop of EZ for about 2 heaping table spoons of cooked, ground chicken.

I'm more of an art person, so all these irrational numbers are cryptic to me.

 

[Azazel]

It's pre-ground. Technically, it's 'mechanically separated chicken' from Winco.

I wouldn’t feed pre-ground chicken from the super market. It is more likely to contain bacteria. Most raw feeders buy whole chicken parts (e.g., thighs) and use a meat grinder to grind at home. Given that you are feeding pre-ground meat I wouldn’t rule out some kind of infection.

If you’re feeding raw you have to be so meticulous and careful with where you source meat and making sure the numbers add up. I cannot stress this enough. Otherwise you risk an infection and/or malnutrition.

 

[ifwewerebirds]

We cook it. Does that help?

 

[duckpond]

I think cooking, just like for people, should take care of bacteria. I feed commercial canned, and dry food, but a lot of the food i feed is low fat, and it can cause dry hair and skin. Not sure how much fat is in the chicken you feed them? A salmon oil supplement might help.

two of my cats love fish, and they eat a fair amount of salmon, sardines and some tuna, the other two eat mostly chicken. My fish guys have better hair.

Brushing may also help, gets rid of dry hair, and spreads the skin oils around.

If it does not get better you may want another round of parasite treatment, maybe even a different brand, just to be sure all of the parasites were taken care of. Sometimes will take a few rounds.

 

[lisahe]

We cook it. Does that help?

Yes, it does help! What's in the mechanically separated chicken, though? I'm a little unclear about what it contains... it sounds like there's no bone, which is a good start since EZ Complete is only for use with boneless meat. That boneless meat is also supposed to be only muscle meat, though, so if there are any organs (other than heart, which is muscle) in the mechanically separated chicken, that could be creating imbalances.

I wouldn't add anything to the food without writing to Food Fur Life. They're very good about responding to questions and might be able to give you some helpful tips!

 

[leechi]

I wouldn't use the mechanically separated chicken, after reading this article about it. Also make sure any meat you buy has not had a sodium solution added.

How Dangerous Is Mechanically Separated Poultry?

 

[Azazel]

We cook it. Does that help?

Yes, I thought you were feeding raw. That does help.

 

[lisahe]

I wouldn't use the mechanically separated chicken, after reading this article about it. Also make sure any meat you buy has not had a sodium solution added.

How Dangerous Is Mechanically Separated Poultry?

You have a very good point about the chemicals that are used to treat the meat! Not to mention added salt.