Hello all, I currently do not live in a western country, and I have been having difficulty getting commercial cat food. What there is seems to be low quality (corn based) prohibitively expensive, and the brands keep getting switched every time I go to the store. I have never feed a raw food diet, but am thinking that suplementing my girls's food with a once a day meal of raw could help the situation. Could someone please tell me if I'm on the right track, or if I'm dangerously off?
I have three cats. To my eyes they are small, one is a chubbly 4.2 Kg female of unknown age (Calico) and two are 3 Kg females (Mars-Bar and Tigger) that are 15 months old. They all have glossy fur and good energy, but Calico has dandruff, Mars Bar is anxious and they all get bald spots when we give them revolution or frontline. The vet says that they are in good health, but their exam only involved squeezing them, weighing them and sniffing their buts.
My husband and I work, and never know exactly when we will be delayed in getting home, so the kitties always have unlimited water and kibble. On week nights they are getting about 3 tablespoons each of whatever meat we eat (mostly ground beef or steak, sometimes chicken) cut into mouth-sized bites and the stringy-est connective tissue removed. On the weekend I give them chopped liver if I can get it. If there is nothing better available they get 1/6 of a can of rinsed tuna each.
I am worried that neither their commercial food nor their raw is very balanced. I hope that the two feeding styles will balance out each other's failings. I tried offering heart as well as liver, but they don't like it. I tried adding a 1/4 of a calcium pill ground up, and they refused to eat. I have tried adding milk powder or egg yolk and they dislike it, although they are happy to sample a small amount of either on the side (about 1/2 teaspoon per cat). The only pet nutritional supplement I can find is brewers yeast and that has garlic, so I haven't been feeding it.
Should I be including bones and skin? I have been avoiding it because my girls don't seem to know how to eat it. Should I add in small amounts of human vitamin supplements? I have thought about getting the omega-3 pills that seem to contain fish oil and dropping a few drops on.
Thank you so much for your time and patience if you answer this newbie's questions.... Gen
I have three cats. To my eyes they are small, one is a chubbly 4.2 Kg female of unknown age (Calico) and two are 3 Kg females (Mars-Bar and Tigger) that are 15 months old. They all have glossy fur and good energy, but Calico has dandruff, Mars Bar is anxious and they all get bald spots when we give them revolution or frontline. The vet says that they are in good health, but their exam only involved squeezing them, weighing them and sniffing their buts.
My husband and I work, and never know exactly when we will be delayed in getting home, so the kitties always have unlimited water and kibble. On week nights they are getting about 3 tablespoons each of whatever meat we eat (mostly ground beef or steak, sometimes chicken) cut into mouth-sized bites and the stringy-est connective tissue removed. On the weekend I give them chopped liver if I can get it. If there is nothing better available they get 1/6 of a can of rinsed tuna each.
I am worried that neither their commercial food nor their raw is very balanced. I hope that the two feeding styles will balance out each other's failings. I tried offering heart as well as liver, but they don't like it. I tried adding a 1/4 of a calcium pill ground up, and they refused to eat. I have tried adding milk powder or egg yolk and they dislike it, although they are happy to sample a small amount of either on the side (about 1/2 teaspoon per cat). The only pet nutritional supplement I can find is brewers yeast and that has garlic, so I haven't been feeding it.
Should I be including bones and skin? I have been avoiding it because my girls don't seem to know how to eat it. Should I add in small amounts of human vitamin supplements? I have thought about getting the omega-3 pills that seem to contain fish oil and dropping a few drops on.
Thank you so much for your time and patience if you answer this newbie's questions.... Gen
