Fiv And Nutrition

[LauraBolyard]

hello, this is my first post and I thank you in advance for your help.
My cat came to me with FIV as a kitten, she is now 8 and beginning to show symptoms (my previous cat began showing symptoms at about the same age). She has lost weight, throws up (more than usual, she IS after all a cat!). And recently diarrhea often. Through the years I have dabbled in making my own food for her, I've made my dogs food for all of his six years. I haven't been real consistent with it because cats dietary needs are more complex. I always get stuck on the fact that I don't have a bone grinder, so the best I've done is to replace some canned food meals with fish or chicken, relying on the canned for the other nutrients.

It's now a problem with the diarrhea. I want to get her completely off the canned (I really believe that it's addictive also!). I have to get over the fact that I don't have a grinder for bones, and be satisfied with buying bone meal.

In the mean time, is there a great quality canned food, not full of CRAP? I have to admit that I've been giving her Fancy Feast for years, I know it's not the best, hopefully not the worst!!
Thank you!

 

[orange&white]

Some of the Fancy Feast's are grain-free aren't they? I don't think their pates are too bad. A lot of members here feed them and Sheba.

Also, I've made homemade raw mixes for a total of 6 years without a grinder. I do take chicken bones out on the patio and smash them with a hammer though.

 

[LauraBolyard]

I am wondering how the softest bones might hold up in the food processor

 

[orange&white]

My blender is more powerful than a food processor...I burned out the motor on several blenders, or broke the blade assembly. Doing it by hand isn't that bad with small batches at a time. I certainly wouldn't try to process a whole bunch in one day or weekend though.

 

[LauraBolyard]

How on earth do you get them small enough??? Get them small, then blend?

 

[orange&white]

How on earth do you get them small enough??? Get them small, then blend?

If I'm making a small batch of food, say 20 ounces, then 2-3 chicken thigh bones is the 2 oz of bone I need for 10% bone. I put them in a plastic Ziploc, then wrap in thick brown paper bag, and smash the heck out of them with a hammer for a minute or two. They actually crush just as finely as they would with a grinder...but I scape the inside of the bag with a rubber spatula and use kitchen shears to cut apart bits that are stuck together or too large. Also, chicken back and breast ribs are very easy to cut with kitchen shears...no "smashing" required.

 

[shadowsrescue]

I have an FIV kitty too. I recently switched from a combination of canned wet food and dry to a home cooked diet. I just was not ready for raw. I first started by using EZ Complete. It was super easy to use, but after a few months, the cost really added up. I have 6 cats so for me it was just too expensive. I then switched to cooking the meats and adding my own supplements. @mschauer has recipes that for homecooked that are all nutritionally balanced. I am using her recipes now for chicken, pork and rabbit. Cooked Recipes - Google Drive

My cats all really like the home cooked food. It is much cheaper for me too to make the food, but it is a bit time consuming at first. Right now I am making food every 2-3 weeks. If I had more freezer space, I would only be making it once a month.