I'm trying to adapt a recipe for a 4-month-old kitten with multiple developmental challenges including some malabsorption issues. I have already consulted with a veterinary nutritionist and received a recipe for a diet I can prepare at home. But the recipe contains an ingredient that the kitten has a hard time with. I'm trying to find out what I can replace that one ingredient with, keeping the rest of the recipe (which does include vitamin, mineral, and amino acid supplements) balanced and complete.
I am finding it IMPOSSIBLE to get the kind of information I need to do this!
When I look at nutritional analyses for various foodstuffs, I see information like: 1 cup of ingredient X contains this many calories, this many grams of protein, this many grams of carbohydrate, this many grams of fat, this many grams of fiber, etc.
So what I need to know is something like: For a serving of X calories, a kitten or cat food should contain this many grams of protein, this many of carbohydrates, this many of fat, etc. And I need to know the maximum quantity (grams, not percent!) of fiber and carbs, given that cats apparently don't *need* those, but don't mind them as long as they don't get too much.
It would also help to know how many calories a cat or kitten needs in a day, so I can make sure I don't come up with a recipe that has everything he needs, but only if he eats a gallon of it a day.
But when I look for information about feline nutritional needs, I don't find out how many calories or grams a cat needs. Instead I see information like: Cats need this *percent* of protein, this *percent* of fat, etc.
I can't convert "X percent protein" into "Y grams of protein per Z calories"! Those aren't measuring the same dimension of reality.
Help? Where can I find the kind of information I need?
(Please note that I'm not looking for recipes. I already have a recipe that was recommended by the nutritionist I consulted. I'm looking for general information about cats' dietary needs, in a form that I can use to adjust that recipe as we continue trying to identify this particular kitten's sensitivities.)
I am finding it IMPOSSIBLE to get the kind of information I need to do this!
When I look at nutritional analyses for various foodstuffs, I see information like: 1 cup of ingredient X contains this many calories, this many grams of protein, this many grams of carbohydrate, this many grams of fat, this many grams of fiber, etc.
So what I need to know is something like: For a serving of X calories, a kitten or cat food should contain this many grams of protein, this many of carbohydrates, this many of fat, etc. And I need to know the maximum quantity (grams, not percent!) of fiber and carbs, given that cats apparently don't *need* those, but don't mind them as long as they don't get too much.
It would also help to know how many calories a cat or kitten needs in a day, so I can make sure I don't come up with a recipe that has everything he needs, but only if he eats a gallon of it a day.
But when I look for information about feline nutritional needs, I don't find out how many calories or grams a cat needs. Instead I see information like: Cats need this *percent* of protein, this *percent* of fat, etc.
I can't convert "X percent protein" into "Y grams of protein per Z calories"! Those aren't measuring the same dimension of reality.
Help? Where can I find the kind of information I need?
(Please note that I'm not looking for recipes. I already have a recipe that was recommended by the nutritionist I consulted. I'm looking for general information about cats' dietary needs, in a form that I can use to adjust that recipe as we continue trying to identify this particular kitten's sensitivities.)