Yup. Exactly.
Cats seem to be a challenge to feed. I'm beginning to understand why people cook for them and am seriously considering looking into this. Maybe not for every meal, but for some.
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
Why Is Seafood Bad For Cats?
- Thread starter Rini
- Start Date
Cats seem to be a challenge to feed. I'm beginning to understand why people cook for them and am seriously considering looking into this. Maybe not for every meal, but for some.
We feed one homecooked meal a day and it's the meal the cats seem to look forward to most. It's a huge bonus that the pickier cat particularly likes homecooked. Homecooked is also the food I feel best about feeding since there are no vegetables, thickeners, carrageenan, or unnecessary chemical flavorings. I use the EZ Complete supplement with boneless meat that I buy at the supermarket.
Cooking cat food at home is not for everyone. I can't do it. You have to be careful about everything.
This is definitely true: it's not for everybody and you have to be careful about a lot of things.
Fortunately, there's a range of ways for making food at home. I've chosen to make homecooked (as opposed to raw) food so there's less worry about sourcing meat and using it immediately. And I use a supplement for boneless meat so I don't need a grinder and don't have to purchase each nutrient individually. Weighing the meat is easy enough on a kitchen scale and the supplement comes with a scoop so that's simple, too. I make small batches of food -- averaging about five or six meals -- and freeze meals in small containers. The time it takes to make the food is worth it to me because the cats love the food and I can vary its texture -- shreds, chunks, minced, pate, etc. -- very easily. I'm on the easy end of the spectrum.
The more difficult end would be making raw food with bone-in meat, purchasing nutrients one by one, grinding the food, and then freezing portions.
All that said, many people who take what I see a the "difficult" route find it very easy! I'm sure some people would find my method needlessly time-consuming and fussy, particularly since I make fairly small batches. But it's all relative and we all have our own limits on what we can and will do.
And then if you have a picky cat that likes it, it’s easier than buying 15 brands of canned food and begging the cat to eat it.
Although I suppose they can be just as picky on raw and Home cooked too ...
Although I suppose they can be just as picky on raw and Home cooked too ...
Olive would probably love raw. She happily ate some raw chicken trimmings we let her try when we were cooking and she wanted more.
I think I’m the one not ready for that step.
I think I’m the one not ready for that step.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #48
Aslan was raised on ground chicken mixed with kitten formula cat wet food by the breeder. She said he insisted on it and she wouldn't even give him to someone who wouldn't feed him what he wants. So he does get this for dinner as long as I have the chicken. If not, he does fine on the canned food until I can go get more.
I have thought about feeding him more cooked food but I'm worry about cost/bacteria and time. I do feel like I'm slacking in his care sometimes when I see what some people do for their cats and how much they can afford to spend.
I have thought about feeding him more cooked food but I'm worry about cost/bacteria and time. I do feel like I'm slacking in his care sometimes when I see what some people do for their cats and how much they can afford to spend.
Rini
you aren’t slacking, you are informed and considerate. The problem with sites like this is there’s always someone who can afford more or has more time and inclination to feed differently. It’s not for everyone, and it sounds like Aslan has quite a good life eating the good stuff with you!I'm with
KarenKat
! You shouldn't feel like you're slacking! That said, I confess that I sometimes feel that way, too, when I read about, say, prey model feeders who source organs and the like. I just don't have the bandwidth for that! One of the big reasons I make cooked homemade is that I don't have to worry about the bacteria: I grew up with food safety all around because my mother's a dietitian so I'm very wary (probably too wary) of that issue. I'm wary of budget on homecooked, too: a big chunk of our feeding budget goes to commercial raw food, which the cats generally love, so I mostly limit the homecooked to low-priced basics like chicken, pork, and turkey, with occasional nice cuts. (They love pork tenderloin...) Adding in the supplement cost, even the best cuts are priced competitively with canned foods, albeit the more expensive ones. But at least I'm happy with the ingredients. And I'm not throwing away leftover food like I often do with canned.The big thing,
Rini
is that you're feeding Aslan something that he likes, will eat, and stays healthy on. Plus you're aware of risks of certain foods (like fish, the reason you started this thread!) and don't want to feed ingredients known to cause health issues. That's already a lot, particularly considering how picky cats can get. There are days when I just want to give up and feed only Fancy Feast Classics and homecooked to our pickier cat: last night Ireland refused to eat in several places until I put her dish by a sliding glass door. Why? I have no idea. But at least she cleaned the plate. Feeding cats is not easy!!!- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #51
Aw thanks guys. I think I'm just paranoid after losing my first kitten...though everyone tells me FIP is random and cruel and it's not that I wasn't taking care of him. He lived for two months after diagnosis because I was running him to the vet near every day for all kinds of Hail Mary's...still working my way out of the debt from that.
I think a lot of it is guilt talking. I want to feed Aslan well but I also love seeing him eat with gusto, and he does love the gravy types of food and the FF medley's (chicken only) which I know are high in carbs. So I just try to keep a balance.
I think a lot of it is guilt talking. I want to feed Aslan well but I also love seeing him eat with gusto, and he does love the gravy types of food and the FF medley's (chicken only) which I know are high in carbs. So I just try to keep a balance.
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2014
- Messages
- 8,089
- Purraise
- 13,358
Well maybe the fish issue is important but my cats have been eating tuna their whole lives. Its a snack they get every morning. A 5.5 ounce can gives 4 servings. I mash it with a fork and add a half can of water to it. Mash some more. Their supplements get put in the hot water I add into it:dasquin, lysine and miralax per vets instructions. We feed 4Health tractor supply indoor formula and they do well on it. Only 1 cat out of 3 will occasionally touch fancy canned food. We bought everything under the sun and nope they lick the juice and leave the rest or won't touch it.
Pumpkin face will be celebrating her 15th birthday this month. Shes been on tuna all her life. We had blood work done last week and it's perfect. I would love it if she would eat those other foods but alas she won't. She hates human food as well. I guess moderation is the name of the game. She looks good for 15. Floey who passed at 17.5 yrs also only ate fish. She was not too fussy about kibble but only eat turkey pate fancy feast. She hated 9lives and friskies. She was a human food lover but didn't like chicken unless it was fresh rotisserie chicken. She loved turkey. If we served it for dinner she used to jump into my partner's lap and steal it from him. She was abandoned in the city so age is unknown. I adopted her in 2000? She loved 16 years with me.
And Honeybee the baby won't eat most wet food either. I put a can of fancy feast down twice a week. She occasionally licks juice.
I tried higher protein kibble like Wellness Core and it was too rich. Caused constipation and pukes. So for that I mixed that food in 25% with tractor supply food. They are picky and like what they like. Floey couldn't have corn foods so we used to feed her Eukenuba back in the early 2000s before they added fillers to cat food....then guess what? Corn meal got added in. I then switched to chicken soup for pet lovers soul. That was the only non corn added food we could find. And here it is 2018 and still foods are stuffed full of corn.
In the fish debate I feel the corn is more troublesome than fish. The corn causes all kinds of issues in the digestive tract. Unfortunately there is nothing one can do if your cat will only eat corn based foods...like 15 yr old Pumpkin face who loves temptations and refuses all other treats...at least Honeybee will eat freeze dried treats so we give her those. Honeybee loves a raw food diet so when I do cook we give her a small serving cut up. Cats are designed to handle salmonella better than humans. She loves liver and pork. I follow safe food handling by only using glass dishes for meats. Never plastic. And if she doesn't eat it up we toss it. Bit I have yet to see her reject fresh meat.
Some people make their raw food like @orange&white she knows the formulas if one is interested. I feel my cats benefit from a large variety of things to eat. They get tidbits on their own plate when we have meat. Pumps only eats shrimp and haddock. Honeybee lucked out by eating just about most foods but for kibble she's fussy and doesn't like high end food. Shes now 7 and is on the go all day long.
I say feed the best you can and forget the rest. I think a variety of foods is best.
When Floey was alive she did well on a 1/3 blend of 3 types of kibble:tractor supply, wellness and natures instinct. So for those who want to try more expensive food but don't have the money just buy a small 2lb bag and mix 25% into your regular kibble and leave it like that. Then it won't break the bank.
And give those kitties a kiss and pet for me.
Pumpkin face will be celebrating her 15th birthday this month. Shes been on tuna all her life. We had blood work done last week and it's perfect. I would love it if she would eat those other foods but alas she won't. She hates human food as well. I guess moderation is the name of the game. She looks good for 15. Floey who passed at 17.5 yrs also only ate fish. She was not too fussy about kibble but only eat turkey pate fancy feast. She hated 9lives and friskies. She was a human food lover but didn't like chicken unless it was fresh rotisserie chicken. She loved turkey. If we served it for dinner she used to jump into my partner's lap and steal it from him. She was abandoned in the city so age is unknown. I adopted her in 2000? She loved 16 years with me.
And Honeybee the baby won't eat most wet food either. I put a can of fancy feast down twice a week. She occasionally licks juice.
I tried higher protein kibble like Wellness Core and it was too rich. Caused constipation and pukes. So for that I mixed that food in 25% with tractor supply food. They are picky and like what they like. Floey couldn't have corn foods so we used to feed her Eukenuba back in the early 2000s before they added fillers to cat food....then guess what? Corn meal got added in. I then switched to chicken soup for pet lovers soul. That was the only non corn added food we could find. And here it is 2018 and still foods are stuffed full of corn.
In the fish debate I feel the corn is more troublesome than fish. The corn causes all kinds of issues in the digestive tract. Unfortunately there is nothing one can do if your cat will only eat corn based foods...like 15 yr old Pumpkin face who loves temptations and refuses all other treats...at least Honeybee will eat freeze dried treats so we give her those. Honeybee loves a raw food diet so when I do cook we give her a small serving cut up. Cats are designed to handle salmonella better than humans. She loves liver and pork. I follow safe food handling by only using glass dishes for meats. Never plastic. And if she doesn't eat it up we toss it. Bit I have yet to see her reject fresh meat.
Some people make their raw food like @orange&white she knows the formulas if one is interested. I feel my cats benefit from a large variety of things to eat. They get tidbits on their own plate when we have meat. Pumps only eats shrimp and haddock. Honeybee lucked out by eating just about most foods but for kibble she's fussy and doesn't like high end food. Shes now 7 and is on the go all day long.
I say feed the best you can and forget the rest. I think a variety of foods is best.
When Floey was alive she did well on a 1/3 blend of 3 types of kibble:tractor supply, wellness and natures instinct. So for those who want to try more expensive food but don't have the money just buy a small 2lb bag and mix 25% into your regular kibble and leave it like that. Then it won't break the bank.
And give those kitties a kiss and pet for me.
foxxycat
thanks for sharing! Sounds like you have some pretty happy fur babies there. I agree wholeheartedly on corn in cat food. It has been the one ingredient that when I removed it I saw such a drastic change in Trin. He got more energetic, stopped binge eating and started naturally losing weight (he had an extra 3-4 lbs on him).
I recommend starting a thread in the Crossing the Bridge section if you feel guilty for mishandling the situation (whether that is true or not). There's a lot more to it than now thinking you fed him the wrong stuff.
We just lost a kitty in our apartment to FIP two days ago. Its such a horrible disease and I'm so sorry you had to go through it like that. Asian is definitely being cared for and you're obviously a wonderful cat parent. Asian is so very lucky to have you.
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2018
- Messages
- 37
- Purraise
- 14
Feeding your cat seafood a couple of times in their lifetime, but too much is certainly not good. Fish contain mercury, especially salmon or tuna, because it may cause some types of cancer (this happened to my parent's old cat who only ate tuna and refused other food). Definitely stick mainly to beef and poultry, as long as your cat is eating it.
