These are "soft kibble". The benefits are difficult to ascertain. They are more appealing to humans than anything else. There is no anti-tartar benefit and not much difference from canned food. They are fairly expensive. A lot of dye is typically used, which makes vomit very stain prone. Some are actually bad for your cat: proylene glycol found in these products (as a preservative) can damage red blood cells and sensitize the cats to other things as well. (Source: August 1992 edition of Cats Magazine.) Kat Grass

Grass for cats, salad for cats (and kittens), whatever you call it it is real! Cats need vegetable matter in their diet, just like people, and Kat Grass supplies that along with great nutrition. We even include a little Flax which is good for their coats. Many of you know that your cats need this, because they eat your house plants - that is the surest sign that your cat will love this treat. Kat Grass is grown on soil or similar medium. All you do to serve your cat is to place the container of living grass near their food dish or in some other place they'll find it.

Snack foods

Many snack products are out there for cats. Most are fine as supplemental feeding, but of course they should never take place of regular food. Try to use treats that are nutritionally balanced so as to minimize any disruption in your cat's overall diet. Treats like dried liver, which are not balanced food, should be used sparingly. In addition, these products can be useful in training.

Milk

Most adult cats are lactose intolerant and drinking milk will give them diarrhea. Otherwise, milk is a nutritious snack.

Cottage cheese is a good option. Cream is even better than milk -- most cats can handle the butterfat just fine and it's good for them. A small serving of cream will satisfy the cat more than a saucer of milk and will contain less lactose.

Homemade Food

Check Frazier's The New Natural Cat. She gives a number of recipies and general information on making your own cat food and on what foods are good for sick cats. There are essential nutritional ingredients that must be added if this is your cat's only source of food. Taurine and other components are essential and very important for a cat's wellbeing. Lack of taurine can cause blindness or even death by cardiomyopathy

A number of cat books contain recipies for making your own kitty treats. These can be fun to make and give to your cat.

People Food

It is a poor idea to feed cats table scraps or food from your own meals. First, table scraps do not meet your cat's nutritional needs and only add unneeded calories or undigestibles to its diet. Second, you risk having your cat become a major nuisance when you are eating. Stick with prepared cat treats. Any food you give it should be placed in its food dish, or you can give it treats as long as you are not eating or preparing your own food.

That said, there is a pretty wide variety of food that cats will eat and enjoy. Rec.pets.cats abounds with "weird food" stories ranging from peanut butter to marshmallows.

Cat Grass

Cats benefit from some vegetable matter in their diet. When devouring prey, the intestines, along with anything in them, will also be eaten. Many owners grow some grass for their cats to munch on, both for a healthy diet, and to distract them from other household plants!

In general, seeds that are OK to grow and give to your cats (but do not use treated seeds, identifiable by a dyed red, blue or awful green color):

oats (cheap, easy, big)

wheat (not wheatgrass)

Japanese barnyard millet,

bluegrass

fescue

rye (but beware of ergot, which is a fungal infection and produces LSD-like chemicals),

ryegrass (annual ryegrass is cheap and easy to grow, but small),

alfalfa sprouts or bean sprouts in SMALL amounts (these have anti- protein compounds that reduce the protein value of other things fed to the animal -- or human!)

Seeds that are NOT okay: sorghum or sudangrass, which have cyanogenic glycosides, and can cause cyanide poisoning. These are commonly found in bird seed and look like smallish white, yellow, orangish, or reddish BB's, or the shiny black, yellow or straw colored glumes may be intact.

Dog food

Dog food is not suitable for cats since it does not have the correct balance of nutrients. Cats need much more fat and protein than dogs do and will become seriously ill if fed dog food for an extended period of time.

Ash

"Ash" in cat food is the inorganic mineral content left over when the organic portion has been removed. It generally consists of potassium, magnesium, and sodium salts, along with smaller amounts of other minerals. It used to be thought that the total "ash" content of food contributed to FUS, but recently, attention has focused on magnesium as the culprit. Many commercial foods now list the magnesium content as a separate item in the list of nutrients on the bag, box, or can.

Feeding Schedules

You can feed your cat in one of two ways. One is to put down a set amount of food at specific times of the day. This is necessary if the food will spoil (canned food, for example) or if your cat will overeat. Some cats *do* overeat, do not be surprised if this is your situation. Put it on a fixed schedule to avoid weight problems. Do *not* assume a cat will only eat what it needs: if it starts putting on too much weight (check with your vet), give it two feedings a day, putting down half the recommended daily amount each time. The other method (called "free-feeding") is to leave food available all the time. The food must be dry to avoid spoilage. There is no preference between the two; it will depend on your cat and the food you give it.

Special Diets (incl. vegetarian diets)

You may need to change your cat's diet for any number of reasons. Often, you will find that your cat refuses the new food. Don't worry. Leave food out and keep it fresh until your cat is hungry enough to eat it. Your cat will not be harmed by several days of low food intake: as a carnivore, it is biologically adapted to going without food for several days between kills. If you give in to its refusal to eat the provided food, your cat has just trained *you* to feed it what it wants.

If you need to decrease the total amount of food the cat normally eats, the best way to do this is to reduce the amount of food gradually. This way, you don't have an upset cat after its meal.

If you have a cat that bolts its food down (and throws it back up), you can slow its eating down by placing several one to two inch diameter clean rocks in its food bowl. Picking the food out will slow it down. Be sure the rocks aren't so small it could eat them by accident.

If you have multiple cats, and one of them requires special food (from medical to weight-loss diets), then you must go to a fixed feeding schedule to ensure that that cat not only gets the food, but doesn't get any other food. If you have been free-feeding, switch them over. Don't put out any food the first morning; that evening, put out the dishes and supervise the cats. They will most likely be hungry and eat most of the food. Take the dishes up after 1/2 hour or so and wait until morning. Thereafter, remain on the morning/night- or even just night- scheduled feedings and your cats will adapt quickly enough. If you have trouble with one cat finishing quickly and going over to feed on other cats' food, you will have to put them in separate rooms while feeding.

As for vegetarian diets, cats require the aminosulfonic acid taurine, which is unavailable in natural vegetable except for trace concentrations in some plant sources like pumpkin seeds; not enough to do a cat any good. Lack of taurine can cause blindness or even death by cardiomyopathy. There are also a few other similar nutrients, such as arachidonic acid (a fatty acid only found in animals), but taurine is the most widely known.

Some small manufacturers claim to have produced synthetically-based supplements that when combined with an appropriately balanced all-vegetable diet will provide the complete nutrition required by cats.

No one has been able to find studies which demonstrate that cats which eat such a diet over the long term stay healthy.

TAURINE AND LITTLE TYKE

Little Tyke was a 352 lb African lioness that was rejected from birth by her imprisoned mother. The kind people who rescued poor little Tyke took her back to their ranch in Seattle to raise. From the beginning, Tyke disliked any kind of meat or blood, preferring milk and rice. Tyke grew up a total vegetarian, becoming famous by appearing on television shows with her friends which were kittens, chickens and a pet lamb. Tyke would chew on an old gumboot as a bone, but never showed her huge teeth to any other living thing. Tyke died at 4 years of age, probably from viral pneumonia, but some say from taurine deficiency.

Although taurine is found in small amounts in milk and eggs, it was insufficient for her. Taurine is vital for cats' well-being. While other species can manufacture it in their bodies, cats cannot. Taurine is vital for a healthy retina (that part of the eye where images are formed). Deficiency will ultimately cause blindness. Cardiomyopathy (a disease where the heart muscle turns flabby, losing its ability to pump), reproductive problems, immune system dysfunction and many more problems arise from Taurine deficiency. If acted upon quickly, some of these conditions can be reversed.

Unwittingly, many caring cat owners who feed vegetarian diets to their pet cats actually run the risk of causing them chronic malnutrition. Taurine is mainly available from animal sources with only trace amounts found in plants. All pet food manufacturers use synthetic taurine, being both easier to use and more economical. I use synthetic taurine in my vegan cat food. ARGININE

Arginine is an essential amino acid. A cat fed on an arginine-free diet will not only fail to grow, but also lose body mass at a very fast rate. Other signs are vocalisation (moaning), tetanic spasms, extended limbs with exposed claws, apnea (absence of breath) and, finally, death. VITAMIN A

Vitamin A, or beta carotene, is converted to retinol in the Intestine of dogs but because of the cat's short intestine, it is unable to do this. Cats must be provided with a preformed source of Vitamin A. Natural preformed vitamin A is found only in animal products In which the animal has metabolised the carotene into vitamin A, storing concentrates in certain tissues, mainly the liver. Cats obtained their vitamin A in the wild by killing and eating the whole catch, including the liver. Synthetic Vitamin A is freely available and is used in all cat foods, wet or dry. I use this vitamin A in my vegan cat food. Vitamin A toxicity in cats is possible (though rare) as absorption of preformed Vitamin A is not regulated in the intestine. Therefore organ meats such as liver and kidney, and some fish oils, should be given sparingly. NIACIN

Niacin is a B vitamin. The inability of cats, and the very poor ability of dogs, to convert tryptophan (an essential amino acid) to niacin is not a major concern as it can be found in grains, yeast, and oil meals. A vegetarian source of niacin can easily be supplied. VITAMIN C

Unlike humans, both cats and dogs make their own vitamin C. According to animal naturopaths, if a dog or cat is unwell or old, added vitamin C is recommended. I have put some in my vegan food as I believe it can only be beneficial. You cannot overdose on vitamin C as the body simply excretes it. FATTY ACIDS

Most animal and human species have the ability to convert linolenic acid into a balance of Omega 3, Omega 6 and other essential long-chain fatty acids (EFAs) such as DHA (docosahexaenoic Acid) Aa(Arachidonic acid) and EPA (elcosapentaenolc acid). Cats cannot do this. This is very recent knowledge and it has been extremely difficult for me to find a vegan source.

Linolenic acid is very easy to find, being abundant in seafood, flaxseed (linseed), canola and sunflower oil. However this is of no use to cats because they cannot synthesise it. Aa is essential for healthy skin and coat as well as for lipid transport in the blood. DHA is essential for healthy eyes and brain function. EPA is important in balancing the prostaglandins that affect chronic degenerative diseases. Cats get Aa, DHA and EPA from animal flesh, liver, brain or from fish. The fish get it from micro algae, so this is where I looked. I found the different micro algae that provide vegan sources for all the long chain fatty acids but they are extremely unstable and great care has to be taken in preserving them.

What I have learnt from making my food is that all nutrients need to be in balance in order to be utilised properly. Where possible I use whole food as a source of nutrients (eg., spirulina, barley grass, flaxseed meal, etc.), only using synthetic replacements when absolutely essential. I believe this is the safest way to make a quality balanced food.

After much reading, and two years of research and experimentation, I am qualified to manufacture a commercial vegan food for dogs and cats.

Volunteers from Animal Welfare Groups have offered their dogs and cats to do palatability and digestibility feeding trials. Following a strict set of guidelines, these animals are involved in the final testing of my food. They are undertaking these tests in their own homes while being closely monitored by their owners. If an animal shows any sign of distress it is immediately removed from the trial. So far not one animal has dropped out.

By conducting the tests in this way 1 believe that, I have tested my food in a loving, caring way and have avoided supporting any animal testing company.

With my dry pet food there will be a guide on how much food your pet should eat to receive all requisite nutrients in one day. If you give this food as a base and then add whatever else your pet would like to eat with it, you can be safe in the knowledge that they are getting all the nutrients they need.

By now those feeding vegetarian food to their cat or dog are probably feeling very worried. Please do not fear. If you want to feed your pet on a vegan diet, or you have any worries or concerns about how to go about this, please feel free to contact me on the address below. If you want to continue to feed your pet on meat, fish and chicken, without getting into details comparing commercial pet foods with home made pet foods, it is important to understand a few things about commercial foods.

The best standard by which to judge the quality of currently available pet foods is the cost. Generally speaking, the more expensive the food, the better quality are the ingredients. So, if you wish to continue feeding your pet on commercial pet food, always choose above-average priced food and the best known brands (these are the companies that are serious about image and quality and have the funds to spend on analysis, quality ingredients, etc.). Read labels very carefully, ring the enquiry line and ask questions if you don't understand.

Most dry pet foods are a complete and balanced diet, but very few tinned foods are, so you should not feed your pet only tinned food. A mix of both is best, always supplementing with an uncooked bone.

Have you ever wondered why pet food is kept separate from human food at points of purchase? Because it is not fit for human consumption! Why is this? The major source of animal protein for pet food is "the four Ds "... Dead, Dying, Diseased or Disabled animals. SO what exactly would an animal found dead, suffering or dying in a paddock have wrong with it? A disease, cancer, torn kidney, lung, blood or liver infection? Perhaps an overdose of pesticide? No one knows for certain but such animals are put down and used for pet food.

Also of concern is the possibility of veterinary drugs still present in the animal. These animals are then cut up and used as 'choice cuts of beef or lamb, or plump whole chicken', as the pet food labels claim. Being thrifty institutions, slaughterhouses take all that is left over, including the head, legs, intestines, liver and lungs, (not to mention whatever it was that the beast died of) and render it down in a big vat. The hair is skimmed from the top and whatever remains is dried and powdered, leaving beef or chicken meal or meat and poultry by-products or digests. These products are found in every dog and cat food available to day. I think this is a questionable source of nourishment for our animals.

Read the label. What is feather meal? Yes, it is ground up feathers Very high in protein, but totally indigestible. The same goes for blood meal. Have you ever wondered why our pets become ill or allergic, develop chronic digestive problems or sometimes die very young? Could it be the food they are eating?

With the above in mind, are we being so cruel by feeding nutritionally balanced vegan food to our pets? I think not. We now have the possibility to make a more humane choice by not feeding our pets the products of other slaughtered animals.

I would like to add a few points on feeding your dog and cat. The old way of thinking was to feed your dog once a day. This has now been proved incorrect. My dogs showed me years ago……..they love their breakfast! Dogs should be fed at least twice a day. This stops them from gorging their food and bloating while also reducing digestive problems. Feeding one meal a day can also irritate the oesophagus with stomach acid.

Cats will eat and drink randomly throughout the day and night. Their meals are always small, about 25 gr and they eat between 8 to 16 meals in a 24 hour period. Adult cats can adapt to being fed twice a day. Kittens and pregnant cats need feeding at more frequent intervals. This is due to their short gastro-intestinal tract. Always make sure your pet has clean pure water available. If you change from tank water to town water take into account the chlorine and fluoride content of the water as this can taste dreadful to the delicate taste buds of a cat. To make the transition, give bottled water at first, slowly introducing tap water.

Cats can be poisoned by onions. Do not feed onions to your cat, either cooked or raw. Cocoa-based products are also risky, especially in dogs. The toxic material is the methyixanthine derivative, theotiromine, and the signs of poisoning are vomiting diarrhea, collapse and death. Chocolate has a much lower theobromine content of around 0.2% but is still best avoided.

Cooked mashed squash, sweet potato, sweet corn, rice, and lentils. Tofu TVP (textured vegetable protein) or pasta with a creamy sauce. (Always opt for low fat ingredients in creamy sauces). Just try your cat on different vegies you will soon see what his taste is. Fresh food is great to. Finely grated fresh greens, sprouts, mix together well, especially with an added whole grain cereal or brown rice. Always cook the grains and rice perhaps with a vegetable stock cube to add flavour." Supreme" Gravox is vegetarian that could be added as some flavour. Fruit should be fed alone before or after the meal because fruit is high in water and is digested rapidly. Favourite fruits are Cantaloupe, banana, melons, berries, pear, and any fruit really so long as it is ripened. An example of some additives to enhance flavour and add interest to your cat's food are… Japanese seaweed, veggie bacon bits, and a sprinkle of Brewer's yeast, Spirilina powder, garlic, soya sauce or tahini.

Cats do prefer savoury taste to sweet For those who would like to feed dairy products A great breakfast is baby Farex (type for infants 6months) mixed with low fat milk and warm water with a few drops of Pentavite infant drops. Low fat vanilla yoghurt with Acidophillis is very good for your cat and they love it. Some things to ovoid are full fat milk (some adult cats can tolerate it) salt, sugar, and chocolate. Yellow cheese can be tolerated by some cats but in general is not desirable. It is better to use cottage cheese. The secret is to try all different types of vegetables, remembering that they should be finely grated and root vegetables oats and lentils etc need to be cooked. Always serve food at room temperature or slightly warmed, always serve with fresh water. As a good emergency food always have some of your cat's favourite vegetable baby food in the cupboard. Be adventuresome and try all sorts of mixes of foods for your cat, he will soon develop his favourite. Always be careful to incorporate my VEGANPET dry food or my digestive Aid.

veganpetfoods@netspace.net.au

Clumping Clay Kitty Litters: A Deadly Convenience?

Cats die. Kittens die. It's part of life. But we still grieve when they die, even though we know it is only the body, not the spirit, that is gone. How much worse we feel when those deaths were unnecessary, could have been prevented by something as simple as changing the kind of litter we use.

Extract from article:
"Once the litter is inside a kitten or cat, it expands, forming a mass and coating the interior-thus, both causing dehydration by drawing fluids out of the cat or kitten, and compounding the problem by preventing any absorption of nutrients or fluids."