ForestWind Siberian Cats
Adding a little love to your life!
Natural feeding for naturally health cats
"We are what we eat." And
this is never more true than for felines! Cats are obligate carnivores,
this means that their natural diet is composed of meat proteins. When a
cat captures and eats its prey, it devours it entirely. Recently cats
have become less and less well, due in large part to the extensive use
of manufactured, commercial dried kibble diets. Composed mainly of
carbohydrates and left over parts of animal bodies that are unfit for
human consumption, it is no wonder that our beautiful feline friends
are suffering.
At ForestWind your kitten is fed a diet that is nutritionally as close to what she would naturally eat in nature as we can make it. Your kitten's diet, and that of all ForestWind felines, is composed mainly of human grade meats, ground with bone and marrow, and enriched with natural omega 3 and 6 oils, vitamins A & E and zinc, along with a feline multi-vitamin and greens supplement. To ensure that your kitten will eat a variety of foods when she comes home to you, she is also fed top grade canned food, as well as a kibble mix composed of Wellness Core, Katzenflocken Solid Gold, Chicken Soup for Kittens, and Natural Balance Chicken and Duck. Although your kitten will eat commercial canned and kibble, we strongly recommend that you choose to continue feeding the natural raw diet.
Natural diets contribute to glossy coats, bright eyes, reduced illness, and increased vigor and comfort.
Several supports for the raw feeding model can be found at these links:
http://www.catnutrition.org/
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawpaws/
At ForestWind your kitten is fed a diet that is nutritionally as close to what she would naturally eat in nature as we can make it. Your kitten's diet, and that of all ForestWind felines, is composed mainly of human grade meats, ground with bone and marrow, and enriched with natural omega 3 and 6 oils, vitamins A & E and zinc, along with a feline multi-vitamin and greens supplement. To ensure that your kitten will eat a variety of foods when she comes home to you, she is also fed top grade canned food, as well as a kibble mix composed of Wellness Core, Katzenflocken Solid Gold, Chicken Soup for Kittens, and Natural Balance Chicken and Duck. Although your kitten will eat commercial canned and kibble, we strongly recommend that you choose to continue feeding the natural raw diet.
Natural diets contribute to glossy coats, bright eyes, reduced illness, and increased vigor and comfort.
Several supports for the raw feeding model can be found at these links:
http://www.catnutrition.org/
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawpaws/
Raw Diet Recipe
First, purchase a grinder that is strong enough to grind chicken bones. DO NOT try to grind turkey - it breaks the blades!!
We got our grinder here: http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_36989_36989
This is the grinder we use. We've used it for several years, grinding about 70 to 100 pounds of meat at a go, and it looks brand new (except for that little experiment of grinding turkey necks. Word to the wise: DON'T!!).
Northern Industrial Tools Electric Meat Grinder. This is a great grinder at a decent price - only one hundred dollars!
INGREDIENTS:
We got our grinder here: http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_36989_36989
This is the grinder we use. We've used it for several years, grinding about 70 to 100 pounds of meat at a go, and it looks brand new (except for that little experiment of grinding turkey necks. Word to the wise: DON'T!!).
Northern Industrial Tools Electric Meat Grinder. This is a great grinder at a decent price - only one hundred dollars!
"Grinds 176 lbs. of meat per hour! Turns fowl, beef, vegetables and other foods into tasty meat loaf, sausage, sauces and more. 110V motor has on/off switch, plus reverse. Fine, medium and coarse plates, sausage stuffer attachments. 16in.L x 7 7/8in.W x 13 5/8in.H. This model now comes with round buttons.
INGREDIENTS:
- Raw muscle meat on the bone (i.e., meat from chicken thighs/drumsticks or turkey or rabbit), ground.
- 10% of the meat weight in raw heart, ideally from the same animal (if no heart is available, substitute with 4000 mg Taurine); minced. We use the hearts and gizzards and therefore use more than 10%. The heart is key for taurine.
- 5 % meat weight in raw liver, ideally from the same animal (if you can't find appropriate liver, you can substitute 40,000 IU of Vitamin A and 1600 IU of Vitamin D--but try to use real liver instead of substitutes); pureed.
- NOTE: If you cannot find the heart or liver and instead substitute with the Taurine/Vitamin A/D, remember to replace the missing amount of organ meats with the equivalent amount of muscle meat. In other words, if you cannot find heart, add another 10%of the meat. If you cannot find the liver, add another 5% meat.
- 2 cups homemade chicken stock
- 4 extra large eggs
- 1 frozen bag mixed peas and carrots, steamed lightly in the
stock, then minced.
Simply stir all
together and then freeze in convenient storage containers. Some folks
like to use ice cube trays and then pop the cubes of meat into a
freezer weight zip lock bag. This makes portioning much easier!
Before serving, add in to each serving 1/4 t Kitty
Bloom or other FELINE vitamins that contain high Vitamin B and also Taurine. Taurine is
essential and less expensive vitamins leave it out.
Raw Diet NO Bones option
For folks who would like to feed raw, but do not have a grinder that will process chicken bones.
INGREDIENTS:
- Raw muscle meat (i.e., meat from chicken thighs/drumsticks or turkey or rabbit), ground.
- 10% of the meat weight in raw heart, ideally from the same animal (if no heart is available, substitute with 4000 mg Taurine); minced. We use the hearts and gizzards and therefore use more than 10%. The heart is key for taurine.
- 5 % meat weight in raw liver, ideally from the same animal (if you can't find appropriate liver, you can substitute 40,000 IU of Vitamin A and 1600 IU of Vitamin D--but try to use real liver instead of substitutes); pureed.
- NOTE: If you cannot find the heart or liver and instead substitute with the Taurine/Vitamin A/D, remember to replace the missing amount of organ meats with the equivalent amount of muscle meat. In other words, if you cannot find heart, add another 10%of the meat. If you cannot find the liver, add another 5% meat.
- 2 c homemade chicken stock
- 4 tablespoons bonemeal (the kind meant for human consumption--not the kind used for gardening)
- 2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin
- 4 extra large eggs
- 1 frozen bag mixed peas and carrots, steamed lightly in the
stock, then minced.
Simply stir all together and then freeze in
convenient storage containers. Some folks like to use ice cube trays and then pop the cubes of meat into a freezer weight zip lock bag. This makes portioning much easier!
Before serving, add in to each serving 1/4 t Kitty
Bloom or other vitamins that contain high Vitamin B and also Taurine. Taurine is
essential, since not having 100% chicken hearts available, it has to be
supplemented.
Finally, drizzle salmon oil on top and finally sprinkle a bit of dulse (looks like purple parsley and you can get it at cooperative grocers and health food stores, often in the spices section).
If your kitten's stool is runny during transition to raw, use psyllium husk powder and stir a bit into his food.
Finally, drizzle salmon oil on top and finally sprinkle a bit of dulse (looks like purple parsley and you can get it at cooperative grocers and health food stores, often in the spices section).
If your kitten's stool is runny during transition to raw, use psyllium husk powder and stir a bit into his food.
Kibble Food Comparison Tool
Here's a link to a cat food comparison wizard. It's quite helpful. Although the company, EVO, doesn't list all types of kibble, it can give you an idea of what to look for in stores and how to compare foods. Using this tool, you can see ingredients and compare up to 4 different cat foods side by
side.
Cats Need Protein Heavy Diets
Cat Health News from the Winn
Feline Foundation |
|
Posted: 16 Oct 2009 04:00 AM PDT Vasconcellos
RS, Borges NC, Goncalves KN et al: Protein intake during weight loss
influences the energy required for weight loss and maintenance in cats, J
Nutr 139:855, 2009. The effects of various nutrients, such as protein and carbohydrate, on weight loss in cats are controversial. In this study, performed at the Universidada Estadual Paulista, Sao Paolo, Brazil, the effects of two diets with different protein levels on weight loss and maintenance was assessed. The control group of obese cats received a diet containing 21 g crude protein on a metabolizable energy basis, and the high-protein group received a diet containing 28 g crude protein. All cats were fed the diet until safe, controlled weight loss of 20% was achieved. After weight loss, all cats were fed a diet containing 28 g crude protein and were monitored for 120 days. During the weight loss phase, the control group experienced a reduction in lean body mass, whereas the high-protein group did not. Overall, the high-protein diet allowed a higher energy intake to achieve weight loss than the control diet, thus reducing the severity of energy restriction required. [SL] >> PubMed Abstract Related articles: German AJ, Holden S, Bissot T et al: Changes in body composition during weight loss in obese client-owned cats: loss of lean tissue mass correlates with overall percentage of weight lost, J Feline Med Surg 10:452, 2008. >> PubMed Abstract Villaverde C, Ramsey JJ, Green AS et al: Energy restriction results in a mass-adjusted decrease in energy expenditure in cats that is maintained after weight regain, J Nutr 138:856, 2008. >> PubMed Abstract More on cat health: Winn Feline Foundation Library http://winnfelinehealth.blogspot.com/ |
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