Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat General => General Cat Chat => Topic started by: unseeliechylde on November 12, 2007, 14:07:31 PM
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Just wondered what are peeps fav brands for their furbabies (or rather, what brands furbabies have manipulated their owners into getting for them! :rofl:)?
I usually feed nature's menu, perfect fit, and Hills Science plan. I used to get iams, but after finding out (through this forum) about their appaling research practices, I'm joining the boycott. Any suggestions of other quality foods I can use to replace the evil iams? I like to try to vary what I feed the babies, more so they don't get bored with any one type, but I do like to feed high-quality food (of course) that supports good health and immune systems.
What are the preferred brands used by forum members?
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Ah I like this.
I have a mixture of wet. Gourmet Solitaire and Gold, Sheba seafood pouches, Sheba domes (these and the gourmet solitaire are complementary).
Dry: Pero Organic dry (very loved), Arden Grange Organic (also loved, but I think in small doses, otherwise cystitis), and Perfect Fit Indoor.
Did used to eat FAGAIL but not as much a fan as of the others.
Try to avoid treats but Felix Chikin Likin's are stolen before I get them out the bag...
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Max has Whiskas Oh So Meaty or Oh So Fishy in the morning with his biscuits which are RC Dental SO prescription ones. For his tea, he has Natures Menu which is always gone by the morning ;D
He doesn't really have 'treats' much any more as he was a bit of a porker last year, I prefer to give him a bit of my salmon or chicken if I've cooked, but only a little taster really. He would sell his soul for chicken lickens though, as soon as the packed was rusled he'd be at my feet in seconds and trying to get them :evillaugh:
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Dry: Various varieties of Hills and Royal Canin
Wet: Applaws, Hi-Life, Natures Menu, and Hills.
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OOh! there's a few there I'll have to try ;) Since Riley is an indoor boy, he doesn't really get "treats"; he's fed on wet food (2 pouches a day), and gets a "treat" ball filled with Science hill's lo-fat dry food! Poor boy loves the stuff - just as well he doesn't know it's not "treat" food at all! :rofl: He does get boiled turkey / steak / chicken, if I've been cooking, and will literally do ANYTHING for it :rofl: Bizarrely, we have discovered he also likes scallops and squid! (tho they are "blue moon" treats - very, very rare, but he loves them).
Where would I get RC Dental SO prescription biscuits? Would it have to be from the vet? I'm keen to do something to keep his teeth in good nick, but don't like using the whiskas denta bits as they seem very hi-cal for a lazy indoor boy!
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Yeah, I get my Dental SO biccies from the vets, as I've not seen them anywhere else so far. I'll have to see if Vets UK sell them.
Its about £25 for a big bag, as Max has mainly wet with dry down all the time, it lasts for ages.
Forgot to post on my last one, he also loves Applaws chicken and cheese ;D
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Thanks, I'll have to check that out. Applaws chicken n' cheese sounds like something Riley would go nuts over - I'll have to look out for it. He is always trying to thieve cheese from my boyf's sandwiches :rofl:
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Wet - natures menu, hi life, bozita, animonda carny, cosma, applaws/almo nature. They're not fussy except that Mosi isn't keen on fish (except for tuna - esp applaws tuna with cheese!). Animonda carny seems to be a favourite at the moment if the speed with which dishes are emptied is the criteria.
Dry (Mosi only) - Orijen, James Wellbeloved, Hi Live, Almo Nature. But mainly Orijen. I just like to give him a change from time to time.
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Wet: Natures menu, applaws, miamor, almo nature, eagle pack, bozita, tesco natural trays. I get a random brand from Zooplus each time i order.
Dry: Orijen, James Wellbeloved, Eagle Pack, Arden Grange, odd tub of Olli
For teeth they get raw chicken wings
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Wet: Raw chicken, turkey, beef or lamb - chunks or mince, liver, heart, kidneys. Chicken wings and necks. Natures Menu occasionally, Applaws, Almo Nature, Hi-Life - and cheap and cheerful Classic!
Dry: Olli and Hi-Life - bedtime snack!
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Dry Technical Biscuits and Purina 1 fish........................I am hoping they will just have technical soon cos to have to get two different expensive ones is a pain adn Technical I can get in 15kg bags so much cheaper than buyong the largest on of puirina
Wet Felix pouches LOL they wont eat anything else
Misa likes Whisker topping as a treat and none of them will eat human food.
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Was Wet : tescos pemium pouches, now iams complete pouches, felix pouches Pearl, sheba , chicken I may add any thing that gets eaten is classed as a fav
Dry James well beloved lamb + rice , Oli shrimp , High life chicken Iams chicken , wiskas milk Def :Luv:
I know the views on iams on here but very picky puss
One thing i would like to ask it takes mary half a day to eat one pouch any one else get this ?
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I had no idea they could be given chicken wings and necks - what do you do about the bones? I thought cats couldn't have chicken bones because they split into sharp shards?
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Bluecat - it depends on the cat. Lexy is a very slow eater. Depending on the food she will either eat it all, or she will pace herself. She paces dry food, and her Sheba pouches she paces through the morning/day. If its the domes.. well they go quickly :innocent:
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Wet - Felix AGAIL (the only thing Rascal will eat at the moment)
Dry - Purina One - Chicken, Beef, Salmon
I cook them chicken and fish but only the boys eat it :tired:
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I had no idea they could be given chicken wings and necks - what do you do about the bones? I thought cats couldn't have chicken bones because they split into sharp shards?
Thats only cooked bones, raw bones are fine. Wings and necks are really good to keep teeth clean. ;D
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Ahh! I see - silly me! :-[ That's a great idea, I'll have to try it out on my two. I'm guessing I could just get them from our local butcher, but how long can they have them before they go off? Can they have them for a whole day, or just a few hours? (would they even last that long! :rofl:)
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A pouch can last a long time here as they get nibbled on and off when they fancy and if they didnt fancy , yet another one hits the bin............sigh
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I'm guessing I could just get them from our local butcher, but how long can they have them before they go off? Can they have them for a whole day, or just a few hours? (would they even last that long! :rofl:)
Yes, your local butcher will have chicken wings, or most supermarkets have chicken wings in packs, not very expensive, you can freeze the rest. I've only ever been able to find frozen chicken necks and this company has them: http://www.prizechoice.co.uk/products/wholemeatchunks/poultry-necks.php
Yes, they can have have them for a day, if they last that long as you say LOL! If you are feeding wings for the first time I would cut them into 3 so they are less daunting for a cat that has never tried them before, (there are 3 natural joints - so can be broken and hacked through, or even good scissors will cut through) like this:
(http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb234/scruffyjoe/Cats/rawplate2.jpg)
And also you can warm them up to make them more interesting - just put in a freezer bag and plunge into warm water. Even though raw bones are fine for cats to eat - I would always advise supervising.
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Mine are on Natures Menu, Perfect Fit and Asda Tiger Senior at the mo (Tiger does like her chunks, and I haven't got round to getting more Bozita yet, having issues with that!!).
Dry - mix of JWB, PAH and Perfect Fit.
Just for info, most dental dry foods are high in fat, I know Hills is, although not sure about the RC ones.
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I had no idea they could be given chicken wings and necks - what do you do about the bones? I thought cats couldn't have chicken bones because they split into sharp shards?
Thats only cooked bones, raw bones are fine. Wings and necks are really good to keep teeth clean. ;D
I thought you couldnt give a cat bones of any type in thier food any one else have opinions on this ? :-:
If okay this would be good all butchers sell wing bits and thier quite cheap my dad used to by a bag for a pound and manirate them curry :hungey:
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Raw bones are perfectly fine for a cat.
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;D Thanks Gillian - I will definately try them on wings & necks. It sounds like a better (and more enjoyable for them) option than dental biscuits, especially (as Desley points out) with them being high in fat, which is not ideal for an indoor cat. It's also likely to be more cost effective and more natural for them. ;)
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What i like is to look at the teeth and the amount of tartar and recheck 2-3 wings later and its gone ;D
I got behind on wing offering earlier in the year and lola had a bit of build up and pink gums, all better now 8)
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That's amazing :wow: Sounds like the perfect treat - great for their teeth and health (saving a fortune in both the short and long term in vets dental appts, as well as good for their quality of life), involves no cooking, minimal preparation, and keeps them entertained (for a while, anyway!) ;D
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I keep putting this off but I am definitely going to get my two some chicken wings. I'm not sure about Mosi, but I reckon Jaffa will love them.
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I've got the Olli one for mine a couple of times (when they've been buy 1 get 1 free) and they all go mad for it. They're not overly picky with food though, thankfully. Although they loved the Tesco premium but just lately have been just licking off the jelly or gravy. They'll eat whatever dry food is put out too but I got a ton of free samples of different types of Royal Canin in a pet shop the other week and they loved them. Whiskas cat milk here too, my Daisy would sell her soul for the stuff.
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Lucas & Riley have Bozita wet food (cartons) and PAH complete dry. I started them off on Natures Menu kitten and JWB kitten, they were much keener on wet food so decided to try Bozita as it has a high meat content and is suitable for all life stages, they absolutely wolfed it down compared to the Natures Menu. Tried a sample bag of Pets at Home complete and they seem to enjoy it just as much as the JWB so have switched to that permanently aswell. It's got virtually identical ingredients with the same high meat content but is much cheaper so everyone's happy :)
I think they'd really enjoy chicken wings so am defo going to try them with a wing each for a teeth cleaning treat.
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i must try and find chicken wings this weekend!! I do have 2 proper butchers within a 10 min walk from my house, will one of those sell them?
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They should sell them .. otherwise Tesco's will.
Have to say, I have a freezer full of, chicken wings, legs, feet and a whole calfs leg :Crazy: (For the doggie).
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i must try and find chicken wings this weekend!! I do have 2 proper butchers within a 10 min walk from my house, will one of those sell them?
All the supermarkets do packs of chicken wings Des - Sainsbury's certainly does, but prob nicer from a 'real' butcher! - they might even hack 'em into 3 for you!
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I will deffo get some next time I go shopping, feed ours on Natures menu and hilife at the moment.
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My Benglies love chicken wings but I freeze them and defrost before giving them to them - just something the breeder advised. They are normally gone within an hour. My other cats looked at me as if I was totally mad when I offered the wings to them :rofl:
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My Benglies love chicken wings but I freeze them and defrost before giving them to them - just something the breeder advised. They are normally gone within an hour. My other cats looked at me as if I was totally mad when I offered the wings to them :rofl:
I think your breeder's thinking is that the freezing will kill off any germs - but in reality most domestic freezers don't get cold enough to do that anyway. Do you think the wings are keeping their teeth nice and clean?
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They are normally gone within an hour.
An hour! Simon is 10 minutes :rofl: and he doesnt have all his teeth :Luv2:
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Riley and Skye had their first chicken wings today, and LOVED them! Skye only had a little of hers (she is only a baby), but Riley's was demolished very quickly, after which he decided to throw around and play with the still-articulated bones :sick: :rofl:
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Riley and Skye had their first chicken wings today, and LOVED them! Skye only had a little of hers (she is only a baby), but Riley's was demolished very quickly, after which he decided to throw around and play with the still-articulated bones :sick: :rofl:
LOL! food AND entertainment!
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Ok lets see
Dry food - Purina, Hills, JWB (all eat kitten varieties)
Wet food - Whiskas, Felix, Hills AD LOL - not huge wet food eaters being honest but will eat some (3 pouches each per day is usual LOL)
Other (their fave category) - White skinless and boneless fish by the kilo, prawns, chicken wings, roast chicken breast, lambs mince .......... get the picture
All love water too!
oooh and have a passion for dairy products if they can manage to nick any - butter being a particular favourite!
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Mine are mostly on any proprietry cat food - Whiskas,, Felix, Kit-e-Kat etc, although they don't like PAH or other uber cheap brands. I get different brands as they enjoy the variety, whether tinned wet or dry.
All this is supplemented by chicken, liver, heart (ooh, they LOVE that!), the odd bit of tuna or salmon, and sometimes leavings from my plate (once I've finished!) if appropriate. Little bits of cheese now and again go down well for Shanti in particular.
And sometimes I give them pouches, which they go crazy for!! Always great as a distraction! No doubt that will be on the menu when they come back from their annual check up on Monday! I'm not keen on using pouches regularly though, as they are not recyclable.
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Tried mine on some chicken wings this morning Sabre wasn't bothered about then Sky and Simba had a little nibble.
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Lol, what we should have also said is to introduce raw foods as small meaty cubes at first and then work your way up to wings and necks. Your cats jaw muscles need to get used to working for a living once again!
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:rofl: Nobody told Riley that! He took to it as if he'd killed it himself! :evillaugh:
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Those who feed chicken wings - do you leave the skin on?
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Yep but if theres any large bits of fat where its come off the body i chop them off, not all mine can digest it so end up with little bits of puked white stuff :sick:
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I went to the butchers today, and he asked how many i wanted, so I said 1, and he asked if I knew how big they were, and asked who they were for (and yes, I was truthful!!), and they were tiny, so I got 3, one for each of them (and he chopped them into two for me). Tiger and Zia looked a bit confused, but Molly immediately started licking it, even if she couldnt quite figure things out. I tried to chop it smaller, but struggled so got my sis to pull the meat off, and Molly enjoyed hers - Rolo ended up pinching Tiger's though, she wasnt interested. Might get them some heart next week.
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Taz has finally twigged you chew not lick :Luv2: :Luv2: i use scissors to make strands hang off to encourage him to chew, easily bored if he doesnt get to eat straight away :innocent:
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Just FYI, Hills are one the biggest and worst culprits of laboratory animal testing in the world, its just not as widely publicised as the Iams thing. I work in a Hills practice but would not touch it with a barge pole myself. I feed Burns, who are BUAV approved. I will admit to also giving my boys some Whiskas, but I know what harm is in every tin before I make my choice to feed it. Everywhere I go on the internet, people are kicking off about Iams. Yes we should boycott them, but not without realising what is on your cats plate is no better if you feed a supermarket brand.
I also give complimentary turkey necks, but I would urge all you raw feeders to pre-freeze your meat if you're giving it raw.
All of the following companies conduct cruel and unneccesary lab experiments and are currently still doing so here in the UK. Some of you might be surprised but I have researched this a LOT and know my stuff when it comes to these tests. If you don't want to read details of some experiments you shouldn't read on, but I feel this is important.
ALL of the following brands are still unethically manufactured, using outdated experiments in sterile lab environments here in our country.
***WARNING - DETAILS OF LAB EXPERIMENTS BELOW***
- Nestle Purina Petcare - Go Cat, Pro Plan, Purina, Bakers, Gourmet, Felix
One of the experiments conducted by this company involved keeping 48 dogs & cats in complete isolation for 15 years (unless death occurred sooner) ending as recently as 2002, one third being fed normally, one third being fed half what they should and one third being fed 50% too much. These animals were blood sampled & xrayed regularly to watch the effects of emaciation & obesity on their bodies.
- Hills Pet Nutrition - Hills, Science Plan, Nature's Best
36 kittens were kept in isolation for 13 weeks, being fed such low amounts that they weighed an average of 56% less than they should, all euthanased after the study. 36 adult cats were isolated and fed varying amounts of salt over a period of a month, most euthanased after the study. 42 puppies were fed a diet with no zinc for 2 weeks, then given a variety of zinc levels in their diets, the effects were so severe that this experiment was cut short early and all the puppies who they made suffer were euthanased and their bodies used for research.
- Proctor & Gamble - Iams, Eukanuba
28 young cats were induced into kidney failure by surgical removal of one kidney and intentional damage to the other, then fed various experimental diets. 2 died during surgery, all of them suffered and were very sick. They were all euthanased.
- Walthams - Pedigree, Royal Canin, Whiskas, Cesar, Sheba
All research carried out in the Pedigree Pet Centre, which houses hundreds of dogs, cats & birds for experimentation. Greyhounds were housed for their entire lives in isolation kennels smaller than the law regarding lab dogs allows, and that reg is small already! Cats were kept in complete isolation and fed only 40 calories per day for 12 months or until they died. Despite Walthams claiming all their research is non-invasive, every single animal housed there lives in a caged and at least partially isolated environment for their entire lives - when they go in, they don't come back out alive!
Hope this was informative and insightful - the more people that know, the better.
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emma, we have a special requirement here that this sort of information comes with a warning in the thread line. There is also a yellow triangle alert thingy but not sure how to use it. As you did not originate the thread you can not change the title, but you should put a double font size warning a the top of your post so as to alert those who might find it too much detail... ;) YOu can go back and edit it now if you want
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I did consider it. maybe Admin/Moderator could do so? Of course they could also remove the detail and just leave the list if they wish to, I understand as I run my own forum but I have the above info on my own as I wish to let people know what I do and I don't think I have been too graphic. I have edited to add a warning line.
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:omg: that is so gross, horrible - thank you so much for alerting us to this I had absolutely no idea about these totally unnecessary experiments.
The thing is what, if anything can we do about it??
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We can email all the companies and let them know that unless they declare themselves as cruelty free and so become BUAV approved, we will tell all our friends.
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Thanks for the info Emma, it really doesn't leave a lot to feed our cats though, does it? Would you know if any of the newer, expensive brands (HiLife, Almo Nature, Natures Menu etc) test on animals?
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I contacted NM & Hilife a while back and got reasonable answers back so i think they are ok. Until they get brought out by a bigger fish that is.
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Just FYI, Hills are one the biggest and worst culprits of laboratory animal testing in the world, its just not as widely publicised as the Iams thing. I work in a Hills practice but would not touch it with a barge pole myself.
I also give complimentary turkey necks, but I would urge all you raw feeders to pre-freeze your meat if you're giving it raw.
One of the reasons why I changed to feeding a raw diet, because you can never be certain about these companies. Although I do feed some commercial diets, like applaws and natures menu.
Unfortunately freezing meat destroys most of the taurine, which as I'm sure you know is essential for cats. So if raw is the main diet you need to add taurine (and prob many other vits, minerals etc) if the meat has been frozen, which to my mind makes it no better than a commercial diet if you need to add things that have been lost via freezing/processing. Food moves much faster through a cats intestines than ours, about 12 hrs, compared to 30-50 hours for us! :sick: Also their intestines are highly acidic so well able to deal with any bacteria. Anyway most domestic freezers are nowhere near cold enough to kill bacteria I'm afraid, so might just as well feed as nature intended!
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Yes thats right. James Wellbeloved used to be cruelty free but they have been nought out by Mars who own Pedigree Walthams *hiss*
Burns have just introduced a tinned food fort dogs, I'm hoping they will do the same for cats as they currently only offer dry which my cats like. But I like to give them tinned meals also.
Thanks for that, Gillian - I really didn't know that about taurine so I am glad you mention it. I pre-freeze after seeing a dog infected with a disease from raw meat, more for my dogs really, but that is food for thought - thank you ;)
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Thanks for that, Gillian - I really didn't know that about taurine so I am glad you mention it. I pre-freeze after seeing a dog infected with a disease from raw meat, more for my dogs really, but that is food for thought - thank you ;)
Ah, thats interesting, wonder if dogs have a slower digestive system than cats that make them more susceptible to any bacteria?
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I have e-mailed Proctor and Gamble
I will let you know when and if I receive a response
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Ah, thats interesting, wonder if dogs have a slower digestive system than cats that make them more susceptible to any bacteria?
Yup, they do. Their digestion is somewhere between ours and a cats, because, like us, they are omnivores rather than obligate carnivores like cats. In fact, dogs can develop skin, behavioural and digestive problems if they are fed on a diet that is too high in animal protein, as their digestive system is not designed for this.
Though it's generally believed that dogs descend from wolves and therefore are "pure" carnivores, thi is not true - they share a common ancestor with wolves, but the dog's ancestor was more likely to be jackel-like, an animal who's diet is, at best, only 40% meat.
Cats, by contrast are truly obligate carnivores, and unlike dogs, cannot survive without animal protein. Though veggies (of certain species) aren't harmful to cats, they are not actually able to digest them, and they function simply as indigestible fibre, like grass.
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I have e-mailed Proctor and Gamble
I will let you know when and if I receive a response
Good luck, those evil people will never stop >:(
I pre-freeze after seeing a dog infected with a disease from raw meat,
Was that the triciosis whatsit from pork? Its the one meat i dont feed for that reason and that its very rich and fatty.
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My Benglies love chicken wings but I freeze them and defrost before giving them to them - just something the breeder advised. They are normally gone within an hour. My other cats looked at me as if I was totally mad when I offered the wings to them :rofl:
Well, I finally got the boys some wings. I was almost physically sick trying to cut it into two :sick: I guess I'm so used to chicken breasts being all smooth and skinlless with no yukky bits, finally managed it so called them into the kitchen and started the video on my mobile expectantly... 'The boys first chicken wings' - Riley licked the outside of one then wandered off, Lukey sniffed then wandered off. I wouldn't mind but they only sold them in massive great trays so now I have hundreds of the things!
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:rofl: Typical!
I wouldn't mind but they only sold them in massive great trays so now I have hundreds of the things!
You could always put them in the auction :rofl:
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Freeze them individually and start them on small diced cubes of breast ;D work your way up, raw food is completely different in texture and smell so they wont have much of a clue.
They will soon be munching away on bones :Luv2:
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I am going to get mine some raw meat at weekend - it is Molly's birthday next Mon, so they are due a treat.
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:sick: cuting bones. As a kid, part of our learning to cook at home was to make Spaghetti Chicken and I had to take whole chicken and cut it up to the right pieces. I swear that experience put me off every buying whole chickens :sick: the bones crunching.. yuck.. and then about 2.5 years ago I stopped eating even the precut nicely packaged type.
Just thinking about buying raw wings for Lexy is making me :sick: blerch Poor you Helen. I feel for you matey. :hug: :-:
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The wing bones are very soft and easy to cut if you do it at the joints. I think I used scissors actually.
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Freeze them individually and start them on small diced cubes of breast ;D work your way up, raw food is completely different in texture and smell so they wont have much of a clue.
They will soon be munching away on bones :Luv2:
I'm not sure I can go through the trauma of cutting the others up :sick: it completely freaked me out when I picked one up to chop and the joints started moving in a wing like manner :sick:
Would chicken thighs or drumsticks be any good as they seem a lot neater?
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In a wing like manner? :evillaugh: I know what you mean though. Indeed scissors are better for the joints.. but its the bit where you have to break them at the joint to make it easier to cut through... :sick:
Sorry H, not helping much am I? :shy:
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it completely freaked me out when I picked one up to chop and the joints started moving in a wing like manner :sick:
I've got this mental image now of body less chicken wings flapping around Helens' kitchen :rofl: Sorry, shouldn't laugh :rofl:
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:no no: its very traumatising to have a flapping dead bird in your kitchen!
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How much do you love your boys Helen?!! :evillaugh:
The other option is to get one of those big choppy knives and just whop down and go through the joints that way ;D
I just hack through with bluntish scissors :naughty: funny i dont eat meat but can mutilate it :-: :-:
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How much do you love your boys Helen?!! :evillaugh:
The other option is to get one of those big choppy knives and just whop down and go through the joints that way ;D
I just hack through with bluntish scissors :naughty: funny i dont eat meat but can mutilate it :-: :-:
:sick: I can hear it in my mind. Blerch...
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How much do you love your boys Helen?!! :evillaugh:
The other option is to get one of those big choppy knives and just whop down and go through the joints that way ;D
I just hack through with bluntish scissors :naughty: funny i dont eat meat but can mutilate it :-: :-:
Lets just say my love is being put to the test :shify: I think they'd prefer some Whiskas Temptations anyday which is lucky for me ;) After trying the scissors I then tried to dislocate the joints manually, in the end I did get a big choppy knife but then there were shards of bone which I had to pick off, combine that with the wing like movement and you can see how Whiskas temptations are more appealing :evillaugh:
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:rofl: ... ooo :sick:
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Riley's now wailing for his bedtime snack, he just tried to break into the automatic feeder (which is empty) and all the time there's two big fat juicy chicken wings on a plate on the floor waiting for him :innocent:
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i feel for you Helen, I hated dealing with mine on Fri, fortunately, I asked the butcher how easy they were to chop so he did it for me, and my sis was here to help pull all the meat off for the cats - I couldnt manage it!! I doubt mine will be getting them again, although Mol showed an interest.
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I pre-freeze after seeing a dog infected with a disease from raw meat,
Was that the triciosis whatsit from pork? Its the one meat i dont feed for that reason and that its very rich and fatty.
Yes thats the one ;)
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Unfortunately freezing meat destroys most of the taurine, which as I'm sure you know is essential for cats. So if raw is the main diet you need to add taurine (and prob many other vits, minerals etc) if the meat has been frozen, which to my mind makes it no better than a commercial diet if you need to add things that have been lost via freezing/processing. Food moves much faster through a cats intestines than ours, about 12 hrs, compared to 30-50 hours for us! :sick: Also their intestines are highly acidic so well able to deal with any bacteria. Anyway most domestic freezers are nowhere near cold enough to kill bacteria I'm afraid, so might just as well feed as nature intended!
I have been investigating this and can't find any raw cat feeders who support or echo your thoughts on taurine. There are many pre-prepared 100% raw diets that are stored in pet store freezers, and those I know who buy in bulk for cats & dogs always buy frozen. One person on my dog forum has fed her cats nothing but pre-frozen meat for years and they are in amazing shape. I personally will continue to pre-freeze.
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I have been investigating this and can't find any raw cat feeders who support or echo your thoughts on taurine. There are many pre-prepared 100% raw diets that are stored in pet store freezers, and those I know who buy in bulk for cats & dogs always buy frozen. One person on my dog forum has fed her cats nothing but pre-frozen meat for years and they are in amazing shape. I personally will continue to pre-freeze.
All processing degrades taurine - therefore minced, frozen meat will have insufficient taurine. I wouldnt want to rely on only frozen minced meats without adding taurine. Luckily I don't feed those frozen minced pet meats, I prefer to feed fresh chunks of meat (good for teeth and gum health) - my lot gave the frozen ones the thumbs down anyway LOL! I will sometimes feed minced meat, but only human grade fresh from supermarket, butcher or farmers markets and for extra taurine I feed heart.
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There was an article in one of the cat mags several months ago about raw feeding and they said to add additional taurine to frozen and defrosted food. I think it's debatable whether freezing per se reduced the taurine, but I seem to recall the article saying that it may well do and that since too much taurine wasn't harmful (is that true?) it was best to err on the side of caution and add some before serving.
Grinding meat also reduces the taurine, apprently.
It's briefly mentioned in this article
http://thecatswhiskers.wordpress.com/category/cat-nutrition/raw-feeding/
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Hi all,
New thread started to avoid confusion, please take the time to have a look:
http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php?topic=10269.msg168530#msg168530
:thanks:
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Hi Yvonne,
The email isn't from Procter & Gamble, it's Mars/Masterfoods/Waltham which is the company that makes Whiskas, Pedigree Chum etc. Interesting that it only mentions dogs. Maybe you registered with pedigree?. I am very skeptical when I read emails like that when companies say they don't experiment, does that mean they get another company to do it for them? - a bit like when something says "no artifical colour or preservative" - you can guarantee it will have artificial flavouring :-:
As far as Procter & Gamble goes, they have apparently received an award from the American Humane Society and they also have a website saying they don't experiment. It's so hard to know what to believe when they have such a bad track record. If they really have stopped, I would buy their products "as a reward" - half of me thinks I should never buy their products again but these companies need an incentive to stop testing.
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I am going to start a new thread about this because I don't think anybody has noticed it - apart from Mark who as ever is on the ball
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I only looked at that thread to post about PAH own brand wet food called "Cuisine" - I bought some to go in the cat pantry :evillaugh: as It's always handy to have a mix. One of them is a sea fish supermeat and it smells really fishy like Shippams paste or like kit-e-kat used to years ago. The cats love it. Alice wolfed it down - as in 1/2 can in about a minute :Crazy:
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Sounds great but unfortunately no PAH round here :-[
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Toby gets the Bozita cartons (the tins look a bit yukky), Natures:menu, Applaws and I buy a couple of American brands from Germany - Felidae and Natures Variety. Generally speaking, American cat food (the premium brands) are waaaay better than what we get here and there is a lot more choice (we seem to be very restricted in terms of decent cat food in the UK. Its immensely frustrating).
I hardly ever feed Toby dry food but if I do he gets Nutro.