Cat food question!
Posted by Cali on Aug 01, 2007 · Member since Jan 2002 · 2888 posts
Hi all,
My newest kitty Baby, is a chow hound. She eats the One Earth Holistic Cat food kibble and Sheba canned gooshy food, but she is always meowing for more! I handed her some chard straight from the fridge last night and she ate that down as well.
So now I wonder, what kinds of fruits or veggies can I add to her diet safely and easily? I cant cook meats for her as the risk to cross contaminate things and make myself sick is there. But if I can cook veggies or grains I would in a second!
Suggestions on foods or even web sites & books would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks.
My cat loves lettuce and veggies in general. I still feed him cat food, but he begs for whatever I'm eating. He also LOVES grits, of all things...
Grapes are bad for dogs too eh?
Baby is such a poop but thank you for the ideas!! I tried carrots, cauliflower and more chard tonight. She licked up all the little chicken chunks and left the veggies. hahaha
I will be trying lettuce and zucchini next I think. I do know that onions and garlic are on the 'do not feed' list but anything else I should be aware of?
My dogs have all eaten grapes. All my critters have eaten onions and garlic. Generally animals that eat home cooked foods can tolerate many more things than animals that are fed processed foods because their immune systems are stronger. Not full of processed foods, additives and chemicals. Not full of sugar and excess sodium. They don't get onions very often but have had them and grapes have always been a special treat for the dogs but very rarely. They have had garlic much more than the other two.
One of my cats likes vegan bacon strips, vegan turkey slices, corn, popcorn, sweet potatoes and I can't remember what other human foods ;D They both scoff at other fruits and vegetables though.
My cats love chlorella powder, of all things. It's made from an aquatic plant packed with chlorophyll and other nutrients, a real superfood for felines. Both cats are about 1-year old.
I gave them a tiny bit of chlorella (1/8 tsp) in with their kibble when they were small kittens. Then gradually I increased their intake levels. There's no cooking involved, just sprinkle lightly onto their food. The best tasting chlorella powder I've found is at: www.IntegratedHealth.com
They also have a special formula called 'Rejuvenate! For Pets' with chlorella and spirulina, plus other veggie superfoods. My orange tabby comes running whenever he smells this green stuff. It's better than catnip, literally. This is the kind of pure-veggie formula that your cats might like, too. (It also seems to deodorize them!)
The other fresh plant my cats l-o-v-e is wheatgrass. Get a small patch at your local health food store or grow your own organic wheatberries from scratch. Your fur-babes will thank you for it.
I would just feed her according to what the packaged foods say, and then give her a few nibbles of vegetables that she likes (not all cats will eat anything - mine included!). Just watch her weight to be sure that she isn't getting too much. Quite often cats will eat a lot of food, and they may gain weight. Like people, they don't always know when to stop. ;D
They can't get much nutritionally from the veggies -- a few vitamins, but that's it, and they digest them poorly. They're just filler for cats, who are natural carnivores... might as well be newsprint. If she nibbles on cat-safe food (NOT ONIONS OR GARLIC-- they cause anemia in cats) she'll be fine, but if she doesn't, I think you shouldn't worry about it.
Ansel (at left) eats corn on the cob, watermelon, avocado, kiwi fruit, banana, and sweet potato. He will also chow down on most any meal/people food that I make (he loves to lick the plate, but it encourages very bad kitty manners). He's still pissed that we switched from cow's milk to soy (and that was over 5 years ago) and can be a PIA waiting for the cereal milk (he tolerates almond milk). He LOVES, unquestionably LOVES to share a mint choc. chip tofutti cutti with me (I admit, I kinda love to share it with him, too). Oh, and Isa's chocolate pudding made with coconut milk will make him chase you from room to room. This on top of his kibble (Calif. Naturals).
He is fit, healthy, and the vet has said "I can't believe this cat is eleven years old." He's my trooper ;D
Simpkin, on the other hand only eats kibble (no matter what I try), is obese, and has bad teeth. This from a three year old (she had a rough start to her life, until she hit the lottery).