Cat Dietary Suggestions
-If you feed your cat as close to a whole animal or bird as possible, he'll get the correct ratio of meat, organs, and bone, protein, moisture, fat, fiber, and carbohydrate percentages will fall into place.
-If you can't feed whole birds and animals, then replicate the percentage of nutrients contained in mice and aim to provide between 1.2 and 1.4 times as much calcium as phosphorus in your cat's diet.
-Use herbs and nutritional supplements sparingly. A significant number of the herbs and supplements that are good for humans aren't safe for cats.
-Make sure any supplements you use come from animal sources, such as omega-3 from fish opil, not flax, coconut, grape seed, or hemp seed oil.
-Keep vegetables down to 10 percent or less of the overall diet, depending on how well your cat handles them.
-Avoid grains and cow's milk.
-Make sure your cat's diet includes preformed vitamin A because cats can't convert beta-carotene into vitamin A.
-Make sure your cat's diet includes preformed niacin (B3) (meat, particularly chicken breast, contains a healthy amount of niacin) because cats can't convert trypophan into niacin.
-Give your cat enough of the amino acids taurine and arginine, both found in meat; provide a taurine supplement, or feed extra hearts, because cats' bodies absorb only a small percentage of their taurine intake.
Additives to Avoid in cat food and supplements
BHA or BHT: carcinogens (confirmed in rat studies to cause liver damage)
Carrageenan: a food thickener that can cause ulcerative colitis and other stomach problems
Ethoxyquin: a rubber preservative and pesticide
Mannitol, xylitol, and sorbitol: can cause severe digestive upset and possibly kidney problems
Potassium sorbate: can irritate skin and eyes
Propylene glycol: can cause Heinz body anemia, a type of damage to red blood cells
Sodium benzoate: can adversely affect the central nervous system and cause allergic reactions as well as stomach irritations
Should Cats Eat Soy?
Soy is often added to cat food under the guise of protein. This cheap switch in dietary protein makes for a very dangerous ingredient. Feeding soy is not just misguided, it can cause some rather serious problems in cats. Soy causes the following effects:
-It disrupts endocrine function and increases thyroxine (T4) levels in cats. An elevated T4 level can indicate hyperthroidism.
-It can cause digestive upset, including flatulence.
-By interfering with protein digestion, trypsin inhibitors have caused stunted growth and pancreatic problems in test animals.
-Phytic acids contained in soy inhibit the body's absorption of calcium and other minerals.
-We don't know how the phytoestrogens in soy affect cats but, given that soy isn't a natural part of a cats diet, it's more likely to have a negative than a positive effect.
Can Cats be vegetarians?
Although debate exists over whether humans are meant to eat meat, resteachers don't dispute that cats are obligate carnivores. Cats simply can't live without meat and the highly bioavailable protein and amino acids (Taurine, arginine, metherionine, and cysteine, to mention a few) they contain, as well as certain fatty acids and vitamins found only in animal tissue.
Cats can develop serious health problems if they eat only a plant and grain-based diet, even with supplementation. out of respect for cats, we must recognize the difference in physiology between cats and humans. There are products out there for vegan and vegetarian cats, but if you look at the ingredient listings carefully, you'll notice they contain nonmeat protein sources, nonanimal omega-3 sources, and a lot of vegetables and grains. This kind of food has very little nutritional vanue for cats. Sadly, diets like this cause cause major health problems, including dangerous deficiendies of key amino acids, fatty acids, and vitamins.
Vegetables to avoid
Onions: Cause Heinz body anemia, a type of damage to red blood cells
Shallots and leeks: closely related to onions, with similar effects
Garlic: May cause Heinz body anemia
Vegetables in the nightshade family (White, red, or Yukon gold potatoes; tomatoes; bell peppers; and eggplant); solanine can cause digestive problems.
Iceberg lettuce: Has very little nutritional value; instead, use fresh wheat grass on the side or mixed in food.
Raw alfalfa and red clover: contain coumarin, an anticoagulant.
Radishes: are difficult to digest; can cause gas and bloating.
From Whole Health for Happy Cats by Sandy Arora
BACK