Meat/Taurine Content For Kittens

[lazarus]

First post here, newbie to cats but not internet.

It's been almost 30 + years ago since we last had a cat, certainly before the internet was around, I've learned a lot more on cats via feline forums/websites. Now kids have flown the nest and missus and me are retired we decided since we now have the time to take on two kittens. We get them in approx 6 - 8 weeks time, a male & female, we got first pick of the litter. They will be spayed/nuetered when vet gives the ok.

Foodwise for kittens from what I read it seems wet food is the way to go, especially for the male cats. I want the kittens to have the best start in life so for a lot of kitten food brands I've been looking at the ingredients, it seems the percentage of meat differ from one brand name to the next, How high a percentage in meat/taurine should I look for? better still if anyone can recommend a grain free brand (if that's allowed) with a high meat content for our new kitties when they come home.

[fjm]

I feel that I am becoming a bit evangelical on here about the advantages of home prepared diets for cats, but I do think there are many benefits in feeding raw/home cooked food. It is very easy these days, with many companies offering balanced meats with the right proportion of bone and offal (I use DAF - Durham Animal Feeds - and find them very good), and provides the high, readily available protein cats need without any of the cheap fillers. If you cook the meat it is wise to add a little taurine, which is widely available. Raw chicken wings a few times a week are natural toothbrushes for cats that don't hunt - wing bones are safe as long as they are not cooked. I got into home cooking when I worked out just how much meat there was in the food I was buying for my cats and dogs, and realised that at the price I was paying I could be feeding them rump steak and pheasant breast!

[Kay]

if you don't fancy raw feeding - and I have never had a cat who would touch it - you might like to check out what's available on Zooplus

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/esearch.htm#q% ... t%2520Food

because Zooplus sell a lot of wet food made in Germany and Scandanavian countries, where quality cat food is more readily available than in the UK, and because they list ingredients and analyses much more than you will find on most UK pet food, you might well find what you are looking for

[lazarus]

Thanks for your reply fjm, I have read some on raw/home cooked foods for cats and can see the benefits after all its what they eat in the wild. I wasn't too sure if giving raw foods to young kittens would be ok, probably why I was playing safe thinking about canned/pouch foods.

Raw chicken wings with the bone still in, are they ok to use for a young kitten or should I wait until they are older and their innards more developed?
I don't know if this is right, I assume cooking them softens the bones hence the reason for raw. Should a raw chicken wing be given whole or put through a grinder as a snack or a meal. Cooking was never my strong point but I've learned how not to burn a kettle of water now as my wife would say.

[fjm]

Cooking makes bones brittle, especially chicken bones, which is why you should take great care never to let your animals get cooked chicken bones. Raw bones are softer, especially non-weight bearing bones like wings. A kitten would probably chew the meat off and leave the bone - whether I gave one a wing would rather depend on what it was used to. A kitten weaned onto commercial food may need careful transitioning from one food to another - changing homes can be very stressful without changing diet at the same time. A kitten whose Mum has already introduced it to prey would probably have no problem devouring half a wing! Half a large wing each is a meal for my cats (they are fed two meals a day) - half a small wing would be a largish meal for a kitten on more frequent meals. I would cut the wings off the next chicken you buy and see what the kittens think. Similarly you can try them with a little minced beef with an egg yolk, a sliver of beef or lamb cut from your supper before cooking, etc - in small quantities it will not unbalance their diet, and you can see what they enjoy and whether it causes any digestive problems before making your mind up.

My two like some raw food, and prefer some cooked. As a general rule they like raw chunks and cooked mince. The ground bone in pet mince is safe to cook as long as you simmer it gently, I have found, and cooking in plenty of water makes for a tasty jellied broth that keeps them well hydrated. It is important to ensure that you feed a balanced diet with the right proportion of bone and offal, including liver, which is why I base my feeding on the prepared minces. It is possible to buy all the ingredients, but it means measuring out very tiny quantities (a kitten sized meal is about a tablespoonful - 5% of that is infinitessimal!).