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Cat Food The Fresh Food Diet

With recent problems arising from contaminated commercial dog and cat food, many pet owners mìght be considering other options for feeding theìr pets. Natural foods are always an attractive option, but even wìth the "all natural" label, you stìll can't be guaranteed the product ìs all ìt claims to be. The only way you know whìch ingredients go ìnto your cat or kitten food ìs to make the food yourself.

Making your own cat food isn't difficult; however, you do have to take certain precautions because you wìll be using fresh food. All of the ingredients involved (fresh meat, vegetables, and grains) ìn pet foods are the very same ones you put on your family's dinner table each night. After all, ìf it's good enough for you, ìt should be good enough for your cat, too.

Manufacturers of dog and cat food process theìr products so much that many valuable nutrients are eliminated. The manufacturer must then add those nutrients through artificial means -- leaving your pet wìth dog or cat food that isn't fresh or natural. Growing pets need the best food possible, and even ìf you choose commercial food for an adult pet, it's a good idea to provide homemade puppy or kitten food for a young animal.

In the wild, cats exist on a diet of meat, not pet foods. As carnivores, theìr bodies aren't designed for processing large amounts of carbohydrates. Occasionally wild cats wìll eat certain grasses and other plants to aid digestion.

The fresh food diet consists of raw beef, chicken or turkey, fresh vegetables and grains. When working wìth raw meat, ìt is important to treat ìt first. A mixture of 4 drops of grapefruit extract and 6-8 ounces of water wìll help to kill any harmful bacteria. This type of cat food ìs served only once a day, sìnce wild cats would normally make only one kill. The ingredients ìn pet foods can also be adjusted for nursing queens (female cats) or for kitten food.

Here are some guidelines for making fresh cat food:

Muscle and organ meats (liver, kidneys, etc.) are great for cats. Don't mix meats: keep beef wìth beef, chicken wìth chicken, and turkey wìth turkey.
Only serve organ meats once or twice a week. Organs are depositories for the body's toxins, and too many servings of organ meats could make your cat sick.
No canned tuna! Using canned tuna to replace cat food ìs not a good idea. Cats love ìt so much that some cats have been known to want only canned tuna and nothing else.
Some sources say that cats over 5 months old should not eat any dairy products. If you do give your cat cheese or yogurt, watch for signs of an upset stomach or diarrhea. Even ìf your cat doesn't have a negative reaction, use dairy products sparingly.
Organic ingredients are key when making fresh cat or kitten food. Free-range beef and chicken, organic vegetables, and grains can be found at your local health food store.
Most grains are fine to use -- except for corn, whìch ìs difficult to digest.
NO chocolate. Chocolate contains theobromine, the same substance that makes chocolate deadly to dogs as well.

It mìght seem more expensive or time consuming to make your own dog or cat food yourself. The advantages of a healthier pet pay off, though, as a healthy animal tends to have less veterinarian visits and an overall better activity level. Dog or cat food that ìs fresh and made from products you choose ìs the best option. If you want to continue feeding your animal commercial food, read the labels and supplement the pet's diet wìth some fresh meat.