Hello all... I got referred to this tribe from Cat Lovers (catlovers.tribe.net)...
I just rescued three kittens, and I want to feed them what's best for them. I'd really love to give them a raw diet but I don't think it would be practical. I'm currently an intern, I'm out of the house all day. People at home gladly keep an eye o the kitties, but I think they'd draw the line on raw food; besides, I can't supervise the food 24/7 and there's just too many things that can go wrong with raw food (spoilage, inadequately cleaned, contamination- like if the cleaning lady puts the food out after she just cleaned the toilet, etc.)
So what would be the best compromise? Could I take, say, a chicken, grind it up and lightly cook it? That way we can just throw it in the microwave (just to take the chill off) before the kitties eat. Currently they're getting lightly cooked ground meat (chicken/beef/pork, depending on what's in the fridge) and egg. What supplements should I add? I read somewhere kitties can't absorb some forms of calcium supplements.
Also, budget is a bit of an issue. I can afford the staples- chicken, pork, maybe beef once in a while, but I'd preffer to go as cheap as possible without sacrificing quality (doesn't everyone?)
Much thanks!
I just rescued three kittens, and I want to feed them what's best for them. I'd really love to give them a raw diet but I don't think it would be practical. I'm currently an intern, I'm out of the house all day. People at home gladly keep an eye o the kitties, but I think they'd draw the line on raw food; besides, I can't supervise the food 24/7 and there's just too many things that can go wrong with raw food (spoilage, inadequately cleaned, contamination- like if the cleaning lady puts the food out after she just cleaned the toilet, etc.)
So what would be the best compromise? Could I take, say, a chicken, grind it up and lightly cook it? That way we can just throw it in the microwave (just to take the chill off) before the kitties eat. Currently they're getting lightly cooked ground meat (chicken/beef/pork, depending on what's in the fridge) and egg. What supplements should I add? I read somewhere kitties can't absorb some forms of calcium supplements.
Also, budget is a bit of an issue. I can afford the staples- chicken, pork, maybe beef once in a while, but I'd preffer to go as cheap as possible without sacrificing quality (doesn't everyone?)
Much thanks!
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Philippines
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Re: newbie with questions
Mon, May 28, 2007 - 11:09 PMVery young kittens do have special needs and meeting those needs can get a bit complicated. Even with grown cats, you can't just give them calcium and call it a day - they need phosphates to balance it. If I didn't have time to research, prepare and feed adequate meals, I would give the kittens canned kitten food from trusted brands such as Wellness, Innova, or Prairie. There are others, but those are the ones I'm most familiar with.
If you're cooking the meat, one of the most important supplements you need to give them is taurine. A teeny bit of taurine goes a long way, but I can't tell you how much to feed per meal. You should research batch recipes online. I'm too lazy to do the search right now for you, but this tribe does have a few links in here somewhere. Maybe start with our moderator's site? alter-idem.smartmonkey.org/cats/ -
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Re: newbie with questions
Mon, May 28, 2007 - 11:27 PMAnd depending on how little they are, you'll likely want to actually give them bottles of KMR, Kitten Milk Replacement formula, until they're at *least* 6 weeks old. Congratulations on your babies! :o)
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