| The biggest myth surrounding cat ownership is that | | | | use canned cat food or kibbles in the experiments) |
| cats are worry free, self-contained and self-providing | | | | certain conclusions can be drawn. |
| pets that require little or no maintenance. Cats are so | | | | - Cooking meat can destroy certain food nutrients, |
| good at giving people the impression of independence | | | | namely amino acids (proteins) |
| and self-reliance that people believe they don't have to | | | | - Cats thrive more healthily on raw meat rather than |
| provide the highly focused attention to cats that, say, | | | | cooked meat with less degenerative results |
| dogs require. The fact of the matter is that cats do | | | | - Cooking meat for your cat requires the replacement |
| require the same attention to detail that any dog does, | | | | of the essential amino acid taurine, and possibly other |
| and maybe even a little more, in some cases. This is | | | | nutrients destroyed in the cooking process |
| especially true when it comes to probing the | | | | Pet food marketing hype says that "XYZ" cat food |
| controversy regarding whether raw cat food is better | | | | products are healthy for your pet because it adds |
| that canned cat food or kibbles for your feline ward. | | | | "ABC" nutrients, vitamins and minerals to their product |
| It's a sad thing to look around our country these days | | | | which safeguards your cat's health. Fortunately, |
| and see so many people who have allowed | | | | marketing laws require that the ingredients in any given |
| themselves to become overweight and then have to | | | | product be listed on the packaging of your cat's food. |
| deal with the consequential suffering and ill-health | | | | Ultimately, it is left up to you to make the decision |
| effects of obesity. Diabetes, shortness of breath, | | | | about which is the best shelf product for your cat. |
| constant exhaustion from lugging around so many | | | | For a discussion that details interpreting cat food labels |
| extra pounds and lowered self-esteem. Of course, the | | | | CLICK HERE |
| garment industry is singing happy tunes with all the | | | | Today's problem plagued market place has left many |
| extra thread they have to put together. There's no | | | | in doubt as to whether the corporate entities that |
| shortage of explanations for why this situation has | | | | supply the bulk of our aggregate necessities can |
| come about, but I think when it comes down to it we | | | | continue to be worthy of our trust. Arrogance and |
| can only blame ourselves at the individual level for | | | | greed have always gone head to head with social |
| allowing such a condition to take root. After all, how | | | | morality and it's usually the end user that ends up |
| many pounds overweight does one have to get | | | | paying with unnecessary suffering. Many pet owners |
| before they realize that something's not right and | | | | have now taken matters into their own hands and are |
| becoming a problem? 10, 20... 50 lbs? And how long | | | | resorting to providing from raw ingredients meals |
| does it take to realize that the magic pills, diets, elixirs | | | | made with their own hands for their pets. It's not a bad |
| and effortless, lose-weight-with-no-work-out machines | | | | step but certain measures, which include a life-style |
| are products being marketed to your ego, to separate | | | | change, need to be taken when preparing your pet's |
| you from your bank account, and not to solve your | | | | meals to keep her safe from bacterial infection and |
| problem? No... the only way to find an ideal normality is | | | | insure that her nutritional needs are met. |
| with thorough research, discovery and a lot of hard | | | | Here's an example of a raw cat food meal |
| work accompanied with a healthy life style change. | | | | preparation from scratch: |
| But, enough sermonizing about the human condition. | | | | - 2 kg [4.4 pounds] raw muscle meat with bones |
| This is about cats, their eating habits and raw cat food. | | | | (chicken necks are mostly cartilage, are easy to chop |
| One thing needs to come along with this discussion | | | | and easy for the cat to digest) thighs and drumsticks |
| from the previous paragraph. Most people are not | | | | or, better, a whole carcass of rabbit or chicken |
| experts in animal nutrition and rely on others to lead | | | | amounting to 2 kg; if you don't use a whole carcass, |
| them in the right direction. The source for most | | | | opt for dark meat like thighs and drumsticks from |
| 'experts' available to a person for their daily decision | | | | chicken or turkey) |
| making and selection of choices usually comes to us | | | | - 400 grams [14 oz] raw heart, ideally from the same |
| through the traditional media of radio, newspapers, | | | | animal (if no heart is available, substitute with 4000 mg |
| television and now, the internet. Media offers two kinds | | | | Taurine) |
| of resources. Investigative reporting which is presented | | | | - 200 grams [7 oz] raw liver, ideally from the same |
| in newscasts or opinion pieces, and secondly, the | | | | animal (if you can't find appropriate liver, you can |
| marketing hype that provides commercial broadcast | | | | substitute 40,000 IU of Vitamin A and 1600 IU of |
| funding. The former is reliable enough to put credence | | | | Vitamin D--but try to use real liver instead of |
| into and might call for further research on your part if it | | | | substitutes). |
| interests you. The latter really only wants you to spend | | | | - NOTE: If you cannot find the heart or liver and decide |
| your money with them. That's not necessarily bad... it | | | | to substitute with the Taurine/Vitamin A and D, then |
| does ultimately put people to work and provides many | | | | remember to replace the missing amount of organ |
| with an adequate, and even comfortable living. | | | | meat with the equivalent amount of muscle meat. In |
| Unfortunately, the bottom line is... corporations only | | | | other words, if you cannot find heart, you add another |
| have one objective in the end. That is to feed their | | | | 400 grams of the meat/bones. If you can't find the |
| bottom line. Now recent events have caused many to | | | | liver, add another 200 grams of meat/bones. |
| reconsider the morality behind a corporations goals. | | | | 16 oz [2 cups] water |
| But, as long as this market structure is the paradigm | | | | 4 raw egg yolks (use eggs from free-range, |
| for our economy, the ultimate goal for big business will | | | | antibiotic-free chickens if you can) |
| always be to maximize their profit-loss statements | | | | 4 capsules raw glandular supplement (such as, for |
| towards the profit end of the spectrum, any way they | | | | example, "Raw Multiple Glandular" from Premier Labs) |
| can get away with, and at your expense... literally. | | | | 4000 mg salmon oil |
| So, what does this have to do with cats and if raw | | | | 200 mg Vitamin B complex |
| cat food is what you should be feeding them? Simply | | | | 800 IU Vitamin E ("dry E" works well) Buy Vitamin E in |
| put, most people rely on the marketing hype to base | | | | dry powder form. It's much easier to deal with than |
| their decisions regarding the food they feed their pets. | | | | those little oil-filled capsules. |
| Which is exactly the wrong source for basing such a | | | | OPTIONAL: 1/4 teaspoon of kelp and 1/4 teaspoon of |
| critical decision. Take the cat for example. It's not only | | | | dulse (1/2 teaspoon total) Try and get dulse and kelp in |
| a scientific fact, but a cultural one also, that the cat is | | | | powder form that you can easily measure with a |
| described as an obligate carnivore. This defines cats | | | | teaspoon rather than in capsule form. Taking apart |
| as creatures who derive most of their food nutrients | | | | those capsules is time consuming. If you can only find |
| from the animals they hunt and consume (raw cat | | | | kelp in caplet form, you'll need to spend time crushing |
| food). When a cat devours it's prey, she will eat | | | | the caplets with a mortar and pestle. |
| everything including not only muscle meat, but the | | | | OPTIONAL: 4 teaspoons psyllium husk powder (8 |
| brains, organ meat and the stomach and its contents | | | | teaspoons if using whole psyllium husks) ? |
| which may consist of grasses and grains. One thing | | | | It looks like this recipe will produce about 5- 6 lbs of |
| she doesn't do is fire up a stove and saute or bake | | | | finished raw cat food product which would feed a |
| her dinner, or prepare a nice sauce to go with it. She | | | | single cat for several weeks. That means most of it |
| eats it raw. Cultural purists use this description as an | | | | would have to be frozen in individual air tight containers |
| argument that feeding cats store bought, mass | | | | and thawed as needed. |
| produced canned or dry cat food is doing your cat a | | | | The digestive system of a cat is designed to handle |
| disservice by depriving her of the natural nutrients she | | | | things human systems can't. Their stomachs have a |
| would normally get in the raw cat food she captures in | | | | highly acidic environment, which is an excellent |
| the wild, and for which she was biologically designed. | | | | deterrent to ingested bacteria such as e coli and |
| Pottenger's cats | | | | salmonella. In the wild, cats sometimes eat some pretty |
| Francis M. Pottenger, Jr. (1901 - 1967) was the son of | | | | iffy stuff with no ill effects. Wild cats die more often |
| Francis M. Pottenger, Sr., the physician who | | | | from infection due to injuries than from food poisoning. |
| co-founded the Pottenger Sanatorium for treatment of | | | | However, there are steps you can take if you have |
| tuberculosis in Monrovia, California. Between 1932 and | | | | concerns about raw cat food bourn bacteria. |
| 1942 he conducted what is know as the Pottenger | | | | - Avoid packaged supermarket ground beef using |
| Cat Study. One part of this study was what effect | | | | whole chunks of meat instead |
| heat had on the nutrient value of raw food. In other | | | | - Buy "free-range" meat and poultry as fresh as |
| words, what happens to food when you cook it. | | | | possible |
| "Pottenger used donated laboratory cats to test the | | | | - Add priobiotics (which help maintain intestinal health) |
| potency of the adrenal extract hormones he was | | | | to your raw food preparation |
| making. The adrenal glands of these cats were | | | | - Proper handling of raw cat food is essential since |
| removed for the experiments and Pottenger noted | | | | some raw cat food may contain bacteria that could |
| that most of the cats died during or following the | | | | cause illness to you or your pets. Be sure to keep raw |
| operation. He was feeding the cats a supposedly | | | | cat food meat and poultry separate from other foods. |
| nutritive diet consisting of raw milk, cod liver oil and | | | | Wash hands prior to, and after handling raw cat food. |
| cooked meat scraps of liver, tripe, sweetbread, brains, | | | | Wash working surfaces, bowls, and utensils that come |
| heart and muscle. | | | | in contact with raw meat with hot, soapy water. |
| When the number of donated cats exceeded the | | | | Always wash your hands after cleaning your cat's |
| supply of food available, Pottenger began ordering raw | | | | waste; this includes litter boxes. |
| meat scraps from a local meat packing plant, including | | | | - Pick up and dispose of uneaten raw cat food within |
| organs, meat, and bone; and fed a separate group of | | | | 30 minutes of feeding your cat |
| cats from this supply. Within months this separate | | | | Preparing raw cat food meals from scratch for your |
| group appeared in better health than the cooked meat | | | | cat is a labor of love indulged in by purists. Most people |
| group. Their kittens were more energetic and, most | | | | don't have the time, and maybe lack the talent to take |
| interestingly, their post-operative death rate was lower. | | | | on such a task. If you count yourself among this latter |
| At a certain point, he decided to begin a controlled | | | | group, rest easy. Ready-made products are finding |
| scientific exploration. Pottenger conducted studies | | | | their way to the market place. There are complete |
| involving approximately 900 cats over a period of ten | | | | raw cat food meals which are shipped frozen and |
| years, with three generations of cats being studied. | | | | there are mixes which all you have to do is add the |
| Meat study: | | | | meat. Just remember that if you are going with the |
| In one study, one group of cats was fed a diet of: | | | | mix, be certain that the essential amino acids such as |
| - Two-thirds raw meat, one-third raw milk, and | | | | taurine are included. If not then be sure to add the |
| cod-liver oil | | | | heart (a source for taurine) and other organ meat |
| - A second group was fed a diet of two-thirds cooked | | | | from the same animal if possible, with the raw cat |
| meat, one-third raw milk, and cod-liver oil. | | | | food meal so that your cat won't be deprived of these |
| The cats fed the all-raw diet were healthy while the | | | | critical ingredients. |
| cats fed the cooked meat diet developed various | | | | So, what are the trade-offs you ask? |
| health problems: | | | | Well, for one thing you will have to forego the |
| - By the end of the first generation the cats started to | | | | convenience of one-stop-shopping in the supermarket |
| develop degenerative diseases and became quite lazy. | | | | pet food aisles. Orders for raw cat food meals or |
| - By the end of the second generation, the cats had | | | | mixes are mostly made on-line so you will have to deal |
| developed degenerative diseases by mid-life and | | | | with credit or debit cards. Pre-planning will have to be |
| started losing their coordination. | | | | regular routine so that you don't run out of raw cat |
| - By the end of the third generation the cats had | | | | food before the next shipment arrives. If a shipment |
| developed degenerative diseases very early in life and | | | | thaws, you will have to return it because you won't |
| some were born blind and weak and had a much | | | | want to take any chances with bacterial infection. |
| shorter life span. Many of the third generation cats | | | | Most companies will honor returns due to thawing. And, |
| couldn't even produce offspring. There was an | | | | if you prepare raw cat food meals completely from |
| abundance of parasites and vermin while skin diseases | | | | scratch, be prepared to spend a couple of hours in the |
| and allergies increased from an incidence of five | | | | kitchen with this task. |
| percent in normal cats to over 90 percent in the third | | | | The real trade-off is with the quality of cat food you |
| generation of deficient cats. Kittens of the third | | | | will be providing. The store bought 'meal' based cereal |
| generation did not survive six months. Bones became | | | | foods will be replaced with the high quality fresh foods |
| soft and pliable and the cats suffered from adverse | | | | that cat's were designed for. Some cats may balk at |
| personality changes. Males became docile while | | | | the transition at first because they weren't socialized |
| females became more aggressive. | | | | with raw cat food as kittens. But, their health will show |
| - The cats suffered from most of the degenerative | | | | marked improvement, you will probably be surprised by |
| diseases encountered in human medicine and died out | | | | the results which can be compared to how your cat |
| totally by the fourth generation. | | | | behaved before being fed a fresh, high quality raw cat |
| At the time of Pottenger's Study the amino acid | | | | food diet that meets their needs nutritionally, plus their |
| taurine had been discovered but had not yet been | | | | immune systems will be stronger giving your cat a |
| identified as an essential amino acid for Cats. Today | | | | chance for a longer, healthier life. |
| many cats thrive on a cooked meat diet where taurine | | | | Ask any monk or even the ordinary, |
| has been added after cooking. The deficient diets | | | | next-door-neighbor contemplative type, and they'll tell |
| lacked sufficient taurine to allow the cat's to properly | | | | you that life is not easy; suffering is the characteristic |
| form protein structures and resulted in the health | | | | that describes much of the existence in this corner of |
| effects observed. Pottenger himself concluded that | | | | the Universe, and that the punishment for ignoring this |
| there was likely an "as yet unknown" protein factor | | | | fact is to bear more suffering. Yet this suffering can |
| (taurine) that may have been heat sensitive. | | | | be relieved with even a little knowledge and |
| Milk Study: | | | | understanding of why and how things can operate to |
| In another study, dubbed the "Milk Study,", the cats | | | | ease your burden. It does take a willingness on your |
| were fed 2/3 milk and 1/3 meat. All groups were fed | | | | part to change and accept new habits to |
| raw meat with different groups getting raw, | | | | accommodate a changed life-style. But, knowledge |
| pasteurized, evaporated, sweetened condensed or | | | | and understanding cannot be acquired through |
| raw metabolized vitamin D milk. The cats on raw milk | | | | osmosis. It takes a lot of work to comprehend even a |
| were the healthiest while the rest exhibited varying | | | | small amount of the sense that holds life together. One |
| degrees of health problems similar to the previous | | | | can't depend on epiphanies either. Like magic and |
| cooked meat study. | | | | miracles, instant knowledge occurs only rarely... and |
| This particular Pottenger cat study has been cited by | | | | you can grow old waiting for it while your cat pines for |
| advocates of raw milk as evidence that it is likely | | | | a raw cat food meal. It'd be like huffing and puffing |
| healthier for humans than pasteurized milk." + | | | | along wondering why you're carrying around all that |
| Though Pottenger's experiments don't conclusively | | | | extra baggage. |
| verify that raw cat food diets are better for sustaining | | | | + - Thanks to Wikipedia for this excerpt |
| a healthy support for the physiological needs of cats | | | | ? |
| than cooked (canned) or dry kibbles, (because he didn't | | | | |