The Best Nutrition We Can Give Them, Supplements And All?

Hello. We have had an incredibly painful departure in our family recently, mommy Chimay has left us after nine of the best years of my life.

Chimay's beautiful sons and daughter are almost eight years old, and my wife and I want to give them the highest quality of life we can provide, as a loving tribute to our sweet Chimay. I am in the process of researching a comprehensive, non-prescription health strategy for our surviving cats, have them live in their very own feline health spa, so to speak.

However, I live in Mexico and the vets in town are not much help, as feline medicine here is infuriatingly behind the United States by 15 to 20 years (for example, most vets I've talked to in town have never even heard of Feliway). I would greatly appreciate feedback and nudges in the right direction, as I have a ton and a half of questions.

I'll try to keep my ideas separate, point by point, with three crucial criteria upfront:

1. Boost natural defenses.
2. Minimize vulnerabilities.
3. Keep it non-invasive and, you know, yummy.

MENTAL WELL-BEING

• Feliway. Would vaporizers running at all times have a positive or neutral effect? Does it only modify behavior, or does it also create a more peaceful state of mind?
• Good Cat! Drops. Will it make my cats feel even better when used in tandem with Feliway?
• Vitamin B Complex. I saw something called Pet Tabs in PetCo's website, but info there is sketchy at best. My goal is to keep my cats' nervous systems as happy as possible, considering the stress of losing our lifelong companion. Is extra Vitamin B complex a good idea for cats, and is Pet Tabs a proper product for them?

PHYSICAL WELL-BEING

• Food. We feed our cats dry Nature's Recipe, usually Weight Control, but occasionally Hairball Treatment and Urinary Tract. Considering they're 8 years old, I'm thinking of switching to Hill's for adult matures, with antioxidants. What other options should we contemplate?
• Supplements. I'm contemplating The Missing Link Feline Formula, for its' fatty acids and fiber, as well as Prozyme, to generate maximum nutrient absortion. Add to this Pet Tabs for the nervous system, and my questions are: Am I on overkill mode? Are these products safe, as well as effective, when used in conjunction?
• Vaccinations. Our cats receive yearly boosters for common illnesses. However, while researching, I found articles about some vets who say that most vaccinations are 1) hazardous and 2) unnecessary, with rabies being a possible exception. I found this truly disturbing. Can anybody elaborate with knowledge on the matter?

If it were up to you, what would you add and/or discard? Please remember, this is just a rough sketch of my plan to prolong the quality of life for my surviving friends, even as I would like to start doing something as soon as possible, especially for the stress created by our recent horrific loss.

However, I live in Mexico and the vets in town are not much help, as feline medicine here is infuriatingly behind the United States by 15 to 20 years (for example, most vets I've talked to in town have never even heard of Feliway). I would greatly appreciate feedback and nudges in the right direction, as I have a ton and a half of questions.

I'll try to keep my ideas separate, point by point, with three crucial criteria upfront:

1. Boost natural defenses.
2. Minimize vulnerabilities.
3. Keep it non-invasive and, you know, yummy.

MENTAL WELL-BEING

• Feliway. Would vaporizers running at all times have a positive or neutral effect? Does it only modify behavior, or does it also create a more peaceful state of mind? also Rescue rememdy
• Good Cat! Drops. Will it make my cats feel even better when used in tandem with Feliway?
• Vitamin B Complex. I saw something called Pet Tabs in PetCo's website, but info there is sketchy at best. My goal is to keep my cats' nervous systems as happy as possible, considering the stress of losing our lifelong companion. Is extra Vitamin B complex a good idea for cats, and is Pet Tabs a proper product for them?I use a human B suppelement as most OTC pet products contain things like digest , cellulose or sugar

PHYSICAL WELL-BEING

• Food. We feed our cats dry Nature's Recipe, usually Weight Control, but occasionally Hairball Treatment and Urinary Tract. Considering they're 8 years old, I'm thinking of switching to Hill's for adult matures, with antioxidants. What other options should we contemplate?
  I am unfamiliar with what is avail in Mexico ... but try for a food without by products( chn meat ) , lots of corn, lots of wheat , digest of any kind .... wt control dry s have more carbs than reg cat food s... not great for a carnivore
  
• Supplements. I'm contemplating The Missing Link Feline Formula, for its' fatty acids and fiber, as well as Prozyme, to generate maximum nutrient absortion. I prefer salmon or fish oil ... some have great luck with missing link I have not except in an acute situation, plus some of the ingrediants I do like
  
  
  
  Add to this Pet Tabs for the nervous system, and my questions are: Am I on overkill mode? Are these products safe, as well as effective, when used in conjunction?
  this is a catch 22 ... best talk with your vet ...
• Vaccinations. Our cats receive yearly boosters for common illnesses. However, while researching, I found articles about some vets who say that most vaccinations are 1) hazardous and 2) unnecessary, with rabies being a possible exception. I found this truly disturbing. Can anybody elaborate with knowledge on the matter?Two of mine are now past the age my vet advices vaccinations ... the 3 yr old had a reaction and thus will not get any more... YOU NEED to CHECK your LAWS .... In my state nothing is required for a cat and only rabies for a dog

If it were up to you, what would you add and/or discard? Please remember, this is just a rough sketch of my plan to prolong the quality of life for my surviving friends, even as I would like to start doing something as soon as possible, especially for the stress created by our recent horrific loss


WELCOME to TCS....

I can vouch that I like missing link supplement. I do like sharky prefer salmon oil, but Missing link did wonders for helping my now RB boy Ares when he needed it.

I am also not sure what, key for goo foods the less grains, and "fillers" the better. More meat, cats are obligate carnivores, hills is very grain heavy, i wouldnt reccomend a switch to them. I personally like Natures Variety not sure if you get it there..

God bless you guys, thank you for your tips!
Here's what we have so far:

• Fewer by-products (look into Nature's Variety).
• Will get rid of weight control food.
• Will give Missing Link a try.
• Maybe human B-complex supplements.
• Maybe fish oil, Prozyme may still be an option.
• Still very sketchy info about vaccinations.

It's coming along, can anybody pitch in some more, please? The more feedback from experience, the better!

I forgot to add that we're about an hour and a half away from the Mexico-US border, we can stock up at San Diego pet stores.

Well, a low-carb, hi protein no grain dry food is Innova Evo. Given the product recall right now.. they say they are not one of the affected brands, but there has been a little discussion.. of course, it only affects the wet foods, and not the dry, so..dry should be fine. In theory...

The more I learn about raw diets, the more I'm an advocate, but this won't work for everyone. It may, however, work especially well for you given your location.. you probably have more access to animal parts than I do.. (organs and such). Anyway, if you're interested in that, there are a number of links. Just let me know and I'll dig some up for you.

Now, what I have heard about vaccinations... NEVER vaccinate for FIP. FIP has a large number of strains and the vaccine is only for one strain. There is also a chance that a cat may develop FIP if it is vaccinated for it. I also don't vaccinate for Feline Leukemia, although I do get them tested.

Um.. I'll have to look up the information on it..but new studies have shown that cats/dogs should be vaccinated in specific areas..away from organs, and it depends on which shot as to what location, but the new locations are often on the legs/shoulders or hips.. I don't think you're going to have much luck with that in Mexico, but you may be able to take them to San Diego to have them vaccinated.

I've also been told that they only now need vaccinations once every two years. I think there's a good chance if your pet is kept indoors, and you don't have a lot of new pets coming and going, that you could get away with not vaccinating since their exposure to potential germs would be limited.