Is anybody familiar with this pet food recipe book?

jcat

Mo(w)gli's can opener
Thread starter
Veteran
Joined
Feb 13, 2003
Messages
73,213
Purraise
9,851
Location
Mo(w)gli Monster's Lair
http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0813821...pf_rd_i=507846

I'm seriously thinking about switching Jamie and the freeloaders (neighbor's cat and a not so wild hedgehog) to a home-cooked diet, in view of all the recalls. My mom has three dogs and a cat, all "seniors", and my sister two dogs and three cats, with one cat qualifying as a "senior", so I'd probably order three copies. Is the book worth the price?

I used to cook all pet food myself, as we had several dogs and one cat for years and years, but we only have Jamie and the "freeloaders" right now, so I've become lazy and just order high quality processed pet food.
 

moggiegirl

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Sep 7, 2005
Messages
673
Purraise
130
Location
San Diego, CA
I remember when I considered getting that book until I read customer reviews about how that book has more dog recipes than cat recipes and too many of the recipes involve clams.

How do you feel about feeding raw? Because I prefer Dr Pitcairn's Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats which definitely has equal proportions of dog recipes and cat recipes and no clams. I love having the book as a reference. The only reason I haven't been preparing the recipes is that I have no idea where to get the supplements.

I've been going the easy way. My cats do get Innova dry and various canned cat foods and I also supplement with a raw recipe easily prepared with My Natural Cat supplement. www.felineinstincts.com

You can also get somethng similar from www.felinefuture.com.
 

pat

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 1, 2003
Messages
11,045
Purraise
58
Location
Pacific NW
This is a very highly regarded book, one I recommend often. My vet had Dr. Strombeck as one of her professors if I understood her correctly


I know it has special recipes too for lower protein, lower phos etc. if needed. I give this a big thumbs up!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #4

jcat

Mo(w)gli's can opener
Thread starter
Veteran
Joined
Feb 13, 2003
Messages
73,213
Purraise
9,851
Location
Mo(w)gli Monster's Lair
Originally Posted by moggiegirl

I remember when I considered getting that book until I read customer reviews about how that book has more dog recipes than cat recipes and too many of the recipes involve clams.

How do you feel about feeding raw? Because I prefer Dr Pitcairn's Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats which definitely has equal proportions of dog recipes and cat recipes and no clams. I love having the book as a reference. The only reason I haven't been preparing the recipes is that I have no idea where to get the supplements.

I've been going the easy way. My cats do get Innova dry and various canned cat foods and I also supplement with a raw recipe easily prepared with My Natural Cat supplement. www.felineinstincts.com

You can also get somethng similar from www.felinefuture.com.
Neither Jamie nor Miezi (our neighbor's cat) will eat raw, and I haven't tried raw food with Harry the hedgehog. They're currently getting all-life-stages, no-grain dry food in the morning (Jamie is a dry-food fan), and organic all meat and/or all fish canned food in the evening.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

jcat

Mo(w)gli's can opener
Thread starter
Veteran
Joined
Feb 13, 2003
Messages
73,213
Purraise
9,851
Location
Mo(w)gli Monster's Lair
Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

This is a very highly regarded book, one I recommend often. My vet had Dr. Strombeck as one of her professors if I understood her correctly


I know it has special recipes too for lower protein, lower phos etc. if needed. I give this a big thumbs up!
Maybe I'll just order one copy for when I'm in the U.S. this August, read it through, and see if we need more copies, or can just write down some recipes that look interesting.
I have Dr. Strombeck's chicken and rice recipe for cats with renal disease that I got from another book.

When I cooked for our old cat, I basically used two parts cooked meat to one part cooked brown rice, and added raw carrots, cottage cheese, and vegetable oil (a tablespoon of each per cup of meat). I can't really see Jamie eating that more than once a week. He'd love foods with clams, though. One canned food he never turns down is just organic chicken with a few clams in it.
 

sharky

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jan 30, 2005
Messages
27,231
Purraise
38
My vet has it and I have gotten recipes out of it... CLams help in taurine level and flavor
 

catsarebetter

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 13, 2007
Messages
2,373
Purraise
2
Location
N. VA
Hmm, how easy and inexpensive is it to find raw clams? Or are we not using raw clams, and only using cooked? Anyone know? Bet mine would like it. Of course, they'll probably give me the paw.


Anyway, back on topic... um.. I've just ordered and received a book by Elizabeth Hodgkins (sp.) that has a chapter on recipes in it. She's the one, for those who haven't heard of her, that rebutted the pet food industry's speech and make a lot of suggestions about how it should be regulated right after the recall. I know there's a link on the recall thread somewhere. But anyway..

I'm trying to get to that chapter.. I'll probably read it first. I don't know about the book in question, but I'll let you know how this one is.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #8

jcat

Mo(w)gli's can opener
Thread starter
Veteran
Joined
Feb 13, 2003
Messages
73,213
Purraise
9,851
Location
Mo(w)gli Monster's Lair
Originally Posted by sharky

My vet has it and I have gotten recipes out of it... CLams help in taurine level and flavor
Now that's good to know. My mom has been cooking for her dogs and cat since the recall started, and is giving them all the same chicken or beef/rice/vegetable mixture with some Mazola oil and a dash of salt. Her vets told her she didn't have to supplement the cat's portion as long as she added plain yogurt, and fed a commercial canned food at least one day a week, and milk every day (the cat drinks 3% homogenized, with no signs of a lactose intolerance, and gets sharp cheese as a treat). I know my sister got the same advice about feeding canned cat food once a week from another vet, because her one cat eats the dogs' food, rather than cat food.

I wonder if once a week is really enough? My vet told me not to worry about feeding Jamie (and Miezi) unsupplemented all meat/all fish canned cat food every evening, because he'd get enough amino acids and minerals from the dry he eats. Miezi eats almost anything, so she gets wet or dry for breakfast at home, and "Jamie's" canned food in the evening (it tastes better at our house, apparently, because I order food for her meowmy, too).
 

catsarebetter

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 13, 2007
Messages
2,373
Purraise
2
Location
N. VA
Ohh, really?? Mine told me that "balanced" food should be the mainstay, and maybe raw as a treat. This was before the "no, we're feeding raw" conversation ensued, but, we put a supplement in, which I imagine that you could do with a cooked diet, just to be sure, maybe once it was cooked. I'd actually like to toss a few clams for good measure in mine. I'm never sure about the "organ" meats...so.. that's a good tidbit to know.
 

sharky

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jan 30, 2005
Messages
27,231
Purraise
38
Originally Posted by CatsAreBetter

Hmm, how easy and inexpensive is it to find raw clams? Or are we not using raw clams, and only using cooked? Anyone know? Bet mine would like it. Of course, they'll probably give me the paw.


Anyway, back on topic... um.. I've just ordered and received a book by Elizabeth Hodgkins (sp.) that has a chapter on recipes in it. She's the one, for those who haven't heard of her, that rebutted the pet food industry's speech and make a lot of suggestions about how it should be regulated right after the recall. I know there's a link on the recall thread somewhere. But anyway..

I'm trying to get to that chapter.. I'll probably read it first. I don't know about the book in question, but I'll let you know how this one is.
Cooked and often canned since they have juice and many receipes call for it
Originally Posted by jcat

Now that's good to know. My mom has been cooking for her dogs and cat since the recall started, and is giving them all the same chicken or beef/rice/vegetable mixture with some Mazola oil and a dash of salt. Her vets told her she didn't have to supplement the cat's portion as long as she added plain yogurt, and fed a commercial canned food at least one day a week, and milk every day (the cat drinks 3% homogenized, with no signs of a lactose intolerance, and gets sharp cheese as a treat). I know my sister got the same advice about feeding canned cat food once a week from another vet, because her one cat eats the dogs' food, rather than cat food.

I wonder if once a week is really enough? My vet told me not to worry about feeding Jamie (and Miezi) unsupplemented all meat/all fish canned cat food every evening, because he'd get enough amino acids and minerals from the dry he eats. Miezi eats almost anything, so she gets wet or dry for breakfast at home, and "Jamie's" canned food in the evening (it tastes better at our house, apparently, because I order food for her meowmy, too).
Yogurt??? That is a new one ... I use a human mineral powder( approved by my vet of course) for a supplement along with the obvious meds( herbs and natural meds) ... I feed canned for about 15% of Kandies diet ...more if she requests
... Vet explained every meal DOES NOT need to be balenced just over a few weeks it needs to be , ie beef has something chicken doesnt
...
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #11

jcat

Mo(w)gli's can opener
Thread starter
Veteran
Joined
Feb 13, 2003
Messages
73,213
Purraise
9,851
Location
Mo(w)gli Monster's Lair
Originally Posted by CatsAreBetter

Hmm, how easy and inexpensive is it to find raw clams? Or are we not using raw clams, and only using cooked? Anyone know? Bet mine would like it. Of course, they'll probably give me the paw.


Anyway, back on topic... um.. I've just ordered and received a book by Elizabeth Hodgkins (sp.) that has a chapter on recipes in it. She's the one, for those who haven't heard of her, that rebutted the pet food industry's speech and make a lot of suggestions about how it should be regulated right after the recall. I know there's a link on the recall thread somewhere. But anyway..

I'm trying to get to that chapter.. I'll probably read it first. I don't know about the book in question, but I'll let you know how this one is.
I'd be interested in that book, so please post a review. I can get canned steamed clams here easily enough, but not fresh ones. They're pretty pricey, though. I work in a major city, but we're pretty much landlocked here. My pet food bills are currently running to about €5 (roughly $6.75) a day, so having to put out a few dollars for clams isn't that much of a factor, if I save it on vet bills.
 

catsarebetter

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 13, 2007
Messages
2,373
Purraise
2
Location
N. VA
I will have to check and see what price they are around here. And I'll try to get that chapter read this evening...but I gotta tell you, it's going to war with the return of Heroes, and if I have to choose, it'll be Heroes... :whistle: Love that show.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #13

jcat

Mo(w)gli's can opener
Thread starter
Veteran
Joined
Feb 13, 2003
Messages
73,213
Purraise
9,851
Location
Mo(w)gli Monster's Lair
Originally Posted by CatsAreBetter

Ohh, really?? Mine told me that "balanced" food should be the mainstay, and maybe raw as a treat. This was before the "no, we're feeding raw" conversation ensued, but, we put a supplement in, which I imagine that you could do with a cooked diet, just to be sure, maybe once it was cooked. I'd actually like to toss a few clams for good measure in mine. I'm never sure about the "organ" meats...so.. that's a good tidbit to know.
Originally Posted by sharky

Cooked and often canned since they have juice and many receipes call for it


Yogurt??? That is a new one ... I use a human mineral powder( approved by my vet of course) for a supplement along with the obvious meds( herbs and natural meds) ... I feed canned for about 15% of Kandies diet ...more if she requests
... Vet explained every meal DOES NOT need to be balenced just over a few weeks it needs to be , ie beef has something chicken doesnt
...
It's so confusing, isn't it? I have a powdered calcium/phosphorus supplement, and my vets said it would be okay to use it, but no more than
1/2 teaspoon 2x a week. Yogurt and cottage cheese are apparently a good source of calcium, and they both know that Jamie is a cat milk addict, which means added calcium every day. Miezi is also surprisingly healthy, but she spends most of the day outdoors, and eats lots of mice, rats, and birds. God only knows what she's eating at other neighbors' houses, because she mooches everywhere.
My sister's cat, i.e., the dog food fan, had urinary tract issues until she started to lock him in the bathroom with canned cat food at least once a week, and not let him out till he finished it.
 

sharky

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jan 30, 2005
Messages
27,231
Purraise
38
Originally Posted by jcat

It's so confusing, isn't it? I have a powdered calcium/phosphorus supplement, and my vets said it would be okay to use it, but no more than
1/2 teaspoon 2x a week. Yogurt and cottage cheese are apparently a good source of calcium, and they both know that Jamie is a cat milk addict, which means added calcium every day. Miezi is also surprisingly healthy, but she spends most of the day outdoors, and eats lots of mice, rats, and birds. God only knows what she's eating at other neighbors' houses, because she mooches everywhere.
My sister's cat, i.e., the dog food fan, had urinary tract issues until she started to lock him in the bathroom with canned cat food at least once a week, and not let him out till he finished it.
the 1/2 teaspoon sound s right .... with a holistic and a holistic mided vet I have learned that a pinch and a sprinkle are REAL measurments
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #15

jcat

Mo(w)gli's can opener
Thread starter
Veteran
Joined
Feb 13, 2003
Messages
73,213
Purraise
9,851
Location
Mo(w)gli Monster's Lair
Originally Posted by sharky

the 1/2 teaspoon sound s right .... with a holistic and a holistic mided vet I have learned that a pinch and a sprinkle are REAL measurments
The stuff I get is from Finland, and is designed for dogs and cats getting an all-meat diet (1/2 teaspoon for cats a day, 1 for dogs). There's a warning on it that it shouldn't be added every day if (pet) foods other than meat are given. According to the vets I take Jamie and Miezi to, many commercial foods actually contain too many supplements, and I've read that in books, also.

Oh, in addition to plain yogurt and cottage cheese, I was told I could use kefir or quark (curds or curd cheese) in cooked food, or served extra. It's added to the cooked meat and rice, not cooked with them. Jamie likes the quark, but not the kefir.
 

sharky

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jan 30, 2005
Messages
27,231
Purraise
38
Originally Posted by jcat

The stuff I get is from Finland, and is designed for dogs and cats getting an all-meat diet (1/2 teaspoon for cats a day, 1 for dogs). There's a warning on it that it shouldn't be added every day if (pet) foods other than meat are given. According to the vets I take Jamie and Miezi to, many commercial foods actually contain too many supplements, and I've read that in books, also.

Oh, in addition to plain yogurt and cottage cheese, I was told I could use kefir or quark (curds or curd cheese) in cooked food, or served extra. It's added to the cooked meat and rice, not cooked with them. Jamie likes the quark, but not the kefir.
Jamie I dont know about quark but I agree with you on the kefir


Yes my vet sat me down when she realized I was trying to balance every meal ....
live and learn
 

sharky

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jan 30, 2005
Messages
27,231
Purraise
38
Originally Posted by CatsAreBetter

btw, bought some live clams last night, and cooked em. All cats boycotted.
In this case canned is best as they are steamed in there juices ... you can also get clam juice in a bottle .. I just bought some last night
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #19

jcat

Mo(w)gli's can opener
Thread starter
Veteran
Joined
Feb 13, 2003
Messages
73,213
Purraise
9,851
Location
Mo(w)gli Monster's Lair
Originally Posted by CatsAreBetter

btw, bought some live clams last night, and cooked em. All cats boycotted.
Do they normally eat fish? The only seafood I've ever seen Jamie ignore is sardines. It's funny, because two of his brothers won't eat fish, and his only sister turned out to be allergic to almost all seafood. He rejects most foods that don't include seafood.
 

catsarebetter

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 13, 2007
Messages
2,373
Purraise
2
Location
N. VA
Well, in that they like Meow Mix wet.. go figure.. I tried to give them higher quality, but.. they all boycotted it.. and Meow Mix wet is made up of mostly fish (even the chicken flavors...) they eat it there, in the wet, but also...they're getting salmon in their raw, and sometimes they eat it and sometimes they don't, but all of them boycotted the clams. Which were a serious pain to cook and chop up. And it occurs to me that I really don't like cooking live animals. It's a pretty brutal death... death by boiling.. I'll have to look for the pre-cooked or packaged kind.
 
Top