Making cooked cat food

river

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I was wondering why there aren't many threads on making cooked cat foods, I recently read "The Whole Pet Diet" by Andi Brown, forward by Richard Pitcairn. I then started making the chicken stew for my girl who won't eat raw. It is simple to make, is cheaper then a good canned, and my girl seems to be doing great on it. I think this would be my 2nd choice of food behind raw.
 

sharky

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IF you search you will find... this is a topic that is brought up about every 6 months ...

as with RAW please consult a nutrition minded vet not just a book
 

mschauer

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That's a good question. Maybe because raw is considered the better alternative to commercially prepared foods.

I'm glad you brought it up. I'd love to transition my crew to raw but there are so many problems in going that route. I think I'll take a look at the cooked option since you have reminded me of it.

Do you like the Brown book? Does it discuss the need for adding supplements to a cooked diet for pets? And does it talk about the different needs of cats vs dogs? I'd love to have a cat only book about home cooked diets.
 

kittyl0ve4

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i would love to try cooking food for my cats instead of buying canned.. it just seems healthier i guess. im just worried bc Monster wont eat things like chicken or turkey or anything if i offer it to him as a treat. so idk. im going to do some research and maybe try something out.
 

moggiegirl

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I think it's probably because cooking the meat means that the nutritional value of the food will be sacrificed to some degree so most people who are into homemade diets for cats are pro-raw. Another part of it has to do with a cat's need for lots of moisture in the diet. Cooking it kind of changes the diet from a wet diet to a semi-moist, halfway between dry and wet and is also not as nature intended.

However, If you can prepare a nutritionally complete and balanced home cooked diet for your cat I still think it's better than overly processed commercial food.
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by moggiegirl

I think it's probably because cooking the meat means that the nutritional value of the food will be sacrificed to some degree so most people who are into homemade diets for cats are pro-raw. Another part of it has to do with a cat's need for lots of moisture in the diet. Cooking it kind of changes the diet from a wet diet to a semi-moist, halfway between dry and wet and is also not as nature intended.

However, If you can prepare a nutritionally complete and balanced home cooked diet for your cat I still think it's better than overly processed commercial food.
I agree with the loss of nutrients ... home cooked diets are in need of much more supplementation..I stopped cooking when I realized they would like the meat raw or seared and ate the raw model better and it took a fraction of my time to do
. the moisture is actually closer to that of natural prey vs a canned food since most vet or nutritionist created ones have put back in moisture thru the recipe.. the ave is 65% ...
 

laureen227

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the homemade i use is actually wetter/looser than the canned i mix in. i use both, mostly canned w/a bit of homemade to loosen it. thus, i don't have to add nutrients to the homemade, as they're getting that in the canned [& the dry, for that matter].
 

sharky

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here is a warning thread...

it unfortunately had to be closed as it turned into IMO material
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...y+foods&page=3


it is not as easy as throwing down some meat ... IMHO home made IS ROCKET science cause you have to over the course of time ensure everything in the right amounts... now if it is under 10% of total calories supplementation is not needed
 

cc12

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Good luck with the cooked. It sounds like a good alternative to canned if your cats are ready or keen on raw.
 
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