Does anyone mix canned with cooked?

I need to get to the pet store for more flavors for my cats to try. The closest one is an hour away. So i only have cowboy cookout that they like. Remembering its beef and probably shouldnt be fed very often. I thought i would mix in some chicken breast. They all ate it up.
I mixed one can with 5.5 oz of chicken.
Does anyone else do this? They get wet food once a day and dry the other 2. My question would be how do i know if they are getting enough vitamins etc? Seeing the chicken wouldnt be enough on its own. I can figure calories, but how do you know if they are getting enough nutrents?
Would it be better to mix chicken with supplements then add to canned? Or will they be ok seeing its only one meal a day?

momof3b1g said:

I need to get to the pet store for more flavors for my cats to try. The closest one is an hour away. So i only have cowboy cookout that they like. Remembering its beef and probably shouldnt be fed very often. I thought i would mix in some chicken breast. They all ate it up.
I mixed one can with 5.5 oz of chicken.
Does anyone else do this? They get wet food once a day and dry the other 2. My question would be how do i know if they are getting enough vitamins etc? Seeing the chicken wouldnt be enough on its own. I can figure calories, but how do you know if they are getting enough nutrents?
Would it be better to mix chicken with supplements then add to canned? Or will they be ok seeing its only one meal a day?

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I do this every night!  Mine LOVE it!!  I tried to go raw but a couple of them just were NOT having it.  I can't blame them.  So to boost the meaty goodness of their wet, I add chicken breast in every night (sometimes turkey and very rarely rabbit or duck- if they have it at the butchers).

Cat food is balanced to have all the daily nutrients and vitamins they need... A lot of times  (especially in wet) the reason the veggies are in there are to counterbalance the nutrients lost in cooking the meat and processing.  This is what my textbooks say about pet nutrition anyway.  So adding supplements to chicken is not necessary.  This is backed up by my vet and the one I work for.

Mine get it once an evening but I do leave half a cup of dry in the mornings just for them to munch on all day.  I know a lot say free feeding is bad and it is if you have an obese cat.  But veterinarians suggest free feeding especially young cats because they don't eat a lot in one sitting and will return throughout the day.  They do however, eat the wet and chicken in one sitting and they are stuffed and more than happy until morning before I head to work.

P3 and The King said:

I do this every night!  Mine LOVE it!!  I tried to go raw but a couple of them just were NOT having it.  I can't blame them.  So to boost the meaty goodness of their wet, I add chicken breast in every night (sometimes turkey and very rarely rabbit or duck- if they have it at the butchers).

Cat food is balanced to have all the daily nutrients and vitamins they need... A lot of times  (especially in wet) the reason the veggies are in there are to counterbalance the nutrients lost in cooking the meat and processing.  This is what my textbooks say about pet nutrition anyway.  So adding supplements to chicken is not necessary.  This is backed up by my vet and the one I work for.

Mine get it once an evening but I do leave half a cup of dry in the mornings just for them to munch on all day.  I know a lot say free feeding is bad and it is if you have an obese cat.  But veterinarians suggest free feeding especially young cats because they don't eat a lot in one sitting and will return throughout the day.  They do however, eat the wet and chicken in one sitting and they are stuffed and more than happy until morning before I head to work.

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But how much do they need to eat to be getting enough nutrientts? I feed 7 cats.
How much chicken do you add? I was reading the other post saying muscle meat shouldnt be more than 10%. If i 50% of their meal is chicken mixed with 50% of canned food, is there a problem with to much protein, (meat) or not enough nutrients? As the chicken doesnt have equal nutrients that the other half of the canned food would.
Are you giving them extra..or do you give them less canned because you mixed in chicken? Cuz that is what i did and the reason for concern.

momof3b1g said:

But how much do they need to eat to be getting enough nutrientts? I feed 7 cats.
How much chicken do you add? I was reading the other post saying muscle meat shouldnt be more than 10%. If i 50% of their meal is chicken mixed with 50% of canned food, is there a problem with to much protein, (meat) or not enough nutrients? As the chicken doesnt have equal nutrients that the other half of the canned food would.
Are you giving them extra..or do you give them less canned because you mixed in chicken? Cuz that is what i did and the reason for concern.

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It says to give them a can a day.  So I give them each about half a can and a few sliced up chunks of chicken just for something extra yummy.  Considering they have the high quality and premium kibble during the day, I was told they have an excellent diet so therefore supplements are not necessary because it would be too much.  And too much is almost worse than too little.  I divide one breast between 6 cats if that helps.  And they get about half a can each.

P3 and The King said:

It says to give them a can a day.  So I give them each about half a can and a few sliced up chunks of chicken just for something extra yummy.  Considering they have the high quality and premium kibble during the day, I was told they have an excellent diet so therefore supplements are not necessary because it would be too much.  And too much is almost worse than too little.  I divide one breast between 6 cats if that helps.  And they get about half a can each.

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Thanks, mine get 1/2 cup of dry per day also. So the wet is more like extra. But if i did give them less dry and try to cut back on the canned. I wonder how much chicken I could feed with how much canned.
I think I have confused myself. Lol

But is it possible to give them to much meat?

momof3b1g said:

Thanks, mine get 1/2 cup of dry per day also. So the wet is more like extra. But if i did give them less dry and try to cut back on the canned. I wonder how much chicken I could feed with how much canned.
I think I have confused myself. Lol

But is it possible to give them to much meat?

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Considering they are obligate carnivores, I don't think you can give them too much.  Cats do not have the tendency to overeat like dogs do.  Their reasons for weight is usually not enough stimulation and exercise.

momof3b1g said:

...
I mixed one can with 5.5 oz of chicken.
Does anyone else do this? They get wet food once a day and dry the other 2. My question would be how do i know if they are getting enough vitamins etc? Seeing the chicken wouldnt be enough on its own. I can figure calories, but how do you know if they are getting enough nutrents?
Would it be better to mix chicken with supplements then add to canned? Or will they be ok seeing its only one meal a day?

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I'm so glad you recognize that chicken meat on its own is not properly balanced. :bigthumb:

P3 and The King said:

...Cat food is balanced to have all the daily nutrients and vitamins they need... A lot of times  (especially in wet) the reason the veggies are in there are to counterbalance the nutrients lost in cooking the meat and processing.  This is what my textbooks say about pet nutrition anyway.  So adding supplements to chicken is not necessary.  This is backed up by my vet and the one I work for....

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I'm so sorry. I don't understand what cat food being properly balanced has to do with adding unbalanced plain meat that would then be an improperly balanced diet if fed in the incorrect proportions? That's the reason for momof3b1g's question. How much plain meat can she safely add without risking nutritional deficiency?

P3 and The King said:

It says to give them a can a day.  So I give them each about half a can and a few sliced up chunks of chicken just for something extra yummy.  Considering they have the high quality and premium kibble during the day, I was told they have an excellent diet so therefore supplements are not necessary because it would be too much.  And too much is almost worse than too little.  I divide one breast between 6 cats if that helps.  And they get about half a can each.

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If the chicken breast weighs 12 ounces, that means each cat gets 2 ounces. If you feed one half can of wet food in a 5.5 ounce can a day, that is 2.75 ounces of canned food. The total amount of food is about 4.75 ounces, and 58% of the diet is canned, and 42% of the diet is plain chicken meat. I am surprised your vet feels this is OK.



Momof3b1g, P3 and several of us have had this conversation before (about feeding improperly balanced plain meat, though at the time, P3 was providing a vitamin supplement at the suggestion of her vet).

The typical guideline is that 15% of the diet, when feeding primarily commercial canned (or dry) food can be fed unbalanced nutritionally. This is normally done by weight, but that calculation doesn't work if feeding dry, so I'd base it off of calories. But I personally think it is dangerous to recommend anyone provide more than 15% of the diet unbalanced.

There is a very specific reason for this 15% guideline. The Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats, the research and guidelines on which AAFCO and FEDIAF (European pet food regulations) feeding recommendations are based, recommends nutrient guidelines that are 1.25 times the known requirements of dogs and cats. This is clearly stated on p. 194 of the 2006 edition of the book.

The reason for this is the loss of nutrients in cooking, bioavialability of ingredients that may be used in the food, and various other things (to which the book is devoted, in fact, exploring all of those things).

So if your cats get one 5.5 ounce can of food a day and 1/2 a cup of kibble, I'm not sure what percentage of the calories the kibble would be. You may want to figure it out, and then limit the plain chicken breast to 15% of the total calories.

If the dry is a small portion, then if the cats eat one 5.5 ounce can of food a day, it would be safe to feed 0.8 ounces of plain cooked chicken daily. More than that, and you need to think about balancing it. It is not difficult, we have recipes that are balanced here, and they're easy to make.

mschauer posted balanced recipes in this thread: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/263751/cooked-recipes-thread

This is a link to the cooked resources thread, for more information and other recipe options: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/264153/home-cooked-cat-food-resources

I just said it was something extra. Do what you want and consult your own vet before taking ANY advice on here. Well, a lot of people oversupplement with their raw diets. I see it all the time. Which is why the vet always advises them against it if they can't do it right because they are doing more harm than good.

Well, at 40% of the diet unbalanced, it will take some time for problems to develop. But this is what happens when you feed just plain meat: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/259623/2-months-old-eating-only-meat#post_3362873

When calcium (very small amounts in meat) is not properly balanced with phosphorus (meat contains phosphorus), the cat's body will rob its own bones for it. This, ironically, results in higher than normal blood serum levels of calcium, but would also result in a high PTH (parathyroid hormone level, as that is the organ responsible for regulating calcium in the body.

Sadly, if not caught in time, the damage can be irreversible.

So it is actually quite important for the long term health of your pet to ensure that any plain meat be fed in the correct proportion (as a treat, basically) to the commercially balanced diet OR be properly balanced nutritionally.

M momof3b1g , if you have any more questions, please let us know!

LDG said:

Well, at 40% of the diet unbalanced, it will take some time for problems to develop. But this is what happens when you feed just plain meat: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/259623/2-months-old-eating-only-meat#post_3362873

When calcium (very small amounts in meat) is not properly balanced with phosphorus (meat contains phosphorus), the cat's body will rob its own bones for it. This, ironically, results in higher than normal blood serum levels of calcium, but would also result in a high PTH (parathyroid hormone level, as that is the organ responsible for regulating calcium in the body.

Sadly, if not caught in time, the damage can be irreversible.

So it is actually quite important for the long term health of your pet to ensure that any plain meat be fed in the correct proportion (as a treat, basically) to the commercially balanced diet OR be properly balanced nutritionally.

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Thanks I wont be adding any more meat to my cats canned food. I figured it would probably be a bad idea. At least if done all the time and the only thing they eat. I am going to stick with adding a chicken canned cat food  to their other canned. I didnt have anyhting else at the time. So figured adding some chicken to one can. make it stretch and get a different protein besides beef, Until I can buy more. 

now I also got thinking... i feed dry and canned all being balanced. Does it matter how much is dry and how much is wet? I know they suggest a certain amount. But as long as they are all complete, not like toppers? does it matter if they dont eat say a whole can? (they eat dry too)

No, from the nutritional adequacy perspective, how much dry or how much canned don't make a difference, so no worries there! The canned has moisture in it, which IS very healthy for them, as cats - many cats - are not "natural" water drinkers.

We have some articles on nutrition in the Cat Health Care section. Some you may be interested in are:

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/choosing-the-right-food-for-your-cat-part-1

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/tips-to-increase-your-cat-s-water-intake


And so you can see the list of articles: http://www.thecatsite.com/atype/46/Cat_Health

P3 and The King said:

 
I just said it was something extra. Do what you want and consult your own vet before taking ANY advice on here. Well, a lot of people oversupplement with their raw diets. I see it all the time. Which is why the vet always advises them against it if they can't do it right because they are doing more harm than good.

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I'm one of the people who "oversupplements" the raw.  When Dr. P calls for 1 B-50 (a specific B-complex mix) per 3 lbs, I add that plus one extra due to the loss that might be incurred due to freezing.  In other words, if I mix up 17 lbs of meat/skin/bones, I add 7 B-50.  I also 2-3 times the amount of water she says to add, so the cats aren't really oversupplemented to a toxic level. 

LDG said:

Well, at 40% of the diet unbalanced, it will take some time for problems to develop. But this is what happens when you feed just plain meat: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/259623/2-months-old-eating-only-meat#post_3362873

When calcium (very small amounts in meat) is not properly balanced with phosphorus (meat contains phosphorus), the cat's body will rob its own bones for it. This, ironically, results in higher than normal blood serum levels of calcium, but would also result in a high PTH (parathyroid hormone level, as that is the organ responsible for regulating calcium in the body.

Sadly, if not caught in time, the damage can be irreversible.

So it is actually quite important for the long term health of your pet to ensure that any plain meat be fed in the correct proportion (as a treat, basically) to the commercially balanced diet OR be properly balanced nutritionally.

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She can add up to 15% of the diet as plain meat, right?

peaches08 said:

She can add up to 15% of the diet as plain meat, right?

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Yep! It can absolutely be fed as a treat. That's discussed in post #7.

LDG said:

Yep! It can absolutely be fed as a treat. That's discussed in post #7.

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When I calculate it, it comes to one full day a week. So can she feed a meal of meat and be OK?

I didn't do the math, but that sounds about right. :nod: People feeding 3 meals of canned only a day (21 meals a week) can feed 3 meals unbalanced.

LDG said:

I didn't do the math, but that sounds about right.

People feeding 3 meals of canned only a day (21 meals a week) can feed 3 meals unbalanced.

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That's what I was thinking.  1/7 is 14.3%, so I tell people that they can feed a day's worth of food without worrying about balance.  In that it's hard for me to figure out what's 15% of one meal, it's easier to feed a whole meal of unbalanced raw than figure out how much chicken added to the canned is OK if on a per meal basis.  Now, if @momof3b1g if doing 50/50 and feeds 2 meals a day, that would come out to 4 meals per week.  @momof3b1g you ask very good questions; good on you!  The undersupplementation of calcium and other nutrients can indeed be a problem, the the 15% is OK.  How often do we eat a perfectly balanced meal?