This morning, I dropped by the cats’ vet to return the unopened bag of dry food. I told the receptionist, “It’s been a week since I’ve been here, I thought you might be starting to miss me.” Of course, she had to ask for my last name, because everyone there knows me by my cats.

Then I called the mice’s vet. The boys seem to be coming down with another cold: slight chattering noises, weepy eyes, etc. I wanted to know if I could just pick up the medication, and save myself the hassle and expense of an actual visit, wherein the vet will confirm my suspicions (yes, they are making noises…) and since there’s no way to run a culture or any other definitive diagnostics, the vet will do the only thing she can: prescribe antibiotics.

Would I pay the cost for an exam? Absolutely. Would I avoid it if I had the opportunity? Definitely.The office finally called back this afternoon. One of the vet techs was able to get a hold of Dr. Dankoski (even though she’s off today), and she said I could pick up the medications, on one condition: that I bring the boys in towards the end of the round to see if we need to keep them on antibiotics a little longer. That makes a lot of sense, and now I have two weeks to save up that extra hundred or so dollars (it’s been rough lately with the cats urinary issues)In other news:

The shipment of frozen ground chicken and chicken hearts arrived from Hare Today. That means I can start mixing and freezing the cats’ food as early as tonight! I’m excited, I’ll admit it.

The basics of raw food for cats

After a good deal of research and reading, I’ve decided to follow the basic raw diet that Anne lays out on her website, catnutrition.org. A slightly modified version of the recipe can be found at catinfo.org, a knowledgeable site that is run by Dr. Lisa Pierson, a veterinarian.

The only problem with it, is that I don’t own a meat grinder. The foundation of raw feeding is ground meat with bones, or else the cats will be missing out on calcium and other essential minerals and nutrients. To purchase a meat grinder that could also handle bones would be a significant investment, something that is definitely out of my league at the moment.

I was, however, able to find an excellent source of whole ground chicken! Yes, I just purchased 10 pounds of ground chicken plus 2 pounds of chicken hearts (contains taurine, a critical component of cat diets) from Hare Today, and I am quite excited about it.

Hare Today is a small family run farm. We strive for a healthy environment for all our animals without the use of hormones or antibiotics. I believe that a healthy animal raised with plenty of pasture space (rotational grazing) as well as good management techniques does not require all the “preventative measures” found in most feed lot practices. Fresh air, plenty of sunshine and room to roam is by far the best way to raise livestock. The chicken, turkey, pheasant, duck, salmon are USDA inspected ALL NATURAL.

http://www.catnutrition.org/

http://www.catinfo.org/

http://www.felinefuture.com/

http://www.serve.com/BatonRouge/nutr.htm – tons good information

Recommended Reading:

Raising Cats Naturally, Michelle Bernard (order online at http://www.raisingcatsnaturally.com/)

The New Natural Cat, Anitra Frazier and Norma Eckroate  (amazon.com)

I’ve always been interested in the idea of feeding a raw diet to the cats, but never really summoned the energy to make that kind of change. Now that I’m faced with the fact that three of my cats have a lifelong urinary condition, it’s becoming more than just an ‘idea’.

A raw diet is the closest thing to what felines would eat “in the wild”, and is exactly what cats’ bodies were designed to process. For cats with FLUTD, a diet that is mostly meat, without grains, fillers, or preservatives, can help to maintain a healthy bladder and urinary system without any of the unfortunate side effects that prescription diets have been known to cause.

So I’m researching the various pre-made diets, and trying to figure out which one fits best with our particular needs (like certain food sensitivities) and my budget (gotta love being a college kid). Raw will be slightly more expensive than the canned food I am buying now, but I just think of it as using the money that would otherwise go towards vet bills. And as much as I love our vet, I’d really like it if we didn’t have to see him for anything other than annual exams.

Oh, and I’ll need explain to the vet why I’m returning the un-opened bag of prescription dry food, which should be interesting, because he is adamantly anti-raw diet 

*eta*

Forget pre-made. I would be willing to forgive the fact that it is more expensive, but it’s nearly impossible to fine a pre-made raw diet that doesn’t have ridiculous ingredients. Like bok choy, alfalfa sprouts, or garlic (which, by the way, can be toxic to cats)

The plan now is to research the most feasible way to make our own food. Lots and lots of reading…I need more Mountain Dew.