8 Must-Have Ingredients for Your Homemade Cat Food Recipe

By Ronalimsy

If you want to know exactly what your cat is being fed each day, then the best way is to prepare a homemade cat food recipe yourself. However, for your cat to remain healthy, it is important to ensure that your homemade cat food recipe includes sufficient animal protein, calcium, phosphorus, iodine and vitamins. This is usually obtained from red meat, liver, kidney, heart, chicken and sometimes milk.

Generally, raw food contains more nutrients as cooking destroys some vitamins, especially vitamin B. If you are squeamish about feeding raw food to your cat and intend to feed your cat cooked food instead, then you may need to provide pet food supplements in your cat's diet. Your vet will be able to advise you on appropriate pet food supplements, based on your homemade cat food diet.

Here are some important ingredients which you should incorporate into your homemade cat food diet:

INGREDIENT #1 - Meat and Meat By-Products

Both red and white meat contains protein, B-group vitamins, fat and energy. Highest sources of protein are beef, chicken (meat) and liver, followed by heart, chicken skin, lamb, kidney and chicken necks.

All types of meat are deficient in vitamin A therefore, it is good to feed liver to your cat as it is rich in vitamin A. However, liver should not be more than 10% of your cat food diet as too much vitamin A can lead to skeletal problems and other abnormal bone growth. If you are worried about an overdose of vitamin A, feed cooked liver to your cat instead of raw liver. Or as a rough guide, feed raw liver not more than once a week.

INGREDIENT #2 - Fish

It is good to have a mix of the 2 main types of fish: white fish and fatty/oily fish (such as tuna). White fish is leaner but is weak in vitamins A, D, E and K.

Fatty and oily fish on the other hand, contain high levels of vitamins A and D but your cat may suffer a case of steatites (a painful inflammation of fat deposits under the skin) if it is fed too much fatty fish.

In the case of fish, it is advisable to cook the fish first. Raw fish contains thiaminase, an enzyme which destroys thiamine, an important vitamin B. Cooking destroys thiaminase and helps to retain more vitamins in the food.

Whole fish (including the bones) is very nutritional cat food as fish bones contain calcium and phosphorus. However, to prevent fish bones from getting caught in your cat's teeth or throat, it is good to soften the bones first. You can do this by pressure cooking, boiling or stewing.

INGREDIENT #3 - Eggs

Eggs are high in animal protein, iron, vitamins, fats and carbohydrates and are ideal to include in your homemade cat food. However, too much may be harmful as the egg whites contain avidin which destroys a B vitamin that is essential for good hair and skin health and proper muscle function.

As a general guide, feed raw egg not more than once a week. If you feed the egg yolk only, then you may increase this to no more than 3 times a week.

INGREDIENT #4 - Milk, Cheese and Yoghurt

Dairy products are high in protein, fat, carbohydrate, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin A and the B vitamins.

Kittens generally like warmed milk and cream. But as they mature, they become lactose-intolerant and may develop diarrhea. You can get low-lactose cat milk which is available in supermarkets. Cream is fattening and too much may result in an obese cat.

Cheese may be a better dairy alternative as it does not contain lactose. However, some cats do not appreciate the taste and will not eat it.

INGREDIENT #5 - Fats and Oils

Fats are essential in your homemade cat food to ensure your cat's skin doesn't become itchy, dry and scurfy.

Good sources are safflower or corn oil and fish fats. Safflower is the preferred choice.

INGREDIENT #6 - Vegetables

Vegetables provide vitamin C and some are rich in B vitamins. It also provides fibre which should form about 5% of your homemade cat food diet. Mix vegetables with meat or fish and cook it as a stew. Most cats will eat the vegetables if cooked this way.

INGREDIENT #7 - Grains

Grains provide carbohydrate, proteins, minerals and vitamins. Good sources are:

Wheatgerm - thiamine, vitamin E
Yeast - B vitamins, minerals, recommended for older cats
Rice - most cats will eat this and it is a good base for mixing with meat and fish
Wheat, oats, barley - higher protein content and less fattening than rice

INGREDIENT #8 - Water

Lastly, and probably more important than any of the above, a fresh clean supply of water must always be available. Generally, your cat will need about 40ml of water per kg of body weight. However, environmental temperature, your cat's consumption of dry food and ailments may require you to adjust accordingly.

Your cat is an individual and will have its own likes and dislikes. Different pedigrees may also have different requirements. It is always advisable to check with your vet and seek professional advice before preparing your homemade cat food.

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About the Author

For more information on giving the best cat care for your cat, visit http://www.My-Pet-Cat.com

Dog Micro Chip - Dog Training

You'd be surprised how many dogs go missing each year around the world when their perfectly good owner has a brief laps in concentration and the dog ends up running away after a squirrel or other animal never to be seen again.

You might think that it will never happen to you because you're too careful and never take your eyes of the dog, but believe me it will happen a lot quicker than expected and could have devastating consequences.

Although your dog might have run off and disobeyed your commands when they went this doesn't mean that you're a bad trainer or have no control over your dog, but these things do happen and unless your dog is an extremely well behaved and trained dog not much can stop them from chasing something when they're in the mood.

This is where the micro chip comes in; the dog micro chip is a small soda limed glass tube that gets inserted into your dog containing a chip, antenna, and capacitor. These are used together to hold vital information about your dog or the dog in hand so that people all over the world can trace the ownership of this dog back to you at your home.

The chip does not hold a complete profile of your dog but only a I.D. number that then gives access to the information via a database which can be reached from the majority of pet and dog specialists, kennels and shelters all over the world.

It takes just a few seconds to insert the chip and it hurts your dog no more than a regular vaccination procedure and for this your get the security and ease of mind knowing that your dog can be reached and found anywhere in the world, and for me that's worth it.


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About the Author

For more information on dog training and health, or web link exchanges visit the dog-behavior-training.co.uk website at this link...Dog Training.

Cool Tools for Pet Pests

  
By Gregory Franklyn

There are LOTS of products to protect your dogs, cats, ferrets, mice, rats etc., and if you give me a minute I'll be more than happy to sell you all of them, but today I'm out to save you some money, get you much closer to your pet, and eliminate the need for my own Flea & Tick products. Here's a few tips you can easily use to deal with Ticks, Fleas and other small insect parasites that, literally, LIVE to hitch a ride on your little loved ones.

Eucalyptus: I've had 2 separate successful incidents of eliminating a flea infestation in my home using this common tree. By Infestation I mean fleas jumping on my bare feet while just walking through a room. It got that bad because we did NOT want to use an insecticide at all, let alone INSIDE our house! I did a lot of research on natural methods of dealing with fleas and ticks. Most were a bust, but we did find a write-up in Jethro Kloss' "Back to Eden" that suggested using Eucalyptus.

Here's what we did: There happened to be a grove of Eucalyptus trees just across the road from our house. We went over there and picked up a bunch of fallen branches and cut a few down too. We took them all across the street, took all the leaves off and spread them all over the house. About 48 hours later, there wasn't a flea or tick to be found, not even on Disco (the cat) or Toke (The dog). As it turns out, most insects, including fleas and ticks, are not particularly fond of the scent. They simply left on their own. We were delighted that we didn't have to harm anything, including the pests we wanted to be rid of, while solving a real problem with no cost what so ever.

Years later I had the same problem with a roommates' Cat. My roommate insisted her name was "Sly" but I called her "The Evil One"! That's a story for another day, however. This time there were no Eucalyptus trees to be found and we didn't have the luxury of raiding a nearby grove. So I tried the next best thing. I learned that it was the scent that the nasty little buggers didn't like, so I went to "the Body Shoppe" at the Mall and got some Eucalyptus oil and put it in a spray bottle with a bunch of warm water and walked through the house spraying every carpet and rug I could find. Furniture too! Sure enough, about 48 hours later, we were free of fleas and ticks.

Love that Jethro Kloss! He also suggested making a shampoo for furry animals that includes good concentrations of Pennyroyal. It's as effective as any current meds available today but it's a lot more labor intensive. You have to shampoo your pets regularly, about every 5-7 days in some cases. The labor comes in when you have to negotiate with a cat to give them a shampoo ONCE let alone every 5 days. The Dogs had fun with the whole operation, though. When they got out of the tub naturally they would run through the house shaking the water off their coats (Pennyroyal and all) all over the house. Immunizing the rugs and furniture in the process. How thoughtful!

Lastly, and this one works for Ticks much better than fleas, you can pick up some "Brewer's Yeast" or "Nutritional Yeast" in the bulk section of most grocery stores these days and certainly at any natural food store. Just sprinkle a little bit on your dog or cat's food every so often. When a tick bites your loved one they don't like the taste and start looking for another host to hitch a ride on. Don't over do the yeast sprinkling even though you dogs and cats love the taste. It gave Disco and Toke the runs because I started out thinking I had to use a heavy concentration. Just a little will do the trick and you'll save yourself the nasty chore of cleaning up runny,,, um,,, well, you get my meaning!

As an aside: A little Brewer's Yeast and soy sauce on your popcorn and/or your baked potatoes is a real delight at my house and it DOESN'T give us the runs. Since you already have some in the house now anyway…..

So if you don't want to go to all the trouble of using these "Back to Nature" tricks, we have a variety of solutions for your pets that are also natural, but we do all the work FOR you. Stop by and see what we have for you and your funny furry freaky friends at http://www.gonatures.com

Much Love,
Gregory

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About the Author

Gregory Franklyn is a 50 something native of Detroit who currently calls the Pacific Northwest his home. He has studied and applied Natural and Alternative remedies for common ailments for over 15 years. He currently operates a website dedicated to information and products that naturally enhance the human body's ability to heal itself. Franklyn is NOT a medical health professional. Visit http://www.gonatures.com

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All About Helping Dog Separation Anxiety

By Joe R. Maldonado

If you have a pet that goes bonkers when you leave the house, he may be suffering from dog separation anxiety. Dogs have feelings just like people do, and when you have one with separation anxiety, this becomes all too clear.

There are cases when a dog becomes so used to having their owner present that when the dog is alone it is desperately searching for its master and wondering why he or she is not there.

There are certain identifiable signs and symptoms of dog separation anxiety that you should learn about in order to help you begin to remedy this problem for your dog.

Separation anxiety occurs most often in dogs that have spent time in a shelter or a pound. These are places where your dog may have experienced high levels of stress. When a dog undergoes periods of high stress followed by the huge relief of adoption into a loving and safe environment, this leaves a lasting effect on their minds and personalities.

Since you are the person who has brought them such relief, your dog has become very attached to you. When you leave your home and your dog is once again alone, this triggers the feelings that he or she once felt back in that stressful environment. Fear and anxiety is instilled in your dog that you will never return, and they will be stuck once again in a horrible situation for good.

Your dog’s natural response to this fear is to demonstrate destructive behaviors. They will scratch, chew or bite things just to feel secure once again. This is why it becomes so important to identify this problem in your dog right away so that you can work toward a remedy for the situation.

You can begin to treat dog separation anxiety by giving him or her regular daily exercise. Sometimes dogs have extra pent up energy that needs to be expelled from time to time. Take them outside to play fetch with a stick or Frisbee. Even by just giving your dog some wide open space to run around in you can help him be better equipped to handle situations in which you are not there with him.

Of course you should always be sure that your dog’s needs are going to be completely taken care of in your absence. Make your dog’s food and water bowls easily accessible, and make sure that they are completely full right before you leave the house. Leave plenty of toys and entertainment behind to keep your dog occupied. Some dog owners even find that their dogs have responded to them leaving the radio on when they leave. The constant background noise is similar to what it is like when you are home, and it helps to soothe them by making them feel like all is normal at home.

As long as you work to effectively understand and help your pet through dog separation anxiety, you will be able to come through it together with a new appreciation and love for your dog.



About the Author: Next, find out more about dog with separation anxiety in the best specialized website available on such delicate topic.

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