5 month old male kitten has crystals

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by ancientgirl

The bacteria is what really scares me.

You know, a cat is really built to handle raw meat. That's what they've done on their own for ages, after all. Their digestive tract is short, which doesn't give the bacteria enough time to become a problem, and it also tends to be quite acidic, not a friendly place for them to flourish. The issue with bacteria comes into play more for the humans preparing the meal. Just make sure your hands and all utensils that come into contact with the food are thoroughly washed afterwards and it shouldn't be an issue.

Originally Posted by ancientgirl

Vlad really prefers the wet, but Oksana seems to be preferring the dry. I made a steak the other day and they devoured it, and they also love chicken.

That's a great sign that they at least recognized fresh meat as food! Some cats are so addicted to dry that anything in any other form is dismissed as inedible, making it much tougher to convert them.

Originally Posted by ancientgirl

Is there a book that I can buy that will give me some correct information on what they can and cannot eat? I know certain foods are toxic to them, but I'm also afraid of getting a book that will give me incorrect information. I was listening to the morning show of my favorite radio station and they had a woman who'd written a pet cookbook. It turns out one of her dog food recipes had raisin's, which are a no no! So now I'm wondering if a book I buy will have the wrong information.

I know there are some good books out there but I can't think of them off the top of my head. I do know of a couple of great online sources with well researched recipes, vet endorsed, but they're for a raw diet, not cooked. These are a lengthy read, but I highly recommend them for anyone interested in making their own cat food:
http://www.catinfo.org/makingcatfood.htm
http://www.catnutrition.org/foodmaking

Originally Posted by ancientgirl

I pretty much figure meat and poultry is good for them, and of course I'd cook anything I gave them. I know pasta and rice are okay too, but what about veggies.

I'm so confused!

Pasta and rice are actually completely unnecessary, and pasta in particular is not a good idea. Such refined carbohydrates really don't have any place in feline nutrition and can actually be harmful. Veggies (never onions!) can sometimes be incorporated, but are only useful if cooked or juiced as they tend to be undigestible in raw form. Although there is debate about this, some say you should keep the veggies to less than 10% of the recipe, which approximates what would be found in the stomach contents of the prey they'd be eating in nature. Regarding meat selection, chicken, turkey, and rabbit seem to be ideal, whereas you should stay away from pork and raw fish.

All this can indeed seem confusing! My best suggestion is that you read and research as much as you can if you're at all inclined to feed a homemade diet. You might find some contradictions out there but the more information you can draw upon, the more balanced your perspective will be.

[ancientgirl]

Thanks for the info. I'm going to check those links out and print out what's there. I just want to keep them healthy.

I love them more than I ever thought I could love anything in this world. It would kill me to know I may have done something wrong in feeding them to make them in any way ill, so yes, I want to find out as much as possible about what's best for them.

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by ancientgirl

Isn't garlic bad for cats? Two of those recipes have garlic.

Ya, the recipes on the Vancouver site are geared more towards dogs. Supposedly they customize other recipes for your particular animal if you're a client. There is some controversy on how much garlic is okay for either cats or dogs, but it's my understanding that small amounts aren't harmful. You could always leave it out if you had your doubts. There's also this little tidbit on garlic toxicity: http://www.azmira.com/PublicationGarlicTheFacts.htm and this from PetEducation.com and a message board debate on the subject at Holisticat.

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by ancientgirl

I love them more than I ever thought I could love anything in this world. It would kill me to know I may have done something wrong in feeding them to make them in any way ill, so yes, I want to find out as much as possible about what's best for them.

Tell me about it!! The reason I've researched this subject so much and become so passionate about it (to the point of annoyance, I'm sure my friends/family would say) is because of the health problems I've had with my two cats. Aztec (14 yrs old) developed diabetes 4+ years ago after eating dry Science Diet Light for most of his life (as per his vet's instruction). He's doing much better now that he eats a variety of canned and some raw, requiring only a small amount of insulin twice a day.

Aztec had a brother, Egypt, that was plagued with numerous issues from early on: severe urinary tract blockage from crystals when he was 2 (needed a Perineal Urethrostomy - penis removal - to survive); developed hepatic lipidosis when he was 3 which necessitated a feeding tube for 3 months; eventually became clinically obese (18 lbs) despite eating less than the daily recommended amount of diet dry food; and then died at the age of 11 from a very severe bout of inflammatory bowel disease. All of these ailments heavily influenced by diet, no doubt about it. Now that I have internet access and therefore access to a wealth of information on feline health, I've become rather obsessive about learning everything I can. As I've said many times: "If only I'd known then what I do now".

[ancientgirl]

Originally Posted by sugarcatmom

Tell me about it!! The reason I've researched this subject so much and become so passionate about it (to the point of annoyance, I'm sure my friends/family would say) is because of the health problems I've had with my two cats. Aztec (14 yrs old) developed diabetes 4+ years ago after eating dry Science Diet Light for most of his life (as per his vet's instruction). He's doing much better now that he eats a variety of canned and some raw, requiring only a small amount of insulin twice a day.

Aztec had a brother, Egypt, that was plagued with numerous issues from early on: severe urinary tract blockage from crystals when he was 2 (needed a Perineal Urethrostomy - penis removal - to survive); developed hepatic lipidosis when he was 3 which necessitated a feeding tube for 3 months; eventually became clinically obese (18 lbs) despite eating less than the daily recommended amount of diet dry food; and then died at the age of 11 from a very severe bout of inflammatory bowel disease. All of these ailments heavily influenced by diet, no doubt about it. Now that I have internet access and therefore access to a wealth of information on feline health, I've become rather obsessive about learning everything I can. As I've said many times: "If only I'd known then what I do now".

That's my worst nightmare! I'm so sorry that happened to them. But its the very reason why I'm exploring all avenues. I started feeding Vlad only dry, Hill's Science Diet to be exact. When I got Oksana she was being fed the wet formula and was advised I could start her on dry a week or so after I got her home.

But While still feeding her wet, I noticed that Vlad would immediately bolt towards her food. So I started letting him have a can now and then as well.

I leave them both plenty of water to drink throughout the day, but they only seem to drink out of one bowl, I've observed this so I know its not just one drinking all the water. But lately I've been reading this board and doing some other poking around and have been getting information about dry vs wet.

I've decided I'm certainly going to feed them more wet, I found a store walking distance from my job that sells that natural/raw food. I'm going to have a look at it tomorrow. At the very least, I can feed them some of that food and maybe in the evening give them some type of raw meat, since I'll be home and be able to throw away any uneaten meat in the alloted time. I'd still like to leave them their dry food, while I'm at work, so that I know they can snack if they're hungry throughout the day. Their still growing kitties and both keep each other active.

I've said this before and I'll say it again, I'm so glad I found this board. It's so wonderful to know there are people out there who have maybe gone through something you have or who can give you advice about something you are unsure of, because they have also experienced it or have had pets longer than you.:love: