Catabella & Khetmeo Birmans - Greg's Diet Recommendations

GREG'S DIET RECOMMENDATIONS

SOME SURPRISING FACTS: Cats are true carnivores, and have been designed by nature to eat fresh raw meat from the prey that they kill. As a result, cats require high amounts of protein in their diets. Another unique characteristic about cats is that they get most water their bodies require from the moisture in their prey. While cats will drink water they do not drink enough to meet their needs, unlike people or some other animals. Cats that primarily eat dry food find themselves living in a constant state of dehydration. Plus, most, (but not all), dry and wet commercial foods add more grain and carbohydrates than cats need, and lack sufficient amounts of protein to be optimal. In fact, the grains and carbohydrates we force our cats to eat lead to diabetes in later life, and their constant state of dehydration, from eating primarily dry food, leads to kidney failure.

WHAT DO YOU FEED? We make our own diet using all human grade ingredients that has been formulated to meet the needs of a carnivore. The main ingredients in our diet is raw chicken, beef hearts, chicken liver, salmon, chicken bones, egg yokes and fat. While we feel this diet is optimal, we recognize that people who purchase our pets may prefer to feed commercial cat food, and at the request of a new owner are happy to change their kitten to a commercial food shortly before moving. We are also happy to share our diet for those who may wish to continue to feed it.

NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE: Due to multiple requests, we have started making and selling our home prepared diet to those who would like the convenience of having it available to their cats without the work of preparing the diet. Please contact us for further information.

HOMEMADE CAT FOOD DIET

Ingredients:

• 4.4 pounds raw muscle meat with bones, which is about one whole chicken. I buy whole chickens from Wal-Mart.
• 14 oz raw heart, I use beef heart, since chicken heart is hard to source. (If no heart is available, substitute with 4000 mg Taurine).
• 7 oz raw liver, I use chicken liver. (If you can't find appropriate liver, you can substitute 40,000 IU of Vitamin A and 1600 IU of Vitamin D--but try to use real liver instead of substitutes).

o NOTE: If you cannot find the heart or liver and decide to substitute with the Taurine/Vitamin A and D, then remember to REPLACE the missing amount of organ meat with the equivalent amount of muscle meat. In other words, if you cannot find heart, you add another 14 oz of the meat/bones. If you can’t find the liver, add another 07 oz of meat/bones.

• 3 cups water
• 4 raw egg yolks
• 4000 mg salmon oil
• 200 mg Vitamin B complex
• 800 IU Vitamin E
• 7 oz canned cooked salmon

Steps:

1. Wash well and cut up the chickens, one at a time. I usually make 5 at a time, which yields about 35 lbs of food. I grind it all up into a 27 quart plastic tote purchased from Wal-Mart.

2. Cut as much meat off the bones as is easily possible and have two bowls, one with meat only in it and the other with skin, meat and bones.

3. Attach the biggest grinder attachment, (looks like large inverted v) and grind up the meat and heart. (It is important to use a good quality grinder, one with metal gears inside, not plastic gears, or they will break when grinding the bones. I recommend the TASIN TS-108 Mincer, pictured above. I purchased mine on e-bay.)

4. Add the egg yolks, salmon oil, vitamin e, Vitamin B complex (and other supplements if not using the heart and liver), the cooked salmon and half the water and mix together well. Also add 4 drops of grapefruit seed extract for each pound of meat to the water, and 20,000 mg of L-Lysine Powder.

5. Change the grinder attachment and put the one with small holes on it. Grind up the raw liver, any skin, raw meaty bones. Continue to mix from time to time, and keep adding the remaining water as you grind and mix.

6. I usually cover at this point and put it all back in the refrigerator, clean up my grinder, my work area and myself and take a break.

7. Finally, I put 2 lbs into quart size freezer bags and freeze. (Put wax paper between each bag to keep it from sticking together).

Feeding: I usually thaw two bags at a time. The bags thaw quickly, and what isn’t used in 3 full days after being thawed should be thrown out. I feed this diet three or four times a day to kittens and twice a day to adults. I usually give adult cats a 4 to oz a serving, but let them eat as much as they want, and kittens always get as much as they want. My cats tend to clear their plates within an hour of the food being put down. Pictured is a single serving, freshly prepared and ready to eat.

WHAT ARE YOUR RECOMMENDATONS FOR FEEDING COMMERCIAL PREPARED DIETS? There are some good commercial diets available for cats. For the most part you are going to have to visit a specialty pet food store to purchase them. I'm not aware of any high quality pet foods that are available in most supermarkets or retail stores that primarily sell non pet related items. Ideally, what you need to look for are foods that: