HELP NEEDED: Anyone knowledgable about pet food?

[mehevin]

Hi,

I have a 6 year old Siamese Cat. About 4 years ago he started "eating" himself. Pulling chucks of hair out, chewing till he bled, that kind of thing.

I took him to the vet who did tests, he isn't allergic to anything, and I don't use stuff cause I am allergic to dust, so we have no carpets, curtains etc and don't use chemicals so isn't that.
He was put on this expensive vet food but that didn't make any difference.

Anyway, in the summer we have a lot of BBQs so he gets the leftovers from that, and he stops chewing. I have also tried it this winter and after a few days he starts to clear up.

So my questions are:

Is there anything you can tell me about pet food? I avoid IAMS cause of their animal testing, but is there worse in other brands?
If I feed raw how will he get the vitamins he needs?
What can I do?

If anyone can help I would be grateful!

Thanks

 

[independentWV]

http://www.ehow.com/how_2032608_oranic-cat-food.html

Think this will answer your questions pertaining to vitamins suggest making homemade cat food.

[Anti_Illuminati]

Hi,

I have a 6 year old Siamese Cat. About 4 years ago he started "eating" himself. Pulling chucks of hair out, chewing till he bled, that kind of thing.

I took him to the vet who did tests, he isn't allergic to anything, and I don't use stuff cause I am allergic to dust, so we have no carpets, curtains etc and don't use chemicals so isn't that.
He was put on this expensive vet food but that didn't make any difference.

Anyway, in the summer we have a lot of BBQs so he gets the leftovers from that, and he stops chewing. I have also tried it this winter and after a few days he starts to clear up.

So my questions are:

Is there anything you can tell me about pet food? I avoid IAMS cause of their animal testing, but is there worse in other brands?
If I feed raw how will he get the vitamins he needs?
What can I do?

If anyone can help I would be grateful!

Thanks

 

Try Petguard.  If you look online hard enough you can find 14oz cans for about $1.80 each.  Also try this.  Add one scoop to the food 2x a day.

[Brocke]

We have a 20 yo cat that is quite healthy in spite of a hyperthyroid condition that he takes medication for.

Good health is the same for pets as it is for people:

• Filtered water (no fluoride, chlorine, copper sulfate)
• Few Vaccines - pets are horribly over vaccinated causing autoimmune disorders, cancer, tumors, and arthritis.
• Organic wet food - non organic canned pet food is like eating spam every day of your life and nothing else.
• Organic dry food - non organic brands can have melamine in them
• Avoid Moth balls or anything with camphor - it causes renal failure in cats
• polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) flame retardants can cause hyperthyroidism in cats

References

Annual pet jab is waste of money, vets claim
Vaccination induced reactions in dogs and cats
Why is Cancer Killing Our Pets?
The Melamine Pet Food Saga Continues
polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and Feline Hyperthyroidism
Moth ball poisoning in cats

[donnay]

I don't have a cat but I have a dog and I feed him 1/2 raw food and 1/2 organic (Nutro Dog Food).  I also mix in his food: diatamaceous earth (for parasites) and organic cold press olive oil (for coat and bones) and organic yogurt (good flora in his intestines).  Once a week I give him a couple of raw eggs and I also give him organic apples.  Also in his water I put a few drops of Organic apple cider vinegar to keep his ph balance good.

I do not vaccinate other than rabies because it's required by law.

[EvadingGrid]

Hi,

I have a 6 year old Siamese Cat. About 4 years ago he started "eating" himself. Pulling chucks of hair out, chewing till he bled, that kind of thing.

I took him to the vet who did tests, he isn't allergic to anything, and I don't use stuff cause I am allergic to dust, so we have no carpets, curtains etc and don't use chemicals so isn't that.
He was put on this expensive vet food but that didn't make any difference.

Anyway, in the summer we have a lot of BBQs so he gets the leftovers from that, and he stops chewing. I have also tried it this winter and after a few days he starts to clear up.

So my questions are:

Is there anything you can tell me about pet food? I avoid IAMS cause of their animal testing, but is there worse in other brands?
If I feed raw how will he get the vitamins he needs?
What can I do?

If anyone can help I would be grateful!

Thanks

 

You can get tins of tuna for 45p in sainsburies

[PullMyFinger]

Replying to bookmark.Still not on my own comp.

[Satyagraha]

We have a 20 yo cat that is quite healthy in spite of a hyperthyroid condition that he takes medication for.

Good health is the same for pets as it is for people:

• Filtered water (no fluoride, chlorine, copper sulfate)
• Few Vaccines - pets are horribly over vaccinated causing autoimmune disorders, cancer, tumors, and arthritis.
• Organic wet food - non organic canned pet food is like eating spam every day of your life and nothing else.
• Organic dry food - non organic brands can have melamine in them
• Avoid Moth balls or anything with camphor - it causes renal failure in cats
• polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) flame retardants can cause hyperthyroidism in cats

References

Annual pet jab is waste of money, vets claim
Vaccination induced reactions in dogs and cats
Why is Cancer Killing Our Pets?
The Melamine Pet Food Saga Continues
polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and Feline Hyperthyroidism
Moth ball poisoning in cats

Our vet just put our 17-year-old Siamese on medication for a hyperthyroid condition - a cream that you put on the inside of his ear tips two times a day. For the past year, he's been hungry all the time, and has lost weight in spite of eating tons of food. I started giving him some roasted chicken, and that seems to help satisfy his appetite for a while.  The thing about the medication from the vet is that she indicated that she would need to test his blood every few weeks and monitor him for any problems that the meds might cause ... potentially cellular damage (!!) 

So, trying to find an alternative, we've ordered "Resthyro for Cat Hyperthyroidism" - a natural alternative which got a lot of good reviews on the website where we ordered it.  A bit pricey, but less than the meds ordered by the vet.  At least it's all natural ingredients, and since he's in his last years of life, I want him to be comfortable and happy. He has no plans to do a cover shoot for Cat Fancy Magazine... just to be comfy in his favorite snoozing locations.  Meds that can cause cellular damage seem to be counterproductive to that goal.

[joeblack]

I don't have a cat but I have a dog and I feed him 1/2 raw food and 1/2 organic (Nutro Dog Food).  I also mix in his food: diatamaceous earth (for parasites) and organic cold press olive oil (for coat and bones) and organic yogurt (good flora in his intestines).  Once a week I give him a couple of raw eggs and I also give him organic apples.  Also in his water I put a few drops of Organic apple cider vinegar to keep his ph balance good.

I do not vaccinate other than rabies because it's required by law.

what is the raw eggs good for?

[donnay]

what is the raw eggs good for?

The raw egg is a good source of biotin which is needed for the skin and coat.

[maim]

do ya feed yer cat out of a plastic bowl?  try a metal or glass/ceramic bowl.  some cats can have skin sensitivity/allergy to plastics

[mehevin]

Thank you for all your replies, I will look into it further.

No maim he is feed in a stainless steel bowl.

[Brocke]

I don't have a cat but I have a dog and I feed him 1/2 raw food and 1/2 organic (Nutro Dog Food).  I also mix in his food: diatamaceous earth (for parasites) and organic cold press olive oil (for coat and bones) and organic yogurt (good flora in his intestines).  Once a week I give him a couple of raw eggs and I also give him organic apples.  Also in his water I put a few drops of Organic apple cider vinegar to keep his ph balance good.

I do not vaccinate other than rabies because it's required by law.

Wow what a great diet! Lucky dog. We also put colloidal silver in our cats water.

Our vet just put our 17-year-old Siamese on medication for a hyperthyroid condition - a cream that you put on the inside of his ear tips two times a day. For the past year, he's been hungry all the time, and has lost weight in spite of eating tons of food. I started giving him some roasted chicken, and that seems to help satisfy his appetite for a while.  The thing about the medication from the vet is that she indicated that she would need to test his blood every few weeks and monitor him for any problems that the meds might cause ... potentially cellular damage (!!) 

So, trying to find an alternative, we've ordered "Resthyro for Cat Hyperthyroidism" - a natural alternative which got a lot of good reviews on the website where we ordered it.  A bit pricey, but less than the meds ordered by the vet.  At least it's all natural ingredients, and since he's in his last years of life, I want him to be comfortable and happy. He has no plans to do a cover shoot for Cat Fancy Magazine... just to be comfy in his favorite snoozing locations.  Meds that can cause cellular damage seem to be counterproductive to that goal.

Our cat has had Hyperthyroidism for years now and he eats like a bear. He is on 7.5mg of Neo-Mercazole (Carbimazole) a day. It is really hard to keep his weight up. We feed him fresh wild whole ground rabbit (bones and all) once a day that we get from a local fresh pet food supplier. No chemicals or preservatives. He really likes it. The only thing you have to watch out for with rabbit is that it contains very few vitamins or minerals which can cause protein poisoning or "mal de caribou". ref. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_starvation

Please let me know how he goes on the Resthyro. If it helps your cat I might get some to try on "Stimpy".

do ya feed yer cat out of a plastic bowl?  try a metal or glass/ceramic bowl.  some cats can have skin sensitivity/allergy to plastics

Excellent point. The less plastic the better.

[Celticknot]

Kitty probably has a lack of amino acids, which causes that sort of behavior. Amino acids are found in meat, likely this is why the behavior ceases when he's given meat. The defiency causes all sorts of weird symptoms. Cat food typically doesn't supply enough amino acids since the protein is processed.  Humans are deficient in it too. Read up and see what sorts of meats would provide the essential amino acids eggs, fish, meats offer a variety. Amino acids are responsible for proper cell growth and regeneration..

Wow what a great diet! Lucky dog. We also put colloidal silver in our cats water.


Our cat has had Hyperthyroidism for years now and he eats like a bear. He is on 7.5mg of Neo-Mercazole (Carbimazole) a day. It is really hard to keep his weight up. We feed him fresh wild whole ground rabbit (bones and all) once a day that we get from a local fresh pet food supplier. No chemicals or preservatives. He really likes it. The only thing you have to watch out for with rabbit is that it contains very few vitamins or minerals which can cause protein poisoning or "mal de caribou". ref. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_starvation

Please let me know how he goes on the Resthyro. If it helps your cat I might get some to try on "Stimpy".


Excellent point. The less plastic the better.

[Satyagraha]

Our cat has had Hyperthyroidism for years now and he eats like a bear. He is on 7.5mg of Neo-Mercazole (Carbimazole) a day. It is really hard to keep his weight up. We feed him fresh wild whole ground rabbit (bones and all) once a day that we get from a local fresh pet food supplier. No chemicals or preservatives. He really likes it. The only thing you have to watch out for with rabbit is that it contains very few vitamins or minerals which can cause protein poisoning or "mal de caribou". ref. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_starvation

Please let me know how he goes on the Resthyro. If it helps your cat I might get some to try on "Stimpy".

The vet-ordered medication is called "Methimazole TDG/Lipoderm" - dose is 0.1ml twice a day on inner tip of ears.

The Resthyro is on it's way here.. shipped a few days ago. I'll keep you posted on the results. We'll switch Sam over to that when it arrives.  Here's a description:

http://petproducts.petwellbeing.com/search?w=resthyro+for+cat+hyperthyroidism&asug=resth&CFID=6328683&CFTOKEN=35252967

What is Resthyro?

For those who prefer non-surgical, natural treatments, we offer Resthyro for Cat Hyperthyroidism. Carefully formulated by a leading naturopathic veterinarian, this very popular product is loaded with a powerful combination of seven different herbal extracts. Together, they are very effective in treating feline hyperthyroidism

    * Improves digestion
    * Relieves tension and irritability
    * Improves cardiovascular functions
    * Balances thyroid function (inhibits over-production of thyroid hormones)

An all-natural product, Resthyro has no adverse side effects and is safe for long-term use.

What is cat Hyperthyroidism

Hyperthyroidism is very common with middle-aged and older cats. It results when the thyroid glands (located near the cat’s windpipe) produce too much thyroid hormone.

Hyperthyroid pets often lose weight despite a normal appetite and become nervous, irritable and vocal. For several days, they may be hyperactive and have a rapid heart beat, then lethargic, apathetic and uninterested in food, play or grooming. Unfortunately thyroid balances are extremely common in cats, the biggest one being hyperthyroidism.

Symptoms of feline hyperthyroidism

    * Weight loss
    * Poor coat quality
    * Increased appetite
    * Increased water intake
    * Increased urine output
    * Occasional vomiting or diarrhea
    * Hyperactivity, irritability, increased yowling

If you suspect your cat has an overactive thyroid, you should consult your vet. Traditional treatments include radioactive iodine therapy, surgical removal of the thyroid gland, and ongoing treatment with anti-thyroid medications.

 Ingredients

    * Eleutherococus Senticosus: balances thyroid (impedes thyroid hypertrophy induced by thyroidin, and thyroid gland atrophy induced by hormones); stimulates metabolism.
    * Bugleweed: Inhibits Thyroid-stimulating hormones; slows and strengthens heart contractions action; relieves tension and irritability; it does not contains salycilates.
    * Lemon Balm: inhibits thyroid activity by blocking the TSH receptors; improves digestion; relaxes nervous tension and excitability.
    * Hawthorn: heart and vascular tonic, strengthens cardiovascular structures and functions.
    * Skullcap: sedative; moderates nerve transmissions; stimulates kidney function; detoxicant.
    * Gotu Kola: tonic, mild diuretic, balances hormones.
    * Valerian: reduces inflammation, relaxes spasms and relieves pain.
    * Glycerin based

[mehevin]

Kitty probably has a lack of amino acids, which causes that sort of behavior. Amino acids are found in meat, likely this is why the behavior ceases when he's given meat. The defiency causes all sorts of weird symptoms. Cat food typically doesn't supply enough amino acids since the protein is processed.  Humans are deficient in it too. Read up and see what sorts of meats would provide the essential amino acids eggs, fish, meats offer a variety. Amino acids are responsible for proper cell growth and regeneration..

wow thanks Celticknot! He had tests for allergies but not for deficiencies so this could be the key! I will have a look into this.

Oh and also yes, less plastic the better, we use very little, nearly next to nothing for food here, takes a while but I managed to track down and replace alot of household goods, things like glass lunch boxes etc and it is well worth the peace of mind.

 

[Love]

I'll add my two cents about feline diet.  A cat is a pure carnivore.  (Whereas a dog can be an omnivore).  Do not attempt to feed your cat anything other than a purely carnivorous diet.  Attempting to do this is tantamount to animal abuse.  (There are some silly people who think their pets should go vegan because they're vegan themselves, and although this might fly with dogs, only do it to your cat if you're attempting to kill it).

All commercial cat food is inferior to what you could be feeding your cat if you fed it regular meat like you eat at the table.  However, in the commercial realm, wet canned food has a better protein content than dry kibbles.  So between dry and wet, choose wet for more protein.  (Wet food is also the way to go if your kitty needs to lose weight).

Taurine is absolutely essential to cats, and cats must be fed plenty of meat to get adequate taurine.  Taurine is an amino acid which, if lacking in the cat's diet, will make it go blind.  No, I am not kidding.

Many cats also like to supplement their diets by nibbling on grass.  Some do it more than others.  If you have a cat that is a frequent grass nibbler, make sure you keep your kitty well-supplied if they are an indoor animal.