🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <qutDrKvFD.BKH@netcom.com>, Dave Harman <qut@netcom.com> wrote:
>In <4nec7e$8f1@newsbf02.news.aol.com> nsorcl@aol.com (Nsorcl) writes:
>
>! PLEASE don't feed your cat scraps and bones.  It does not in any way shape
>! or form provide a balanced diet.  See my post "balanced diet/onion powder"
>
>I'm SURE he meant GROUND bones, which is in ALL cat/dog food as a vital
>ingrediant.  Meat is actually not sufficient for these carnivores; add
>at least shredded cooked greens and grains to the mush.
>(Meatloaf, for example, is a hell of a lot better for you and your
>pet carnivores than pure hamburger.)
>
>It's said that some butchers will give you several pounds of free
>"saw dust," that is, a mix of bone/meat that fell off the bone saw.
>

I'd caution anyone who wants to feed their cat something that isn't already
balanced for cats (like cat food) to REALLY know what they're doing. I
have had an entire college course on companion animal nutrition (as
well as other animal nutrition courses) and it's more complicated than
it seems. Not only must you have the necessary macro and
micronutrients, you must have them at the correct levels. It's not
just throwing some meat and some bone meal at them. 
  
I'd rather have my cats eat some ground chicken feathers (yes, that's
what "poultry by-product meal" is) than be under- or mal-nourished
because of my ignorance. If pet food is so toxic, why aren't pets
dropping like flies? I think the risk of poor nutrition from a
homemade diet is much greater than any health risk from commercial cat
food.

If you REALLY REALLY want to formulate a diet for your pet, I would
talk to an animal nutritionist at a zoo, NOT a vet. Most vets have
surprisingly little training in animal nutrition. They leave that up
to the feed companies. 

--Betsy