Cat Food and Nutrition---People Foods: Are They Safe?

[Texasmujer]

Unlike dogs and people, cats are true carnivores, which means that they deoend upon a meat-based diet. Also, cats require protein and diffreent nutrients than dogs, such as taurine(an essential amino acid), arachidonic acid (fatty acid), and pre-formed vitamin A (rather than beta-carotene), all of which are found only in animal tissues. Due to these dietary differences, it is especially important to only feed your cat food that is formulated specifically for cats.

Other foods to keep away from your cat are:

* MILK: Although some cats may safely tolerate milk, large intakes may cause diarrhea in cats who lack the enzyme lactase, which is necessary for daity digestion.

* RAW FISH: A raw fish diet can lead to a deficiency of the vitamin thismine, making your cat more likely to develop a toal lack of appetite, general weakness, abnormal postsure, and seizures. Thismine deficiency can also lead to death.

* RAW EGGS: A diet high in raw eggs can increase a cat's risk of biotin deficienct. Lack of the vitamin biotin may cause loss of hair, dermatitis, and poor growth.

* RAW LIVER: :iver is high in vitamin A; too much vitamin A can be tozic to cats.

* CHOCOLATE: A favorite treat for humans, chocolate is anything but sweet for cats. Under any circumatances, DO NOT let your cat eat chocolate. Chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine, both of which are toxic to cats and canproduce fatal effects, even in tiny amounts.

* SMALL, SOFT BONES: Chicken or pork chops pose a serious choking threat and should never be given to cats.

* TABLE SCRAPS: Your dinner leftovers and/or discarded table scraps are not nutritionally complete or balanced foods for cats. If you can't resist sneaking your cat an occasional bite, restrict tis to less than 10 per cent of your cat's daily food intake.

[wanderingmutt]

I have a cat that would sometimes sneak a lick of coffee grounds, when we used to drink coffee. I can't think of what there is in coffee grounds that any cat or pet, period, that would make them as insistent as she was about it. We'd pull her off the counter 3 or 4 times before giving in. It's not like there wasn't plenty of food in her bowl either.

[Babz]

I but Whiskas Cat Milk and have to dilute it as if I don't it makes
her sick !!

I am careful as to what she eats as she is a grand old lady of 19 years !!

[Texasmujer]

OHhh, it's WONDERFUL that you've had her that long! My 'top' cat (he's the first cat I got in Beaumont---he's a 'rescue' cat) is getting gray around his face, and it makes me a little sad...

[Celyn]

And I got it all wrong and thought the thread was about wondering whether it was safe for cats to eat people.

I mean, I suppose they could, as that old management theory thingy has it about it being possible for a person to eat an elephant, “ ... one bite at a time ... " Still a scary thought, though.

(I am suddenly looking at the CelynCat in a different light - a very scary one. How will I get to sleep?


The thing about table scraps is good advice, but I really hope there would be no-one trying to feed a cat purely on the human leftovers (um ..........well, when I say “human leftovers” ........... in a manner of speaking, that is. ) I don't eat chicken or bacon or any meat thing very often, but when I do, the cat absolutely ORDERS that cat should have a bit. And of course, the cat does get some tuna, chicken or whatever, but is simply an unusual treat – the occasional bit of “people food” is fun for the cat, but I would hardly expect cat to to be a healthy cat on what I eat.
Then again, maybe I am not healthy on what I eat? Once again, eek!

One thing that does annoy me, though, is when there are people determined to make their cats vegetarian. No: that is not good. Not that there are many who do try that, I hope, but it really is not good at all.

[Texasmujer]

Cats are carnivores, not vegetarians, and need meat. They have specific nutrient needs, and should not be subjected to human's emotinal/intullectual 'needs'/wants.