Catfood, the pressure-canned version

[hennypenny9]

Yeah, I wasn't planning on the psyllium. I was going to toss some peas and carrots into the grinder, anyway. I highly doubt he would eat them whole. I want to grow some cat grass, 'cause he loves it!. If he has any poo problems, I can mix in a bit of pumpkin, right? My friend's cat ate like six Live Strong Bands, and the vet said to mix it in his food. And I was just going to get that multi-vitamin you use, since I don't want to buy a bunch of different supplements. Think I have to use the full dose since the chicken is raw?

I can't wait to start him on all raw! Silly parent isn't hear with the grinder yet, though. And I need to wait until I get paid to order the supplement. Bah.

 

[freemotion]

Carrots are good, but skip the starch veggies, peas and corn. Think seeds....peas and corn are seeds. So for the green veggies, use leafies and maybe baby zucchini with the skin. Best are kale and collards, higher in nutrients because of the longer growing time and deeper roots. I find the animals prefer them over spinach and chard, too. Even though I am the opposite! Pumpkin is something I use, but since it is not really high in fiber, not as useful for poo issues, but carrots are extremely high in fiber.

You can go with half dose of the multi, I would do full dose for a while if he will eat it, just to make up for lacks with the commercial diet. Also, depending on the quality of the meat you are starting with....I just use the commercial chicken available here, so I use a full dose of the multi to make up for the lack in the way the food is raised.

Either way, go with a full dose of the OPC's, it helps tremendously with the stressors in our environment that we cannot control.....pollutants in all their forms that we ingest, take in through our skin, and breath in through the air. I will give up to a triple dose if I am "treating" a challenge such as allergies, skin issues, anything involving inflammation (most health challenges do.) With myself, I take 4-5 times the maintainence dose during spring and fall allergy season and when I am travelling, especially on a plane and staying in hotels. It has given me amazing results, dh and my friends and family (the few who listen to me! ), too. After I got over the shock of the expense, and experienced results (my doctor and friend challenged me to a six month trial) I realized that it was worth it to not have to deal with certain things anymore, that cost me money due to lost work, and cost me enjoyment in life due to having to work in spite of discomfort or the side effects of meds. Oooo, off on a rant again....this is why I do some consulting part-time with health professionals. I can help more people by teaching them. And make a little money to "support my habits!"

 

[hennypenny9]

Interesting! You certainly know what you're talking about. On the poo issue, I read that a raw diet can also make it smell less? Canned cat food makes his poo TOXIC.

Hey, does that website offer free shipping on a certain purchase amount?

 

[freemotion]

Well, poo is poo..... But maybe a bit less smelly, however, my cats aren't on raw. My dog is, and yeah, baby, does it ever make a difference. Being an animal lover, I don't think most poo is too bad, but dog poo smell always made me nauseus. Not so on raw. And most of it washes away in a hard rain. I hardly have to pick up poo in my yard anymore, only if it is very dry for a while or we are having a party.

No free shipping, unfortunately, but there is a program called marewards that gives you points towards free products.....if you make purchases through the partner stores. We are not big consumers of "stuff," but when we need to buy something, we always check first to see if there is a partner store. Sometimes we can buy something online and have it shipped to our local store for free, just to get the points. I did that with my pressure canner, because I was getting it through Ace Hardware, which is a partner store, and there is an Ace right on my road. Duh. Points for something I was buying anyways. Also plane tickets through Hotwire or Travelocity. I can e-mail you more details on how to do this if you want, so you can maybe get it free next time. We got a water filter (under counter mounted) for the cost of shipping, $4.50.

 

[ORChick]

I came over here from the "healthy fats" thread; read it through last night, and think I will give it a go. At least cook up a little, and see how the cats like it. I have 5 cats ranging from 1 year to 11 years, and from skinny to way too chubby, but all basically healthy. We'll see how it goes.

 

[freemotion]

Cool, keep us informed as to your taste testers opinions!

 

[Bettacreek]

Not sure if this has been posted on here or not, but, instead of baking the chicken, toss it in a roaster with plenty of water. That'll skip a step, and it will make it easier to get ALL of the meat off of the bones. This is how I always cook my leg quarters when I'm making a soup or gravy.

 

[freemotion]

I don't have a roaster that will fit 8 whole chickens.... That would be much easier!

I admit that I like to stand there and munch on the crispy skin before stripping the meat off..... My version of potato chips!

 

[abifae]

6 whole chickens or 20 lbs leg quarters
6 lbs chicken livers
1.5 lbs Yellow veggies (carrots, pumpkin)
1.5 lbs Green veggies (green beans, zuchini, collards)

I put my stand mixer in the sink with the grinder attachment and strip it right into the grinder, and into two of the biggest mixing bowls you've ever seen.

Gonna run it all through the blender! lol.

Put all bones in a large stock pot, cover with filtered water or well water, and simmer overnight. No onions or garlic or salt.

Next day: Strain broth, use a bit to run the veggies through the blender, or run them through the food processor w/o broth.

veggies raw or cooked?

Pressure can it at 11 lbs in pint jars for 75 minutes, cold pack method.

I don't have a canner, so smaller batch and freeze it.

What is the best thing to store it in, in the freezer?

Guess what I'm doing this weekend? lol.

 

[freemotion]

I cook the veggies for the cats. The canning process cooks them, but when I used to freeze it, I'd cook them first.

Freeze it in portions that you can thaw in the fridge that will last 1 or 2 days or so. I used the containers that the livers came in after I'd saved enough up. Then I didn't need to mark the containers....no one was gonna accidently re-heat one for lunch!

If your cat isn't fussy, you can chop everything with a sharp knife into bite-size bits. I have to blend it because my cats were switched to homemade after years on commercial food and wouldn't eat it unless it was familiar.....blended mush. Any future kittens will be trained to eat raw meat! I seem to be destined to always have adult rescues, though....