Login Help | Join for Free! | Hide This

Community » Forum » Anything Goes

Search

Issues with my cat

Too feed cat chicken, or to not feed cat chicken?!

1 - 10 of 14 posts 1 | 2

..1 TAS • Posts: 2265

1 21 Jan 2013

So my cat is coming home from the vet tomorrow, after being there for over a week - he was refusing to eat, so the vet started giving him medication to get his intestines and bowels moving again, it worked and he started eating, but the only food the vet wants him to eat is chicken...

My pets aren't vegan, but the processed pet food is my absolute limit when it comes to meat.
However, because his gut has gone without food for such a long time, it will only respond well to the bland chicken, to put him back on his normal diet would be too rich and he won't be able to tolerate it. The vet wants me to at least give him chicken to mix in with his normal food, but I don't want to be buying dead animals at all, any ideas? sad

(Apologies about the incorrect 'too', and the 'to' and 'not' being around the wrong way in the sub title. I clicked submit too early, apparently!)

Fish VIC • Posts: 149

2 21 Jan 2013

If your cat needs chicken it needs chicken. Not providing would be cruel.
In fact buying chicken would be better provided you got free range. The chickens would be living a better life.

+ 3

..1 TAS • Posts: 2265

3 21 Jan 2013

Fish said:

In fact buying chicken would be better provided you got free range. The chickens would be living a better life.

Just a quick google search proved you wrong, I'm afraid. These are all free range chickens. I've decided I'm just going to put him on dry food only.
http://www.upc-online.org/freerange/black_eagle_farm2.jpg
http://advocacy.britannica.com/blog/advocacy/wp-content/uploads/chickens-4.jpg
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2010/09/30/2013043094.jpg

Fish VIC • Posts: 149

4 21 Jan 2013

Maggie said:

Fish said:

In fact buying chicken would be better provided you got free range. The chickens would be living a better life.

Oh nasty. Suppose it's better that being a battery hen.
BUT WAIT! You could put him on dry food only? Why didn't you mention this! I opt for dry food. Half of its not meat anyway.

..1 TAS • Posts: 2265

5 21 Jan 2013

Fish said:

BUT WAIT! You could put him on dry food only? Why didn't you mention this! I opt for dry food. Half of its not meat anyway.

I'm not meant to have him on dry food only, but it's the best thing I can think of. Otherwise I might have to think about chicken necks, apparently they are a waste product that you can still buy?

OinkMoo NSW • Posts: 1340

6 21 Jan 2013

Maggie said:

I might have to think about chicken necks, apparently they are a waste product that you can still buy?

Yes, chicken necks are a waste product and you can buy them extremely cheap. I buy Murphy ( ferret ) them as a treat and he loves them, I've never fed them to our cats though but I buy them mince that would otherwise be thrown out as a treat and they go crazy for it. I don't like the idea of feeding them meat but cats are carnivores so I source out meat from farms that are actually free ranged and feed them that. Hope your cat gets back to him/her self soon happy

+ 2

ckimana NSW • Posts: 2545

7 21 Jan 2013

Careful with feeding dry food only. Make sure the cat is drinking heaps of water.

Urinary tract infections, Cystitis, is really common in cats that are only fed dry food. Its expensive to treat, antiobiotics & inflammatories as well as preventative urinary diets the cat will be on for life. Theyre better off being fed a combination of dry & wet preparations.

+ 1

..1 TAS • Posts: 2265

8 21 Jan 2013

Thanks, Shani, I'll look into that.

He's on a high quality brand of dry food, not just the cheap coloured stuff. It is sodium free. We think he has Inflammatory Bowel Disease, (the equivalent to Crohns Disease in humans) so it looks like he'll be on a Hills Science Prescription diet soon, anyway. But apparently this condition is really common in pedigree cats, not so much moggies. So there's another reason to rescue instead of buy!

Miss. Jones VIC • Posts: 242

9 22 Jan 2013

Hi Maggie,
I completely understand your dilemma. My cat is not vegan and i buy him fresh meat sometimes, there is not much difference between buying that and canned food (i get COLES APPLAWS tinned food, there are no preservatives or colourings or additives, actually they have a simple chicken)
The difference between you and that animal is their body actually does need meat and synthetic food is absolute cruelty. We must remember these animals are not ours and it isn't about you, it's about the cat.
My solution in the long run is that I will never own another cat and I will only look after animals that are naturally vegan.