posted 11-29-2003 03:01 PM         

Here is a very good book on cat and dog nutrition: Dr. Pitcarins natural health for dogs and cats.
He goes into detail on the types of supplements and nutrients both dogs and cats need. He also goes into how to make home made food and supplies recipes and percentages.

posted 11-29-2003 05:48 PM         

First of all, to clear up misconceptions about the Atkins diet - one doens't have to eat any more protein than they are now....just simply reduce their carbohydrate intake. I am on it now and I don't eat any more meat than I did before.

As for cats, from all my vet's advice, cats should reduce their calorie intake. I don't know the ins and outs of cat diets but weight loss should be gradual and if a cat loses 1-3 pounds in a week or even a month is way too fast. My vet suggested my cat should lose no more than a pound in a month or even two!

As for cats having too much protein, my sisters cat was on a home-made diet ( a well balenced one) and her kitty developed kidney disease as a result of too much protein. So it is possible. And as Maydays Mom mentioned, a cat needs taurine and other nutrients which I don't think they will get from eating just plain meat.

Please tell your cousin that the diet his cat is on isan't safe at all and fast weight loss isn't safe. It does removes fat from the body but leaves fat around the organs such as the heart which is very dangerous. A slow controlled weight loss is the best way to go.

posted 11-29-2003 06:45 PM         

Cats are carnivores and a high protein diet, low carb diet is natural for them.
Hill's has recently come out with a new prescription "adkins type" diet for obesity and/or diabetes mellitus called Hill's m/d. The protein is 45% in this dry food.

posted 11-29-2003 06:50 PM         

quote:

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the cat is on a total meat diet.

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So the cat gets meat and thats it? Is he adding supplements?
Regardless, an all meat diet is likely to be lacking in lots of things. Sounds pretty dangerous to me.
What or who gave your cousin the idea to do this?

posted 11-29-2003 07:02 PM         

For some reason owners believe that meat is good and that they are doing the best for their animal by feeding the "best steak" or "fresh liver" to their pet. Meat as part of a balanced diet is good, particularly for cats which are strict carnivores. It provides an excellent source of protein and other nutrients, but it must be mixed with other ingredients to create a properly balanced ration..

The reason is that meat and offal are deficient in calcium, and relatively high in phosphorus. As a result, if you feed an exclusively meat or offal diet your poor pet will have to maintain it's blood calcium levels by removing calcium from it's body stores. As you know, most of the body's calcium reserves are in the bony part of the skeleton. So, your pet's clever hormone system will remove calcium from the bone to keep the amount circulating in the bloodstream "normal". The result is decalcification of the bone, which leads to thin, brittle bones. These bones can fracture very easily - even the act of walking can cause a fracture. Unless the dietary problem is corrected your veterinarian won't even be able to repair the fractures because the bones won't heal properly. Eventually, untreated animals will become totally debilitated, and possibly paralysed if the spine fractures .

Provet advice : NEVER feed an exclusively meat or offal ration to your pet. Ask your veterinarian about his/her recommendations for feeding your animal.

Provet advice : NEVER compile your own ration for your pet without getting the formula approved by an independent advisor - your veterinarian !"