Health Store Bargains

Andrea C asked:


I currently have two week old kittens whose mom is with them. She was a stray and seems to be in much better health than when she was found. She was found right before she delivered four babies. Due to her health she has never produced enough milk for them. I began to suppliment feed the babies. My concern is will this cause the mom cat’s milk to dry out. I do not feed them all the time, but about three times a day and two refuse to accept milk from me. I am not sure how to get them to accept it so they can beging to gain weight. Please help with any advice and I appriciate no slams please. I am planning on having all of them checked out by a vet as soon as I can get the money together to ensure their health is up to par.
Thanks a million!
Andrea
Suppliment: To help her by feeding the kittens a milk replacement perodically giving her a chance to nurse them as well.

Tim W asked:


My little guy has been on a prescribed raw diet for plus minus two months, his weight, general demeanor, appetite, coat conditioning, eyes all give the impression of a healthy young cat.

However his stool is very inconsistent it varies from hard and solid to hard and solid with a mucous excess and occasionally slightly runny. The mucous excess has been quite predominant in the last two weeks. Opinion I have received has varied from a lack of fiber to healthy process of detoxification. I am not sure exactly where I should be looking? I have been advised of two different approaches 1.) A natural supplement such as Benifiber or small portions of grated sweet potato as a fiber alternative.

His diet consists of a breakdown of :- Lamb mussel meat, Lamb hearts , lamb livers, chicken breasts, chicken thighs, chicken necks, with added multi vitamin supplements, Salmon oil, egg yokes, Benifiber (as an alternative to PSYLLIUM POWDER), an occasional treat of tuna in water.

Any other alternative fiber suggestions would be appreciated. A suggested approach and a slightly better understanding to what degree fiber is actually necessary in the healthy functioning of cats in general would certainly help.

Your advice is appreciated.

Tim W asked:


Thank you for the response to part 1 of this question.
My little guy has had a gall bladder bypass (due to gallstones) which now discounts the gall bladder function
In this situation how should the raw diet be configured ie what is better and what is not so good (With regards his present diet)
He has been on a prescribed raw diet for plus minus two months, his weight, general demeanor, appetite, coat conditioning, eyes all give the impression of a healthy young cat.

However his stool is very inconsistent it varies from hard and solid to hard and solid with a mucous excess and occasionally slightly runny. The mucous excess has been quite predominant in the last two weeks. Opinion I have received has varied from a lack of fiber to healthy process of detoxification. I am not sure exactly where I should be looking? I have been advised of two different approaches 1.) A natural supplement such as Benifiber or small portions of grated sweet potato as a fiber alternative.

His diet consists of a breakdown of :- Lamb mussel meat, Lamb hearts , lamb livers, chicken breasts, chicken thighs, chicken necks, with added multi vitamin supplements, Salmon oil, egg yokes, Benifiber (as an alternative to PSYLLIUM POWDER), an occasional treat of tuna in water.

Any other alternative fiber suggestions would be appreciated. A suggested approach and a slightly better understanding to what degree fiber is actually necessary in the healthy functioning of cats in general would certainly help.

Your advice is appreciated.

Anton Sky asked:


My cat must remain on clomicalm but I’ve noticed that his fur becomes dull and scraggly looking when he’s on it. Any ideas on why this is happening and what I should give him?

Thanks a million!

Kit asked:


I’ve been having a hard time finding any good information regarding a calcium supplement for the raw diet. My cat will eat ground meat, but I won’t be able to get a hold of any whole ground meat with bone in it for another month. I’m not sure how much calcium needs to be added to the diet or if any other supplements need to be added because of lack of bone. I feed her prey model, and I already have meat, liver, kidney and heart so just need an idea of how to replace the bone with supplements for the next month.
You shouldn’t even bother stating that your a vet assistant….most vets I’ve met know nothing about the diet of a cat. Cats are CARNIVORES!!!!!! They aren’t supposed to eat grain, or veggies….do some research and stop acting like you know better than everyone else just because you went to school. I’ve been researching the raw diet for dogs for over a year. My dog had horrible allergies and I tried tons of different foods, even homecooked. Raw was the only thing that fixed my problems. My cat is underweight and needs to gain some muscle, and in my opniion the raw diet is the best way to fix it.
My cat refuses chunks meat of any kind. I tried chicken neck cut up, and pulverized with a hammer. She wont take it. Thats why I resorted to ground meat.
actually my litter pan smells great! lol. the raw diet really cut down the stink, shows you how crappy most kibbles and wet foods are compared to real stuff.

RuneAmok asked:


I have two cats who are fed Natural Balance venison & green pea (canned). They also get the occasional kibble schnibble (Evo mixed with Purina, with Purina in decreasing amounts).

Outside of C.E.T. AQUADENT added to their water and on rare occasions Wysong’s Dentatreat sprinkled on their food, I don’t give them any supplements. They very rarely get any treats, but I do have cat grass and catnip growing for them.

Both are in good health, although Poppy has a sensitive system and is still overweight although she’s definitely slimming down. Both will likely need teeth cleanings this year (they are 2 years old).

Whew! That’s the entire history. With that in mind, I’m wondering what you all think about adding a supplement - something along the lines of Wysong’s AddLife or Bio-algae - or whatever.

Do you think it’s necessary or a good idea to supplement their canned food diet?
The “sensitive system” refers to the loose stool she gets when eating MacDonald’s quality foods - such as Purina. That’s what I fed both of them the first 2 years of their lives - it improved drastically when I switched to canned!
I’m only feeding v&gp because that’s the ONLY one Poppy will eat! lol I’d vary it if she’d let me. I have tried just about every flavor of every brand out there! And I am researching raw - but my attempts have been snubbed. Liver? No thanks! Necks? No thanks! Chicken? No thanks! Any of the above cold, warm or lighly cooked? No thanks! lol and the list goes on. I’m still working on it though.

I’ll be going to a new vet soon; I’ll get her opinion on supplementing as well.

splendiferousflowr asked:


I have a 5 year old cat who is very, very thin. I’ve had him to the vets and after all the tests have come back negative, he suggested different foods and nutritional supplements. My cat is a very finicky eater with a touchy stomach. Are there any mild formula’s that you’ve used and found work well to help aid in the weight gain of your cats?