Assist Feeding - Syringe Feeding: Thinning the Food
by Kathy Fatheree

The majority of canned foods are too thick to syringe feed without thinning them down some. Thinner food is easier to swallow and it's easier for you to press through the syringe. There are several thinning options to choose from and my favorites are unsalted real butter (1/4 of a pat) when extra calories are needed and unsalted chicken broth. Water is usually not recommended since your cat needs as much nutrition as possible. If you do use a liquid oil, safflower oil is generally recommended, just remember that these oils, especially olive oil, can easily cause diarrhea. If your cat is constipated and you are giving Lactulose separately throughout the day, try using it as the food thinner. How much should you thin the food? This will be your cat's personal preference. Try several thicknesses and see which works best. There are more calories and nutrients in thicker food. If you are having trouble getting enough calories in your cat, leave the food as thick as possible but thin enough to safely syringe feed... you don't want a glob to stick in the syringe and then shoot food into the mouth when the glob breaks free.

Tip: Use a food processor to eliminate chunks in the food. The k/d minced actually becomes thinning when run through a food processor.

Tip: Many people make the food very thin so that they can load the syringe by pulling the food up into the syringe. Instead, make the food a little thicker and use a popsicle stick or small round measuring spoon to load the syringe from the top.

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Feline Nutrition - Dry Food vs. Canned Food
by Kathy Fatheree

Dr. Lisa A. Pierson, DVM is a strong advocate for natural nutrition for cats and is strongly against dry cat food. She states that "cats have a better chance at optimal health if they are fed a quality canned food diet instead of dry kibble." Some highlights from her article are as follows:

• Cats can better utilize animal-based proteins (meat) and derive much less nutritional support from plant-based proteins (grains).
• A natural cat diet would consist of 6-9% carbohydrates. The average dry food contains 35-50% carbohydrates.
• Grains are cheap. Dry food is convenient. Affordability and convenience sells.
• The cat on dry food consumes approximately HALF the amount of water compared with a cat eating canned foods. This is a crucial point when one considers how common kidney and bladder problems are in the cat.
• There is a very strong and extremely logical connection between the way that we are currently feeding our obligate carnivores and many of the life-threatening diseases that afflict them.

On the Net:
About Dr. Lisa Pierson
Feeding your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition

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ProActive Cat Care - Understanding Blood Test Reports
by Garry White

Ohmigosh! Fluffy, you've been in the workshop again, haven't you? It says right here on this report that you're only supposed to have no more than 150 GLU's, and you've got 158 of the things! Shame on you, and please leave the Elmer's alone from now on!

An old phrase applies here: "Be careful what you ask for; you might get it."

You informed the new vet (somewhat firmly) that you expect copies of reports for tests that are performed on dear little Fluffy, and Doc obliged. With a sarcastic smile. You glance at the report, nod a couple of times, mutter "Uh-Huh" twice, and try to look intelligent. Of course, the only people fooled by your performance are those seated on the benches and waiting their turn; Doc already knows what the report values mean to you. And so do I. But we're going to change all that, aren't we? Click below to go to the information page, and let's see if we can make some sense out of what has you scratching the ol' noodle...

Understanding Blood Test Reports

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Feline Obesity - Diet Food Doesn't Always Work
by Kathy Fatheree

I recently watched a news special by Peter Jennings called "Obesity in America: How to Get Fat Without Really Trying." The bottom line to this show is that "The most heavily subsidized crop in America is corn. Farmers plant nearly 80 million acres of corn each year and in the last five years, they got an average of $5.5 billion in federal subsidies every year." So what do they do with all of this extra corn? Corn is processed into every kind of variation such as high-fructose corn syrup, vegetable oil, Corn Gluten Meal, Starch... to name a few. Start looking at the labels on the food that YOU eat and a corn product will be in almost everything! Common ingredients in dry cat food include Corn Gluten Meal, Ground Whole Corn, and Corn Grits (not to mention all of the rice, wheat and soy). Cats do NOT need all of these extra carbohydrates and what they don't use for nutrition, gets turned to fat. Even the so called "diet" foods are loaded with carbohydrates. Look at the labels and see all the corn.

What's the Answer?
We will talk about several different options over the next several weeks including:
1. Specialty cat foods with lower grain amounts.
2. The addition of L-carnitine.
3. Canned food.

On the Net:
Obesity in America: How to Get Fat Without Really Trying

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See You Next Week!

Copyright © 2003, 2004 by Kathy Fatheree. All rights reserved.
May be distributed in its entirety if full attribution is given and copyright notice is included.

Disclaimer: Unless otherwise noted, writers of this newsletter are not medical experts. Information covered in this newsletter does not in any way take the place of advice from your veterinarian. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information, Kathy Fatheree or anyone associated with this AssistFeed.com Newsletter cannot be held responsible for anything that may happen as a result of you using the information in this newsletter.

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