At 07:29 PM 7/18/98 EDT, you wrote:
>In a message dated 7/18/98 5:57:25 PM, [log in to unmask] wrote:
>
><<I would
>*love* to see a list just like this one for dogs (or dogs and cats).>>
>
>What's the optimum diet for cats?
>
>John M

Hi John,

I haven't had any cats for a long time, and back when I did, I fed
commercial foods. However, from what I've gathered from the various lists,
a species-appropriate diet for a cat is very similar to that of a dog: raw
meat, meaty bones (a lot of people feed chicken necks), juiced veggies,
etc. No grains, no dairy, although many people do feed those still. In
fact, one long time natural feeder on Wellpet said that when she eliminated
grains from her dogs' diet she didn't notice much difference. But when she
stopped feeding them to her cats, she noticed a tremendous difference. One
person said she occasionally buys a "feeder mouse" at the pet store for her
cat to hunt and eat in the house.

The only other things I think I remember about cats is that they were only
domesticated about 8,000 years ago and they are desert animals which is why
they require very little water other than what's in their food. Also, they
are "obligate" carnivores and have some particular dietary requirements,
particularly for the amino acids arginine and taurine. Because of this, a
vegetarian diet for a cat is a really bad idea (an arginine deficient meal
can cause death within 5 hours!). There are other nutrients that must be
present in their diet because they can't synthesize or convert them like
dogs can.

Kathy Partridge
mailto:[log in to unmask]
Artworks website: <http://www.borg.com/~atelierk/>
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Atelier Golden Retrievers & Goldens Portrayed
Member GRCA, up in central New York