Outraged clueless woman at food donations

[wolfie]

He even a few times re-ate something that came back up from his own stomach-----

Look on the bright side - at least he wasn't displaying another "disgusting canine habit" by re-eating something that had already made a full trip through his digestive system.

[Minflick]

Poopsicles! My friend's shepherd used to regularly raid the cat's litter box.... Bleahrg!

[nutraxfornerves]

Taurine is naturally found in meat (taurine as is Taurus the Bull), poultry & seafood, mostly in muscles. Some seafood is particularly high. But there are problems using them to get it to your cat.

First, taurine is extremely water soluble. If you cook meat in water, you lose a lot of it. If your meat or giblets or whatever has a bunch of red liquid at the bottom of the package, a lot of the taurine is probably in it. Same with liquid that forms when you thaw frozen stuff.

Cooking can also degrade the taurine, reducing the amount by half or more. On the other hand, raw meat, especially chicken, may have food safety problems. Raw fish can have parasites.

Taurine can also degrade due to exposure to air, such as happens when meat in ground.

There is also taurine in eggs, but feeding raw eggs has its own problems. Raw egg white can bind certain proteins so they aren't available to the cat. An occasional raw white isn't an issue, but lots of it could cause problems.

People who prefer to feed their cats an all-raw diet can and do juggle all this. People who make their own cooked cat food often give taurine supplements.

[Seanette]

Poopsicles! My friend's shepherd used to regularly raid the cat's litter box.... Bleahrg!

I've known several dogs with a fondness for "litterbox crunchies".

[Deevil]

On the other paw, cats need commercial food. Tuna and other processed meat is a tasty treat, but shouldn't be fed to them on a regular basis. Cats need Taurine. Their only source of Taurine is raw meat. When meat is cooked, the Taurine goes away. The only way to fix that is to buy suppliants or to just buy commercial food that has the required amounts.

Or one could feed their cats a raw meat diet.

Clockwise from bottom: Minerva 18 in picture, lived to 21. Shasta 14 in picture, lived to 18 1/2. Misty 8 in picture still going strong at 14.

[Slave to the Phone]

I fully agree that a raw meat diet is the best way to feed cats. However, I also know that it can be tricky, expensive and takes planning. I'm glad you are able to do it for yours, they are some lucky kitties.

Due to odd job schedules, etc., ours get the best commercial we can afford. Ours also have a bunch of new knitted kitty toys and sleeping mats thanks to a meals-on-wheels customer. I'm guessing that he or she has a pet that we feed. I really was in tears when the m-o-w driver gave them to me.

(I don't knit, but they look like they were made with scraps and leftover bits of yarn. That's fine, I'm NOT complaining. I'm thinking that I should buy some yarn for the knitter. Does anyone have suggestions as to what kind of yard and when the sales are?)

[notalwaysright]

My kitty gets Primal, a commercial raw food. Before I switched he was pulling out the fur on his belly and then biting until he created sores. It stopped the fur biting, and he's so healthy and energetic. Speaking of poop, his hardly smells at all. It is expensive, but about on par with expensive canned food. My mom had a cat live over 20 on cheap grocery store cat food, though, so I'm not trying to tell anyone what to do. Also, this is my kitty. He's 8 now.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

I've known several dogs with a fondness for "litterbox crunchies".

That's why I don't allow Abby near the litter boxes . . . just gross.


As far as what we feed our kitties: Friskies canned cat food (have to buy a 32 pack every week) and a good brand of dry food (either Meow Mix or I'll sometimes get the Kit n' Kaboodles if I'm pinching pennies that week.)

For the doggies, it's Pedigree canned food and Kibbles n' Bits (or Gravy Train, sometimes Alpo) but Mom's adamant about buying a good grade of food for the furbabies. We've been known to skimp sometimes on the people food just so the pets have what they need.

[Ironclad Alibi]

Poopsicles! My friend's shepherd used to regularly raid the cat's litter box.... Bleahrg!

We used to call those kitty treats or kitty yummies.

[Seshat]

(I don't knit, but they look like they were made with scraps and leftover bits of yarn. That's fine, I'm NOT complaining. I'm thinking that I should buy some yarn for the knitter. Does anyone have suggestions as to what kind of yard and when the sales are?)

If the knitter is elderly or has poor sight, you want something where ... let me start over.

Yarn for knitting is usually made of multiple 'plies', or lengths of thinner yarn, twisted together. A knitter with good hand control and good sight can easily handle yarn where the plies aren't tightly twisted, but one without can have trouble keeping from feeding the needle through a gap between plies.
So if your knitter is older, you'll want tightly twisted plies.

Otherwise, look at how thick the yarns in the cat toys are. Pick a toy that's about the average she (probably she) uses, and take it with you to the yarn store. Any yarn which is about the same thickness is, apparently, the thickness she enjoys knitting with.
Now you want a yarn which is soft to the hands, so feel the yarns. I'm not going to make a recommendation as to the fibre; that will depend on your price range and what's available. Just something that feels soft when you pull it through your hands.

Some of the synthetic yarns are as pleasant to knit with as the best natural yarns, some of the natural yarns are as harsh as the worst synthetics.

If you were buying a yarn to make a particular type of garment, the fibre would matter. But if she's an experienced knitter, she'll be able to feel the yarn, read the label (or have it read to her), and decide what to make with it. So all is well.

What you will want to do is ensure that all the balls you buy of the same yarn-and-colour come from the same dye lot. The dye lot will be on the label.


At any time, there will be a sale on 'end of a dye lot' yarns. There may be only five balls or two balls or one ball of a given dye lot; those are the yarn equivalents of remnant fabrics.


Other common sale times are end-of-winter, start-of-winter, and start-of-autumn. End of winter is because knitting is commonly seen as a winter craft. Start of autumn is because knitters with common sense start their projects intended for that winter several months early. Start of winter is because people who don't knit often are prompted to buy yarn by the start of the cold weather.

At least, that's the sale times in Aussieland. In places with more serious winters, the sales for knitting yarns might come at other times.

[katzklaw]

yeaaahhhh... when we first got Luna we had a cat. we had to relocate the box to the bathroom and cut a kitty door into the bottom of the door... Luna liked the "tootsie rolls" :barf:

and yeah. she had the nickname "ol irongut Luna". we fed her anything and everything XD in moderation of course!

[Slave to the Phone]

Seshat, thank you so much for the wonderfully informative post. You explained everything wonderfully. I think that you are right and that the knitter is female, but I've known men who stitch, so you never know.

Now for a funny story: We are having a food drive at work. As usual, I brought in some canned protein and a couple of bags of pet food. I haven't confessed, but have enjoyed the comments. Its an even split between the people who wonder why anyone would donate pet food to a food drive, and the ones who comment that they think its a wonderful idea and wonder why they never thought of it themselves.

When we had a dog, she was more interested in the unused cat food but she would help herself to used cat food if it was available.

[Lace Neil Singer]

My cat lived to be fifteen years old by eating absolutely everything. She was normally given Purina, but wouldn't turn her nose up at random stuff she found... like the time she broke into a house over the road by walking in their open kitchen window and eating their dog's dinner right in front of him!

[Kogarashi]

but I've known men who stitch, so you never know.

True that. My husband doesn't knit, but he does crochet (hammocks, but he could easily apply his know-how to more traditionally "feminine" projects). I don't. It amuses me to bring this up with other people.

[dalesys]

... but he does crochet...

He's a hooker!