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News Briefs 10-06-2009

Anyone have ideas how to encourage my cat to eat Science Hill dry food? I’ve tried reasoning with Neva “I don’t like broccoli, but I still eat it!“, but she’s not buying it.

Thanks Kat.

Quote of the Day:

I know other astronauts share my feelings… we know the government is sitting on hard evidence of UFOs.

Col. Gordon Cooper

  1. Broccoli
    The trick is to make it taste like food..

    1. Parboil the stuff & drain.
    2. Fry some butter and almond flakes in a pan.
    3. Toss in the green stuff with the almondy butter for a few minutes.
    4. Eat!

    Not sure it’ll work on the cat, mind you.

    (Such a Fortean veg – invented by the guy who produced the Bond movies. And my wife insists it’s really a Cthulhu Mythos creature.)

  2. Feline Gustatory Intractability
    Good luck!

    I predict you’ll toss in the towel before your cat does. This is a species that domesticated inself so it could exploit us. You think you’re going to get that kitty to do something it doesn’t want to?

  3. Mexican flight crew spot UFO
    The report says the UFO was seen at an altitude of 10,000 meters. Almost thrice as high as 10,000 feet 😉

    —–
    It’s not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me…
    It’s all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!

    Red Pill Junkie

      1. for the non-metric types
        For those people who don’t understand metric, and yes I mean you Americans and old fashioned British empire types,

        10,000 meters is a typical flying altitude for commercial jet aircraft.

        —-
        It is not how fast you go
        it is when you get there.

  4. finicky Feline
    You must trick those finicky fella’s. I buy tuna in water, drain the water and store(the water, I eat the tuna) in the fridge until needed, Just pour it over their dry food, the bowl is licked clean 🙂

  5. Feeding Neva
    I have no idea why National Institutes of Health research on taste fell under my home group, National Institute of Deafness and other Communication Disorders, but such was the case. When I was there, research on Umami was just starting to come in. I think it might help.

    Umami is the ‘fifth’ taste type. It detects glutamate. That substance is the precursor for a neurotransmitter that runs much of the motor system. Carnivores have little need for sophisticated taste senses. They need salty (they need salt), they need bitter (to detect poisons) and they need umami (glutamate and the proteins they subsist on). In us, umami is the least strong, in animals such as cats, it is the strongest and the most attractive to them. To make their food attractive, add glutamate, just as we do to make it more satisfying. The main way to add it is to add monosodium glutamate, usually called meat tenderizer.

    Moisten the food lightly, sprinkle lightly with MSG, and serve. Do not use flavored MSG such as Adolf’s.

    OTOH, my ex had a vegetarian cat that preferred white rice and mixed vegetables to any cat food. Worth a try.

    No, I am not the brain specialist…..
    YES. Yes I AM the brain specialist.

    1. Thanks for the suggestions everyone!
      I especially like catvincent’s recipe for an almondy buttery broccoli sauce. Mmm,mmm. I’ll try that this weekend.

      I’ll also try Skills4U and undrgrndgirl’s suggestions to pour tuna-water or fish sauce over the dried food, see how that goes. Neva loves tuna. She assigned me chief-of-staff when she was one year old, so she probably had canned food her whole short little life and got used to it. I think I’d have better luck convincing my one-year-old nephew to eat vegies and not ask for McDonalds all the time. Or me to eat my vegies and not get takeaway Japanese bento boxes all the time.

      Maybe Neva is a vegetarian (or a vegetarian in a past life who desperately wanted to reincarnate as a cat and got her wish). I gave her a raw chicken wing tonight, to help with her teeth and gingivitis. But she took one dispassionate sniff and walked away with a bored flick of her tail. I can’t believe it, what kind of cat doesn’t like a juicy chicken wing!

      But I suspect Lani is right. Neva will get her way, and I’ll chuck in the towel soon and be her humble servant. She likes eating my leftover dinner though, vegies and all, so that’s something.

      1. Raw Chicken ??
        Raw chicken? Are not cats as susceptible to salmonella poisoning as humans ??

        For the cat lover..

        “the main reason I’d discourage feeding cats “people food” is that there are a number of foods that are toxic to cats. You may have forgotten that the gravy slathered over your Thanksgiving turkey used broth that was flavored with onion, among other things. While it is tasty and harmless to humans, onions are very toxic to cats. The following is a list of foods that cats should never eat:

        Onions, Garlic, & Related Root Vegetables

        Onions contain a substance (N-propyl disulphide) which destroys red blood cells in the cat, causing a form of anemia called Heinz body anemia. Garlic contains a similar substance in a lesser amount.

        Green Tomatoes, Green (raw Potatoes)

        These foods are members of the Solanaceae family of plants, which includes the Deadly Nightshade, and contain a bitter, poisonous alkaloid called Glycoalkaloid Solanine, which can cause violent lower gastrointestinal symptoms. The leaves and stems are particularly toxic. (Tomatoes in pet foods are ripe, and should cause no concern)

        Chocolate

        It’s becoming more widely known that chocolate is very toxic to both cats and dogs. Theobromine is the offending substance here. Janet Tobiassen Crosby, D.V.M. has an excellent article on the symptoms, effects, and treatment of chocolate toxicity.

        Grapes and Raisins

        These foods’ toxicity has mainly been found in dogs, in quantities of varying amounts. The ASPCA advises: “As there are still many unknowns with the toxic potential of grapes and raisins, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center advises not giving grapes or raisins to pets in any amount.” That’s good enough for me.

        Milk

        Although milk is not toxic to cats, it may have adverse effects. Simply put, adult cats fed a nutritious diet don’t need milk, and many cats are lactose-intolerant, which means that the lactose in milk and milk products produces stomach upset, cramps, and gassiness. If your cat loves milk, and begs for it, a small amount of cream may be okay, two or three times a week. (The more fat in the milk, the less lactose.) Another compromise is CatSip, a product made from skim milk with an enzyme added that helps the digestion of lactose. Catsip is available in supermarkets such as Safeway, Albertson’s and A&P, as well as pet products chains, such as PetSmart and Petco.

        These are the most commonly seen “people foods” that are potentially harmful to cats. The bottom line is to feed your cat nutritious food developed with his needs in mind and choose treats designed for cats instead of table scraps.”

        1. The subject for the next poll
          This is beginning to obsess me. I think the subject for the next poll would be to gauge the dog people/cat people population among the TDG readers. It’s not that hard to foresee the outcome but still, it would be fun to see the numbers 🙂

          —–
          It’s not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me…
          It’s all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!

          Red Pill Junkie

        2. Salmonella
          Nope, healthy cats (and dogs) have a natural resistance to salmonella. So no worries there. I’m aware of foods that cats can’t eat as well, so Neva is well looked after in that department.

          I’ve had a couple of vets recommend chicken wings to help keep her teeth healthy. I don’t eat much meat, and seeing a raw chicken wing dragged off Neva’s dinner plate and onto the floor is a bit disgusting, but she attacked it with gusto last night after a bit of hesitation (“what is this thing? it didn’t come from a can, I don’t trust it”) and had a great time. My only worry is where the supermarket sourced the chicken — GM, battery-farmed, hormone-injected, etc. This stuff is just as damaging to pets as it is to humans.

      2. Science Hill dry food?
        Science Hill dry food? Every cat I’ve ever tried to feed it to hated it. Donate that bag to a cat shelter, and buy her something else. If you had a Costco in Oz, I’d recommend Kirkland’s Premium dry. The first ingredient listed is chicken – and they love it!

        I agree with others who said don’t feed her people food. Cat physiology is very different from humans — there’s too much stuff in people food that can give them long-term (i.e. expensive) health problems.

          1. Purina
            It’s okay, Richard. I tried dried dog food once, wasn’t bad.

            We don’t have either of those brands (which would be irradiated at customs anyway). Neva seems to like Purina, but that’s owned by Nestle, who are The Devil. I might try Advance, an aussie product researched at Waltham in the UK.

            Thank god I don’t have kids, I’d be going mental right now about organic food and whatnot.

            As for feeding Neva “people food”, it’s only meat — a bit of my steak or fish. She LOVES fish. Not getting my barramundi though.

          2. Talking about dogs
            I once had a dog, a great dane, who actually ate huge chunks of my backyard wooden stairs and another one of the balcony itself.

            I had forgotten to give it its usual huge bone, so he decided to find himself chewy to practise on.

            All natural wood, er, I guess not, it was treated and painted.

            He did not seem to mind, but he sure knew I was not too happy when he saw my face.

          3. LOL
            ZOINKS! 😛

            —–
            It’s not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me…
            It’s all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!

            Red Pill Junkie

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