Putting binders in senior cat food.

[Mark]

I will ask Pam who is our head of year if she knows why. I know some of them are called ambassadors and are allowed to be around people so maybe they don't train them to kill to eat. He showed us pictures of a setup like they have at greyhound tracks where they get them chasing a rag - but there is no scent or blood on it. The spectators are allowed inside and there are only keepers around to keep people in the right area. He said it isn't that they are worried about people being attacked but that Cheetahs can be a bit clumsy (amazingly) and over-run when they are chasing.

It was the CCF he went to - there is a mention of the calcium supplement here http://www.cheetah.org/?nd=cheetah_farmers_russo - it also mention what he told us - they are fed 6 days out of 7. The reason is that one one day, they like to clear their system out and that they can get kidney problems if they are fed every day.

[Gillian Harvey]

Although, I'm sure cheetahs could manage the bones themselves?

Yep, thats what I meant, why not give them the whole carcass.    no grinding required - cheetah's teeth would do that!

[Mark]

They were saying that some of the places are an 8 hour drive into the bush - so no power. I don't suppose it would be practical to hand-grind bones? - Although, I'm sure cheetahs could manage the bones themselves?

[Gillian Harvey]

Funnily enough we had a visiting lecturer today telling us about Cheetah conservation in Namibia. He said that they are mainly fed Donkey & goat but they also give them a calcium supplement to balance the phosphorus.

How come they don't just feed them the bones of those animals as well as the meat? - then they wouldnt need a calcium supplement.

[Mark]

Funnily enough we had a visiting lecturer today telling us about Cheetah conservation in Namibia. He said that they are mainly fed Donkey & goat but they also give them a calcium supplement to balance the phosphorus.

[Mark]

I do it for Willow & Clapton anyway but was thinking of doing it for Alice but using a small amount. She desn't really like senior food so I would rather she enjoyed her food but try to make it a bit safer for her - I will ask the vet 

[Tiggy's Mum]

From a lay persons point of view that's what I used to do with Tiggy, Felix senior sprinkled with Alu-caps (on veterinary advice) as she wouldn't eat the kidney foods.  That only lasted a few months and then she demanded Gourmet Pearl with binders and ate that for over a year.

Have to say you're sounding more and more like a scientist every day Mark. You'll be wandering round in a lab coat with eye goggles on your head before you know it 

[Mark]

I did say in the first line I will speak to the vet. Most senior foods have reduced phosphorus. The higher the muscle meat used, the higher the phosphorus (I am also doing an animal science degree) I know they use calcium additives for reptiles to get the balance correct so it sounds plausible to do this for cats as well. In fact, last year I dealt with a woman on the cat line who wanted to donate lots of cat food to us. She said one of her cats had been diagnosed with CRF and as she fed all her 6 cats at the same time, she planned to feed them all Hill's k/d  . I asked my vet about it and he said it would be fine - and that is ultra-low phosphorus. All I was thinking of doing was using 1/4 measure or so of Ipakitine which isn't a particularly effective binder anyway - it is mainly calcium carbonate and chitosan - just to reduce the phosphorus absorbtion a tad.

[Fire Fox]

You mean a phosphorus binder? Do you know the phosphorus content of the foods you are considering adding a binder to? My gut reaction would be not to mess with the balance of the food without veterinary say so. I see too often in my work (NHS) clients who start with a professionally designed physical activity or healthy eating plan, which they then edit - with the result that at best the plan is ineffective and at worst unhealthy! 

[Mark]

I don't have much luck getting my lot to eat senior food. I will talk t the vet about it but just wondered about putting a small amount of binders in some food such as Sheba which seems very rich. I already use it in Clapton & Willow's food but tempted to put a small amount in Alice's and possibly Kylie's as well to reduce the burden on their kidneys - although Kylie is a hardy girl. Any thoughts?