We've read conflicting things, and as yet, we can't make our mind up whether we are going to feed our Bengals, dried food, meat or a mixture of both. What do you feed your Bengals?

Gavin.

My nutrition tip is to feed then twice a day, not every time they miaow and not every time they grab a slice of beef from your Sunday dinner, otherwise they can get fat.

We feed them with normal cat food (whiskers etc.) and the occaisional dried biscuit, but the vets warm that too much dried food leads to kidney problems.

Our younger bengal was hit by a car a couple of years ago, breaking his pelvis and so was kept in a cage for about 8 weeks until he'd fully recoved. As a consequence his pelvis has deformed slightly causing problems when trying to pass solids. We've found that this problem is made worse by the amount of mice and birds he eats, but it proves his recovery is sufficient to allow him to successfully hunt/scavenge again.

The other bengal went missing for something like 24 days and turned up perfectly healthy, but very dehydratred and about 1/2 his normal weight. We suspected he's got trapped in a neighbours garage or shed for the duration, but it didn't seem to do him any long term harm and he appears to be very resilient. He must have lived off of mice, spiders and condensation we suspect.

24 days , wow, that's amazing, you must have thought he'd gone for good. Incredible that he could remember where he lived after that amount of time!

I feed the following:
Left out at all times is Innovia Dry in the red bag.
<a href='http:////http://store.yahoo.com/animalworldnetwork/incatdryfo66.html' target='_blank'>Animal world Network</a>

Twice a week they get one can of
Active Life -CHUNKY CHICKEN FRICASSEE
<a href='http://www.goldentails.com/active_life_cat_food.htm' target='_blank'>Active Life</a>

and Every day they recirve one helping each of
Oma's Pride
<a href='http:////http://www.omaspride.com/' target='_blank'>Oma's pride</a>

I found that feeding the high quality food keeps them active and they do not overeat. I have also had a Water purifyer to remove anything from the water that could be harmful. B)

My cats also are given Innova (in the red bag) freely. Luckily they don't seem to gorge themselves. They are given canned food (high quality) every other day as a treat.

_________________
- Dawn

http://www.nutkitty.com

Our cats have free access to food.....The bengal is a slender chappie.....the other moggie is a lardie-arse, yet we never see her eat.......very odd.

<!--QuoteBegin-bigjo+May 4 2004, 05:28 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (bigjo @ May 4 2004, 05:28 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->

We feed them with normal cat food (whiskers etc.) and the occaisional dried biscuit, but the vets warm that too much dried food leads to kidney problems.

Our younger bengal was hit by a car a couple of years ago, breaking his pelvis and so was kept in a cage for about 8 weeks until he'd fully recoved. As a consequence his pelvis has deformed slightly causing problems when trying to pass solids. We've found that this problem is made worse by the amount of mice and birds he eats, but it proves his recovery is sufficient to allow him to successfully hunt/scavenge again.

The other bengal went missing for something like 24 days and turned up perfectly healthy, but very dehydratred and about 1/2 his normal weight. We suspected he's got trapped in a neighbours garage or shed for the duration, but it didn't seem to do him any long term harm and he appears to be very resilient. He must have lived off of mice, spiders and condensation we suspect. [/quote]
Oh, dear.

It is the ash content in some of the lower priced commerical cat foods (both wet and dry) that causes the kidney problems known as FUS (now known by a more complex name), it is not the dry food itself. Our 16 yr. old male kitty died a few years ago of old age and sudden organ failure. For 12 of the 14 years he was part of our family he had FUS. He nearly died twice from the sudden blockage of his urinary tract that is caused by crystals in the urine (FUS). He spent his life eating a special vet.-issued food that had medicine in it to prevent the crystals binding together. It was free of ash, too. All of our domestic cats were on it with him because it was impossible to feed all three of them apart. Male cats are more likely to get FUS than females because of their more narrow urinary tubes, but it has happened to females, too. Please, if you can, get your cats onto food with a lower ash content. I'd hate to see you go through what we had to go through with Ruffles. He was the free rescue cat that cost us thousands of dollars in vet hospital bills trying to save him because we didn't know what ash could do to a cat.

The smartest thing is not to let your bengals go outside. That is what every vet and every breeder recommends. They will live longer (a cat that goes outside and eats wild food generally lives only 7 years) and be healthier. By letting them be outside, unprotected, they are being exposed to Feline Luk., Feline
AIDS, FIP and all sorts of things that can not only kill them, but also be spread to all of your other animals. JMO, but shared by so many others. Bengals are too beautiful (not to mention expensive) to die young when it can be avoided.

Nan

<!--QuoteBegin-NutKitty+May 5 2004, 04:40 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (NutKitty @ May 5 2004, 04:40 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> My cats also are given Innova (in the red bag) freely.  Luckily they don't seem to gorge themselves. [/quote]
Dawn,

What I have learned from others is that if the food is high quality and doesn't contain a bunch of fillers and by-products (the worst thing for cats), the cats will eat what they want and be satisfied with their food. The cheaper foods containing all sorts of meal, corn and by-products not only do awful things to a cat's insides, but they burn them off very quickly and they are hungry again very soon. Not only that but they also get fat. Just like when we eat junk food or drink a lot of sodas. You get full for a short while, but everything turns to glucose (sugar), causes a sudden rush of energy and then leaves and you experience a sudden download of energy. No nutrition. It sounds like you are doing the right thing. Cheap food gives cats nothing to fall back on.

Nan

<!--QuoteBegin-Jennifer+May 5 2004, 12:47 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Jennifer @ May 5 2004, 12:47 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> I have also had a Water purifyer to remove anything from the water that could be harmful. B) [/quote]
So have I, Jennifer. We used to feed the cats regular tap water, but I realized a year ago that if I didn't like the taste of the tap water and what was in it, then my cats shouldn't drink it either. We have both bottled filtered water and a water filter on the kitchen faucet. I don't know if it has mattered how much water they drink, but I feel it is better for them.

Nan

Same here... I only drink bottled water, so my cats only drink bottled water too.

When I first moved to California, one of the first things I heard was that we shouldn't drink the tap water around here. Why make my cats if it isn't supposed to be safe for me?

Reminds me... a pet sitter came over once so she could meet my cat, and she told me I didn't have to give them bottled water because the way their digestive system is set up, they would do fine with it. Bleh... if I want to give my cats bottled water, I will!!!

_________________
- Dawn

http://www.nutkitty.com

Greetings!

i feed my boy raw diet based on prey model. He eats raw chicken, beef, pork, lamb, cornish hen, and rabbit. This included the bones and some organs. He gets no kibble, commercial food, or suppliments (finally!).

Cats are obligate carnivores and cannot properly digest veggies and grain. i personally believe that feeding commercial is a disservice to a cat and contributes greatly to health problems. Kibble is basically like feeding your cat cereal with enough vitamin capsules to simply cover what they need. i am sure that we all can remember times where we were not eating so well vs. paying attention to what we are eating and making healthy choices ....big difference! This is very apparent with my boy since the switch to raw. He is energetic, coat is unbelievably healthy/shiny/soft, he has become EXTREMELY muscular with almost no body fat, there is _no_ litterbox odor, poops are tootsie roll/not as frequent, and his teeth are looking _much_ better! While he was very happy and seemigly healthy when he was kibble fed the difference is incredible.

i urge everyone i know with a cat to read a few studies about feline nutrition and am confident that they will make the switch from kibble to raw once they know the truth.

i will also add that the cost is very reasonable. Information varies and is frustrating with all of the different recipes but after months of research i decided on prey model feeding which only takes a bit of preparation (few minutes a week). If anyone has any questions or would like a few links let me know, i am happy to share.

Regards,
dru

I have 4 "non-bengal" indoor cats, so it's a TRICK to try to keep them eating what they are supposed to eat. :huh:

For my bengal girls Crescent and Victoria: Dry, cooked meat and baby food as follows:

I use a mixture of 2/3 Mazuri Small Exotic Feline Food and 1/3 Chicken soup for the Cat Lover's soul.
I cook turkey, chicken and trout for them (no added salt or spices) and that is our "bonding" treat, since my girls are very shy, and it was how I originally got them to come to me and give me kisses.

When I get LAZY -- I will occasionally give them a jar of Chicken, Turkey, or Veal *meat* human baby food. (They LOVE that stuff... it's how I trick them into taking pills. Put some baby food in a spoon, and stick the pill down inside the mixture... they get so excited over the baby food treat, they gobble it down before they realize there is a pill IN it !!

MY 4 DHS rescue boys, on the other hand... Science Diet Dry... the 2 older boys are on K/D ( I have a 14 year old, with high blood pressure, and an 8 year old who is just finicky -- it's what my vet suggests.) The younger boys kind of wander between the older guys K/D and the girls Mazuri mixture. (How do you stop THAT???) I even put it up high, (on my bureau and entertainment center) where the boys don't normally JUMP... and the girls scoop it out of the bowl, and scatter it on the floor, for the boys to eat off the carpet. (And YES it's a mess.. but my cats are my priority over my aggrivation at stepping on dry kibble )

Before I got my bengals, I had been giving the "younger boys" Science Diet Kitten -- and they all seem to love the size and texture of that brand (except the hairball control - which is larger - go figure)

Everyone gets the food I cook for our "evening meal" together. I've discovered they will snuggle up with me (yes all 6 of them) when I go to bed at night, if I've given them freshly cooked meat. I haven't seen any indication that it gives any of them stomach problems -- so I feel it must be working OK.

And to say my cats ( all six of them ) are SPOILED, I believe... is an UNDERSTATEMENT !!!

"fancidots"
LaVon

fancidots,

Make sure you check the ingredients on the baby food you feed your cats. Many baby foods contains onion powder. Onion will cause anemia in cats as it destroys red blood cells.

Take care,
dru

Thanks DRU --- I'm very "spice" and "onion" sensitive... I do watch for that-- because I'm ALLERGIC to onions )

But, I appreciate you posting this... many others might not think of it

Thanks!
LaVon
"fancidots"

You're welcome! It is so easy for things like that to go unnoticed, especially with something like baby food! You would think spices would be unnecessary or even cause stomach upset in our children ...i have learned to check labels on everything!
i know i assumed if it was safe for babies it must be safe for kitties *sigh*. i have learned alot by others sharing and pointing out how careful we have to be.
Just passing on what others have shared with me *smile*. A little "pay it forward" in our daily lives even with something as simple as information feels good

Warm regards,
dru