JULY UPDATE HAS SOME YUMMY IDEAS!
Hi Families! I hope you're all enjoying the Summer & staying cool! I'd like to share with you some changes we're giving a good trial...food and litter! Always trying to improve on those aspects. We love getting our hands dirty and digging up some fresh veggies while enjoying the Summer. I see no reason not to include our kittens with that ultra fresh food too. Becoming more environmentally conscience has really raised my awareness of just how many cans I add to our environment DAILY in addition to clumping clay litter that literally remains clumping clay litter long after we've scooped it! We're going to make some changes to put our best paw forward. We've decided to eliminate the cans by making our own version of kitty pate and offer the kittens a much more environmentally furiendly litter.
I've started by making a super simple homemade pate kitty food as simple as chicken soup (because it basically is). The recipe is quite basic and allows as many options as you can imagine for flexibility and for adding nutrients you may feel are important thru your own personal experience. I start with a full chicken, turkey or meat on the bone, whole fish even. Don't trim or remove skin...put in a pot full of water and slow cook all day...very slow so all the good stuff breaks down and becomes a nutrient broth. Let the broth cool enough so you can use your hands to remove the bones after cartilage and skin and all the in-between goodies have fallen away. Never leave cooked bones for anyone to eat...seriously not good for any animal to have cooked bones. From there add what you like...carrots, greens ie Swiss chard, beet greens, carrot greens, spinach or peas. Let those cook a good long time to soften. Then the eggs...like the Greek chicken soup! Whisk raw eggs into the cooled broth. Put back on medium heat while stirring a bit and the soup will become almost creamy! Really thought I would need to add rice or potatoes to get a nice consistency but no..the egg did it! As we get farther into the season pumpkin, squash and sweet potatoes will be nice additions but for now...we have the greens, peas and carrots. No seasonings of course...never add garlic or onions (toxic to pets). There are herbs that are safe for cats ie catnip can be added! I use an immersion blender to get the nice pate texture...let it cool before heading to the fridge. If you decide to make this a primary diet for your kitten you'll want to add trace minerals, omegas and Taurine to complete their dietary needs. I love the Kitten Bloom company if you're looking for a nice supplement. family owned and really amazing customer service. I have samples I can share with you when you come for your baby! I'm open to suggestions too, so please feel free to reach out to me 🍲.
Now that we have the babies bowl full....I just need to mention, please don't use timed feeders for you babies! It just breaks my heart to be told kittens sit next to an empty food bowl anticipating a refill...Babies need to be free feeders!! They are growing so darn quickly and have a massive metabolic requirement. They should never be limited or forced to eat on a timer. Kitten growth spurts continue for a full 4 years...ya! Some days will be massive eating days and some days will be sleep days and then there's everything in between. Let the baby decide when and how much they want to eat....food should never be an anxiety issue for a baby!!
As for litter, we have been using World's Best corn husk litter for the babies then transitioning to the clumping type. I think we will stay with the corn husk version continuously. This will avoid the chemicals and lack of biodegradable clumping litter being a permanent part of our environment. That was easy!
I hope you're enjoying the baby posts!!! We love you all!
Amy & Eric