Feeding your Burmese or Birman

A cat's natural food is small rodents, but few cats rely on these today. Meat, fish, tins and biskits have now taken over. How do you know if your cat is getting a balanced diet? Do you know what problems may be caused by excessive feeding of certain foods or not enough of others? Lets look.....

Fish
Varying the types of fish and cooking it occasionally is a good idea if you or your children are fishermen supplying your cat. There is an enzyme in raw fish that is destroyed by cooking, but in raw fish destroys the B vitamin Thiamine. If large amounts of raw fish are fed the deficiency of this vitamin leads to weakness, staggering and convulsions. Another problem we see is with oily fish, e.g tuna.this is a common tinned fish used by many owners and over use can lead to a vitamin E deficiency in the body. This results eventually in 'Lumpy Fat Disease' which is very painful and hard to treat.

Eggs
Again an enzyme in the egg white destroys the B vitamin, Biotin. Always cook egg white until it goes white. Raw egg yolk is ok.

Meat and Milk
Cats cannot survive as vegetarians. Animal protein is essential for kittens to develop without problems such as blindness, as it contains an essential animo acid, Iaurine. However, some owners think that a total meat diet is a total diet, yet meat is very deficient in certain minerals and vitamins. This can be a problem in adults, particularly those fed alot of heart, causing weakening of the bones. However, in growing kittens it is a disaster! They become lame due to thinning of bones, swollen joints and eventually fractures. It is due to an imbalance of calcium and phosphorus. Many people claim they are giving milk for a calcium supplement and this is fine, but it lacks the balance required to correct the meat diet. A kitten would have to drink one pint daily to meet its calcium requirement! Easier to use a little calcium powder daily, e.g. Bone Gro or calcikit. Easier still to vary the diet so that meat is no more than two-thirds of the food. Milk in excess is the most common cause of diarrhoea in kittens due to their inability to digest the milk sugar, lactose. Save it as a treat for adult cats - it is not essential. Remember too, don't trim all the fat off your cat's meat food. They need a lot of animal fat in their diet, mainly for energy, but also to maintain the condition of their coat and skin, and if the cat is overweight, don't trim the fat, feed less meat! It is a good idea to occasionally give them porridge, semolina, bread, pasta, rice and vegetables cooked. These are good as a source of energy, minerals and vitamins, especially when mixed with meat or fish, Many tinned foods contain this sort of combination. Some elderly cats require a low protein diet if the kidneys are not functioning properly, and they really do well if these foods can be eaten as an alternative to meat only.

Liver
Cats cannot survive as vegetarians. Animal protein is essential for kittens to develop without problems such as blindness, as it contains an essential animo acid, Iaurine. However, some owners think that a total meat diet is a total diet, yet meat is very deficient in certain minerals and vitamins. This can be a problem in adults, particularly those fed alot of heart, causing weakening of the bones. However, in growing kittens it is a disaster! They become lame due to thinning of bones, swollen joints and eventually fractures. It is due to an imbalance of calcium and phosphorus. Many people claim they are giving milk for a calcium supplement and this is fine, but it lacks the balance required to correct the meat diet. A kitten would have to drink one pint daily to meet its calcium requirement! Easier to use a little calcium powder daily, e.g. Bone Gro or calcikit. Easier still to vary the diet so that meat is no more than two-thirds of the food. Milk in excess is the most common cause of diarrhoea in kittens due to their inability to digest the milk sugar, lactose. Save it as a treat for adult cats - it is not essential. Remember too, don't trim all the fat off your cat's meat food. They need a lot of animal fat in their diet, mainly for energy, but also to maintain the condition of their coat and skin, and if the cat is overweight, don't trim the fat, feed less meat! It is a good idea to occasionally give them porridge, semolina, bread, pasta, rice and vegetables cooked. These are good as a source of energy, minerals and vitamins, especially when mixed with meat or fish, Many tinned foods contain this sort of combination. Some elderly cats require a low protein diet if the kidneys are not functioning properly, and they really do well if these foods can be eaten as an alternative to meat only.

Canned Food
Are usually highly palatable to cats. Some are designed to be a 'complete' diet and others just to add variety, eg. sardines, pilchards. Always read labels and feed a variety of brands and flavours to avoid them becoming addicted to a particular brand.

Dried Foods
Cats can survive totally on dried biskits as long as they have been purchased from your vet being either; Proplan, Science Diet, Iams, Whiskas Professional, Royal Canin etc. They must also have plenty of water readily available.

Summary and Main Facts
Problems can develop in cats fed predominantly raw fish or tinned oily fish. Feed a multivitamin product, eg. Felobits, as a supplement and try to vary the diet. Vary the diet when a kitten to avoid being a picky, fussy eater.
-Don't trim fat from raw meat. Never feed a meat only diet to a kitten. Supplement meat in the diet with a little calcium powder.
-Feed raw heart and liveronly once a week. They can get hooked on it and problems can follow
- Vary the brand of tinned cat food. Look for the word'complete diet'. Be aware that there are a number of incomplete or 'treat' diets that are deficient in the essential nutrients.
-Ensure your pet works for his food. Cut meat into strips so that he has to use his teeth. Examine teeth regularly for tartar build-up and keep those mouths healthy.
- If feeding a fair proportion of good dried kitten biskits for cats under 12 months no calcium or vitamin supplements are needed.

For further information on caring for your Burmese/Birman view here