Author Topic: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat  (Read 119040 times)

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Offline Pookie

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Re: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat
« Reply #135 on: January 08, 2017, 10:46:34 AM »
Knowing what happened last year when overtime set in, should I start the psyllium as a regular addition in order to try to prevent it?

Might be worth a try.  If you don't like the results, you can stop giving it.

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Offline Middle Child

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Re: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat
« Reply #136 on: January 09, 2017, 05:36:30 AM »
okay thanks you guys.  But now I need to figure out my timing.

The issue is, when I work over time, she doesn't get her 8 hour fast.  So..do I give the psyllium on those nights?  Or, since it does slow digestion, do I give the psyllium on the nights she does get her 8 hour fast, and skip the shorter-fast night?

(she had another sticky poop, I found it on the mat when I got up this morning. All fur again. But she hasn't had any psyllium since the flare-up)

Offline Middle Child

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Re: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat
« Reply #137 on: January 12, 2017, 06:33:29 PM »
I'm not happy with the results I am seeing from the Konsyl psyllium.  Less than 1/8 tsp two nights in a row (final meal) with plenty of water in the serving. about 12 hours after the second dose...round hard stools.  Round stools are terrible for cats to get out.  They...spin instead of being pushed out.

about 7 hours after that, a big poop, but sloppy, on the inside of the poop, not the outside of it.

At such a tiny dose! (and this is similar to the experience last week)

Did not stop her flare up either, but I didn't expect it would.  I was just hoping for keeping the span longer than a week. 6 days between flares this time.  This one, again, lasted longer than usual.  She regurgitated breakfast yesterday, and then again in the evening.

 Nothing but bone broth after that until this morning  She ate but not much.  A slippery elm bark meal.  Ate lunch but seemed urpy, finally seems back to herself tonight,.  so about 36 hours.

Just wanting to keep it all in one place in case I need to refer back.  I forgot to weigh them Sunday, so it will be two weeks by the time I weigh them this Sunday.

Offline Pookie

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Re: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat
« Reply #138 on: January 12, 2017, 10:46:40 PM »
GoodVibes

Sending purrs . . .
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Offline Middle Child

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Re: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat
« Reply #139 on: January 16, 2017, 10:46:33 AM »
The next step in this ever changing process is to start giving the egg yolk daily (in smaller amounts) instead of twice a week.  Up until now I havne't had a way to do that, as I wanted to continue with raw yolk.  But I've read some reports of cats doing better with a small amount of yolk daily rahter than just once or twice a week.

Now, Mazy cat already gets yolk in her Rad Cat every day, but obviously it is not enough, she needs more to help with her motility issues.

There are instructions on how to dry the egg yolk after cooking it but it is labor/time intensive, you only get a small amount (a few days worth at a time) for all that work and I am just not ready to try that.  The benefits of drying it of course is that you have to add only a much smaller amount to the meal each day.

Mazy cat has already rejected to meal that had her 1/4 cooked (hard boiled) egg yolk in it.

I will try it in other meals before I resort to all the work of drying.

I did investigate because my other reluctance to cooking the egg was the reduction in nutrients from the cooking process.  But looking at some charts I saw that there really isn't that much of a difference in the nutrients, and I've been assured that the choline (active nutrient for motility improvement) is not affected at all by cooking, thankfully.

She will continue to get her egg yolk lecithin, one capsule twice a day.

Offline Middle Child

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Re: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat
« Reply #140 on: January 18, 2017, 05:22:40 AM »
Mazy cat accepted the cooked egg yolk in her bedtime EZc meal so that takes care of that issue.

(along with her SEB, MR, probiotic and ACV)

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Re: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat
« Reply #141 on: January 18, 2017, 09:41:19 AM »
Great news!   thumbsup1
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Offline Lola

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Re: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat
« Reply #142 on: January 20, 2017, 08:37:11 AM »
 thumbsup1
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Re: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat
« Reply #143 on: January 22, 2017, 09:51:52 AM »
I'm still giving her raw yolk on Sundays. Regurgitation episodes steady at 6 or 7 days between, currently.

Still adding the skin to her EZc meats.  If my calculations are correct based on 1 ounce of chicken skin providing 11 grams of fat, I'm only adding 1 gram of fat per meal.

But I don't know how to turn that into a percentage to know how much fat I have added percentage wise.

For example:  Rad Cat chicken is 27% fat per serving (not dry matter basis)

I have a 1.2 ounce portion of chicken breast or chicken thigh that are both listed as 3 grams of fat per 4 ounce serving.

I have added another gram of fat.

How on earth do I figure out the percentage of fat (not DMB) in that meal?

She hasn't gained any weight since adding the extra skin. I was just hoping it would help keep her weight up, so she doesn't lose during episodes. She did lose an ounce during that period when her regurgitation flare ups were causing her to not eat for two days instead of only one day of reduced meals.

Now she is back to the episode only lasting 24 hours, she did gain back half that ounce.

Offline Middle Child

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Re: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat
« Reply #144 on: January 22, 2017, 10:06:56 AM »
I just remembered I had found an online calculator for percentages.  It looks like I am adding 2.9 % fat to the meal. 

The human size serving (4 oz at 3 gr of fat) is, according to the calculator 2.65%.  So, if I am doing it right, the meal is now about 5.5 % fat.  Still a very low fat meal.

It's only 1/3 of her daily intake though, Rad Cat is 2/3.  Plus the daily egg yolk now.

But breaking this all down helps me realize why she doesn't gain weight.  The meats Queen Eva and Jennie eat are much higher in fat content.

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Re: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat
« Reply #145 on: January 22, 2017, 10:07:45 AM »

But I don't know how to turn that into a percentage to know how much fat I have added percentage wise.

I have a 1.2 ounce portion of chicken breast or chicken thigh that are both listed as 3 grams of fat per 4 ounce serving.

I have added another gram of fat.

How on earth do I figure out the percentage of fat (not DMB) in that meal?

All I've got that's anywhere near some kind of formula that you can use is:

https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/1130?fgcd=&manu=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=50&offset=&sort=default&order=asc&qlookup=chicken+skin&ds=&qt=&qp=&qa=&qn=&q=&ing=
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Offline Middle Child

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Re: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat
« Reply #146 on: January 29, 2017, 07:25:15 PM »
Mazy cat gained 1 1/2 ounces!  This, in spite of regurgitating twice this week (4 days apart). It can't be helped, she doesn't get the whole 8 hour fast when I work late. She did get a 10 hour and a 9 hour this weekend, which helps. But she really needs at least 8 hours, every single day.

I think the added fat, even though it isn't really very much, is what has helped her gain those last lost ounces. I don't really see any other difference, since adding it.

She is at what I would call her perfect weight now.  A little lighter than she used to be, but it's better for her arthritis to be lighter.  9 pounds 6 ounces.


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Re: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat
« Reply #147 on: January 29, 2017, 10:00:16 PM »
That's wonderful!   DrLisaPiersonWorthy DrLisaPiersonWorthy DrLisaPiersonWorthy DrLisaPiersonWorthy

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Re: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat
« Reply #148 on: February 04, 2017, 09:48:27 AM »
Well phooey.  Yesterday I was feeling so happy that Mazy cat was on day 10 of non regurgitation.  In the morning (yesterday) she didn't want her second breakfast, so I didn't push.  I figured missing 1.2 ounces of food was better than puking it back up anyway.  She was normal the remainder of the day.

Then last night as we were playing I found some puke under the TV table.  By the size of it it's easy to know it was a lunch meal. Her lunch is only 0.25 oz. By the dryness of it, I guessed it was 2-3 days old.  So it looks like she is still on the 6 or 7 day cycle.

She didn't puke yesterday but she never did eat her bedtime meal either, so she was short by 1.5 ounces yesterday.

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Re: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat
« Reply #149 on: February 04, 2017, 06:08:13 PM »
Just to keep everything in one place:  I had to describe my feeding methods for Mazy cat to someone in the IBD group so I've copied it over to here just to keep things thorough.

Mazy cat is fed 11 servings a day. That is down from 17, and then 12. The 11 servings breaks down to 5 meals a day. (the other two get 4 meals a day)

The pre-meal breakfast, breakfast, lunch and pre-meal supper are Rad Cat chicken and Rad Cat turkey

5:30 am and 6 am she gets 0. 8 oz broken into two servings, .35 oz (the breaking fast pre-meal, with s.boulardii and a little pancreas) and half hour later .45 oz. (with a capsule of egg yolk lecithin)

7:15 am and 7:40 am she gets two more servings-.45 oz (with cosequin and marshmallow root) and .5 oz.( plain)

I come home for lunch around 1:45 and she gets .25 oz. (Plain)

When I get home from work, from 4:30-5: pm she gets her pre-meal supper,0.4 oz split in two meals, 1st serving is with s.boulardii and pancreas, 2nd serving is with egg yolk lecithin.

6:30 I start supper. Mazy cat's supper consists of (approx) 1.2 ounces of either chicken breast or chicken thigh (Mazy cat's meat is run through the food processor, she does not eat chunks) ,0.4 grams of chicken skin, 1/2 tablespoon of bone broth and EZcomplete in the appropriate amount.

(The bone broth has a few shreds of the meat from the Cornish hen frozen with it, and that is fed as a treat, to all three. Mazy cat gets most of it but the other two get a sliver, it's a special bonding evening ritual we all love.)

.How that meal is divided:

First I separate 0.5 oz of meat and skin and put it back in the fridge for later. The rest of the meat and skin is mixed with all the EZc, the bone broth and a little more water.

First supper serving is about 0.55 oz.

An hour later, 2nd supper serving is 0.5 oz with green lipped mussel and a couple drops of ACV.

An hour later 3rd supper serving is the 0.5 plain

An hour (sometimes less than an hour) later her final meal is the last of the EZc mixture. It's usually about 0.3 oz. To this bed time meal I add her slippery elm bark, marshmallow root, 0.14 oz boiled egg yolk, probiotic, and a few drops of ACV (and a little water)

This last meal MUST be given by 9:30. It is imperative that Mazy cat get at least an 8 hour fast every night to help her motility, the 8 hours is required to stimulate the pyloric emptying. On weekends I aim for at least one 10 hour fast over night.

This is the current regimen, it has evolved over many years. Her regurgitation episodes have plateaued to every 7 - 10 days,. sometimes more often, especially when I work overtime and cannot give her the 8 hour fast every night.

PS Mazy cat gets a modified prey model meal of Cornish hen and liver and pancreas (with egg \shell calcium) on Sundays instead of the EZc meal. Still broken up the same way.

Her bone broth is made from the Cornish hens too. She loves Cornish hen above all other meat but her hens are $19.50 each plus shipping, so I have to use them sparingly


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