Is brown rice and fish oil safe to add to my cat's homemade food?

Home prepared diets can be successfully fed to cats but it is important to fully research in order to provide all of the necessary nutrients in appropriate amounts to prevent over or undersupply of nutritional needs. IT is important to consult a trained nutritionist such as the Tufts University clinic which provide a range of well balanced recipes for home prepared food. A complete and balanced prepared diet should be fed with occasional treats otherwise

Hi there and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Feeding a fish based commercial diet that is nutritionally complete is just fine as long as Cinderella is not allergic to the fish in the food you are giving. Cats that are fed raw fish frequently is more of the concern as they can develop serious nutritional deficits and vitamin deficiencies such as Thiamine deficiency which can be deadly. It is for this reason feeding raw fish primarily to cats is not recommended. However, feeding a small amount of tuna from a can occasionally as a treat is okay and will not cause a vitamin deficiency as long as they are also eating a commercially prepared food. No need to change the food Cinderella is enjoying now. From what you described, it sounds like she has tried a few foods that may have been giving her runny stools so if she is doing well on this particular food from Taste of the Wild, then I would keep her on that. I hope this helps!

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! I do not recommend adding a calcium supplement to puppy food it can affect bone growth significantly in a puppy. I recommend stopping that immediately unless directed by your Vet. As for the fish oil, that is fine but how often depends on the brand you are using. Most fish oils have instructions on the bottle and are once daily. If you want to post a picture of the fish oil with the label we can try to help. I like Omega Benefits by VRS: http://vrshealth.com/canine-products/omegadog/ I hope this helps and have a great day!

Over supplementation of fish oil can certainly cause diarrhea. And some animals are sensitive to it even in small doses, so I always recommend starting with a low dose then working up. For cats, I would recommend a liquid pump in order to make that process easier. We have found that even though we are not exactly sure of the "correct" ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 fatty acids that since Omega 3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory and Omega 6 fatty acids tend to be pro-inflammatory, that we prefer that ratio to be higher than we used to think. Omega 3 fatty acids work over time, so while daily supplementation is ideal, a few times a week is certainly better than nothing. So, I normally recommend a cat specific liquid in a pump and start with 1/2 the recommended dose for a few days to make sure there isn't any soft stool, then increase to the recommended dose daily (if possible). I hope that was helpful and answered your questions. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It is very difficult to make a homemade diet for cats because they have such specific nutritional requirements. We don't have a supplement that will meet all the requirements, but if you do want to make a homemade diet, check out these two websites I'm putting below. They offer recipes for homemade diets for cats, and because they are formulated by veterinary nutritionists, you know that your cat's daily requirement will be met. Be sure to follow the recipes exactly so your cats do not suffer any deficiencies in their nutrition. Best of luck, I hope this helps! https://secure.balanceit.com https://www.petdiets.com

If she is on a high quality, balanced diet I would be cautious about over supplementing her as this can lead to dietary excesses (especially with cod liver oil type supplements as they can be high in certain vitamins also). Plant based supplements such as viacutan may also be an option but 3-5 days a week is likely sufficient

Hello. Yes, it is absolutely OK to give Skye an appropriate dose of salmon oil, but make sure she likes the taste. Not all cats like any kind of fish product. If she will not eat this, either as a treat, or mixed into her food, do not worry. As long as she is eating a balanced cat food, she really does not need a fish-based supplement. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.