{"id":1227,"date":"2016-05-10T05:55:10","date_gmt":"2016-05-10T13:55:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/?p=1227"},"modified":"2016-05-10T05:55:10","modified_gmt":"2016-05-10T13:55:10","slug":"newsday-tuesday-goodbad-foods-for-your-cat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/?p=1227","title":{"rendered":"Newsday Tuesday\u2014Good\/Bad Foods for Your Cat"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Winfield

Winfield with Strawberry<\/p><\/div>\n

There are several schools of thought about feeding a cat. While most cat owners purchase over-the-counter cat food\u2014canned and\/or kibble\u2014some feed only raw. Some cats are on prescription food diets for certain ailments\u2014diabetes and kidney disease, for example. My grandmother used to cook chicken for her beloved Siamese cats.<\/p>\n

How many of you feed packaged cat treats? We give our kitties a dehydrated chicken treat twice a day\u2014on demand, you might say. Looks like chalk, but the cats love it. They also appreciate a grassy treat from time to time. Did you know you can buy little containers of grass for your cats to nibble on? Our Himalayan, when she\u2019d see us start to step out of the house, used to beg for us to pick grass and bring it in for her to eat. Cats do create interesting rituals.<\/p>\n

Lily is a real beggar-kitty. She\u2019s obsessed with food\u2014hers, Sophie\u2019s, mine, whatever drops on the floor in the kitchen\u2026Her favorites are cheese (which should be given to cats only in small portions), eggs (I never give them to her raw), cantaloupe, and peas. She will bypass a piece of chicken or fish on my plate to get a yummy pea.<\/p>\n

Some veggies and fruits are okay to feed cats. In fact, when Lily had a health crisis and \"021\"stopped eating, we used canned pumpkin to help get her back on track. Sweet potatoes, peas, some squash, apples, green beans, carrots are all supposed to be okay for cats. Veterinarians caution, though, don\u2019t let your cat eat so much of these extra treats that they are not eating the foods they need.<\/p>\n

We used to have a cat that liked cantaloupe above anything else. When I\u2019d come home from the market with a good cantaloupe\u2014one that was ripe\u2014he\u2019d always greet me in the kitchen as I unloaded the grocery bags. If I brought home a cantaloupe and he did not come into the kitchen, I knew it wasn\u2019t ripe, yet. I always thought I\u2019d like to take him into the store with me to pick a cantaloupe.<\/p>\n

Now let\u2019s discuss the foods that we may enjoy but are known to be harmful to cats.<\/p>\n