During cat foodmaking cleanup yesterday, my patient foodmaking partner asked, "So, since I started helping with foodmaking 8 years ago, do you think we've made a ton of food?" 

Being math-challenged and because "a ton" sounded like an absurdly high amount, I brushed off the question.  But then I got curious.  So I decided to calclulate how much cat food I've made since I started this adventure about 10 years ago. 

I checked my math about a dozen times (always a good idea for me), and came up with 3,212 pounds.  That's well over a ton. 

The same Tasin TS-108 grinder I purchased from the One Stop Jerky Shop ten years ago has successfully ground 3,212 pounds of rabbit, turkey, and chicken - including bones.  In that time, it's never whined, whimpered, sputtered, or complained.  That's one admirable appliance.  In those same ten years, I've lost count of the number of times we've had to replace our coffee-maker, our toaster, and heaven knows how many other kitchen tools.  

Even more heartening is the feedback I get  from website visitors who consistently report that the service from One Stop Jerky Shop could not be better. Customers with a question or who need a replacement part are happily surprised to get speedy, personalized service and answers. 

Long-time website visitors and friends know the angst I went through when it came to accepting ads for the site.  I tinkered briefly with Google ads but gave up almost as soon as I started when all kinds of advertising for unhealthy cat food started littering the site.  The Google ads were lucrative, but had the effect of diluting the core message I wanted this site to convey.  The website has never been a money-making venture (understatement), of course, but I've fantasized for years how nice it would be to at least break even on the costs associated with it.  I can dream, right?

Amortized over ten years, that $150 grinder has cost $15.00 a year.  That's less than 30 cents a week.  And it's showing no sign of giving up. 

The point of all this?  I know that people who are new to the idea of making their own cat food can be a little overwhelmed at the startup costs:  a grinder, storage containers, and the initial outlay for vitamins and other dry ingredients.  But keep the big picture in mind:  if my experience is any indicator, the grinder will serve you and your cats well for a very, very long time. 

Do remember:  don't wash any of the grinder parts in the dishwasher.  If you remember that one easy little rule, my guess is you stand a very good chance of getting as many years out of your grinder as we have. 

So this chilly Sunday morning I'm giving a big hearty shout-out to the One Stop Jerky Shop.  I'm proud to endorse them.   

It's hard to believe that I never calculated this until now, but let's just say that "metrics" are not my thing.  A very nice site visitor recently asked me, "How much food fits into the pint-sized jars you use and how long will that last?" and I said, "Um, err . . . let me get back to you on that." 

A single batch based on the recipe with bone that I use to make cat food makes a wee bit over 2 kg (4.4 pounds) of food.  How long that lasts is entirely dependent on your cat.  

In truth, I usually make about a triple-sized batch. At least.  

If you're using the super-nifty pint-sized can-or-freeze jars to store the food you make (see Supplies page too), each jar holds about 400 grams of food.  I know because I just weighed it out this morning and I am so wicked proud of myself for remembering to do that that I'm actually blogging it.  

That means that if you make a single-sized batch (2 kg), you will need about five or six jars to store the food.  

Those six-ish jars should feed one average healthy adult cat for about 12-14 days.  Please understand that every cat's appetite, needs, activity level, body size, and moods are different so your mileage may vary.  A petite 7 pound cat will require less food (most likely) than an 18-pound male Maine Coon cat.  And even body size isn't the only indicator for judging how much a cat will need to eat each day. Hop on over to the the FAQ page for more on how much to feed your cat. (Spoiler alert:  I really don't know, but I can give you a ballpark guesstimate.) 

Kudos to Dr. Jean Hofve of Little Big Cat for drawing attention to the recent publication in the Journal of Animal Science of a new study on the relative digestibility raw meat diets for cats. 

New "d'uh" discovery today while making 30 pounds of cat food (living with a growing kitten, you know): don't toss those egg whites! Sure, don't use them raw in the food, but cook 'em up to kill the biotin-blocking avidin, grind 'em up, and mix them in with the raw cat food.

It's less wasteful and a brutally cool source of phosphorus-free protein! Dr. Pierson suggested this idea long ago but I finally implemented today. Easy. 

You can also make an angel food cake, of course. 

Praise and heartfelt thanks to a wonderful site visitor, Alexandra Urbanik, for completing a full translation in Polish of the "Open Letter to Vets" on the website. For website visitors from Poland?  Also see a raw feeding and discussion group website here.   

Check out the new page on catnutrition.org about periodontal disease.  No, really, it's not as boring as it sounds. I was inspired to finally tackle the issue after coming home last night exhausted and stressed after I had Wilson in for his first dental cleaning.  A real wake-up call and one which I hope you will benefit from hearing about.  

Love 'em. 

He likes it. 

I sure hope I don't regret this, but catnutrition.org now has a Facebook presence.  Help spread the word by linking to and liking us. Or loving us. Or whatever it is you're supposed to do with Facebook.  Click on the thingamajammer below to go to the Facebook page and then please pretty please "Like" us.  

In no particular order, below is a top ten list of stuff I wish that I had known about long ago.  On taking care of, living with, and feeding cats, that is.

1. The Double-Sided Sticky Tape Trick With Furniture.  How did I miss this one? Bar none, this is the easiest and most humane way I've found to keep cats from transforming upholstered furniture into a shredded mess.  Inexpensive. Inconspicuous. Effective.  Sure beats the old idea I tried  years ago of wrapping furniture in aluminum foil for a month to deter cats from destroying upholstered furniture.  Which mostly had the effect of making my living room look like a Star Wars set and giving my friends another reason to poke fun at me. 
   
2. The Furminator!  Again, where was I when this came out?  How did I not learn about this until this year?  I totally love this tool.  It's a fabulous time saver for grooming cats and, hooboy, do they love it.  There are way fewer flying cat fur dustballs around now that I've discovered this de-shedding tool.
   
3. Dr. Pierson's Cat Litter Box Cleaning Method.  I shudder to think of the thousands of pounds of litter I hauled and discarded for decades until I learned, d'uh, that there's a great way to keep litter boxes pristine without emptying all the contents regularly.  Saves time, saves money, saves your back.  It's much greener too. 
4. Biodegradable Bags for Soiled Cat Litter Stuff.  Using the Dr. Pierson Method means having handy and nearby a durable container lined with a bag into which the "stuff" you take out of the box at each cleaning goes.  But I sure didn't like how un-green it was using plastic bags, even if I was re-purposing grocery store bags.  There are lots of choices now for 100 percent biodegradable bags that work perfectly well for this purpose.  I like the 3-gallon "food waste" bags sold by Bio-Bag.  Put one of those inside a durable plastic container to hold it in place when you're scooping and you're good to go. 
   
5. Raw Feeding is a Good, Sane Idea.  This should go without saying, but I'll go for it anyway.  I wish I had known many years earlier than I did that feeding dry food is a horrible idea for cats and that feeding a balanced, raw-meat based diet is the single most important step one can take to set a strong foundation for a cat's health. 
   
6. Feeding Chunks From the Start!  When I first started raw feeding, I under-appreciated the value of including large chunks of muscle meat in my cats' diet to help keep their oral health as good as it could be.  That said, when I first started raw feeding, the cats I had then were adults and weren't big fans of eating anything "chunky."  When our new kitten, Sidney-Beans, arrived a couple months ago, one of the first things I did was offer him oversized chunks of muscle meat to work on.  He and his most awesome big brother Wilson now get one "chunk treat" a day of chicken thigh meat.  I'm hoping this dramatically decreases the chances that they'll need to have regular dental cleanings. This doesn't mean they won't need or get dental cleanings, but it sure seems to me that feeding those chunks is a smart way to reduce the chances that their oral health will deteriorate. 
   
7. Glass Jars for Storing Food.  I've never been a fan of storing food in plastic containers.  They're environmentally yucky and can leach dangerous chemicals into the food inside them.  A healthier, and greener, solution is found with can-or-freeze jars.  They're durable as can be; I've had the same set of jars for nearly a decade now and not one single jar has broken or cracked.  And yes, I've dropped more than a few. 
   
8. That Annual Revaccination is Not The Great Idea I Used to Think It Was.  I wish I'd had the wisdom and information decades ago to recognize that the practice of blindly revaccinating cats each year is unnecessary and carries serious risks of side-effects, both long- and short-term.  I used to feel so righteous and responsible when I'd haul my cats in once a year to get their 'booster shots.'  Once I started digging more into it, I learned that I wasn't doing them any favors.  
   
9. That Adopting an Adult Cat is Equally if Not More Rewarding Than Adopting a Young Kitten.  Until this year, I'd always assumed that if I brought any new animal into our lives, it would have to be a young kitten.  Too many risks and unknowns, I thought, adopting an adult cat, even though I know that they are the ones who often have the hardest times finding good homes.  Once four-and-a-half year old Wilson entered the scene, however, I changed my mind entirely.  Maybe it's because Wilson is Mr. Wonderful and within a remarkably short period of time I fell head over heels in love with this guy.  Maybe it's because he came into our lives exactly when his vibe, his unique presence, and his demeanor was exactly what we needed. As my friend reminds me, adopting a kitten is like getting married on the first date!  You never really know what their unique personality is going to shape up to be.  But with an adult cat, you usually have a pretty good idea of who they are.  Adult cats in need of homes should get the love and forever home they deserve.   
   
10. That Fear of Loss Shouldn't Intrude on Loving the Cat(s) You Have Now.  No doubt, losing a beloved animal companion is painful.  But I wish I had realized years ago that worrying about the fact that our lifespans are longer than theirs and that one day, most likely, their form will be out of our reach is an absolute waste of time.  And that any subtle, lurking fear just beneath the surface about one day losing them depreciates the relationship.  And makes it more difficult for you and for them to experience the elegance of the moment with clarity.  Love them now.  Appreciate them now.  Don't let anxiety about what may or may not happen in the future invade your nervous system and poison the moment.  Now is all you ever have, so cherish it, absent fear.  It's the only way.  It's really the thing. It's not always easy, but it's worth the effort.  Try on love without fear.  It's huge.