History of cat feeding

[audrey]

I'm posting this for Carole of Myskanco.

At the beginning of the 20th Century, many cats had access to the
outside world and, apart from milk and table scraps were largely
self-sufficient. City cats were more dependent on owners and their
diet mirrored the owner's own diet. If the owner's meal consisted of
something the cat did not eat, the owner was advised to cater
specially for their cats, for example something from the larder or a
lightly-boiled egg was recommended (except in London where eggs could
not 'be depended upon'!).

A typical cat diet began with breakfast of brown bread soaked in warm
milk or milk porridge (oatmeal). Dinner might be fresh cooked meat
with potatoes and boiled greens or carrots with milk pudding for
dessert. Supper was the same as breakfast, possibly with the addition
of meat or fish. The usual meats were stewed shin, rabbit, liver,
tripe or lights (lungs; remarkably low in nutritional value) or the
owner could boil a sheep's head, rabbit's head or cods' heads until
the flesh fell off the bone. These would be served with broken dog
biscuits, hard-baked bread crusts or home-made cat bread (see below).
A cat which had lost its appetite could be perked up by a raw
chicken's head complete with feathers or a fresh-killed sparrow,
served feathers and all.

During the First World War, the Cats Protection League magazine "The
Cat" carried meal suggestions, for example bread soaked in milk with a
gravy of yeast extract. The excess milk was poured off to be used in a
later meal. Gravy was made from a small quantity of yeast extract
(e.g. Marmite) and a teaspoon or two of "gravy" was poured over the
milk-soaked bread. The editor of "The Cat" recommended making a good
solid pudding as a substitute for meat. The pudding comprised table
scraps such as bread, potatoes, vegetables and cheese, all moistened
with Marmite gravy, mashed together and baked in a pie-dish for about
an hour. When cold, this set into a firm slab and could be sliced and
cubed to provide several days' food.

By the 1930s, experienced cat-owner Arthur M Turner, advocated a diet
of raw meat and water, but only for domestic shorthairs since "fluffy
cats are, or have been, so artificially bred that they seldom take to
a natural diet. Some of them will eat almost anything." When the cat
reached 6 years old, it could also have a little beef liver. At the
weekend, cats were allowed raw or stewed rabbit, but according to Mr
Turner they preferred it raw. "Sunday mush" for the cat might be
rabbit sop (bread in rabbit gravy), bread and milk with a little
sugar, and mashed vegetables in gravy. Mr Turner disapproved of tinned
foods, finding tinned salmon useful for an emergency, but "a healthy,
well-fed cat will seldom eat tinned stuff a second day." Indeed, the
tinned foods of the time were not well-balanced in nutritional terms
and not suitable as a staple diet.

[audrey]

The cat's meat man

Up until World War II, the cats' meat man was a familiar sight in
British towns. He sold wooden skewers of meat trimmings unfit for
human consumption and horse meat. It was sometimes dyed blue-green to
prevent it being re-sold as human food and was sometimes too rotten or
foul for cats to eat. Skewer sizes ranged from a ha'penny snack to a
threepenny feast. With regular customers, he would post the skewer
through the letterbox and be paid weekly. Owners had to carefully
inspect it, dipping it in weak vinegar and water, or in plain boiling
water, then rubbing it with a cloth to remove flies' eggs and maggots.
During wartime, many families kept a stockpot warming on the back of
the range. The stockpot contained plenty of water, bones from meat
joints (for the gravy) and any leftover meat along with grains and
pulses. A rabbit could be added when available. The stock was boiled
for a few minutes daily and a little poured over well-toasted bread
crusts or served as mush.

Dried cat food began in the 1930s; inspired by stale ships' biscuits
which sailors threw to dockside strays. Spratt's cat food cost a
penny-halfpenny for a packet or 3 shillings for a 7 lb bag. Dried
foods were advertised as being free of the messiness of home-prepared
cat foods. Kit-E-Kat canned food first appeared in the late 1930s. It
vanished during the Second World War and reappeared in the late 1940s.
Early canned foods were not nutritionally complete and cats fed
primarily on them often developed eczema.

FEEDING IN THE 1940S

In "Questions Answered About Cats" Grace Cox-Ife (editor of "Cats and
Kittens" magazine, part-author of "The Care of Your Cat") recommends
weaning kittens using dried milk "One of the patent dried milk foods
is best. There are several made especially for animals and
instructions are printed on the container" and later notes "Cow's milk
may be given - it should be warmed to blood heat, and a few drops of
lime water added to prevent curdling - but kittens do better on a more
concentrated milk food." and elsewhere she adds "Lime-water should be
added to milk given to. young kittens."

For weaning kittens, she advised fresh fish finely mashed with a
little of the liquor in which it is cooked or alternatively
well-cooked rabbit mixed with brown breadcrumbs or a teaspoonful of
finely scraped lean raw beef or mutton. Meat or fish meals should be
given once a day up to the age of eight weeks, then two solid meals a
day up to nine or ten weeks. Milk meals should be given as well,
making a total of four meals a day, milk and meat should never be fed
together and there must be four hours between each meal.

Later, the diet could be made more varied using chopped cooked carrot
or greenstuff, barley porridge, any cereal food, brown bread, cooked
tripe, cooked liver, milk pudding, meat gravy, eggs either raw (beaten
up) or cooked. However, potato should not be given, and any starchy
food should be given in small quantities only. Meat given in pieces
large enough to he chewed before being swallowed would provide
exercise for the teeth. Other foodstuffs could safely be fed as
occasional titbits, since some cats had strange tastes - these
included occasional titbits of tomato, cake or cheese. She suggested
that small amounts of finely grated cheese could be used to make a
biscuit meal more attractive.

[audrey]

Cox-Ife noted that many cats were fond of the dry biscuit foods
prepared especially for them and would sometimes eat it dry. However,
the advised approach with biscuit food was to moisten it with either
warm broth or warm milk, but not so much that it becomes sodden.

Seriously ill cats which refused all food could be fed with glucose
dissolved in water, meat juice, milk and lime water, or a few drops of brandy in water. Convalescent cats should be given steamed fresh fish or scraped raw beef alternated with meat jelly or finely minced rabbit may be given, but the most important thing was to get the cat to eat something! "Convalescent cats frequently have capricious appetites and anything likely to appeal should be tried. Do not weary the animal by over persuasion, but try something else later on if the first offer is refused. Sometimes the most unlikely foods will be taken. One cat recovering from a severe attack of distemper refused all offered food but helped himself to some cooked greens from the dinner table. After this he returned to a normal diet. Beaten-up raw egg is a rapid conditioner for cats that have recovered from illness."

Cox-Ife noted that fresh horseflesh, either raw or cooked, was both
good for cats and liked by most cats, but if there was the slightest
suspicion of its freshness, it must be cooked. Offal should always be
cooked because of parasites and their eggs. France mentioned the
merits of cooked whale meat. To show just how much times have changed, in the later part of the 20th Century, the British Pet Food
Manufacturer's Association's code of practice prohibits the use of
whale or horse in commercially prepared cat foods. Whalemeat is
prohibited on environmental grounds while the prohibition of horsemeat is due to a peculiarly British food taboo.

Some cats were considered to have more delicate digestive systems than others. According to Sydney W France's book "Siamese Cats" published in 1949, Siamese cats were more problematical than most!

"Feeding Siamese can be something of a problem. By no means do all of them like milk, and of my present company there are only two who are addicted to this liquid. Incidentally, I think Siamese cats drink more water than other varieties, and I make a point of seeing that there's always a clean small basin full available. For kittens, four small meals a day, at eight o'clock, twelve, four and eight o'clock in the evening are best, but for adult Siamese I recommend but two meals a day, nine in the morning, and six o'clock in the evening. The supply of food for these meals is comparatively simple, the fishmonger saves the shoulders from cod, and also the heads of cod, Halibut and Conger; also the heads of Plaice, and sometimes if the carcasses are large, those of plaice. These are placed in a saucepan with very little water and simmered for only about a quarter of an hour. For kittens, the bones are carefully removed by finger and thumb, and for the senior cat, most of the bones that can be felt, and those that may be left with the fish must only be soft ones. Leave the meal down for only a quarter of an hour, if it isn't eaten by then, its not wanted, and should be taken up.

Milky puddings and dishes are to be avoided as they only disturb the
stomachs of Siamese, and make them "loose." Kittens love whale meat cut up very small with scissors, it's best either fried or lightly
roasted in the oven. I've not tried it out regularly for senior cats
as it would prove too dear, but from experiment I know how much they like it. Meat for animal consumption is unfortunately hard to get, but whenever available, I like mine to have it, as like humans, Siamese cats like a change of diet, and however much they like fish, will become wildly excited over meat."

Two years earlier in 1947, Cox-Ife (who had also been editor of "Cats and Kittens" magazine) also gave special mention of Siamese cats "whose digestions tend to be weak in yearly life. Many breeders give meat at an early age, but, personally, I prefer fish up to the age of three months. Tinned pink salmon, when obtainable, is ideal, and the soft bones should be crushed and mixed with the flesh."

[audrey]

SODERBERG ON FEEDING OF CATS (1951)

After the Second World War, meat remained in short supply and could
not be wasted on pets. Whale-meat and horse-meat entered the human
diet and was also fed to cats. One recipe was cooked horse-meat or
whale-meat with brown bread and either broth, green vegetables or raw
grated carrots. The evening meal was bread with gravy, or fried bread
cubes or baked crusts. Once a week white fish was added if any was to
be had.

Writing in 1951, Soderberg wrote: "This chapter deals with the feeding
of cats which was possible before the war, and which it is hoped will
again be possible in the not too distant future." and admits " Few
breeders agree on the subject of feeding, which only goes to prove
that cats as a race are very accommodating creatures. To keep a cat in
good condition sound feeding principles are essential, but in practice
one normally finds that choice is wide, and when one so-called
essential is not available, a substitute can be found. The basic
principle of all animal feeding is that the diet should be balanced.
Proteins, carbohydrates, fats with trace minerals and vitamins must
all be found in the diet before it can be considered satisfactory."

"Since 1939 a very serious situation has developed for cat breeders,
for from that time many articles which had formed part of the
customary diet were not available. There was also an Order issued by
the Ministry of Food which forbade the use for animal feeding of all
foodstuffs which were suitable for human consumption. Many breeders
were compelled by these circumstances to cut down their stock. Few
indeed gave up the unequal struggle and disposed of all their cats,
for the majority, at the expense of considerable time and no little
ingenuity, managed not only to keep their cats alive but also to keep
them in good health and sound condition. For those who could obtain
it, horse-meat was a great help, but where no source of supply was
available, fish offal, when added to the ordinary scraps from the
table, had to suffice.

Continuous feeding of this type, however, is not satisfactory, for it
is too wasteful of effort and demands considerable care if the animal
is to be well nourished and at the same time regard its food with
enthusiasm. Lack of variety is not appreciated by cats any more than
by humans, and even the most attractive foods pall after a time. This
chapter deals with the feeding of cats which was possible before the
war, and which it is hoped will again be possible in the not too
distant future."

Before dealing with actual foodstuffs, Soderberg felt there to be
several points which must be made for the help of the beginner. The
first was that all cats must have fixed mealtimes since their
condition "depends almost as much on regularity as it does on quantity
and content. If a cat knows when to expect a meal, it will be in the
right place at the right time provided it is hungry. If it is not
hungry, no useful purpose is served by feeding it."

For fit adult cats, appetite could be taken as a fairly safe guide as
to the quantity to be given. However kittens were another matter since
"like children, rarely know when they have had enough, with the
inevitable consequences. Thus kittens must be carefully rationed."
Having allowed the cat or kitten to eat its fill - or to eat all that
the owner deems good for it to have - the leftovers must be cleared
away and no more food would be allowed until the next regular
mealtime. As far as possible all meals should be served warm though
adult cats were apparently not put out unduly by temperature. More
importantly, frozen food must be thoroughly thawed before use.

Cod Liver Oil and Halibut Oil were valuable during winter months,
especially as a source of vitamins to kittens born at a time when
sunshine is lacking (a reference to rickets). Halibut oil was
preferred over cod as the quantity needed was so much less. Soderberg
noted that cod liver oil could upset the digestive system, but because
the daily dose of halibut oil was so much smaller, this could be
avoided. In addition, the small amount of halibut oil was far less
noticeable to fussy cats than the larger dose of cod liver oil
required for the same beneficial effect.

Boiled fish had long been a mainstay of cat food, but as Soderberg
tells the read "The idea that all cats like fish is quite erroneous as
some of them much prefer the pangs of hunger to a fish meal. If they
can be persuaded to eat it, however, it is a most useful addition to
the possible foods. In the case of kittens, a small quantity of
steamed fish often constitutes their first solid meal. Fish must
always be cooked before it is served, and much care has to be taken to
ensure that all dangerous bones have been removed. When one is
compelled to rely on fish offal, the heads of fish can be boiled in a
pressure cooker to make a nutritious if not tasty basis for a meal.
Biscuit food is a useful addition to this fish base."

Cats that did deign to eat fish apparently developed strong
preferences, and though any type of fish may be used, fish-loving cats
tended to become connoisseurs who looked "somewhat askance at the
coarser varieties".

Another use of fish was to treat constipation. "The humble sardine
packed in oil can prove a very useful addition to the food of a cat
suffering from constipation, but the quantity used must be only small
or the laxative effect is likely to be too great." Even in modern
times, sardines in oil or pilchards in oil are used in this way while
tinned fish in tomato sauce is useful for disguising medication!

[audrey]

The preferred diet for cats was lean meat, but the importance of fats
in the cat's diet was not understood. Horse-meat was available and was
considered an excellent choice. It was not then known that horse-meat
is not nutritionally balanced and can lead to dietary deficiencies in
cats fed on nothing else.

"Whenever possible meat should form the major portion of the cat's
diet, and there is nothing which can adequately replace lean meat as a
source of nourishment. If the quality of this meat can be relied upon
and it is perfectly fresh, it should be fed raw. Where it is the
custom to purchase meat in quantities which will last for the best
part of a week in winter, it can usually be fed raw safely for several
days. In warm weather, however, after the first day it is much safer
to cook the remainder and to keep it in a refrigerator until just
before it is used. Beef and horse-meat are much to be preferred to
mutton and pork, as the latter are usually much too fat. As a rule
cats are not particularly successful in digesting fat.

Of all meats rabbit flesh is the prime favourite, and you are lucky if
you live in the country and your cats are of a kind which know how to
catch their own rabbits. Although rabbits are comparatively expensive,
there is usually little waste and as a consequence they are
economical. When restrictions are relaxed, and it is again permissible
to buy butcher's meat for pets, most cat owners will confine their
choice to beef and rabbit, but at present the only meat available to
the cat owner is horse-meat. it is an excellent food and is usually
appreciated. Poultry can be fed to cats, but it is not necessary, and
unless all the brittle bones are removed, it is definitely dangerous.
Meat offals which are at present available for animals have little
food value, and if anyone tells you that "lights" are excellent food,
there is no need for you to believe them."

Tinned food was available but expensive and rather a novelty: "Several
firms are now producing cat food and selling it in tins. Cat owners
would be welt advised to give such foods a trial, and if they find
some that are suitable, to keep a few tins in reserve. Cost is rather
on the high side, but the more popular such foods become, the easier
it will be for manufacturers to reduce prices."

Dried food, now very common, was very new in Soderberg's time and was
not fed in dried form as it is now. It was different from the modern
balanced dried foods (kibble) and the balance of minerals at the time
could cause urinary blockages. My own vet explained that the early
formulation of "Go-Cat" was nicknamed "Gone Cat" because of sometimes
lethal urinary blockages in males cats. Soderberg tells us:

"There are on the market a number of biscuit foods which are very
useful in feeding, for they add to the bulk of the diet as well as
possessing considerable feeding value themselves. This food should not
be given in a dry state, but should have boiling water poured over it
and then be left to stand for a few minutes. When the surplus moisture
has been removed, the food is of the right crumbly consistency
suitable for mixing with other foods. Although biscuit meal can upon
occasion be fed alone, cats do better if the starchy elements in their
diet are limited to a quarter of the daily intake."

Soderberg gives precise quantities for feeding of male and female
cats. On the feeding of kittens from the age of weaning up until six
months he notes the following:

"The regulation of quantity is very important, as most kittens will
over-eat if they are given the opportunity, and over feeding is a more
serious fault than giving too little ... A cereal food first thing in
the morning, and the same as a nightcap, is sound practice. During the
day two meat or fish meals containing biscuit meal, gravy and some
vegetable can be given, one at midday and the other in the early
evening. After a meat meal five hours should elapse before meat is
given again. The four meals spread over a period of fifteen hours is
usually found to be a satisfactory arrangement, and a rest for the
stomach of nine hours at night is an advantage rather than the
reverse."

While for adults: "two meals a day and perhaps a saucer of milk either
early in the morning or last thing at night. A female will usually eat
eight to ten ounces each day of solid food, and of this six ounces
should be meat. A stud cat, on the other hand, will require more, and
an extra two ounces of meat will help him to maintain his vigour.
These quantities will be satisfactory for most cats, but intelligent
observation will soon show whether the method of feeding and the
quantity of food given is satisfactory."

Milk was considered an excellent food, but not necessary for adult
cats because so much more of it in quantity was required to be
equivalent to fish or meat. In addition he noted the problem of
diarrhoea. Kittens which were gradually accustomed to cow's milk
apparently grew to like it, but cow's milk was considered dangerous
unless considerable care had been taken in introducing it to the diet.
On the other band, Soderberg noted that goat's milk always seems to be
safe, but it was in short supply so that few cat owners would be able
to buy it.

Soderberg accepted that some cats seemed to like grass, especially
cocksfoot, and advised readers to rely upon the cat's instincts. Those
lacking gardens in which grass could be grown were advised to grow a
tray of grass.

Finally there was the matter of suitable feeding dishes. These should
be kept solely for feeding cats, and readers were advised to not use
saucers or plates which were also used for human food. Enamel, china
and plastics were recommended although enamel was prone to chipping
and had to be discarded if this happened.

[audrey]

ROSE TENENT ON FEEDING CATS (1955)

Tenent wrote that no animal was easier to live with than the cat,
though owners had certain obligations - food, housing, exercise and
grooming - and anyone who was unwilling to spend a little time and
money on those matters should not have a cat, for he is unworthy of a
cat's friendship. Before bringing a kitten home, the owner should ask
the breeder how it had been fed since any sudden change of diet could
result in digestive trouble. Once it had settled in, changes could be
made gradually. The amount a kitten ate was less important than the
amount digested so four or five meals a day were needed to avoid
overloading its stomach. She added that water should always be
available, but milk was not good for adult cats and that grass,
preferably Cocksfoot, should be available, especially during the
moulting season.

Tenent noted that opinions on diet varied and her personal
recommendation was 4 regular meals a day diet with flesh meals and
milk meals alternated. For example, breakfast might be steamed or
boiled fish mixed with brown bread-crumbs; lunch could be brown bread
and milk, cereal and milk, or egg custard; evening meal would be
another fish or meat meal or cooked boneless rabbit for an occasional
change; bedtime supper would be another milky meal or a simple saucer
of milk. Meat was to be fed either raw or cooked and Tenent suggested
mincing it and adding brown bread-crumbs for roughage. Rabbit and fish
should always be cooked. Meat and fish could be moistened with a
little of the cooking liquor (gravy), though it was recommended that
it should be kept dry rather than wet since cats disliked sloppy food.
The regime could be reversed so that breakfast was a milk meal and
supper was a meat meal. By the time the kitten reached three or four
month it needed 3 solid meals and just one milky meal: "Contrary to
general opinion, not all kittens can digest much milk, and some do not
even care for it." Halibut-liver oil was to be added to the main meal
to supply vitamins A and D and prevent rickets. Dried brewers yeast or
half a yeast tablet (crushed) would supply vita B.

From five or six months old it should gradually be introduced to the
adult diet and given a greater quantity of food, "bearing in mind that
the cat is a carnivorous animal; therefore, as it grows the greater
part of its diet should consist of meat". By nine months it should be
on 2 meals a day and, if it wished, a midday saucer of milk. "Keep
strictly to this routine for the remainder of the cat's life. Never be
tempted to give titbits between meals or at the table. If you do not
start this habit a cat will not come to expect it, and you will be
able to have your meals in peace and the cat will be in better
condition."

"Many cats enjoy raw meat, and provided it is perfectly fresh there is
no need to cook the goodness out of it. If, like myself, you keep only
one or two cats, try to give them beef at least once or twice a week.
Lean beef is wonderful food for a cat and keeps its coat in excellent
condition. Readers who keep a larger number of cats may have to resort
to something less expensive. Whale meat, ox cheek, horseflesh, all of
these are nourishing, and can be given raw, but do make sure to obtain
them from a reputable dealer. Some cats are of course far more fussy
over food than others, but I have yet to meet one that refuses rabbit.
Cooked well, and served with a little cereal or scraps of brown bread,
this makes a fine meal for any at to start the day. Most cats also
love fish, but unfortunately too much of it is not good for them, and
may

even cause skin trouble. Given in moderation, however, boiled fish
such as haddock, cod, whiting, turbot, skate, or mackerel, is
nourishing and will be appreciated. When feeding either fish or rabbit
be sure to remove the bones. Some cats, especially Siamese, enjoy
gnawing a large meat bone, and provided this is of the non-splinter
type it need not be denied them. Small bones, however, whether from
meat, fish, or poultry, are extremely dangerous and should never be
given. If rabbit bones splinter and become wedged in a cat's throat
they can cause great distress before it is possible to remove them. If
any of the splinters are swallowed and set up internal trouble it may
even prove fatal."

"... to overfeed an animal is not a kindness and has been known to
shorten its life. Generally speaking, an adult cat needs from four to
six ounces of flesh food daily, to which should be added a little
cereal, brown bread scraps, or green vegetable, whichever is
preferred. The weight of your cat is a good guide as to the amount of
food it needs, and you can always increase or decrease the rations
accordingly."

"Starch foods such as white bread or potatoes should never be fed to
cats, although biscuit meal and scraps of brown bread are good, and
when flavoured with warm meat gravy, yeast extract, or almost any of
the prepared soups would, for a change, make an appetizing meal. Other
suggestions for occasional treats are an egg (either raw or cooked),
sardines or pilchards (the oil~ of which is especially good), or
cooked offal such as heart, kidney, or liver."

Mr. Gordon B. Allt, F.Z.S. (Danehurst Cattery, Crowborough, Sussex),
began breeding Persian cats at the end of WWII when eye problems
prevented him doing much close work. After starting with 3 queens and
being successful at shows, his cattery built up to at least 8 queens
and 4 studs (2 blues, 1 cream and a chinchilla) unrelated to the
queens. In his opinion, a cat's intelligence was as high as that of a
dog, although the natural characteristics are entirely different, and
humans must approach them very differently. Their affection and
loyalty were equal to any dog once you gain their confidence. In 1955,
Mr Allt provided the following advice to novices regarding feeding:

"Each week give your cat, whether long-haired or short, a dose of
medicated paraffin, say, about a dessertspoonful on food for an adult
and a large teaspoonful for a kitten up to eight months, after which
increase to the adult dose. This prevents hairball forming with its
attendant serious results and possible stoppage and death. It is quite
harmless and does not upset the cat in any way but does keep the
'flues ' clean. So far as feeding is concerned, regular mealtimes is
the best plan. I feed my adult cats twice daily - in the morning with
bread and milk and at midday with minced raw horse-flesh. In the hot
weather I 'do not feed them at midday but in the cool of the evening
as I find that if fed at midday they don't want it and the food only
attracts flies. About once a week or so I give a fish meal entirely to
adults, either herrings or cod, taking out the main bones. This is
important, In starting off with weaning kittens, they are fed bread
and milk at first and are then gradually put on to minced cooked
horse-flesh, until after about six months the adult diet is gradually
introduced. It is a mistake to overload kittens - feed rather little
and often. I use my discretion according to how they appear to
progress. Always have a dish of water available; cats may not drink
much but they like to 'wet their whistles 'sometimes. Milk with a
little water added is appreciated by some cats, but never give milk
straight out of a refrigerator or you are asking for trouble."

[audrey]

THE CPL ON FEEDING OF CATS (1960s/1970s)

The 1960s "Cat Care" leaflet distributed by the Cats Protection League
recommended that cows milk be improved by adding cream. Oatmeal gruel
is recommended for weaning kittens, and later raw meat although milk
meals and meat meals should not be mixed, with three hours to elapse
between a milk meal and meat meal, to avoid indigestion. From 9-12
weeks, the leaflet recommends pearl barley cooked with rabbit and
elsewhere, the old favourite of baked Cod's head gets a mention.

In "Some Facts About Cats" it says "At six weeks the kittens may have
a little cooked fish, pounded to a paste, or raw meat very finely
minced; about one teaspoonful per kitten, instead of the milk. Meat
and milk food together will cause indigestion; allow three hours to
elapse after a milk meal before giving meat, or vice versa."

For older kittens the recommendation is "Cooked fish, minced raw meat,
or cooked rabbit, either plain or mixed with brown bread and barley.
Pearl barley cooked with rabbit will absorb a good deal of the gravy
and makes a very nourishing dish. The barley may be given separately
for one meal with rabbit gravy or mixed with the rabbit. Cod's head,
and/or fresh haddock baked in the oven make a change in the diet.

Always see that the fish is free from bones, and never give rabbit or
poultry bones, as these may splinter and cause internal trouble. Dry
crusts of bread can be given for the kittens to bite on, whilst
teething at from four to six months as they like something hard to
gnaw at this time. Cooked rabbit, meat, boiled tripe, cooked or raw
liver, sardines, boiled sheep's head, are all good foods. You will
soon discover what your cat or kitten likes best, and when you do, let
him have it within reason. All cats do not like the same food. Give
fresh foods whenever possible; a little cooked green vegetable chopped
up, with gravy added, may be given twice a week if liked. Do not give
potatoes. Liver should not be given more than twice a week—it acts as
a purgative."

The 1960s owner was advised not to give potatoes (modern manuals
suggest adding cooked mashed potatoes to increase roughage) although
adding rice or beans was acceptable. In adulthood boiled tripe, cooked
or raw liver, sardines and boiled sheep head are recommended though
raw liver should not be fed more than twice a week as it "acts as a
purgative". Later leaflets (from about 1970s) advise that too much raw
liver causes Vitamin A poisoning rather than being merely a purgative.

In the 1960s, the CPL advised "Horse and cow meat and offal should not
be given uncooked. When cooking cats' meat be sure that all the fat is
removed, then cut the meat into small pieces. A small bone or two and
a tablespoonful of rice or beans can be added. These will give flavour
and additional nourishment. Cooked meat will go further if put through
a mincer.

If fish heads and trimmings are used, these should be thoroughly
washed before being cooked. Boil until the bones come away from the
fish or until they are soft enough to mash into pulp."

The leaflet also reflected the growing popularity of tinned foods.
These were more common than in Soderberg's time and were becoming the
mainstay of some cats' diets rather than a novelty or emergency
rations: "Tinned Foods: There are many brands of food for cats which
are considered sufficient as a diet. There is no need to name them as
they are almost always available at pet shops or the grocers. Dried
foods in packets, apart from biscuit meal, are also obtainable and
should be used as directed. Cats and kittens too are sometimes
difficult to feed or have their likes or dislikes. Some will live
entirely on one particular brand of tinned food. Others will like a
change. Herrings in tomato sauce and tuna fish are sometimes a welcome
change. Even some of the most fastidious will respond to coaxing with
one or other of these particular foods."

The CPL leaflets of the 1970s reflected awareness of intolerance of
cow's milk. They also suggested feeding "skin, bone, fur etc (called
animal roughage)" in the proportion in which it occurs in the prey
animal (this appeared in the June 1991 leaflet, but this is absent
from current leaflets, possibly due to more commercial foods and a
greater degree of squeamishness) and reflected changing views (and
possibly changing human diet) by omitting the mention of "pearl barley
in rabbit gravy" and suggesting "some meals can consist entirely of
milk mixed with cooked cereals or vegetables" instead.

Somewhere between the 70s and 80s, cat biscuits acquired a reputation
for causing problems and the 1991 leaflet suggests they are used "as a
topping", while modern leaflets say to "use them sparingly". As yet
there is no mention of "complete" dry diets.