I feed my two younger ferrets (2 yr. old) a choice of
Iams dry kitten and Hill's feline growth dry. They seem to favor
the Iams. They are slim and trim and full of energy. Two of my
older ferrets (Fred & Sable) eat Iams dry cat chow and they have
flourished on this diet. When I brought them home from the
shelter about a month ago they had dry skin and sparse, wirey coats.
With the Iams and treats of Linatone they have gained weight and now
have thick, shiny fur. Fred and Sable are about 4-5 years
old and not as active as the younger ferrets so they do
well on the cat chow. The Iams cat chow has 32.0% protein
and 21.0% fat, while the kitten chow has 34.0% pro. and 22.0%
fat. I believe the lower protein and fat content is healthier
for the older, less active ferret. I even periodically mix in
some Iams Less Active dry cat food with their regular food.
The protein content is 28.0% and the fat is 14.0%. I am unsure
about the protein content of 28.0% and whether this is a
acceptable amount for ferrets so I don't feed them strictly
the less active brand. Faucett my 4 yr. old female loves the
A-N-F brand of dry cat food, it is sold under the brand name
of Tami and is made without preservatives. It has a protein
content of 32.0% and fat of 18.0%. I like the lower fat
content since she is alittle overweight and less active.
Boo, my poor little albino with the kidney disease is on a
diet of Hill's dry k/d. As Dr. Williams stated in Issue 710,
stressed kidneys cannot handle high levels of protein. This
is true in kidney disease and thus in Boo's case. The Hill's
k/d has a protein content of 25.0% and fat 0f 23.0%. Boo is
painfully thin and the fat content helps him maintain what
little weight he has.
     I have also heard about fish meal in cat food.
I was under the understanding that fish (seafood) has
high levels of magnesium which has been found to cause
urinary tract infections in cats. The magnesium content
of most of the cat chow I have listed falls around .095%,
so I assume that as long as this percentage is low,
the fish meal content of the chow should not be harmful.
Just an assumption! I hope this hasn't been too boring
and long but I feel that nutrition plays an important
role in the ferrets life. As the ferret ages his/her
nutritional needs change much like a humans.
I know that's right....rice cakes just don't taste as
good as candy, but that is the price I pay of being older
and hopefully wiser?
 
                                Judy and the chow lovers,
                                Teebone,Weezul,Sable,Boo,
                                Fred and Faucett.
 
[Posted in FML issue 0713]