* Benefits of Feeding Vegan Meals
* Vege Cat Recipes
* Vege Dog Recipes 
* Save Money Cooking Dried Beans
* Texture and Consistency
* Enzymes - Why They Are Needed
* Yummy Toppings to Help With The Switch Over
* Add Fresh Veggies to Meals For Great Nutrition 
* Healthy Powder Mix Supplement

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Benefits of Feeding Vegan Meals:

No More:                                                      What You Will See:
greasy, foul smelling, coat                            soft, fluffy, shiny, fresh smelling coat hair & skin
bad smelling feces                                         normal feces, without bad smells 
body & mouth order                                       fresh smelling body & mouth
lack of energy                                                slender, sleek healthy bodies
chronic and acute health issues                    more energy and better stamina
saggy bellies / excessive body fat                 

When we feed our pets homemade vegan/vegetarian meals, we are not contributing to the pain and suffering of animals kept and then inhumanly slaughtered for food and the millions of cats, dogs and various other small animals that are euthanized in shelters everyday and also ground-up for pet food.

Studies and numerous case reports have shown that nutritionally sound vegetarian companion animal diets appear to be associated with the following health benefits: increased overall health and vitality, decreased incidences of cancer, infections, hypothyroidism, ectoparasites (fleas, ticks, lice and mites), improved coat condition, allergy control, weight control, arthritis regression, diabetes regression and cataract resolution. Dr. Andrew Knight, DVM
***For more information on the benefits of feeding vegetarian meals, please visit Dr. Andrew Knights website. 
http://www.vegepets.info/   

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Vegetarian Recipes for Cats & Dogs - from HOANA   www.vegepet.com

Just one of several recipes you will find on HOANA's website.

Chickpea Plus for Kitties: 
(My kitties favorite. My dogs love the same recipe but formulated for dogs)

 - 1 3/8 cups (330ml/335g) canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
   or - 1 1/2 cups (340ml/240g) home cooked chickpeas,
             starting with 3/4 cup (180g/150g) uncooked 
 - 7/8 cup (200ml/85g) textured soy protein  
   or - 3/4 cup ( 170ml/180g) firm tofu - (no nagari)
   or - 1 1/2 cups (360ml/175g) seitan
 - 1/4 cup (65ml/45g) yeast powder
 - 1 tablespoon (15ml/14g) oil (I use salflower oil)
   or - 4 Teaspoons oil (19ml/17g) if using seltan
 - 1 1/2 Tablespoons (21ml/18g) Vegecat Phi
 - 1/8 Teaspoon (1/2ml/1g) salt
    or - 3/4 teaspoon (4ml/4g) soy sauce  

Please go to www.vegepets.com  for more vegetarian pet recipes & kibble recipes and ingredients. My cats and dogs love the Chickpea plus recipes the best.  

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Save Money Cooking Dried Beans
Plus You Don't Add to the Landfills With Excess Cans
Buy 25lb to 50lb bags of dried chickpeas and cook them yourself. I am spending about less than half the amount of money as when I as purchasing canned chickpeas. And still a lot less then any commercal food out there.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Texture and Consistency
Some cats like their veggie meals with a smoother texture and it makes mixing everything a little easier. You can get that consistency by adding water when you make your batches of food. My kitties like the smoother texture, but I know of some who like the drier texture. You just need to experiment and see what your kitties like. You can also add water at meal times, which I do to get a creamer texture and to mix in the enzymes. If you freeze prepared meals, I have found they will have more moisture. So if you plan to freeze a batch, I suggest not adding water.

Enzymes - Why They Are Needed 
Enzymes are life force and is in all living things. Enzymes are heat sensitive and destroyed in cooked or processed foods. It is recommended to add a plant-drived enzyme (lipases, amylases, proteases, and cellulases) to any cooked food, especially a vegetarian diet where beans and tofu are usually the main staple. Enzymes maximizes the absorption of valuable nutrients and fatty a-cids, by up to 71%.This increased absorption provides natural relief for skin problems, digestive disorders, joint difficulties, allergies, bloating, lethargy, flatulence, coprophagia, immune disorders, dry or scaly hair-coat, excessive shedding, hairballs and wound healing. Vegepet sells a plant-derived enzyme supplement called "Prozyme Vegan" for cats and dogs. Its another great product that has no animal products.

Yummy Toppings to Help With The Switch Over
Taramari - no salt  - Miso - no salt  - Soy - no salt  - Marinara  or pasta sauce- low salt-no salt - no onions which is hard to find, so is better to make yourself  - Corn & Butternut Squash puree (My Kitties Favorite)  - Corn & Pea's puree  - Zucchini & Tomato's puree  - Carrots & Corn puree  - Steamed Broccoli - (My kitties Favorite) You can offer any of your veggie meals you make for yourself with no onions or hot spices. Simply puree some and offer it to your kitties and doggies of course. It is so fun to see what you kitty & dog friends will like. It is so rewarding to me to see my kitties get sooooo excited about the foods I bring home and prepare.

Add Fresh Veggies to Meals For Great Nutrition
Offer Fruits as Yummy Treats. It is so exciting and fun to see what foods your cats and dogs love. And if you have a kitty like my Razzi who is almost all oriental short hair, you will be blessed with their yowling for their meals way before its time to eat, and helping in the making of the meals, by tasting everything before it even gets into the mixing bowl. In my home my cats and dogs love to eat:  Broccoli - (Tomato, Razzi, Coconut & Sadira all love them slightly steamed) Cauliflower - (Sadira loves raw) Corn Peas Squash - butternut, acorn, yams, sweet potatoes,  Tomatoes Avocados Mushrooms - (Tomato, Razzi, Coconut & Sadira all love them slightly cooked) most all legumes (beans) Cantaloupe & Honeydew (Tomato's favorite) Bananas  Peaches Apples Orange Slices Whether you use frozen or fresh veggies you need to partially break down the cellulose for easier digestibility for both cats and dogs. In the wild cats and dogs would eat the stomach content of their prey which has in it already predigested grains and vegetables. This is the way nature designed their systems to handle grains and vegetables. And the reason you see whole corn kernels in their poo if you don't cook or puree them first.   I usually have different veggies frozen or fresh to add to meals. If you are using frozen vegetables, put them into a sauce pan with a little water to warm. With corn I usually mush or puree before serving for better digestibility. For fresh veggie, put them in a food processor and puree before serving. ***Be sure to add the water you steamed or warmed the vegetables in to the meals, as it contains lots of good nutrients and vitamins you do not want to pour down the sink!   Remember animals in the their natural habitat would normally be able to roam large areas of land to find what their senses and instincts tell them their bodies need throughout the seasons, Because our pets now live in our environment, we must supply them with choices so they can still let their bodies tell them what they need. Watch and observe and the animals will teach you too, how to re-connect to your own senses & instincts. ***Be sure not to give pits or seeds from any fruits or vegetables.  ***Absolutely NO GRAPES, RAISINS or ONIONS! Just like people you will find certain foods that do not agree with some animals.Some cats like their veggie meals with a smoother texture. You can get that consistency by adding water when you make your patches of food. My kitties like the smoother texture, but I know of some who like the drier texture. You just need to experiment and see what your kitties like.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Healthy Powder Mix 
by Dr. Richard Pitcairn, DVM, PhD ***
Excellent to add to commercial pet food that gives high quality nutrition, especially if the owner is  not interested in making the switch to vegan meals for their animal companions.

I will not close my doors to anyone who wants to make a better life for their animal companions whether they are a vegetarian, vegan or meat eaters.

2           Cups  Nutritional or Brewers Yeast
1           Cup Lecithin Granules
1/4        Cup Kelp Powder
4           Bone Meal
              ***Or...4-Tablespoons Powdered Dicalcium Phosphate
              (instead of Bone Meal which comes from slaughtered animal bones)
              ***You can also use ground egg shells from organically grown chickens.        
              Especially nice if you raise your own chickens. Be sure to bake
              them in the oven at a high temperature to sterilize them. Grind them into a fine
              powder and they are ready to use.

1000     milligrams vitamin C - Powdered, Ground or Crystals
              or
1/4         teaspoon Sodium Ascorbate (optional), Take Equals 1000 Milligrams,
              Powdered, Ground or Crystals

***Dr. Pitcarin's book entitied: "Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide To Natural Health for Dogs & Cats" ISBN: 1-57954-973-X  $18.95, where you will find this supplement recipe and some vegetarian recipes, helpful information on homeopathy, health, care  and information on the horrors of commercial pet food. Even though he recommends raw & cooked meat meals, I only feed nutritionally balanced vegetarian meals to my pets.

Mixing directions:
Mix together well, store in a air tight container and refrigerate.

Serving Directions:
Cats & Small Dogs under 25lbs:
1 to 2 teaspoons per day - separated between morning and evening meals.
Medium Dogs 25lbs to 45lbs:
2 to 3 teaspoons per day - separated between morning and evening meals.
Large Dogs Over 45lb:
1 to 2 tablespoons per day - separated between morning and evening meals.

Uses:
Start with 1/4 the normal amount to the pets previous food until the pet becomes accustomed to the taste and gradually add a little more once a week until you reach the full amount.  Go at your pets pace. Some will take longer than others to make the switch, so your patience is needed to honor each pet during this time.

You can add to any meals you feed your pets, homemade or commerical. Within a few months once you get your pets switched over you will start to see healthy changes.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Description of Ingredients, Where to Buy & Brands I Recommend:

Ingredients can be found at most health food stores and some local grocery stores.

- Puritan Pride: http://www.puritan.com/  A great website to buy ingredients at fantastic prices!  
- NOW www.nowfoods.com has great products. Look for the orange & white label on all their products.

Nutritonal Yeast: 
Rich in B vitamins, iron and other nutritionals. I prefer nutritional yeast to brewers yeast because; nutritional yeast is grown and used a food supplement and it has a chessy flavor that pets just love. Whereas brewers yeast is left over from brewing beer. Torula yeast can also be used. If you cannot find nutritional yeast in powdered form you can grind the flakes in a food processor.
Where to Buy & Recommended Brands:
Some health food stores carry this product in bulk. If you cannot find nutrtitional yeast in your area, you can purchase it through www.vegepet.com -  HONNA "Harbingers of a New Age", where I buy mine. My pets love it and eat it right out of the container it comes in, and in the container where I keep the healthy powder mix.  
NOW - www.nowfoods.com can be purchased on-line or in most health food stores.
Nutritional Yeast Flakes Red Star Vegetarian 10 oz can. item # 2455 - manufacturer SKU # 733739024558. **Can be ground into powder which most pets prefer.

Lecithin:
For linoleic acid, choline, and inositol, which helps your animal emulsify and absorb fats, improving the condition of its coat and digestion. Supports brain & nerve function. Intergral for energy production.

NOW - www.nowfoods.com  Lecithin Granules - non GMO 1 lb can.
item # 2260 - manufacturer SKU #  733739022608. This is what I use.

Lecithin is a naturally occurring compound found in all cells in nature, plant and animal.  It plays a major role in almost all biological processes - including nerve transmission, breathing and energy production.  The word lecithin is taken from the Greek Lekithos, which means "egg yolk".  A fitting name for this essential nutrient, for the egg is considered a symbol of life, strength and fertility.  Lecithin is important for all of these biological functions and more.  Our brain is approximately 30% Lecithin.  The insulating myelin sheaths that protect the brain, spine and thousands of miles of nerves in in your body are almost two-thirds Lecithin.  Lecithin is composed of many different components, including Choline, Inositol, Linoleic Acid, Phosphatidylserine, beneficial fatty acids and triglycerides.  These valuable constituents of Lecithin are vital for the proper functioning of many metabolic processes.*  NOW® Lecithin Granules are dervied entirely from Non-Genetically Engineered (Non-GE) soybeans that have been Identity Preserved (IP).  This guarantees that the soybeans are from seedstock that has been

Kelp Powder:
For iodine, trace minerals, supports thyroid function and is a green superfood.
NOW - www.nowfoods.com  8 oz - item # 2676 - manufacturer SKU: 733739026767.

Bone Meal Powder: Can be purchased at most health food stores.

Dicalcium Phosphate: Can be found at most health food stores, and Pet Vet Supply http://www.petvetsupply.com/suphfpi021.html where I buy mine.  

Vitamin C: Can be found at most health food stores. I usually get the powdered or crystal form.