Our Daily Bread

THE WORKSHOP:

Food storage, preparation and maintenance are done in the commissary in the back of the workshop. 

Having a controlled place to store and prepare food is an important part of keeping animals healthy.  Refrigeration and pest control ensure the wholesomeness of the diet.

The well water used at Tiger Touch goes through a rigorous scrubbing and demineralization process in the front of the workshop to meet the highest standards of safety and quality.

DIETARY PREPARATION:

Not all cats eat alike.  Carefully controlled diets with the right types and amounts of specialized nutrients, micronutrients and other additives are made up for the different species that call Tiger Touch home.  Care is taken to ensure that meals are appetizing as well as healthful.

When medications must be given, they are usually administered in food.

FOUNDATION:

The basic diet starts with a foundation of pre-prepared food, in our case a Purina product called "Mazuri."

While pre-prepared food may claim to be a fully balanced diet, it is a compromise between the convenience of easy storage and the needs of the consumer.  Remember that cats in captivity may spend over 20 years eating what is provided by humans.  Adding interest to the diet is a serious quality of life issue.

PROTEIN:

To add both protein and interest to the diet, chicken quarters are added to the mix.

We do not use cooked food.  Cooking not only destroys nutrients but it changes the flavor.  Of course this means we must be careful to select meat that is free of disease and parasites.  The meat eaten by our cats is as wholesome as that on your dinner table.

MICRONUTRIENTS:

For foodstuffs to be used at maximum effectiveness, and to boost immune systems, tiny amounts of essential micronutrients are added to the chow.

When predators consume prey, they take in many different chemical compounds that do not make it into muscle meat alone.  Modern science has discovered the role these micronutrients play in the health and wellbeing of all higher forms of life including man.

THE FINISHED PRODUCT:

To a large carnivore, this is the blue plate special, a well balanced meal with flavor, texture, and good nutrition.

CLEANLINESS:

While putting the good stuff in, care must be taken to keep the bad stuff out.  All implements and containers, as well as food preparation surfaces, are kept clean and disinfected.  The soaps and disinfectants in turn must be kept out of the food.  Care is taken to avoid contamination by pests such as flies and rodents.

For safety's sake, food is prepared as soon as possible to mealtime.

DINNER IS SERVED:

The cats eagerly anticipate their meal, pacing about.  Care must be taken in how the food is passed to the cats to prevent conflicts among them.  Food is placed in special "lock downs" where handlers can leave before the cats are turned loose on the chow.

BON APPETIT:

It's a lot of work to prepare meals for the cats, but the reward comes from seeing how much they enjoy life's simple pleasures.  Nala the Lioness "digs in" with gusto.

EASY COME, EASY GO:

Control of waste products is an important part of animal care.  While the cats eat, their wastes--called "scat"--are removed in a bucket and dumped into a waiting hopper for proper disposal.