NOW Foods Supplements, Taurine Pure Powder, Nervous System Health*, Amino Acid, 8-Ounce

This is a very important component to my cat food recipe that I have been making for 18 years. Cats need the supplement Taurine as they don't make it on their own or able to get it out of the food they eat, like dogs. This brand has stood the test of time. Current age of my cat is 18. He's doing great and not on any meds. Please consider feeding your pets a raw diet as it certainly can make a difference. Video of my, still going strong, 18 year old kitty.

Raw Cat Food Diet Recipe Made WITH Real Bones 2 kg [4.4 pounds] raw muscle meat with bones (chicken thighs and drumsticks or, better, a whole carcass of rabbit or chicken amounting to 2 kg; if you don't use a whole carcass, opt for dark meat like thighs and drumsticks from chicken or turkey and remove/don't use 20 to 25 percent of the bone; if using whole rabbit, which has a higher bone-to-meat ratio than chicken, dilute the extra bone by adding another 20 to 25 percent of plain muscle meat and skin and fat from rabbit, chicken, or turkey) 400 grams [14 oz] raw heart (best not to use use beef heart; if no heart is available, substitute with 4000 mg Taurine) 200 grams [7 oz] raw liver (don't use beef liver; if you can't find appropriate liver, you can substitute 40,000 IU of Vitamin A and 1600 IU of Vitamin D--but try to use real liver rather than substitutes) NOTE: If you cannot find the heart or liver and decide to substitute with the Taurine/Vitamin A and D, then remember to REPLACE the missing amount of organ meat with the equivalent amount of muscle meat. In other words, if you cannot find heart, you add another 400 grams of the meat/bones. If you can't find the liver, add another 200 grams of meat/bone. 16 oz [2 cups] water 4 raw egg yolks (use eggs from free-range, antibiotic-free chickens if you can)*** 4 capsules raw glandular supplement, such as, for example, multigland supplement by Immoplex. 4000 mg salmon oil (see note at bottom of recipe*) 800 IU Vitamin E ("dry E" works well) 200 mg Vitamin B-50 complex (i.e., four capsules of B-50) 1.5 tsp. Lite salt (with iodine) (optional: 4 tsp. psyllium husk powder (8 tsp. if using whole psyllium husks; see note at bottom of recipe**) NOTE: If you will not be using the food immediately and freezing for more than a week or two, toss in 4000 mg of additional Taurine to make up for what may get lost during storage. It is also not a bad idea to sprinkle extra Taurine from a capsule on the food as you're serving it two or three times a week, just to be certain your cat is getting plenty of this critical amino acid. 1. Remove about half of the skin from the muscle meat. Chunk up (i.e., cut) as much of the muscle meat (minus most of the skin if using chicken or turkey, but leave skin on if using rabbit) as you can stand into bite-sized (nickel-sized, approximately) pieces. Save the chunked meat for later. Do not grind it. 2. Grind the raw liver, any skin, raw meaty bones, and raw heart. Once ground, stir this meat/bone mixture well and return to refrigerator. 3. Fill a bowl with 2 cups of water and whisk everything (non-meat) except the psyllium. If you had to replace liver with Vitamin A/D or replace heart with Taurine, add the substitutes now. Add psyllium at the end -- if you're using it -- and mix well. Finally, put the three mixtures together--the "supplement slurry" that you have just mixed, the ground up meat/bone/organs, and the chunks of meat that you cut up by hand. Portion into containers and freeze. Don't overfill the containers. The food expands when frozen and you don't want lids popping off. Thaw as you go. The food shouldn't be left thawed in the refrigerator more than 48 hours before serving. To serve, portion into a 'zipper baggie' and warm under hot water in the sink. NEVER microwave the food. Cats like their food at something approximating "mouse body temperature." *Every two or three days, I suggest sprinkling a few drops of fresh salmon oil from a newly-opened capsule on to the cats' food. The Essential Fatty Acids in salmon oil are extremely fragile, and since we do not know exactly how much gets lost during freezing, I think it's wise to use a bit of fresh salmon oil directly on the food a few times a week. Most cats love the flavor. **Not all cats require additional fiber (psyllium) in their diet. If your cat has been eating low-quality commercial food for several years, especially dry food, she may have lost bowel elasticity and may benefit from the extra fiber. As a general rule, I recommend using psyllium when an adult cat first gets raw food. I rarely add much psyllium to my adult cats' diet. Bear in mind that some cats seem to get constipated without additional fiber, whereas other cats seem to get constipated if they get too much fiber. Each cat is unique, and you'll have to judge what works best for your cat. ***If you don't want to waste the egg whites and don't feel like making an angel food cake, poach them, grind them, and throw them in with the food. A nice phosphorus-free source of protein.

I read articles that claim taurine is a remedy for heart problems. I was having some issues with my heart, so I tried this. I took one quarter of a teaspoon twice a day, and after four days my heart was back to normal. Many benefits are claimed for taurine, including relieving inflammation, pain relief, improving brain health and mental focus, improving athletic performance, improving eyesight, relieving muscle soreness. Taurine might lower blood pressure. Many bodybuilders take taurine. Taurine is naturally found in fish, meat, eggs, clams, and goat milk, but when food is cooked, some of the taurine is lost. Taurine supplements are synthetic and made in a lab. Almost all taurine supplements are sourced from China. If it says made in the USA on the label of a taurine supplement, it might mean taurine sourced from China was put into a container in the USA. The only difference between brands is probably how well they test the taurine for impurities. If you make homemade cat food for your cat, you need to add taurine to it. In cats, a taurine deficiency can lead to blindness and heart failure. Not getting enough taurine can also cause hair loss and tooth decay in cats. Most commercially made cat food contains taurine, but some don't have enough in it. This taurine powder has no extra ingredients, so it is ideal for cats. UPDATE This really worked. But after taking it for a week I suddenly had a bad allergic reaction to it, so I had to stop taking it.

hard to say how well a supplement is working. i purchased for my cat because taurine is supposed to be a good supplement for cat heart health. had an ultrasound done on him last year which diagnosed mild to moderate heart disease - he's almost 16 now. just took him back almost a year later and his heart was the same. you could argue that may not be a positive for this product, but in a 16 year old cat, i was extremely glad that it wasn't any worse. his blood pressure seems to be the cause of the heart problems so we are trying a mild blood pressure prescription. it wasn't clear with the original ultrasound if it was congenital or blood pressure related. if it was congenial it would be progressing. i think the supplement has been good to help stabilize his heart. it's water soluble so it won't do any harm & taurine is critical for the feline diet. and the price is good.

Great cat supplement for raw diet.

It is an important substance for my cats. Vet said it is a vital nutrient that cat food lacks. I give it to my dogs as well.

Good for you

We cook food for our dog - so everything is human quality. She gets a veggie/rice/beans mix that is full of lots of veggies, etc. Separately she gets varying proteins that we switch every day (beef roast, pork roast, fish, eggs, etc). We pre cook everything and put 3 days supply in baggies to keep in the freezer and take one out of each every 2-3 days (she eats morning & evening). She LOVES her foot. However, taurine is critical for dogs to avoid heart problems, so we've been adding taurine for years as it isn't in food normally. One bottle lasts a long, long time, so it's a great value, too. If you love your dog you do the very best you can to prolong their life, keep them healthy and all -- and MANY dog food manufacturers don't add taurine & haven't for a long time. READ the bag before buying - you'd be surprised how many don't have it in there, even the higher end dog foods.

This supplement is important. Like for cats, it's essential. Helps a lot with your eyes and I have noticed a difference.

I bought this for more energy like the energy. drinks But it made me very nauseas I throw it away. Sad for my money loss