Post by ladyjay on Dec 23, 2007 10:44:04 GMT -5
Caring for Your Feline Familiar
Many Pagans have familiars and many of those familiars are of the
feline persuasion. As lovers of nature, including animals, we care
deeply about the health and well being of all our animal companions.
Our familiars, who give us so much, deserve to have the best possible
care, especially with something so simple as feeding them properly
for optimum health.
The recent 2007 pet food recall has raised questions about the food
we are feeding our pets. Prior to the recall, I began researching
this issue because one of my own cats has IBD, (irritable bowel
syndrome) and I was hoping to find something all three of my cats
could eat that would not cause my 18-year-old, Goblin, digestive
distress.
I share my findings with you, in the interest of keeping kitties
everywhere healthy, happy and safe. Keep in mind that the following
recommendations are for healthy cats; diabetic cats have special
considerations and you should consult a nutritionally oriented vet if
you have a diabetic cat.
First we'll look at by products. What exactly are they? Are they okay
for your cat to eat? This is a tough question to answer because "by-
product" is a bit of a catch-all phrase. By-products can contain
organ meats, which are a healthy thing for a carnivore. They don't
cause allergic reactions and they come from animals, not plants. They
can also, however, contain things like feet and feathers, which do
not add nutritional content to the food.
Sometimes by-products contain meat that has been rejected for
consumption by humans, possibly because they show signs of disease.
Since there is no way to tell what is in any given by-product in any
given portion of cat food, it's an iffy situation.
What you definitely want to avoid in your cat's diet is corn gluten
meal and wheat gluten. Unfortunately, a great many cat foods contain
these, and/or soy products. All of these ingredients can cause
allergic reactions in cats. Additionally, cats don't digest grain
products for the most part. They just go in one end and out the
other. They are, however, relatively cheap which is why they are
added.
For years I believed that cats did not need canned food and would do
well on a diet of dry only. I could not have been more wrong. In
fact, I've discovered that a steady diet of the same, supposedly high-
quality, dry food may have contributed to, if not outright caused, my
Goblin's IBD.
Cats do not need any dry food at all. If they are fed canned food
according to recommendations, they will thrive. They don't need food
available all the time either. Cats of all types in the wild do not
have a continual source of food and cat biology does not require it.
Some people have heard, sometimes even from vets, that dry food helps
get rid of plaque. Dry food shatters on impact with a cat's teeth, so
it's difficult to imagine how it could be scraping away at plaque.
Apparently, the grinding type of chewing motion a cat's jaws are
designed for can cause them to have bits of dry food lodged between
their teeth which causes dental issues rather than avoiding them.
Cats need canned food for primarily three reasons. Cats have a very
low thirst drive and will not be stimulated to drink as much water as
they need from a water dish. As a result, many cats are under-
hydrated.
Cats on a canned food diet get enough liquids and so are properly
hydrated, which helps protect their kidneys and other vital organs
and functions. Most canned foods get the majority of their protein
from meat, not plants, and are therefore healthier and more
appropriate for a carnivorous animal. Lastly, canned food is
generally lower in carbs than dry food.
Yes, kitties have to watch their carb intake too!
Now that we've covered some things to avoid, what should you look for
in the ingredient list on the can? The first listed ingredient should
be meat, such as "beef" or "turkey." Not a by-product, not a "meal"
but actual meat.
There shouldn't be any grains, but rice, oats and barley are not as
detrimental as corn, wheat, yeast and soy because they aren't
commonly allergens nor do they cause a spike in blood sugar. Any
grains in the food should be listed no earlier on the ingredient list
that the fourth ingredient.
To illustrate the joys of feeding your cat a grain-free, canned food
diet, I'll share with you the effect it had on my own kitties.
Goblin, as mentioned before, has IBD. She is also 18 years old. Since
switching to Wellness brand, grain-free varieties of canned food and
eliminating dry altogether, she has stopped vomiting altogether. She
sleeps in little catnaps like she should and is more active and
alert, rather than sleeping very deeply for hours on end.
All three of my cats showed noticeably shinier, softer hair within
three days of completing the switch. Grainne no longer has flaky, dry
skin. All three are more active. At the risk of being indelicate, the
litter box contents have changed as well. There is significantly more
liquid content, which along with the hair improvement, indicates that
they are finally properly hydrated.
Solid content is smaller and dryer, indicating that they are actually
digesting what they eat, rather than having it pass right through
them.
All four of us are very pleased with our results!
Remember when changing your cat's food to do so gradually, increasing
the ratio of canned to dry over a period of several days to a week.
There is a fair chance that your cat will refuse to eat the new food.
This is normal and he or she will capitulate after a few days. Being
underfed for a couple of days will not harm a healthy cat.
A few recommended brands of canned cat food:
Without grains (best):
Wellness (grain-free varieties), Nature's Variety, Innova EVO,
Avoderm Select Cuts
With grains (okay), but without corn, soy or wheat:
Felidae, Innova, Newman's Own, Trader Joe's (easy on the tuna, cats
shouldn't have too much fish)
Large pet store chains tend not to carry these brands, so they can be
hard to find. You're more likely to find them at small, locally owned
pet supply stores.
If you're concerned about cost, do what I do: feed Wellness primarily
but throw in some Trader Joe's now and then to keep the cost more
manageable.
Many Pagans have familiars and many of those familiars are of the
feline persuasion. As lovers of nature, including animals, we care
deeply about the health and well being of all our animal companions.
Our familiars, who give us so much, deserve to have the best possible
care, especially with something so simple as feeding them properly
for optimum health.
The recent 2007 pet food recall has raised questions about the food
we are feeding our pets. Prior to the recall, I began researching
this issue because one of my own cats has IBD, (irritable bowel
syndrome) and I was hoping to find something all three of my cats
could eat that would not cause my 18-year-old, Goblin, digestive
distress.
I share my findings with you, in the interest of keeping kitties
everywhere healthy, happy and safe. Keep in mind that the following
recommendations are for healthy cats; diabetic cats have special
considerations and you should consult a nutritionally oriented vet if
you have a diabetic cat.
First we'll look at by products. What exactly are they? Are they okay
for your cat to eat? This is a tough question to answer because "by-
product" is a bit of a catch-all phrase. By-products can contain
organ meats, which are a healthy thing for a carnivore. They don't
cause allergic reactions and they come from animals, not plants. They
can also, however, contain things like feet and feathers, which do
not add nutritional content to the food.
Sometimes by-products contain meat that has been rejected for
consumption by humans, possibly because they show signs of disease.
Since there is no way to tell what is in any given by-product in any
given portion of cat food, it's an iffy situation.
What you definitely want to avoid in your cat's diet is corn gluten
meal and wheat gluten. Unfortunately, a great many cat foods contain
these, and/or soy products. All of these ingredients can cause
allergic reactions in cats. Additionally, cats don't digest grain
products for the most part. They just go in one end and out the
other. They are, however, relatively cheap which is why they are
added.
For years I believed that cats did not need canned food and would do
well on a diet of dry only. I could not have been more wrong. In
fact, I've discovered that a steady diet of the same, supposedly high-
quality, dry food may have contributed to, if not outright caused, my
Goblin's IBD.
Cats do not need any dry food at all. If they are fed canned food
according to recommendations, they will thrive. They don't need food
available all the time either. Cats of all types in the wild do not
have a continual source of food and cat biology does not require it.
Some people have heard, sometimes even from vets, that dry food helps
get rid of plaque. Dry food shatters on impact with a cat's teeth, so
it's difficult to imagine how it could be scraping away at plaque.
Apparently, the grinding type of chewing motion a cat's jaws are
designed for can cause them to have bits of dry food lodged between
their teeth which causes dental issues rather than avoiding them.
Cats need canned food for primarily three reasons. Cats have a very
low thirst drive and will not be stimulated to drink as much water as
they need from a water dish. As a result, many cats are under-
hydrated.
Cats on a canned food diet get enough liquids and so are properly
hydrated, which helps protect their kidneys and other vital organs
and functions. Most canned foods get the majority of their protein
from meat, not plants, and are therefore healthier and more
appropriate for a carnivorous animal. Lastly, canned food is
generally lower in carbs than dry food.
Yes, kitties have to watch their carb intake too!
Now that we've covered some things to avoid, what should you look for
in the ingredient list on the can? The first listed ingredient should
be meat, such as "beef" or "turkey." Not a by-product, not a "meal"
but actual meat.
There shouldn't be any grains, but rice, oats and barley are not as
detrimental as corn, wheat, yeast and soy because they aren't
commonly allergens nor do they cause a spike in blood sugar. Any
grains in the food should be listed no earlier on the ingredient list
that the fourth ingredient.
To illustrate the joys of feeding your cat a grain-free, canned food
diet, I'll share with you the effect it had on my own kitties.
Goblin, as mentioned before, has IBD. She is also 18 years old. Since
switching to Wellness brand, grain-free varieties of canned food and
eliminating dry altogether, she has stopped vomiting altogether. She
sleeps in little catnaps like she should and is more active and
alert, rather than sleeping very deeply for hours on end.
All three of my cats showed noticeably shinier, softer hair within
three days of completing the switch. Grainne no longer has flaky, dry
skin. All three are more active. At the risk of being indelicate, the
litter box contents have changed as well. There is significantly more
liquid content, which along with the hair improvement, indicates that
they are finally properly hydrated.
Solid content is smaller and dryer, indicating that they are actually
digesting what they eat, rather than having it pass right through
them.
All four of us are very pleased with our results!
Remember when changing your cat's food to do so gradually, increasing
the ratio of canned to dry over a period of several days to a week.
There is a fair chance that your cat will refuse to eat the new food.
This is normal and he or she will capitulate after a few days. Being
underfed for a couple of days will not harm a healthy cat.
A few recommended brands of canned cat food:
Without grains (best):
Wellness (grain-free varieties), Nature's Variety, Innova EVO,
Avoderm Select Cuts
With grains (okay), but without corn, soy or wheat:
Felidae, Innova, Newman's Own, Trader Joe's (easy on the tuna, cats
shouldn't have too much fish)
Large pet store chains tend not to carry these brands, so they can be
hard to find. You're more likely to find them at small, locally owned
pet supply stores.
If you're concerned about cost, do what I do: feed Wellness primarily
but throw in some Trader Joe's now and then to keep the cost more
manageable.
