more proof: dry food is evil

While I would never feed my cat Friskies cat food, a line from this commercial stuck with me: “Dear Kitten, you should be aware that there are two types of food: the first is sort of a dehydrated brown niblet. I think they give us these because they are training us to be astronauts. Just a guess.”

A dehydrated niblet meant for astronaut cats sums up dry kibble pretty well- it should not be fed to cats. I have covered this topic before, but pet food manufacturers continue to turn a blind eye to the nutritional needs of cats and keep producing new dry kibbles, and ill-informed consumers continue to buy them. Even veterinarians recommend dry food to cats, and working in a veterinary hospital I all too often hear this and a little part of me dies every time “wet food is bad for cats” is uttered by a doctor. I won’t go into super detail, as I have done so in some previous posts (cats are carnivores and cats do not drink water), but here are some additional articles that hopefully you will read, and share with your friends, family, veterinarians, and anyone you know who has a cat or is thinking about getting a cat.

Why do obese cats lose weight when switched to a quality canned food? Because high protein, low carbohydrate foods high in moisture are what a cat needs- NOT extruded biscuits:

“Several recent studies have evaluated use of a high protein, low carbohydrate (CHO) diet (protein 45% or higher) for weight loss in cats, and in those studies, all cats lost weight, but maintained lean body mass. Importantly, high protein, low carbohydrate diets not only result in sustained weight loss in these cats, but also in normalization of appetite (reduced urge to eat constantly because they are satiated). Because dry foods must be extruded (i.e. made into a biscuit), CHO are required in the cooking process, and thus, it is difficult to achieve a very low CHO diet that is dry. Further, many of the available high protein, low CHO dry foods are NOT low calorie, so it is extremely easy to feed too much. Too many calories, including too many protein calories, will also cause weight gain or failure to lose as well. At this time, the best commercial diets for achieving a high protein, low CHO profile, along with controlled calories, are canned (both kitten and many adult foods are acceptable) foods.”
“The commercially available diets lowest in CHO are canned foods. It is important to remember that just because you are feeding a canned food, it does mean that you are feeding a high protein, low CHO diet (you must read the label) and it also doesn’t mean you are feeding a high quality protein (low quality protein in foods can cause fecal odor and diarrhea due to poor digestibility). Most cats should be fed some (50% is a starting point) canned food as part of their diet throughout their life – both to reduce the CHO in their diet, but also to better control calories (dry foods are very calorie dense), and to increase the amount of water consumed daily.” Debra L. Zoran, DVM, PhD, DACVIM
Click here to read the full report by Dr. Zoran.

Food review: Wellness Divine Duos

It seems like Wellness keeps coming up with new wet food selections, which is good in my book! Every Wednesday morning I volunteer with the cats at Petsmart in South Philly. At the store, there are 10 adoptable cats everyday from my work, PAWS. And, since I can’t get enough of cats, I dedicate a few hours each week to ensuring they’re healthy and happy.

After my volunteer shift I usually pick up some cat food or a new toy, and today I noticed a new offering from Wellness called Divine Duos. They are plastic cups with an easy-to-peel lid, and contain 2.8 ounces of noms. Currently, they are available in 6 flavor combos.
Pros: Easy to open, good selection of flavor combos, grain free, no meat byproducts. Competitive price- online they are sold by 24-count case, and average $1.50 per cup. They’re currently on sale at Petsmart for $1.20/cup, and they are part of a buy 10, get 2 free sale (making them $1/cup before tax).

Cons: While these cups are grain free, they do contain a decent portion of veggies, which I try to steer clear of when feeding my cats.

Overall, I think they’re a great addition to the Wellness family. I have been on a budget lately, and while these cups are not the best food available, I would purchase them because they are great quality for the price.

 

In other Petsmart news, my most recent foster kitten, Houdini, is at Petsmart looking for a home 🙂

Help me save Little Dude’s eyes!

Little Dude is a kitten that was dropped off at my work last Tuesday. A good samaritan found him laying in the grass behind their house in south Philly. When he was handed over to me he was skin a bones, covered in fleas and prickly burrs, and his eyes were sealed shut with discharge.

Little Dude today, after surgery on his left eye

He underwent surgery today to help correct a corneal ulcer in his left eye. The veterinarian is hopeful that his eye can be saved, and possibly his vision.

Because I foster so many cats and kittens every year and I pay out of pocket for their care (which is why I have 2 jobs and work 6 days a week!), I am unable to afford extravagant procedures like this. I am reaching out to friends, family and the online world for donations of any kind to help me help Little Dude. Any amount helps.

You can read more about is story, and make a donation, here. Thank you ❤

insanely cute cat toys

have you ever shopped on etsy before? I recently re-opened my online vintage shop and I have rekindled my love for handmade items. I wish I was as crafty as most of the people on the site; I did a search for “cat toys” and found so many amazingly adorable toys, and I can’t wait to place an order for some of them. here are some of my favorite, most unique and cute cat toys:

1. steamed dumplings

when I saw the thumbnail of this item, I thought they were real, edible dumplings! how adorable!

2. oreos!

now both you and your cat can enjoy this popular cookie.

3. algae?

this shop has tons of wacky cat toys in shapes ranging from viking heads to amoebas!

4. cruelty free feathers!

does your cat go wild for feather toys, but do you ever wonder where those feathers come from?

5. Asian sauce packets!

how adorable! I love that when you order these bad boys, they come packaged like Chinese takeout 🙂

cats are carnivores

Today while at work (the pet supply store), a customer came in to buy her usual bag of Science Diet dry cat kibble. We didn’t have what she was looking for, and she lamented that she didn’t want to have to make a stop at another store. Where I work, we sell a plethora of natural and holistic pet foods, and I try my best to be sensitive to people who tell me that they feed their pets Science Diet, or any other junk pet foods. Usually I will, in so many words, tell them that Science Diet is actually really horrible for their pets and that there are so many better options available.
The woman I was helping decided to browse the other brands of cat kibble we sell, since she was set on feeding dry food. And then she asked me a surprising question, that people rarely ask me: “Why does this bag of cat food have pictures of fruits and vegetables on it? Cats don’t eat fruits and vegetables!”.

I hate Greenies

I’m tired of hearing people say that they feed their cats Greenies treats for good dental health.

TNR: trap, neuter, return

this cat had a broken leg, and a good samaritan notified us so that we could go out and trap it and provide medical attention.

Since I moved to Philadelphia 5 years ago I’ve been active in many facets of animal rescuing- volunteering at a shelter, fostering, and eventually rescuing street cats myself. About 2 years ago I began TNR-ing; trapping, spaying/neutering, and returning copious amounts of feral (wild, unsocialized and absolutely not house pets) cats to managed colonies with feeding stations and shelters. When I moved into the house I live in currently, I immediately noticed how many cats there were on my block and the surrounding blocks. I began trapping cats one by one, having them fixed and vaccinated, and re-released on my block. I have 2 feeding stations that I replenish every night, and I also have shelters for the cats.

Because the number of unaltered stray and feral cats is so high in my neighborhood, a long-time cat trapper named Teresa (who lives a few blocks from me) petitioned Petsmart to offer a grant to the Spayed Club of Sharon Hill to pay for cats trapped in our specific zip code. We have had the grant renewed twice, and have spayed or neutered 1400 cats so far with the grant m0ney.
I’m not always able to take cats to the Spayed Club since it’s far away, and I don’t have a car. I will help anyone who needs to get their cat fixed, and many times I have paid to have the procedures done at other low-cost clinics such as the Cube at the PSPCA. Even though the Spayed Club provides the surgery and vaccinations for free under the grant, it still costs $20 out of pocket per cat to have them tested for feline aids and leukemia. I know that if the cats are not spayed or neutered, often times their owners toss them out onto the streets when they go into heat or start spraying. I want to prevent that.

Because I’m not currently affiliated with any rescue organization, all of the cat expenses are coming directly out of my pocket. I buy all of the food for my ferals, my foster cats, and litter and food for my own cats. It gets hard when you’re 25 and have 2 part-time jobs!

I have cataloged my adventures of cat trapping around the city with hundreds of photographs. Here are a few for your viewing pleasure 🙂