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 🙂

how to: collect your cat’s urine sample

So, it’s not a pretty subject, but I’ve had a few people ask me how to collect a urine sample from their cat when the vet asks for one. There are many reasons why your veterinarian may want to analyze your cat’s urine. We routinely screen fecal samples and urine samples as part of many animals’ yearly health exams- meaning we’re not expecting to find anything wrong, and we’re confirming that they are healthy. However, when animals become sick and they present with certain symptoms, it may be in their best interest to analyze their urine.

goodbye Before Grain

Before Grain was a line of dog and cat foods produced by Merrick, an American pet food company based out of Amarillo,Texas. Last year they began phasing out the dog products, and I had really, really hoped that Before Grain for cats would continue on. Unfortunately, they have recently unveiled a new line of cat foods to take its place.

can a litter additive predict your cat’s health?

I recently learned of cat litter additives that contain “technology” to help predict whether or not your cat may have an illness. Some brands, such as Nullodor, also make a cat litter that has the illness-detecting product already mixed in. I saw a similar product on a pet food website and I considered it, but put in on the back burner since I have 3 cats and 5 litter boxes (how would I know who is turning the litter the “bad” color?).

avocados are not poisonous

In recent months I’ve heard a lot of people mention casually that avocados are poisonous to dogs. I’ve even seen brochures warning people of the dangers of avocados. Some people also believe they are poisonous to cats.
An avocado has many parts- and only certain parts are said to be poisonous to pets by the ASPCA. The leaves, stems and pits contain a substance called “persin”, which some people claim is the toxin.

stella & chewy’s individual packets

So apparently these came out this summer, but it wasn’t until a couple of weeks ago that I came across Stella & Chewy’s individual meal packets for cats. I happened to be browsing at another local pet supply store and the pouches caught my eye- I like to think I’m pretty “in the know”‘ about healthy cat food and treats, but I did not know these existed! I immediately called one of the distributors we work with at my store and had them send over a case.

These are great for many reasons, including:
1. Convenience: they’re pre-portioned and easy to use. No guess work is involved- simply tear open the packet, pour it into a dish, and add a little warm water.

2. Variety: one large size bag of Stella & Chewy’s is pricey, so consumers might only buy one bag at a time. The individual packets allow you to buy a few different varieties at once if you so choose, keeping meal time fun for your cat.

3. Price: a regular size bag of Stella & Chewy’s can retail for up to $20 (if you are feeding only S&C, one large bag is meant to feed one average size cat for a week). The individual dinners sell for $1.99 each; while they are more expensive than most of the premium cans we sell, they are of very high quality. I feel that hopefully people who were once afraid of raw food, or put off by the high price, will introduce these pouches into their cat’s diets at least as an occasional treat since they only have to shell out a couple of dollars.

Bottom line: Try one! Your cat will most likely like them. If not, you still only spent less than the cost of a large coffee 🙂