The coverage of the recent anniversary of the pet food recalls continues, and some of what I read is truly troubling. USA Today reports:

A recent USA TODAY/Gallup Poll of 574 dog or cat owners showed that 30% had less confidence in the safety of pet food than before the recall; 46% had more confidence; and 17% had the same level of confidence.

A slightly different survey on this site with 350 votes now shows that 45% of the respondents have no trust in the pet food industry, while 45% have regained a cautious trust. Only 3% have complete trust.

While these numbers are disquieting, what really troubles me is this: For the past year, cat and dog owners have increasingly turned to poor sources of nutrition for their pets. Comments on blogs refer to solutions of:

• Feeding low-quality grocery store foods simply because they were not recalled.
• Feeding a well-known questionable food because it is "made in the U.S.A."
• Feeding pets scraps "like we used to do"
• Feeding dry food exclusively, I suppose under the premise that it was not among the first recalls. Most feline nutritionists agree that all-dry diets are not nutritionally adequate for cats.
• Feeding homemade diets without adequate nutritional information. One recipe called for "roasted chicken thighs, cooked corn meal, brown rice and cat vitamins."
• Potentially dangerous "recipes": "real ground meat then I sprinkle it with Bio-degradable vitamins and dried dogfood. Who needs that toxic can food." Mixing dry food with wet (whether meat or canned) or with water can contribute to mold contamination and is not recommended.

I'd suggest that pet owners who do not trust commercial foods prepare a well-balanced raw food diet for their cats. Keep it refrigerated or frozen and take up and discard uneaten portions after 20-30 minutes. A number of companies now provide frozen or freeze-dried raw meals for cats. If you prefer to provide your own meat from a trusted source, supplements are available, which guarantee cats get all the nutrients they need. Of course, if you'd rather "go it your own," I highly recommend the recipe in Michelle Bernard's book, "Raising Cats Naturally."