Food Fit for a Cat
Thursday August 14, 2008
So, what's the big deal about cat food? Why does it have such a huge influence on a cat's health? Well, simply put, food is body-fuel for cats. It nourishes each and every cell in the body and creates the energy necessary for life to happen. It's an overly simplified analogy, but cat food is to cats like gas is to cars. If you put the wrong type of gas in a car, it won't run well. But if you put in the correct fuel for that car, it runs better.Read more by Kymythy R. Schultze about the obligatory carnivores that we call cats, and why it is important to feed them species-appropriate foods.
More From Kymythy Schultze
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Cats' Nutritional Requirements
Natural Nutrition for Dog and Cats: The Ultimate Diet
Why is Cat Food so Important?
Why All the Fuss About Cat Food?
Food Pets Die For by Ann N. Martin
Mad Cow Disease - Are Cats at Risk?
Comments
While I fully understand the need for quality cat food and organinc foods, I often wonder about how many studies have been done into the horrors of plastic cat accessories. I know they’re dangerous to humans, but what about the cats?
An anecdote about the importance of good food: My future mother-in-law’s 12-year-old torti, Mishka, had lost weight to the point of anorexia. She had coarse, sparse, brittle fur and had become lethargic and lost a once-good appetite. She was diagnosed with a hyperactive thyroid and went on medication, which helped her appetite, at least. Then, about a month ago, we switched her from “regular” cat food to Eagle Pack Holistic dry, Wellness pouches and Evo canned food. According to her mom, Mishka is a completely different cat! She’s filling out weight-wise, her fur has become thicker and softer than it ever was and she has the energy she had 10 years ago. Just goes to show you it’s never too late to improve their nutrition … In fact, I just advised a co-worker whose 3-year-old cat has shedding, dandruff and dry skin problems to switch to Eagle Pack (and call his vet if need be, of course) and add some canned food to her diet for moisture content. We’ll see how that works out.
By the way, since Cleveland brought up the question of plastics, has anyone heard of a water fountain with a glass or stainless steel dome and/or reservoir? Most of our cats love our water fountain, but it is plastic. Two of them tend to get kitty acne from plastic, but they haven’t had any trouble with the fountain, which is a dome type with no reservoir (they just lick the dome, which might help prevent the acne).
For water and food, we use U.S.-made stoneware and stainless steel. Or, for treats, they eat from glass dessert dishes (no, they’re not at all spoiled …).
I am a three cat owner and feel that there is a bit too much emphasis on nutrition. Most of the hype is created by the large corporations that MAKE the foods that are deemed safe. Cats are animals and animals are way more resilient than people give them credit for. I’ve been feeding my cats mixed dishes of dry, wet, and ground-up table left overs. My cats have never been healthier! Cheers!
We made the “mistake” of reading abook on the pet food industry and were forced to evelove our thinking about our cats food. There really are some good dry pet food out there now. We also bought a high-end caleed the Perfect Petfeeder since free feeding just doesn’t cut it, either.