Cat's Name and Description
Puki (pronounced Poo-ky) Domestic longhair, solid gray with white markings...a very large neutered male! His personality was confident and assertive. He loved to be vacuumed with the brush attachment.
What I Should Have Known About my Cat
I was 13 when my parents finally allowed me to have a cat. I read all the info I could find on cat care, however, I didn't know that all cat foods were not the same. My cat needed a better diet.
My Dumbest Mistake
I fed Puki whatever was cheapest at the grocery store. In the beginning, I was using my $1 a week allowance to help feed him. Even when I was older, and had a job, I didn't know that cats needed a high quality meat protein diet with plenty of moisture. Puki suffered a serious case of urine crystals when he was 7 years old, resulting in days spent at the vet's being catheterized and medicated. Unfortunately, the vet didn't tell me a thing about diet! I continued feeding him cheap food with a daily dose of dl methionine.
The Results of my Dumb Mistake
Puki succumbed to kidney failure at the age of 13. He suffered so much! I had to have my mother accompany me to the the vet's to have him euthanized when he was so frail and nauseous. I was so overcome with guilt and grief I couldn't control my sobbing. I remember spending the weekend in bed, crying and feeling sick because I failed my beloved boy. It is 20 years later and I am crying again as I write this. I want everyone who cares for a cat to know the importance of a quality diet of meat protein with plenty of moisture. Cheap dry cat foods should be banned. My years of working in cat shelters made this even more evident. Cats fed grain-based dry food often have urinary tract problems as well as other health issues. Spending extra money on "preventive maintenance" (feeding a diet designed for cats' unique needs) is much better than spending money at the vet's trying to treat the illnesses and suffering incurred by saving money on cat food.
What I'd do differently
- I currently have 5 rescued cats (2 four year old cats and 3 fourteen year old siblings).
- I encourage them to eat wet food.
- When that doesn't work, I feed them premium dry foods such as Wellness and Innova (their favorites out of all the premium foods I have offered them).
- "Junk food" is used only for treats or if one of the cats is sick and needs encouragement to eat.
