In case you missed any, here are the stories we discussed in February (to join in the discussions, click “like” on CatCentric’s Facebook page!):

1 February: Tooth Resorption: A Painfully Common Dental Disease in Cats

“Although the precise cause of tooth resorption hasn’t been identified, preventive measures should include regularly brushing your pet’s teeth and feeding a species-appropriate, preferably raw diet.”(You’ll need an account to read this article, but signing up is free.)

1 February: Feeding Fish to Dogs or Cats is NOT Advisable

“When Gemini was seven and I was in my sophomore year of vet school, she went into liver failure after consuming food containing ethoxyquin. I got the food for free from a major pet food manufacturer who was giving away the stuff to vet students.

It was determined Gemini’s liver failure was caused by the ethoxyquin in that food.”

5 February: CatsWalk Newsletter – January 2012 | Little Big Cat

January’s LittleBigCat newsletter is just chock-full of interesting and informative reads, especially “Part 2. Preservatives in Pet Food and Treats”!!!

6 February: Declawing a Cat is More Dangerous and Painful Than You Think

Declawing is considered inhumane and is banned (with some exceptions for medical emergencies) in over two dozen countries, including England, France, Italy, and Australia. More and more American vets are declining to perform this type of surgery, and several cities in the US have banned the procedure entirely, including Los Angeles, CA.

There are many alternatives to this inhumane practice, one of which will surely suit your circumstances!

8 February: Better bones from Raw Bistro petfood

“All too often, pets today are fed processed foods filled with chemicals, grains, fillers and animal by-products unfit for human consumption,” Greene explains when asked about what sets her company apart from other petfood producers. “We know that dogs and cats evolved over tens of thousands of years by eating raw foods. As a result, their digestive systems are optimized to absorb maximal nutrition from raw food.”

Here, here!!! Love that so many new products – *healthy* products – are coming to market!

Now, Raw Bistro, how about creating a line for kitties? They do, after all, outnumber the canines as America’s most popular pet! ;-}

8 February: Vermont Ponders Pet Death Damages Bill

This type of bill is long overdue in all states, IMO.

Pets *are* family members and anyone who negligently or deliberately harms someone’s family member *should* owe the family; the admitted difficulty of putting a specific price tag on an emotional attachment not-with-standing.

I wonder how much impact such a bill would have on the pet food industry’s current lackadaisical quality control practices?

8 February: Pet Obesity Rate Rises

As long as cats are free fed high-carb foods inappropriate to their digestive physiology, obesity is unavoidable.

What I find interesting about this article is the last two paragraphs:

“Seventy-six percent of pet owners reported that they learned about pet nutrition from their veterinarian, 71.5 percent from the Internet, 22 percent from a pet store, 5.5 percent from a breeder and 2 percent from a groomer. Respondents were allowed to choose multiple answers.

When choosing the type of pet food, 69.4 percent of owners trusted their veterinarians, 36.3 percent turned to a website, 20.6 percent decided at the pet store, 4.4 percent utilized a breeder and 1.3 percent trusted a groomer.”

Nearly 75% of pet owners learned about their pets’ nutrition online, and over 36% turned to a website for help in choosing what to feed! How do we leverage these behaviors to ensure cat owners get the *right* information?

16 February: Nutrition Trends: Satiety and weight control for pets

Dr. Becker says, “Be cautious of commercial pet products that promise to help your overweight pet lose excess weight. Instead, why not focus on feeding whole, species-appropriate food instead of commercially bought pet food? This not only ensures they are eating what is meant for their bodies, but they get more nutrition than they do when eating processed pet food.”

Here, here! Feed your cats a balanced raw diet of whole meats, organs and bone-in meals, or whole prey; it’s what they’re designed to thrive on!

18 February: Why Dry Pet Food is Really Bad Nutrition for Your Cat

Two more studies linking kibble to urinary tract issues.

I would hope that the ever-increasing evidence of the harm kibble causes America’s cats would be enough to stop consumer purchases and force the industry to cease producing such an egregiously inappropriate and dangerous food product for cats, but I fear not.

Unfortunately, I believe it will take a massive re-education program to overcome the billions of dollars worth of marketing the pet food industry churns out. In the meantime, cats will continue to have their penises surgically removed so they can pee the crystals that kibble diets create, and kitties of both sexes will continue to die of completely avoidable, excruciatingly painful urethral blockages. :-{

Don’t let your beloved furbaby be the next one; stop feeding kibble today!!!

20 February: Putting on the Pressure: ‘No Heat’ Way to Zap Pathogens

Interesting to see HPP being discussed. Several raw pet food manufacturers, such as Nature’s Variety and Primal, use this process to eliminate potential pathogens, making their products very appealing to prospective and new – but nervous – raw feeding cat owners.

I’ve reviewed several articles on the process and while I would like to see more information on what exactly constitutes the “slight” and “insignificant” changes that HPP causes, I think this food has its place in the commercial raw food line-up (keeping in mind that I regard commercial products more as transitional foods rather than long-term feeding options).

What do you think? Have you read-up on HPP? Are you comfortable with the process? Would you feed these products to your cats?

20 February: The formulator’s dilemma: how processing affects pet nutrition

Now this… this is someone who is being honest about pet food processing. Unfortunately, the author ends by seriously soft-pedaling the work needed to bring it from where it is to where it should be; those “occasional toxicities and deficiencies resulting in recalls” did more than result in recalls – many of them sickened and killed beloved, if furry, family members.

Still, it’s heartening to see such awareness spoken of in a public venue, especially by the president of Pet Food & Ingredient Technology Inc.!

21 February: Nutritious and Delicious Pet Treats You Can Make in a Flash

Toss those unhealthy Temptation Treats in the trash, folks, Dr. Becker has collected some very easy to make pet treat “recipes” for our use!

I’m not much of a cook, but these look easy enough even for me (‘though I’d leave out those fruits and veggies). *chuckle*

If you make any of these, let us know how your kitties like ’em! ;-}

23 February: Cat Saves Owner’s Life Just Hours After Being Adopted

What a lovely affirmation of the amazing creature that is the cat! ♥ (That doctor’s ignorant statement about cats’ “selfish” tendencies not-with-standing.)

23 February: Toxoplasma risk factors for cats

A decent article on the actual risk factors associated with toxoplasma, cats and people.

Unfortunately, the article repeats the ridiculous and harmful warning to refrain from feeding raw meat to our carnivorous little friends IN CASE they should be infected through the meat.

Let’s look at this, shall we? First, the CDC states that a healthy person’s immune system usually keeps the parasite from causing illness in the first place, and that about 20% of our population is already walking around infected. The CDC also states if you’re part of that 20% and you get pregnant, there is little chance of passing the parasite to the baby.

Second, according to this article, 18% of cats have also already been infected. Since cats only shed oocyts during a single 10 to 14 day period after their initial infection, none of these cats will be shedding any oocysts.

Third, the oocysts have to “sporulate”, or sit in the litter box for 24 to 48 hours, before they are active. Good feline practices means scooping litter boxes daily.

Finally, you would have to actually ingest some of your cat’s infected feces during that short window to become infected yourself. Basic hygiene, at a minimum, requires washing your hands after working around the litter box.

Considering how *short* the window of potential contamination and how *easily* common hygienic steps can prevent transference altogether, denying a cat a life-time eating a healthy, nutritious and species-appropriate diet for fear of contracting toxoplasma is completely absurd.

24 February: Hello, My Name is Fluffy and I’m an Addict

A humorous and honest look at what it takes to make the mental shift from complacently feeding commercial pet food to acknowledging its unhealthy drawbacks to accepting that a raw diet is what a cat’s true carnivorous nature requires for a healthy, thriving, energetic life.

I especially like number 9, Forgiveness. Cat owners I work with frequently enter into raw feeding still feeling skeptical and wary. Often, it isn’t until they see the dramatic effect a proper diet has on their cat’s health that they truly “believe”. Invariably, their next emotion is guilt, which is understandable but simply saps strength and creates sorrow – it does no one any good at all. My mantra for them? “You only know what you know until you know something more.” ♥

24 February: Something to Chew On: Consumers no longer a captive, passive audience

“But let’s not overlook that much of the media coverage has sprung from heightened interest by consumers, which started in part because of those recalls and has not abated in the three years since. Pet owners are reading labels and researching ingredients, asking veterinarians and retailers for specific nutrition and product guidance and—perhaps most importantly—turning to each other for information and advice.”

With every discussion of this sort that takes place within the pet food industry, my hopes that more honesty, or, at the very least, transparency, is forthcoming increase.

Pet owners *are* becoming more educated, and if you want us to feed your product to our beloved furry family members, you *will* step up and meet our needs.

24 February: Pilot Program Increased Cat Visits and Revenues, Catalyst Council Reports

This is good news. I personally take my cats to a feline-only clinic, but it’s nice to see small animal practices making efforts to be more friendly and welcoming to their cat owning clients. :-}

Hopefully, the positive results of this program will motivate more clinics to adopt these same initiatives!

 

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