In case you missed any, here are the stories we discussed in May (to join in the discussions, click “like” on CatCentric’s Facebook page!):
3 May: Transitioning Hyperthyroid Cats from Methimazole to Hill’s y/d: If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It!
Here’s another example of a pet food touted as a “cure” utterly failing to address basic feline nutritional needs.
“Overall, this case illustrates a number of potential problems with y/d for managing cats with hyperthyroidism.”
4 May: Diamond Expands Voluntary Recall
Buckle your seat belts, boys and girls, looks like there are rough waters ahead…
Diamond’s Salmonella pet food recall has now been expanded (yet again) to include Canidae, Natural Balance, and Wellness dog kibble, as well as Kirkland canine AND feline kibble products.
The previously recalled products are: Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul, Country Value, Diamond, Diamond Naturals, Premium Edge, Professional, 4Health, and Taste of the Wild.
– Diamond Expands Voluntary Recall
– Distributor States Canidae, Natural Balance, and one Wellness Product Recalled
If you are feeding any of these products, stop immediately, thoroughly clean your pet’s feeding dishes and the surrounding area, and watch your pets and family members – especially the very young and the very old – for evidence of Salmonella poisoning.
(This would be a GREAT time to upgrade to a low-carb, grain-free canned food or, better yet, start feeding your family carnivore the raw foods nature meant for her to eat! ♥)
6 May: Why Feeding High Fiber Kibble to Fat Cats Defies Logic
Dr. Becker says, “I confess to being annoyed by studies undertaken to see how well a particular species of animal can digest food they were never intended to eat in the first place. To test high fiber kibble diets on overweight cats seems especially reprehensible, since it was very likely fiber and other carbohydrates that made these kitties fat to begin with.”
I totally agree with her. This study is yet more proof (like we need it) that the pet food industry values profit over the welfare of the animals actually consuming its products.
6 May: Flea and Tick Season 2012: It’s Early and It’s Ugly
Here is a great article outlining several natural – read: non-toxic! – methods of controlling fleas and ticks. This year looks to be particularly bad for these pest due to the warm winter many of us just enjoyed, so you may want to print or bookmark this for regular referencing. ;-}
On a personal note – I have used Diatomaceous Earth (food-grade only!) to manage a flea infestation I brought home from a neighbor’s house and I can verify it definitely works.
6 May: Today’s best cat foods–reviews of canned and raw options
With the growing recall of Diamond-manufactured products has come a new scramble to find healthy and safe pet foods. Many of you, like me, feed only fresh, whole foods, but I’ve heard from a number of fans who are feeding a combination of raw foods and commercial products.
Liz Eastwood, a certified holistic nutrition consultant and writer, has painstakingly pulled together a list of eleven commercial raw and canned pet foods brands she feels are safe and healthy. If you are feeding a combo of products, this link is for you; I hope you find it helpful! ♥
3 May: Transitioning Hyperthyroid Cats from Methimazole to Hill’s y/d: If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It!
Here’s another example of a pet food touted as a “cure” utterly failing to address basic feline nutritional needs.
“Overall, this case illustrates a number of potential problems with y/d for managing cats with hyperthyroidism.”
13 May: Cat Basics: Emotions
So true! Cats have very rich emotional lives, maybe even more so than dogs. The biggest difference is that dogs love you instantly and for no reason at all while cats bond with you primarily in proportion to the amount of effort you put into spending “quality” time with them.
The activity with the biggest payoff, after learning their body language and respecting it? Training! ♥
16 May: Shelter Cats Go Social via Kong Campaign
What a thoroughly innovative idea for increasing adoptions! Kudos to the Kong Co.!
17 May: Transient Hyperthyroidism in Cats
Interesting information reference Hyper-T in Cats.
“In addition, I’ve also seen a few euthyroid cats (and dogs) that have slightly high total T4 and free T4 concentrations (3,4). This is probably due to the fact that all of the labs are going away from the use of radioimmunoassay (RIA) and chemiluminescence to more automated techniques that just aren’t as accurate so we are seeing more false-positive test results.”
21 May: Diamond Expands Recall Again
Heads-up, my friends!!! That Diamond recall that has been slowly expanding over the last several weeks has expanded yet again to include cat and dog food products manufactured at a *second* plant.
In addition – and deeply alarming – two cats have reportedly DIED from Diamond pet food Salmonella poisoning.
As fans of CatCentric, you shouldn’t be feeding your cat or dog any kibble, but if you have a friend or family member who is, please get them to stop immediately. If they can’t switch to canned or raw completely, encourage them to at LEAST do so until the full extent of this contamination has been uncovered.
Be safe, all! ♥
29 May: Another Great Reason to Throw Out That Dry Cat Food
In this article, Dr. Becker reviews a study that compared a canned food against the freeze-dried version of that same food and found that cats fed canned – with it’s accompanying moisture content – ate less and lost weight, *without changing their lean body weight*.
Study after study illustrating the same thing – kibble is profoundly unhealthy and should never be fed to cats. Please keep sharing this info, CC fans… every time a new bit of evidence comes out, more cat owners are converted! ♥
