conscious living, health and happiness for cats and their humans
Pet food labels should be a useful tool to help cat guardians decide which foods to select. Unfortunately, unless you know how to interpret the often confusing information on the labels, they may only add to the confusion. I’ve previously written about how to read a pet food label, but it turns out that you may not be able to trust the information on the label. Continue Reading
Guest post by Jodi Ziskin
Cats are like snowflakes – no two are exactly alike. And no two households are exactly alike, either. These are important factors I have to take into consideration when helping cat guardians discover the best diet for their cats – and for their lifestyle.
There is a dizzying amount of information out there. There is also a great deal of misinformation. Some of the tips and protocols shared by well-meaning advocates of one type of diet or another may not be based on facts, but rather on interpretation. Think about how many times you have read articles on the “one, perfect diet for humans.” Biological facts about our bodies are often twisted to meet the ideals of the author.Continue Reading
A lot of cats love fish, but feeding it as more than a very occasional treat could is not a good idea and could be harmful to your cat’s health. The primary fish used in cat food are salmon, tilefish (usually identifed as ocean whitefish on the label) and tuna. Each of them presents health issues, because fish can contain toxic doses of common water pollutants, heavy metals, and other contaminants. Mercury is considered one of the top ten chemicals of major public health concern by the World Health Organization.Continue Reading
Per an FDA advisory issued yesterday, Bravo is recalling select lots of Bravo Turkey and Chicken pet foods for dogs and cats because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.
The recalled product was distributed nationwide beginning on November 14, 2013 to distributors, retail stores, internet retailers and directly to consumers. The product can be identified by the batch ID code (best used by date) printed on the side of the plastic tube.Continue Reading
Tiki Cat has long been one of our recommended brands. They use quality ingredients, and their foods contain mostly protein with no fillers or vegetables added. They’re also high in moisture, and you can actually recognize the ingredients when you look at the food.
Tiki Cat recently launched a new line of foods. The Gourmet Carnivore selections feature 100 percent human USDA Grade products that are grain-free, carb-free, whole shredded meats cooked in natural consommé juices, not gravy. These new varieties nicely complement the existing 17 varieties of Tiki Cat Gourmet Whole Foods.Continue Reading
I’ve written extensively about feline nutrition on this site. You’ll find information ranging from how to choose the best food for your cat to how to get finicky cats to eat. One topic I haven’t covered in the past is the issue of GMO.
GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism and refers to an organism or crop that is altered at the DNA level to strengthen certain qualities. GMOs are created for many reasons: to make crops more resistant to pests, to thrive even in challenging environmental conditions such as droughts, and to improve the nutritional value of a food. GMO crops have been sold commercially since the mid 1990’s. Genetic modification has been focused on cash crops such as corn and soy, but more and more GMO foods are making their way onto our grocery and pet store shelves.Continue Reading
Last updated June 2019
Feeding your cat a species-appropriate diet is the most important thing you can do for her lifelong health. You can’t control your cat’s genetics, but you can control what you feed her. Cats are obligate carnivores, which means they need meat not only to survive, but to thrive. Even though cat food manufacturers would have you believe differently, a cat’s diet needs don’t change all that much over the course of her life.Continue Reading
If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know that I’m passionate about species-appropriate nutrition for cats. Cats are obligate carnivores, and they need meat not only to survive, but to thrive. The optimal diet for a cat is a properly formulated raw, home-cooked or grain-free canned diet.
When we were approached by Dave’s Pet Food to review some of their foods, I didn’t hesitate to accept. I had already occasionally been feeding some of these diets to Allegra and Ruby. I also met Dave Ratner himself at Global Pet Expo, and was impressed with his passion for pet nutrition.Continue Reading
Bravo is recalling select lots and products of Bravo Pet Food because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
Listeria monocytogenes is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.Continue Reading
Guest Post by Lisa Hall
Taking cats to India….three of them! Everyone thought I must be joking….
I’m Australian fashion designer, Lisa Hall. My label, Madame Hall, creates one-off women’s clothing from my home in the remote town of Bhuj in India. I’m living my dream life….but, it was only possible because I could bring my three Australian cats to India with me.Continue Reading
If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know that I’m passionate about species-appropriate nutrition for cats. Cats are obligate carnivores, and they need meat not only to survive, but to thrive. The optimal diet for a cat is a properly formulated raw, home-cooked or grain-free canned diet.
I maintain a small list of recommended brands on this site. The foods on this list are foods I either currently feed to Allegra and Ruby, or have fed to them in the past. This list is not meant to be exclusive, and it does not mean that there aren’t other really good diets out there. It means that these brands are the ones I’m comfortable with after doing thorough research. Brands can’t pay to get on this list – you’ll only see brands that I trust on the list.*Continue Reading