“How much should I feed my cat?” is a question I’m frequently asked, and the answer isn’t as simple as it would seem. Even though every can and bag of cat food provides feeding instructions, they’re pretty much useless.Continue Reading
species appropriate diet
The Best to Worst Cat Foods
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. You can find many of the articles I’ve written about this topic in the Feline Nutrition section right here on this site. I also provide one-on-one consultations if you need help with transitioning your cat to a healthier diet.
You can find my recommendations of what to feed your cat here.Continue Reading
Review: Longevity Raw Pet Food
Longevity Raw Pet Food is created by Dr. Buchoff, a holistic veterinarian in Little Falls, NJ. After more than three decades of practicing both conventional and holistic medicine, Dr. B formulated Longevity to help support the immune systems of his patients.Continue Reading
What Should Be in Your Cat’s Diet?
This post is sponsored by Balanced Blends
Cats should be thriving, not just surviving. Yet the vast majority of pet food options is filled with species inappropriate ingredients chosen to meet the minimum nutritional requirements, at the lowest possible cost, while sounding increasingly “human appropriate” to appeal to buyers. We’ve domesticated our cats, but we’ve failed to bring the nutritional benefits of the wild in with them.Continue Reading
Balanced Blends Guide to Raw Feeding
This is the first in a series of articles sponsored by Balanced Blends, a raw pet food company, answering some of the most common questions around feeding a raw food diet to your cats.
Today’s article starts at the very beginning: with the reasons why raw feeding has become so popular among cat parents.Continue Reading
Cats on a Diet: Will They Still Love You?
Last week we wrote about the obesity epidemic among America’s cats (58% of cats in this country are either overweight or obese) and the serious health risks of obesity. What makes this trend so disturbing is that it is created entirely by the guardians who love their cats. There are no obese cats in the wild. Our cats rely on us to make appropriate nutritional choices for them, and one of the biggest mistake cat guardians can make is to equate food with love.
Getting a cat to lose weight can be challenging. It may require making changes to a cat’s feeding schedule, changing the food itself, increasing the amount of time spent playing with the cat, and more. Read Weight Loss Tips for Cats for guidance on how to get your kitty to a healthy weight.Continue Reading
Review: Dinner PAWsible by Cathy Alinovi, DVM and Susan Thixton
There is no doubt in my mind that processed food is just as bad for our cats as it is for us. Processed foods cause and aggravate inflammation throughout the body. Inflammation is the body’s natural response to healing by bringing an increased immune response to the site of an injury or infection, but when inflammation becomes chronic, it damages the body and causes illness.Continue Reading
Review: Merrick Purrfect Bistro
At Global Pet Expo earlier this year, I had one of the most fascinating conversations I’ve ever had about pet food with a representative from Merrick Pet Care. I have long considered Merrick one of the better offerings in the pet food arena, and after my conversation with Mark, I like the brand even more, for a variety of reasons:Continue Reading
5 New Year’s Resolutions for Happy, Healthy Cats
Most New Year’s resolutions are abandoned within a month of making them. There are a lot of reasons why this happens. They may be too much of a stretch, there may be a lack of commitment, or the timing isn’t right. And yet, the New Year is a good time to start fresh and create some healthy habits. The following five resolutions will keep your cats happy and healthy not just for a few weeks, but for the rest of their lives.Continue Reading
The Best Food for Cats: Is There Only One Right Choice?
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
Canned Cat Food May Not Contain Enough Thiamine
When you buy canned cat food – any brand of canned cat food – you will see a statement on the label that says that the food is “complete and balanced” according to AAFCO standards. This would lead you to assume that the food has all the nutrients your cat needs, right? This is not necessarily true.
What does “complete and balanced” really mean?
AAFCO, the American Association of Feed Control Officials, is the organization which is charged with establishing and enforcing animal feed requirements across all fifty state governments. Its primary responsibility is to ensure the safety of feed for human food producing livestock. The AAFCO statement on most pet food labels indicates that the food has been tested and approved as “complete and balanced for the life of a pet.” This is sadly misleading. Continue Reading