Fear, Getting a new pet Options

[John B]

The more I think about it the more fear I have about getting a new cat. I know that the biggest part is opening up my heart and making myself vulnerable to this kind of pain again, but even if I can get past that my next worry is what to feed him or her.

Who do you trust? Wet food is out. Dry food causes kidney problems. Organic food is pretty expensive. Real meat is best but then you have to add stuff and grind bones etc.

It's just all so confusing.

John

[Muffins]

Dry food is not all bad. I wouldn't feed a kitty a strictly dry menu, but to have some to munch on is really good for their teeth, not only for plaque, but for strength.

With regard to dry cat food, please read Dr. Lisa Pierson's article "Feeding your cat".

http://catinfo.org/#Common_Feline_Health_P...r_Ties_to_Diet_

To quote Dr. Pierson (from above article):

Dental Disease: Long-standing claims that cats have less dental disease when they are fed dry food versus canned food are grossly overrated, inaccurate, and are not supported by recent studies.  Many veterinarians are coming to the realization that this is a myth that needs to be dispelled.  First, dry food is hard, but brittle, and merely shatters with little to no abrasive effect on the teeth.  Second, a cat's jaws and teeth are designed for shearing and tearing meat, and cats that eat dry food grind it in a way that it ends up between their teeth. There it ferments into sugar and acid, thereby causing dental problems.  Third, many cats swallow the majority of their dry food whole and thus receive minimal benefit from chewing motion. There are many factors that contribute to dental disease in the cat such as genetics, viruses, and diet. There remain many unanswered questions concerning the impact of diet on dental health, but feeding a high carbohydrate, species-inappropriate dry kibble diet is a negative factor, not a positive one.  Perhaps a more effective way to promote dental health is to feed large chunks of raw meat which is what cats’ teeth are designed to chew.  (See 'Making Cat Food') 

Also, Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins site, "Your Diabetic Cat":

http://yourdiabeticcat.com/index.html

To quote Dr. Hodgkins:

"Feline diabetes is not the natural fate of hundreds of thousands of pet cats world-wide. It is, rather, a human-created disease that is reaching epidemic proportions because of the highly artificial foods that we have been feeding our feline companions for the past few decades. Without the constant feeding of highly processed, high carbohydrate dry foods, better suited to cattle than cats, adult-onset feline diabetes would be a rare disease, if it occured at all."
Elizabeth Hodgkins DVM, JD

Cats, whether or not they have diabetes DO NOT NEED dry food.

I wish I knew this earlier, but I am extremely grateful that I know now.

Peace & Love to you and yours,

Denise