Cat Food - Let's think about it...

Do you ever wonder why so many people feed their cats dry food? When you think about it, we have taken this very finicky creature – a carnivore – who, when left to his own devices likes nothing better than to catch a small bird or rodent, play with it for a while and then devour all but the head, which he will frequently bring home to his person as a love offering, and we offer him kibble?!

Ideally we should be feeding our cats fresh food, fresh as in, still breathing! Fresh mice, lizards, birds and perhaps a small fish occasionally, but most of us find that idea pretty gross! So, we need an alternative, but dry food! That’s really stretching things! Then we leave the stuff out to gather dust all day and we top it up tomorrow – this for a creature who should be getting the majority of his fluids from the fresh food he eats. Now we give him food that demands he takes his own body fluids to enable him to digest dry kibble. No wonder our cats suffer from kidney and urinary tract problems. The connection between dry food and FUS (Feline Urologic Syndrome) is well documented.

You see, we’ve all been conned! As cat guardians we have been led to believe that commercial foods are much better than anything we could prepare for our pets, we believe all the cute advertisements featuring those charming, clever Veterinarians and Scientists in their white coats who know everything and only want us to buy their products for our four legged kids!

What’s more, our cats have been conned too! But they love that stuff you say! Sure they do, look at the label and see how much sugar and salt there is along with all those artificial flavorings! Our cats have become junk food junkies and like the kids whose other home is MacDonalds they will turn up their noses at the good stuff, they like all those chemicals and the ingredients that you can’t even pronounce. The pet food manufacturers aren’t going to make money if your pets won’t eat their product and they spend an awful lot of dollars to ensure that your pets will eat their stuff’!

So, what to do? I would suggest that you stop buying the dry food and start feeding your cat two meals a day, if he hasn’t eaten his food after half an hour, take it away, your cat is a hunter, he’s designed to eat and then rest, not to nibble all day as herbivores do, Think of the lion who gorges himself and then sleeps until he’s hungry again.

Then I suggest that you start giving your cat meats, poultry and fish (just beware of fish bones) Raw is best, as is organic – remember, we’re trying to get as close to natural and wild as we can. If raw meat is too much for you to deal with then by all means cook it lightly, remembering that cooking destroys many of the vitamins and enzymes – but it’s still a whole lot better than the dry kibble! And who needs all those nasty chemicals?!

I promise you that you will not only save money with home made pet food but you will also save on Vet bills and your pets will live longer stronger!!

They’re worth it!

Safe play for dogs - sticks are fun but frisbees are much safer

Dogs bring so much fun and joy into our lives, mine bring giggles into my life every day, all four of them have a very well developed sense of humor and love to play. They have all sorts of toys, even 11year old Timothy Whippet loves to curl up with his soft fluffy toys! He also loves to run, well, Whippets do don’t they?! Frisbees are his thing! Pagan Lurcher (a Whippet mix) goes crazy when she sees me get her ‘Chuckits’ – her fabric flying squirrel toys out. I have to use two of these – one to throw and one to have ready to throw next – she is so incredibly fast!

Please note, I never throw sticks for my dogs, I’ve heard too many sad stories of dogs being hurt by well meaning folks throwing sticks. Pieces of wood can get stuck in their faces, wedged across the roof of their mouth, splinters can get into their gums and/ or cause tooth damage. Please, be careful about where you are throwing things for your dog, I have friends who tragically lost their Labrador when she ran into a lawn sprinkler at full speed.

We always need to be aware of possible dangers that may threaten our four leggeds just as we do with our children.

They’re worth it.

Why Critter Cuisine & Content Companions?

The answer is: I think it's true for people and animals that diet has a profound effect on our wellbeing - both mental and physical.
In the UK there seems to be much more interest in solving hyperactivity in kids by changing the kid's diets. Out with the junk and in with some more natural foods.
Now, if it's true (and I think that it is) that kids health is being affected by what they eat it's not a huge leap to think that our animals health is too. Especially, when you consider the legal safeguards in place to ensure that what we humans eat is safe. I'll talk about it (carefully, for want of not being sued!) in future blogs but it should be a major concern when it comes to what you feed the animals nearest and dearest to you - they do not enjoy the level of protection that you would wish when it comes to what is allowed to be considered as 'pet food'.

Critter Cuisine & Content Companions Arrives

This is where I will share aspects of my life with animals; from growing up helping in my father's veterinary surgery, to running an animal sanctuary looking after the welfare of 200+ animals, to now - living in the hills in Southern California with my crew - I'll introduce them to you over the coming weeks and months...
In this blog I also hope to share information that I've picked up over the years: if one person finds the recipe my father created in 1955 to help his patients - from Dachshunds to Lions - recover after accidents or ops I will feel my tentative step into publishing will be worth it!
I will offer advice on:
helping reluctant cats and dogs to travel more happily
increasing longevity by watching what they eat
safety in exercise - put the stick down!
stop your dogs pulling you about
And endeavor to answer any animal related questions you might like answered.