Buyer Beware

---Article by Dr. Karen Becker --- Pet food companies are marketing new formulas of cat food as “preventive” diets available “over the counter.” Many are grain free and canned – which means they have higher moisture content than kibble (this is a good thing). Several include novel proteins (not a good thing). These diets are advertising they “prevent” many of the diseases that afflict cats who’ve been fed a lifetime of inexpensive, low quality, grain filled diets – many produced by the same companies now offering the new health care diets. Curiously, pet food marketers are comparing their new cat foods to veterinary prescription formulas, thus the over-the-counter spin. What’s odd is some of the new cat foods are actually more species-appropriate than prescription diets, so it’s curious why they are being advertised as an alternative, when in fact they’re better nutrition. It’s buyer beware when it comes to pet food marketing claims. Savvy pet owners are educating themselves about proper nutrition for their cat or dog and aren’t being misled by clever promotional campaigns. The worst thing pet owners can do is count on pet food brand marketers to inform them about the nutritional quality of the food they sell. The best way to insure good nutrition for your cat is to feed a balanced, species-appropriate diet, either homemade or a high quality commercial formula. Check out kittycatorganics.com for a very high quality organic cat food.

Why Cats Knead

By Dr. Becker It's really remarkable to watch – especially if it's your first time experiencing it. It's another of the many unique and fascinating things about cats. Your kitty jumps into your chair with you, or perhaps onto the bed next to you, and begins pressing one front paw, then the other against you in a rhythmic motion. His eyes are either closed or hold a far away look. Often there's purring. Sometimes there's drooling. It can go on and on and on. Some kitties knead with their claws pulled in. Others extend their claws as they push, and retract them during the pulling motion. Sometimes it's not a person they're kneading but a soft surface like a pillow or blanket, or even another kitty. To humans it looks like the cat is lovingly kneading dough to make bread. The kitty, on the other hand, appears to be moving closer to ecstasy with each press of a paw. What the heck is he doing? Why Your Cat "Makes Biscuits" This kneading, also known as 'making bread' or 'making biscuits,' is an instinctive feline behavior kittens display shortly after they're born. The reason for the movement in kittenhood is to stimulate the flow of milk from the mother's mammary glands. Cats that continue the behavior into adulthood with their owners might be: •Showing contentment •Calming themselves during periods of stress •Marking their human with the scent from the sweat glands in their paws One theory is adult cats who still knead were taken from their mothers too soon. This idea has been pretty well debunked because nearly every cat kneads. More than likely it's an instinctive lifelong behavior that is simply comforting to felines. However, kitties weaned too early may become the cats that go on to "over-knead." The behavior might also have its origins in wild cats who built nesting places with grass and leaves in which to rest or give birth. It does seem the behavior in most cats precedes settling down for a nap. Some intact female cats will knead more frequently as they're going into heat. For some cats, kneading can be come an obsessive behavior. These kitties may also try to suckle on their person's skin, stuffed toys, blankets, clothing – even the family dog. If You Need to Curtail the Behavior... If your cat's kneading is uncomfortable due to claws, or seems to be obsessive, there are a few things you can try. When she starts the motion, try gently pulling her down into a lying position. This may settle her down and she'll drift off to sleep. You can also try gently covering her paws with slight pressure from your hands, making the motion more difficult to perform, or distracting her with a food treat or toy. What you don't want to do is punish your kitty for a behavior that is entirely natural.

Did you know...dogs and cats, especially those who suffer from allergies, gastro sensitivity, urinary illness, hotspots, ear infections, paw biting, skin itching, or hairballs, should never be fed food containing corn & wheat! Be an informed pet owner, read and understand the ingredients in pet food before you make a decision on what to feed your pet. "Their health depends on you."

Check out the web site listed below for cat food which contains no corn or wheat as well as no meat by-products.

kittycatorganics.com

Therapeutic Cat or Dog food

By Dr. Karen Becker


Recently the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) added a fifth 'vital health assessment' for veterinarians in determining the health status of their cat and dog patients.

The four existing assessments are: temperature, cardio function, respiratory health, and pain.

The new "5th Vital Assessment"1 is nutrition.

Per Michael Cavanaugh, DVM, and executor director of the AAHA:


"Incorporating nutritional assessment into the routine examination protocol for every patient is important for maintaining optimal health, as well as their response to disease and injury.

The goal of the new guidelines is to provide a framework for the veterinary practice team to help make nutritional assessments and recommendations for their patients."

Integrative and holistically-oriented vets have always done nutritional assessments on our patients.

In fact, I view species-appropriate nutrition as the first and most influential of the three pillars of health - the other two pillars being a sound, resilient body and a balanced, functional immune system.

And while I applaud the traditional veterinary community's addition of a nutritional assessment in determining the well-being of dogs and cats, I'm a little concerned with where this initiative could be headed.

Here is how the AAHA introduced their new "5th Vital Assessment" initiative in October 20102:


DENVER -- Nutrition is integral to optimal pet care. However, the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) found through its Compliance Study that only seven percent of pets that could benefit from a therapeutic food were actually on such a regimen.

The compliance discrepancy along with the many factors considered in assessing the nutritional needs of a healthy dog or cat, as well as the pet with one or more medical conditions, led to the development the AAHA Nutritional Assessment Guidelines.

The phrase 'therapeutic food' gives me pause, especially when I see that a major manufacturer of 'therapeutic' pet food has provided an educational grant to print the AAHA Nutritional Assessment Guidelines for Dogs and Cats3 in several languages.

Coming Soon to a Veterinarian Near You ...


... a big push to switch your pet to a 'therapeutic' dog or cat food.

My discomfort with the therapeutic food angle grew when I came across a PetfoodIndustry.com article in January of this year.

According to the article, the same pet food manufacturer who provided an educational grant to the AAHA "... will make regular visits to more than 22,000 veterinary hospitals and clinics to help build support for and implement nutritional recommendations as the '5th Vital Assessment' in pet healthcare."

To accomplish this the pet food company plans, among other things, to add sales staff to call more frequently on vet offices across the country in order to sell more therapeutic pet foods.

Then I came across another PetfoodIndustry.com news item, also from January, announcing that a pet health insurance provider is adding coverage for therapeutic pet food.

According to the article, "... coverage now includes half the cost of therapeutic pet foods purchased through a veterinarian to assist in care of a pet for two months."

'Therapeutic' Pet Food Ingredients Revealed


The following is a list of the first five ingredients in some of the therapeutic pet foods you may hear a sales pitch for the next time you take your pet to the vet for a wellness exam.

A can of cat food marketed as capable of improving feline bladder health:
•Pork By-Products
•Water
•Pork Liver
•Chicken
•Rice

A bag of kibble advertised as good for feline gastrointestinal health:
•Chicken By-Product Meal
•Brewers Rice
•Corn Gluten Meal
•Whole Grain Corn
•Pork Fat

A can of dog food to improve cardiac health in senior dogs:
•Water
•Corn Flour
•Pork Liver
•Rice Flour
•Beef By-Products

Dry dog food marketed for canine renal health:
•Brewers Rice
•Pork Fat
•Dried Egg Product
•Flaxseed
•Corn Gluten Meal

Regular readers here will immediately recognize the remarkably inferior, species inappropriate ingredients in these pet foods.

For the uninitiated:
•By-products are what are left after all the good stuff is harvested for the human food industry. Beaks, feet, feathers, wattles and combs are chicken by-products. There could be something beneficial thrown in, like the heart or gizzard, but because there's such potential for undesirable pieces and parts in 'by-products,' it's better to avoid them altogether.
•Corn in any form (including corn gluten meal, whole grain corn, corn flour, etc.) is an extremely allergenic food and difficult to digest. It's also one of the three crops most highly contaminated with aflatoxins.
•Brewers rice is a low quality ingredient that also happens to be a by-product. In addition, it's a grain. Grains are not species-appropriate nutrition for carnivores.

Read here for the secret to cracking the code on your dog's (or cat's) pet food label.

Just Say No to 'Therapeutic' Pet Foods


Unfortunately, veterinary students don't learn much about nutrition in their coursework. They graduate, go into practice, and become easy targets for pet food companies eager to fill their reception areas and storage closets with inferior quality 'prescription' diets for dogs and cats.

Now that the AAHA has added nutrition as the 5th vital assessment of a pet's health, I think many pet owners will be hearing more about diets during vet visits. I also suspect many of these conversations will end with a recommendation to buy a 'prescription' (therapeutic) pet food to take home with you.

I absolutely do not recommend the extremely low quality, species-inappropriate pet food formulas being sold through vet practices as 'therapeutic.'

I encourage my Natural Pet clients and all of you reading here to learn everything you can about the vital importance of biologically appropriate, high quality nutrition to the health and longevity of your pet.

I believe the more informed pet parents are about the type of food dogs and cats need to thrive, the less vulnerable they'll be to a sales pitch for low quality pet food - even when it's recommended by a veterinarian.

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References:
1 Nutrition, the 5th Vital Assessment
2 Nutrition Can Positively Impact Pet Wellness: AAHA Nutritional Assessment Guidelines for Dogs and Cats Now Available
3 AAHA Nutritional Assessment Guidelines for Dogs and Cats

The New Profile Picture

The new profile picture shows one of many new pieces of cat furniture which has recently been added to www.kittycatorganics.com Take a look at all the wonderful new items I've added. My cats simply LOVE this new furniture. They are either running and jumping on it, jumping down, scratching the rope or lounging on one of the two hammocks on this piece.

Cats and Music

There are Two means of refuge from the Miseries of life: Cats and Music.

Save a Cat

Save a CAT by supporting your local Humane Society. Adopting is best!