Healthy Cat Blog
Archive #2
1 July 2004 through 31 August 2004.
Go to my most recent Healthy Cat Blog.
Or see Archive #1 (17 May through 28 June 2004)
31 August 2004
Alternatives to Iams Cat Food
What follows is my lengthy answer to a cat lover who uses Iams Cat Food,
but wants to stop using their products due to their cruel animal
testing. She wanted to know of options to Iams.
Here's my response:
Unfortunately, most of what we buy at the local grocery store and even
at the
vet's office isn't very good for our pets, let alone the animal cruelty
issues.
Depending on where you live, you may need to consider purchasing
quality, cruelty-free cat food online. I'm lucky enough to live in an
area that has "specialty" pet food stores, but usually I buy my
cat food online
mostly for the
convenience.
After learning about the Iams boycott, I did some research on it and discovered
that Hill's Science Diet also engages in cruel animal testing. That's what I was
feeding my cats. There are a number of foods that do not cruelly test on animals
AND that use quality products (none of that "meat meal" or by-product crap).
I've switched to Nature's Variety (Prairie) and I also found that Innova,
Wysong, Wellness, and Newman's Own Organics are also quality products without
cruel animal testing. You can search some of these products' sites and they will
tell you the ingredients and their animal testing policies. Newman's didn't say
on their site, so I wrote to them and got a response that they only do taste
tests.
During my research, I came across an incredibly eye-opening book called, "Food
Pets Die For," by Ann N. Martin. It's an expose of the commercial pet food
industry. You would be amazed and disgusted at what is acceptable (by Canadian
and U.S. regulations/standards) to put in pet food.
Also, I've leaned that just because a pet food is sold at my vet's office, that
doesn't mean it's any better than commercial foods from the grocery store.
Most vets are not taught about nutrition during veterinary school, and what they
learn about foods comes from the pet food companies (sort of analagous to
doctors and drugs). This is according to Ann N. Martin. She makes a good case
for learning about your pet's nutrition on your own, in addition to just asking
your vet for advice.
Anyway, it's my opinion that what we feed our pets directly impacts their health
and longevity (and saves on vet bills), and I'll be feeding my cats only quality
products from now on.
Sorry that this response is probably a little longer than what you needed! But I
feel passionately about the issue after learning about the incredibly cruel and
disgusting practices engaged in by commercial pet food companies AND how their
products negatively affect my cats' health.
Good luck finding the right food for your cat!
30 August 2004
Cat Scratching Furniture?
Unfortunately, cats need to scratch! This helps not only keep their
claws groomed, but is a muscle-strengthening action and toning action.
See our
Scratching Post
page for more information about why cat's scratch and how to train your cat to use a scratching post.
Declawing is not an appropriate solution. The negative side effects
are not worth putting your cat through this surgical procedure. Learn
more about alternatives to declawing cats before taking this drastic and irreversible action.
The short of it is that cats need to scratch and there are ways to protect you and your furniture.
29 August 2004
New Free Shipping Policy at 1800PetMeds
1800PetMeds has decided to offer free shipping on orders over $39 on a
permanent basis! This is a great deal and a great online discount pet
pharmacy. All of their pet medications are top-notch and 100%
guaranteed.
No special code or coupon is necessary to get your free shipping.
24 August 2004
Program Flea Control
Program Flea Control is a useful product in preventing flea
infestations. It works by essentially "sterilizing" female fleas so that
the eggs they lay never develop.
If your cat or kitten is
particularly sensitive to flea bites, then you may need to add an adult
flea insecticide until the Program starts to interrupt the flea life
cycle and take effect.
Click this
Program Flea Control
link for further information.
28 July 2004
Three Days Left for Free Shipping at 1800PetMeds
1800PetMeds' offer of free shipping on orders over $39 expires on July
31. Don't forget to take advantage of this great offer. All their
medicines are U.S. FDA and EPA approved.
Enter offer code 8652 when you place your order to get free shipping. --Expired.
25 July 2004
Where to Buy the Best Cat Food
It's taken a while, but I believe I've found the best (or at least one
of the best) places to buy quality cat food online. I wanted to make
sure that I found an online pet store that offers only quality products for your cat. This is a place that I feel comfortable buying all of my cat supplies from.
The Only Natural Pet Store sells the three top brands of cat food that I
found to be among the best cat foods available: Nature's Variety,
Newman's Own Organic, and Wysong's. The other cat foods they carry are
also top notch, healthy food for your cat (and mine!).
You can click on this link to go directly to the
Only Natural Pet Store.
And right now they're offering 10% off on all pet food!
20 July 2004
Buying Cat Food Online
I've removed PETsMART as a recommended merchant from my
cat food
page. Unfortunately, since they are more of a discount pet supplies
store, they don't carry the quality, human-grade and other quality pet
foods that I've come across. While some of their cat food choices may be
good, they don't provide enough of a detailed ingredient list to know
for sure. I'll add them back as a recommended store if I learn that some
of their choices are made with the healthiest ingredients for your cat.
What you feed your cat is so important for his or her health,
that I think it's important to spend a bit more for quality. I'm
searching for an online petstore that carries top quality, natural cat
food at reasonable rates. I'll keep you posted.
19 July 2004
Trying a New Cat Food
Three days ago, I bought a new cat food: Nature's Variety. Since my cats
are used to dry food, I bought them the dry food version of Chicken
& Rice Medley.
Cats can become sick to their stomaches if you change a food too quickly. I've followed the suggestions written on my
changing cat food
page, and I've mixed the new food with the old (I was feeding Science
Diet, but know that I've learned a little bit more about the quality of
their ingredients, I won't be buying Science Diet in the future.)
While one of my cats (the younger one) is still eating the mix of both
foods, my 12-year-old (Shayla) has been picking out the Nature's Variety
food to eat and leaving the Science Diet behind. It looks like their
transition to this healthier food will be quicker than I expected.
16 July 2004
Response from Newman's Own Organics
I received the following response from L. Phillips Brown, DVM with
Newman's about their pet food. "NOO does not do animal testing, except
to feed the
food to see if it is
palatable." That's great news.
Now we've got three brands of healthy, holistic cat food that is
excellent for our cats' health and does not harm other companion animals
in the testing of the products: Wysong, Nature's Variety, and Newman's
Own Organics.
15 July 2004
Still Searching for the Best Cat Food
As I read more and more, I am becoming thoroughly convinced of the
importance of having the best possible cat food for my two cats' good
health. The conventional cat food brands, even the ones I thought were
pretty good like Iams and Science Diet, do not have the best ingredients
to keep my cats (and yours) healthy.
Yesterday, I mentioned that Wysong and Newman's seem to be excellent
choices for my cats. Wysong does not do cruel animal testing and I am
still waiting to hear back from Newman's as to what kind of testing, if
any, they do. Newman's seems like an exceptional quality cat food, but I
can no longer feed my cats food that comes at the cruel expense of
other animals (it’s bad enough that they are obligate carnivores and
need meat in the first place!), especially where there are other
options.
Another brand that looks exceptional and does not do
laboratory testing it Nature's Variety. I’m excited about this one
because not only can I buy it online, but it’s also available at a local
natural pet food store near me.
Of course, the one unfortunate
thing is that these better foods are naturally more expensive. But I
think it's a price worth paying to keep my precious cats as healthy as
can be.
14 July 2004
Searching for the Best Cat Food
Ever since I learned about the Iams Boycott, I've been doing a lot of
reading about cat food and cat food ingredients. Most of what I'm
learning confirms what I've written in my
cat food
page.
However, I'm still searching for the best cat food brand
for my two cats. The term "human grade" comes up a lot. It's used in
such a way that it seems like an "official" term, something you'd have
to get approval from some government or quasi-government organization to
use on the label. Not so.
"Human grade" is not a regulated term.
So while many of the "natural" pet food companies state that they use
"human grade" ingredients, I'm still searching for the brand that has
consistent information that assures me that it is the best for my cats'
health. (By the way, the term "natural" isn't regulated either.)
Among
the brands that stand out so far are Wysong and Newman's. I need to
make sure that they don't do cruel animal testing before I'll feed them
to my cats or recommend them to you. I'll keep you posted.
13 July 2004
Free Shipping at 1800PetMeds
Get free shipping on orders over $39 from 1800PetMeds
until July 31.--Expired.
1800PetMeds only sells pet medications approved by the US FDA/EPA. All their products are 100% guaranteed.
Enter offer code 8652 when you place your order to get free shipping.
12 July 2004
Cats and Dogs
Can cats and dogs live together peacefully? We've all been taught that
dogs and cats are opposites. And in many ways they are! But it is
possible for cats and dogs to get along under the same roof. Some even
can become the best of friends.
If you already have a dog companion and you're thinking about adopting a cat or adopting a kitten, check out our
cats and dogs
page for tips to make the transition easier.
11 July 2004
Cat Names
Cat names can be as diverse as people names, and in fact, many names
serve for both cats, dogs, other pets, and humans. If you're bringing
home a new cat or kitten that doesn't already have a name, read our
cat names
page for tips on choosing the best cat name for your cat or kitten.
9 July 2004
Boycott Iams Pet Food
I've just learned that Iams, who is now owned by Proctor and Gamble,
conducts cruel and painful "nutritional" tests on cats, dogs, kittens,
and puppies in their laboratories.
Until Iams, who also manufactures Eukanuba pet food, stops these
practices, I ask you to consider boycotting their products. If you are
currently using Iams or Eukanuba and decide to boycott Iams, please take
a look at our
changing cat food
page to learn how to change your cat's food without any negative health effects.
8 July 2004
PETsMART Vacation Sweepstakes
Enter the PETsMART Vacation Sweepstakes between now and August 31, 2004,
to win a vacation for four to SeaWorld. The prize includes airfare,
hotel, etc.
You don't even have to make a purchase. You can mail
in a postcard to the address in their rules. But any order you make
between now and August 31st will automatically enter you into the
sweepstakes.
Good luck!
7 July 2004
Cat Toys and Cat Health
Safe and interactive cat toys are essential for your cat's good health.
They provide your cat or kitten with the exercise and entertainment she
needs.
You need to be sure that the toys you let your cat play with are safe.
For example, there should be no pieces of the toy that your cat could
accidentally swallow. Also, you don't need to spend lots, or any money,
on cat toys. You can make your own.
For some ideas on making your own and what to look for when buying cat toys, please visit our
cat toys
page.
6 July 2004
PetCareRx Special Savings
For a limited time, you can use this link to get free shipping on orders over $25 at PetCareRx.
You usually need to spend $85 or more to get free shipping at PetCareRx,
so now's a good time to take advantage of this deal. I don't know the
exact date when this offer will end, but they call it a summer special,
so you may have a little while.
But be sure to come back here and click on this link to get the
discount. If you go directly to their site, then you won't be able to
get free shipping unless you spend $85.
5 July 2004
About Us
A few people have asked to learn a little about who is behind this cat
website. Basically, it's one cat lover and her research team.
Visit our
about us
page to learn more and see pictures of us.
4 July 2004
Your New Cat!
Bringing home a new cat or kitten? Congratulations! See our
cat supplies
page for a list of the supplies you'll need for your new family member.
You can also visit our
new cat
page to find out how to ease the transition for your new cat or kitten.
3 July 2004
PETsMART Review and Policy Change
While doing research for my
PETsMART
Review page, I noticed that this popular online pet store has eliminated
its free shipping for orders over $50. That’s too bad, as they have one
of the biggest cat supplies inventory around.
PetCareCentral still has free shipping for orders over $50. And they
only charge $4.95 for orders under $50. Their inventory is nearly as big
as PETsMART's, although they are less well-known.
Perhaps with this new change in PETsMART’s shipping policy, PetCareCentral will become a tough competitor.
2 July 2004
Do You Need Pet Insurance?
Trying to decide whether to buy pet insurance for your healthy cat? For a list of pros and cons, visit our
pet insurance tips
page.
You can also read about what to look for in a good pet insurance policy.
1 July 2004
Scratching Post Training
If you're having a little trouble getting your cat to use the scratching
post, try rubbing a little catnip on it. This will work for most adult
cats, but not for kittens.
To learn more about why cats need to scratch and how to train your cat to use the scratching post, visit our
cat scratching post
page.
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If you suspect your cat is ill, please contact your veterinarian immediately.
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