Help My Fat Cat Lose Weight!

Laser Toys - Not The Best Toys For Cats

noreply@blogger.com (tom-thomas) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:48:00 +0000

Just when you thought you found the perfect way to play with your cat and still sit on the couch...

Here's a tip from Pam Johnson-Bennett, CABC, Cat Behavior Associates (www.catbehaviorassociates.com)

"I always advise my clients not to use laser toys for playtime with their pets. Cats are tactile creatures, and when they pounce on t! heir "prey" they want to actually feel something underneath their paws. Putting a paw over a laser light is an exercise in frustration.

People often move the lights too frantically, causing the cat to stop playing in a natural feline way and begin bouncing off the walls in an attempt to get the target. This isn't how cats play. And in some cases, chasing laser lights can cause cats to develop a fixation with any flickering light -- they may end up displaying OCD-type behavior.

Although manufacturers claim the laser toys are safe, always avoid shining the light directly into your cat's eyes."

Pam Johnson-Bennett, CABC, is a certified cat behavior consultant and author of seven best-selling books. Her website is www.catbehaviorassociates.com

Cat-Safe Flowers & Plants for Your Home

noreply@blogger.com (tom-thomas) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 19:18:00 +0000

Here are a few types of flowers you can have around your home without being concerned if kitty takes a bite.

These flowers are kitty-safe:

Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus)
Sunflowers (Helianthus angustifolius)
Gerber daisies (the Gerbera family -- but beware, other daisies are toxic)
Roses (the entire Rosa species is safe)
Zinnias
Marigolds
Begonias are also safe
Most ferns are safe too.

What plants to avoid around your home?

Baby's breath
Carnations
Chrysanthemums
Many more plants and flowers (see below)

For more information on cat-safe and cat-sorry plants, visit the ASPCA's database of toxic and nontoxic plants at: http://www.aspca.org/Pet-care/poison-control/Plants.aspx?plant_toxicity=non-toxic-to-cats

Pet Grass - A Healthy, Tasty Treat For Your Kitty!

noreply@blogger.com (tom-thomas) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 21:31:00 +0000

Lately, we've been looking for ways to offer our Rajah something different to break the monotony of her daily routine.

All she seems to like doing is sleeping and begging us to brush her! Not a very exciting life for her.

Also, she still has rather hard stools and we've been trying to get more roughage into her system.

So, one day, Lynn was shopping at her local Jewel-Osco (which is really Albertson's if you don't live in Illinois) and saw some "Pet Grass / Wheat Grass" in the produce section. It's nice and green and was already sprouted in a throw-away plastic container. Very convenient and healthy-looking.

So, Lynn bought a container of the Pet Grass and put it on the floor where Rajah could easily get to it. Then we both just hoped for the best, since Rajah can be a picky eater at times.

Well, Rajah loves it! She goes over to the Pet Grass several times a day. Sometimes she just rubs her whiskers over it but most of the time she either chews on it or eats some of the grass. It's nice to see her eat this healthy snack since she doesn't really like new foods.

Does it help her hard stool problem? Well, not really, since she doesn't eat enough of the pet grass to make much of a difference. Your cat, however may eat enough of the grass to help with constipation issues.

Do healthy "greens" add much to her dietary requirements? Probably not, but she really enjoys the grass. Since we don't believe in feeding her cat treats, pet grass is the next best thing and she seems to like it a lot!

Does Pet Grass have other health benefits? I have heard that pet grass can help with some feline digestive problems too, but that's mostly anecdotal information, so your results may vary.

By the way, you don't have to buy sprouted grass like we did, you can get Pet Grass Kits or just seeds at your local pet store or online.

Lynn's townhouse doesn't have much light and no real window sills, so it's hard to grow anything indoors, but if you feel you have enough light to grow the grass from seed, that may be a cheaper alternative than buying the grass already full-grown. We just like the convenience of having ready-to-eat sprouted grass and the cost is nominal at $2.99 per container.

The mature grass plant lasts about a week before it turns yellow, but if your house has better growing conditions (i.e. more light) your cat may be able to enjoy a container of pet grass for a longer time.

Bottom line... If your kitty likes greens or is bored with her usual culinary choices, try Pet Grass. He/she will probably enjoy this new side dish and it may help with your cat's digestion and overall health too!

Wellness Canned Cat Food Recall Alert!

noreply@blogger.com (tom-thomas) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 19:40:00 +0000

Wellness Canned Cat Food Recall Alert!
(brought to you by Pet Supplies "Plus"):

Recall Alert

WellPet, makers of Wellness natural pet food, are voluntarily recalling some lots of their canned cat foods due to potentially insufficient amounts of vitamin B1 (also known as thiamine).

From Wellness:

The lots involved in this voluntary recall are:

Wellness Canned Cat (all flavors and sizes) with best by dates from 14APR 13 through 30SEP13
Wellness Canned Cat Chicken & Herring (all sizes) with best by date of 10NOV13 and 17NOV13

If you have cat food from these lots, you should stop feeding it to your cats. You may call WellPet at 1-877-227-9587 to arrange for return of the product and reimbursement.

Early signs of thiamine deficiency may include loss of appetite, salivation, vomiting and weight loss. In advanced cases, signs may include ventroflexion (downward curving) of the neck, wobbly gait, falling, circling and seizures. If treated promptly, thiamine deficiency is typically reversible.Please contact your veterinarian immediately if your cat is displaying any of these signs.

Read full letter from Wellness CEO Tim Callahan about this Wellness Cat Food recall

View Wellness Press Release

A special thanks to our friends at Pet Supplies "Plus" for this timely warning!

Question - Can Tuna Be Harmful To Cats?

noreply@blogger.com (tom-thomas) — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 23:48:00 +0000

Here's a question I've received about feeding tuna to cats:

"My vet told me not to feed my cat tuna as it would weaken her bones. Does this also apply to cat food that is primarily tuna and water?"

Answer:

I did some research and apparently there are a lot of reasons to limit your cat's intake of tuna.

For example:

Although it is high in protein, tuna lacks sufficient amounts of certain amino acids, mainly taurine, to maintain feline health. There is insufficient calcium to balance the phosphorus; the ratio in canned tuna is 1-to-14.8. This results in bone disease.
Cats can get addicted to tuna, whether it's packed for cats or for humans. They can quickly develop a taste for tuna and refuse any other foods. The term "tuna junkie" has been used to describe such cats.
Some tuna now and then probably won't hurt. But a steady diet of tuna prepared for humans can lead to malnutrition because it won't have all the nutrients a cat needs. And, too much tuna can cause mercury poisoning.
Any fish (raw, canned or cooked) if fed exclusively or in high amounts can result in a thiamine (a B vitamin) deficiency leading to loss of appetite, seizures, and in severe cases, death.
Also, any canned tuna made for humans will have a very high salt content which is not healthy for any pet.
Finally, feeding too much tuna can result in a condition known as Steatitis.

What is Steatitis?

Also known as Yellow Fat Disease or Pansteatitis, steatitis is caused by feeding a diet high in unsaturated fatty acids and deficient in vitamin E. Oily fish, especially red tuna are the cause of this condition.

Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant, and unfortunately tuna is an inadequate source of Vitamin E. Therefore the overabundance of unsaturated fatty acids (which also oxidize and destroy Vitamin E), combined with the deficiency of Vitamin E causes damage to body fat, which results in a painful inflammatory response.

What are the symptoms of steatitis?

Greasy, dull coat & flaky skin
Severe pain when touched
Anorexia (loss of appetite)
Fever
Reluctance to move

What's the difference between human grade tuna and tuna flavored cat food?

Human grade tuna is just tuna and salt; whereas tuna flavored cat food is not 100% tuna, and usually contains other meats and nutrients which are necessary in the cat's diet.

Bottom line:

Only feed your cat canned tuna made exclusively for cats. And limit feeding canned fish made for cats to at most three times per week. Because of this new information, I have revised my prior blog post Even More Healthy, Low Carbohydrate Cat Food Brands to caution against Trader Joe's "Canned Tuna for Cats". Since tuna is the main ingredient in the Trader Joe formula, I'm afraid there is just too much tuna to be safe.

PLEASE NOTE: I got the above information from various online resources, including Pets.WEBMD.com. I am not a vet, just a concerned cat owner who likes to research what's best for our feline friends! Remember: Always check with your vet before following any information you get from the Internet!

Major Brand Lo-Carb Wet Cat Food - 2011 Update

noreply@blogger.com (tom-thomas) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 21:57:00 +0000

Well, it's a new year and of course Fancy Feast decided to "improve" their wet foods. Unfortunately, the improvements mean there are even fewer low carbohydrate choices than before for this reasonably priced brand.

(Why do company's improvements almost always inconvenience us, their customers? Hmmm, might be a good subject for another blog!)

Back in 2007, I reported 17 varieties of Fancy Feast wet cat food that contained 10% or fewer carbs (dry weight basis) and had decent ingredients.

This year, I'm sad to report, the makers of Fancy Feast have reformulated many of their flavors and now only 12 varieties meet the acceptable carbohydrate/quality criteria.

To Review, Here's a List of Healthy Canned Cat Food Criteria:

First two ingredients must be some form of meat, and NOT meat or fish by-products. (by-products are poor sources of protein and should not be the main ingredients in any quality cat food.)
No corn or corn meal in the list of ingredients. Corn has a high-glycemic index which means it is too readily converted to sugar in the body... VERY high in unnecessary and dangerous carbohydrates.
No rice, or other grains in the first 5 ingredients. (Same problem... too easily converted to sugar & too high in carbohydrates.)
No bone meal or bone phosphorous in list of ingredients. (Bone meal and bone phosphorous may contain harmful and poisonous chemicals.)
Actual dry-matter carbohydrates 10% or less. (To determine dry matter amounts for all important nutrients, please refer to: How to Read Cat Food Labels to Find Healthy Lo-Carb Cat Foods in this blog.)
Ideal Guaranteed Analysis protein: 8.8% or higher; ideal Guaranteed Analysis fat: 5.5% or higher.
Note: It is almost impossible to get protein and fat in these exact percentages in the same canned food. That's why it's important to mix brands or flavors to be sure your cat gets adequate protein and fat in the long run.
Limit feeding of canned food with fish ingredients to no more than 3 days per week. (Most fish contains mercury which is poisonous to your cat.)
NOTE: Be vigilant when reading cat food labels. I was surprised to find that some non-fish flavors of canned food contained fish somewhere in the ingredient list. This is ok, but just be sure to limit feeding of fish-containing foods to 3 times per week to be safe.

And, Here is the NEW 2011 List Of Fancy Feast Lower Carb Wet Food Flavors:

Fancy Feast Canned Cat Food
($.60 / 3 oz. can at WalMart; also at Petco and PetSmart)
Healthy Varieties: Fish = 8, Other Meat = 4

	Guaranteed Analysis
Fancy Feast Canned Food	Protein %	Fat %	Fiber %	Moisture %	Ash %	Total Guaranteed Analysis %	Carbs	Actual Carbs % (dry matter basis)
Classic Chicken	11	5	1.5	78	3	98.5	1.5	7%
Classic Salmon & Shrimp	11	4	1.5	78	3.5	98	2	9%
Classic Savory Salmon	11	4	1.5	78	3.5	98	2	9%
Classic Seafood	12	3	1.5	78	3.5	98	2	9%
Classic Tender Beef	11	4	1.5	78	3.5	98	2	9%
Classic Turkey & Giblets	11	5	1.5	78	3	98.5	1.5	7%
Flaked Chicken & Tuna	14	3.5	1.5	78	3.5	100.5	0	0%
Flaked Fish & Shrimp	17.5	2	1.5	78	3	102	0	0%
Flaked Salmon & Ocean Whitefish	14	3	1.5	78	3.7	100.2	0	0%
Flaked Trout	14	4	1.5	78	3.7	101.2	0	0%
Flaked Tuna	14	3	1.5	78	3.5	100	0	0%
Flaked Tuna & Mackerel	14	3.5	1.5	78	3.5	100.5	0	0%

NOTES:

The above low carb flavors also have decent ingredients (meat by-products listed as #3 ingredient or no meat by-products at all.)
I have created a Brand New Version of my free, handy "Cheat Card" with the above information. You can take it with you to the grocery or pet food store for a quick, easy reference. Click Here if you would like to download the free Cheat Card!!

PLEASE NOTE: If you have previously downloaded the "Cheat Card", please discard it and download the New 2011 Version Of the "Cheat Card".

The prior cheat card lists the old varieties of Fancy Feast and other brands as lo-carb, but they are not lo-carb anymore! Thanks.

Remember, if in doubt use the formula I listed in the blog entry: How to Read Cat Food Labels to Find Lo-Carb Cat Foods and check the ingredient list against the criteria noted in that post. It's the only way to keep your cat trim and avoid feline diabetes or other maladies.

Hopefully, your cat will find enough food in the list above to satisfy his/her palate. But, just in case, I will definitely be checking out store brands and specialty brands to see if I can find other choices for our cats...

Nature’s Variety Recalls Some Instinct Rabbit Meal Kibble!

noreply@blogger.com (tom-thomas) — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 22:12:00 +0000

*** Recall Alert ***

Nature's Variety Recalls Selected Bags Of
Instinct Rabbit Meal Formula Grain Free Kibble Diet For Cats

Nature's Variety has issued a voluntary recall of two date codes and two sizes of Nature's Variety Instinct Rabbit Meal Formula grain free kibble for cats.

Nature's Variety recently discovered that some bags of its Instinct Rabbit Meal Formula kibble for cats may contain small pieces of ground sorghum in the product.

While this presents no health risk to the cats being fed this product, the company says that this formulation is not consistent with Instinct's grain free standards or Nature's Variety's insistence upon meeting the highest standards of integrity for all products.

According to Nature's Variety, very little of this kibble has made it to the market, and there is no health risk to people or pets. However, any consumer who has the affected product should stop feeding it to their cat, and return it to their retailer for a refund.

The two lot codes of Nature's Variety Instinct Rabbit Meal Formula grain free kibble diet for cats affected by the recall are:

UPC# 7 69949-60385 6– 5.5 lb. best if used by 09/28/11
UPC# 7 69949-60381 8– 12.1 lb. best if used by 09/29/11

NOTE: This recall alert has been brought to you by Pet Supplies "Plus" (http://petsuppliesplus.com/).

If you have questions, please contact your local Pet Supplies "Plus" store.

URGENT! Here's yet another Iams cat food recall!

noreply@blogger.com (tom-thomas) — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 17:33:00 +0000

Here's yet another new Iams cat food recall! (brought to you by Pet Supplies "Plus"):

Recall Alert

Iams Issues Voluntary Recall
ALL Iams Veterinary Dry Formulas

The Procter & Gamble Company, makers of Iams Food, is voluntarily recalling ALL IAMS VETERINARY DRY CAT FOOD FORMULAS as a precautionary measure.
This recall is being issued because the food has the potential to be affected by salmonella. No canned food or biscuits is affected by this recall.

Recalled are ALL sizes and varieties and UPC codes of "Iams Veterinary Dry Formulas" with "Best-By" dates of 01Jul10 through 01Dec11.

If you have any affected Iams cat food, please stop feeding it to your pet immediately!

Pets with Salmonella infections may have decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, pets may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting.

Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

When disposing of any food that may be contaminated with Salmonella, please do so safely, sealing and securing it in way that it isn’t accessible to pets, wildlife or children.

Wear protective gloves or wash your hands thoroughly after handling contaminated food.

Also clean and disinfect all surfaces that have come into contact with the food, including food bowls. Be sure bowls are rinsed thoroughly and allowed to dry before reusing.

Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation and urinary tract symptoms.

Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

For further information or a product refund call P&G toll-free at 877-340-8823 (Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM EST).

Here's a list of the recalled Iams cat food:


IAMS VETERINARY FORMULA CAT DRY BAG	Size	Item UPC
IAMS WEIGHT LOSS RESTRICTED CALORIE	2 KG	0 19014 13720 6
IAMS INTESTINAL - LOW RESIDUE	5.5 LB	0 19014 15210 0
IAMS OPTIMUM WEIGHT CONTROL D	5.5 LB	0 19014 21305 4
IAMS RENAL MULTI-STAGE	5.5 LB	0 19014 21405 1
IAMS URINARY 0 - MODERATE PH/O	5.5 LB	0 19014 15510 1
IAMS URINARY S - LOW PH/S	5.5 LB	0 19014 14210 1
IAMS INTESTINAL - LOW RESIDUE	14 LB	0 19014 00859 9
IAMS WEIGHT LOSS RESTRICTED CALORIE	18 LB	0 19014 02236 6
IAMS URINARY S - LOW PH/S	20 LB	0 19014 14221 7

Note: If you have a dog, please be aware that P&G is also recalling these dog foods:
Dry Eukanuba Naturally Wild In All Sizes And Varieties
Dry Eukanuba Pure In All Sizes and Varieties
Dry Eukanuba Custom Care Sensitive Skin
Iams Veterinary Dry Formulas for Dogs.

Click here to see the Iams press release about the recall. or for further information contact Iams toll-free at 877-340-8823

A special thanks to our friends at Pet Supplies "Plus" for this timely warning!

Yet Another Pet Food Recall: ALL Iams ProActive Health Canned Cat Food!

noreply@blogger.com (tom-thomas) — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 00:32:00 +0000

Here's yet another pet food recall (when will these pet food manufacturers get it right?) brought to you by Pet Supplies "Plus":

Recall Alert

Iams Issues North America Voluntary Recall
ALL Iams ProActive Health Canned Cat Food

The Procter & Gamble Company, makers of Iams Food, is voluntarily recalling canned wet cat food as a precautionary measure.

Recalled are ALL varieties of "Iams ProActive Health" canned cat and kitten food with code dates of "09/2011" to "06/2012."

The code dates are printed on the bottom of the cans.

Please note that this recall does not affect any other Iams product. The only recalled products are the canned cat food items listed below.

The reason for the recall is that some of this product does not meet quality standards due to low levels of vitamin B1 (thiamine). Pets that have consumed the affected products are not in any immediate health danger. Health concerns would be limited primarily to cases where pet owners have been feeding only Iams canned wet food.

Cats that were fed these canned products as their only food are at greater risk for developing signs of thiamine deficiency. Early signs of thiamine deficiency may include loss of appetite, salivation, vomiting and weight loss. In advanced cases, signs may include ventroflexion (downward curving) of the neck, wobbly gait, falling, circling and seizures. Contact your veterinarian immediately if your cat is displaying any of these signs. If treated promptly, thiamine deficiency is typically reversible.

Consumers with additional questions can call the Consumer Care group at (877) 340-8826 or via Iams' website www.iams.com

If you have any affected Iams cat food, please stop feeding it to your pet immediately and return it to Pet Supplies "Plus" for a complete refund.

Pet Supplies "Plus" is concerned about the health of your pets and we have pulled all of the recalled products off our shelves.


Description	Case UPC	Item UPC
ProActive Health 3 oz Can - Filets with Chicken in Gravy	000 19014 02582 4	0 19014 02493 3
Iams ProActive Health 3 oz Can - Filets with Salmon in Sauce	000 19014 02581 7	0 19014 02492 6
Iams ProActive Health 3 oz Can - Filets with Skipjack Tuna in Sauce	000 19014 02580 0	0 19014 02491 9
Iams ProActive Health 3 oz Can - Pate Kitten with Gourmet Chicken	000 19014 19733 0	0 19014 29733 7
Iams ProActive Health 3 oz Can - Pate with Chicken and Liver	000 19014 02578 7	0 19014 02502 2
Iams ProActive Health 3 oz Can - Pate with Gourmet Chicken	000 19014 19633 3	0 19014 29633 0
Iams ProActive Health 3 oz Can - Pate with Lamb and Rice	000 19014 19673 9	0 19014 29673 6
Iams ProActive Health 3 oz Can - Pate with Pacific Salmon	000 19014 02579 4	0 19014 02503 9
Iams ProActive Health 3 oz Can - Pate with Seafood Sampler	000 19014 02577 0	0 19014 02501 5
Iams ProActive Health 3 oz Can - Pate with Select Ocean Fish	000 19014 19613 5	0 19014 29613 2
Iams ProActive Health 3 oz Can - Pate with Tender Beef	000 19014 19623 4	0 19014 29623 1
Iams ProActive Health 3 oz Can - Pate with Country Style Turkey and Giblets	000 19014 19653 1	0 19014 29653 8
Iams ProActive Health 5.5 oz Can - Filets with Chicken in Gravy	000 19014 02596 1	0 19014 02597 8
Iams ProActive Health 5.5 oz Can - Filets with Salmon in Sauce	000 19014 02593 0	0 19014 02594 7
Iams ProActive Health 5.5 oz Can - Filets with Skipjack Tuna in Sauce	000 19014 02598 5	0 19014 02595 4
Iams ProActive Health 5.5 oz Can - Pate with Tender Beef	000 19014 02583 1	0 19014 02504 6
Iams ProActive Health 5.5 oz Can - Pate with Gourmet Chicken	000 19014 02584 8	0 19014 02505 3
Iams ProActive Health 5.5 oz Can - Pate with Lamb and Rice	000 19014 02585 5	0 19014 02506 0
Iams ProActive Health 5.5 oz Can - Pate with Pacific Salmon	000 19014 02588 6	0 19014 02509 1
Iams ProActive Health 5.5 oz Can - Pate with Select Ocean Fish	000 19014 02586 2	0 19014 02507 7
Iams ProActive Health 5.5 oz Can - Pate with Country Style Turkey and Giblets	000 19014 02587 9	0 19014 02508 4
Iams ProActive Health 3 oz Can 24ct Variety Pack- Chicken & Beef Pate	000 19014 02511 1	0 19014 02511 4
Iams ProActive Health 3 oz Can 24ct Variety Pack - Filets w/Salmon w/SJ Tuna	000 19014 02510 4	0 19014 02510 7
Iams ProActive Health 3 oz Can 24ct Variety Pack - Pate Oc. Fish & Pac Salmon	000 19014 02512 8	0 19014 02512 1
Iams ProActive Health 3 oz Can 14+2 Bon. Pack - Gourmet Chck, Lamb & Rice	000 19014 03801 2	0 19014 03801 5

A special thanks to our friends at Pet Supplies "Plus" for this timely warning!

Nature's Variety Nationwide Recall - Some Chicken Raw Frozen Diets For Dogs and Cats

noreply@blogger.com (tom-thomas) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:23:00 +0000

Pet Supplies "Plus" has just brought this recall to my attention...

Recall Alert
Nature's Variety Issues Nationwide Voluntary Recall on Chicken Raw Frozen Diets For Dogs and Cats with a 'Best If Used By' Date of 11/10/10

Nature's Variety has initiated a voluntary recall of its Chicken Formula Raw Frozen Diet for dogs and cats with a "Best If Used By" date of 11/10/10 because these products may be contaminated with Salmonella.

The only products affected by the recall are chicken medallions, patties, and chubs with a "Best If Used By" date of 11/10/10.

The affected products have the following UPC codes:

UPC# 7 69949 60130 2 -- 3 lb. Raw Frozen Chicken Formula Medallions
(Best If Used By" date 11/10/10)
UPC# 7 69949 60120 3 -- 6 lb. Raw Frozen Chicken Formula Patties
(Best If Used By" date 11/10/10)
UPC# 7 69949 60121 0 -- 2 lb. Raw Frozen Chicken Formula Chubs
(Best If Used By" date 11/10/10)
UPC #7 69949 50121 3 -- 12 lb. Raw Frozen Chicken Chub Case
(Best If Used By" date 11/10/10)

The "Best If Used By" date is located on the back of the package above the safe handling instructions. The affected product was sold through retail stores and internet merchant sites in the United States; it also had limited distribution in Canada.

No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this issue. No other Nature’s Variety products are affected, according to the company.

Consumers with additional questions can call the dedicated Customer Care line at Nature’s Variety 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 800-374-3142.

Or, consumers can email Nature's Variety directly by visiting naturesvariety.com.

IMPORTANT!!!

If you have purchased one of the affected products, stop feeding it to your pet immediately.
Return any unopened product to the store where you purchased it for a full refund or replacement.
If your package has been opened, please dispose of the raw food in a safe manner by securing it in a double sealed bag or similar container and then placing it in a covered trash receptacle. Then, bring your receipt (or the empty package in a double sealed bag) to your retailer for a full refund or replacement.

People handling raw food can become infected with Salmonella – and Salmonella can be transferred from pets to people. So be sure to wash and rinse your hands thoroughly with soap and very warm water after handling the affected food. Use a paper towel to turn the faucet on and off when washing hands. Dry hands with a paper towel and dispose of all paper towels after use.

Food preparation surface areas and utensils that came into contact with the affected food should also be thoroughly cleaned and dried with paper towels that are then discarded. Following cleaning, these areas should be disinfected. Pet bedding or crates should also be cleaned thoroughly and then treated with a pet-safe disinfectant, as should a cat’s litter box.

NOTE: If your pet food was affected by this recall, you will also have to disinfect your pet’s food and water bowls. This is typically done by letting the bowl soak in a mild bleach solution (a cap full of bleach in a gallon of water). Always follow manufacturer’s guidelines when using a disinfecting product. (Consult your veterinarian for advice pertaining to your specific pet.)

It is difficult to eliminate Salmonella from plastic bowls. If you use a plastic bowl and your food was affected by the recall, you should replace it. (Stainless steel bowls are easier to clean and disinfect.)

Areas where bowls, utensils and other items are cleaned should be cleaned and disinfected themselves. You should not clean these items in areas where your family’s food is prepared.

Since Salmonella can remain in a pet’s feces, extra care should be taken to pick up and safely dispose of dog feces, and when cleaning a cat’s litter box.

It is critically important that young children, pregnant women, people undergoing chemotherapy, people recovering from an illness and seniors avoid exposure to Salmonella, so they should not be involved in cleaning affected food bowls and food preparation areas or disposing of feces if your pet’s food was recalled.

Healthy people infected with Salmonella may experience some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping, or fever.

Although rare, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments including arterial infections, endocarditis (inflammation of the lining of the heart), arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, or urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with the affected product should contact their health care provider.

Pets with Salmonella infections may become lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, or vomiting. Some pets may experience only a decreased appetite, fever, or abdominal pain. Infected, but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed any of the affected products and is experiencing any of these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

Once again, here is the contact information for the Customer Care line at Nature’s Variety 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 800-374-3142. You can also email Nature's Variety directly by visiting naturesvariety.com.

A special thanks to our friends at Pet Supplies "Plus" for this timely warning!

Another Pet Food Recall - Some Wysong and Diamond Varieties!

noreply@blogger.com (tom-thomas) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:45:00 +0000

There have been two pet food recalls recently that Pet Supplies "Plus" has brought to my attention.

1. Diamond Pet Food Has Recalled Two Varieties of Premium Edge Cat Food – because of the cat foods were deficient in thiamine. These are Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat and Premium Edge Hairball Cat. Click here for lot numbers of affected product and more details.

2. Wysong Has Recalled some Wysong Maintenance and Wysong Senior Dry Dog Foods that were manufactured in June and July of 2009 because of mold growth. Click here for lot numbers of affected product and more details.

Anyone who has these foods should STOP FEEDING THEM TO THEIR PET IMMEDIATELY and return them to the store where they were purchased for a full refund. Contact information for the manufacturers is as follows:

Diamond
Mail: PO Box 156, Meta, MO 65058
www.premiumedgepetfood.com/contact_us/

Wysong
Customer Service - 1-989-631-0009
Fax: 1-989-631-9280
Mail: 7550 Eastman Avenue, Midland, MI 48642-7779
Email: wysong@wysong.net

A special thanks to our friends at Pet Supplies "Plus" for this timely warning!

Cat Food Recall - Stop Using Some Nutro Dry Cat Food Varieties!

noreply@blogger.com (tom-thomas) — Fri, 22 May 2009 01:44:00 +0000

Nutro Products has recalled some varieties of Nutro Natural Choice Complete Care
and Nutro Max Dry Cat Foods with "Best If Used By Dates" between May 12, 2010 and August 22, 2010.

These products are being recalled due to incorrect levels of zinc and potassium in the formulation. Unfortunately, the affected products were distributed to retail customers in all 50 states, as well as to customers in Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Israel.

Where to get all the details about this recall...
To check if your exact product is part of the recall, please visit http://www.nutroproducts.com/press-recall/affected-Products.html or call 1-800-833-5330 between the hours 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM CST.

What to do if you have any recalled products at home...
If you're a cat owner and have purchased any of the affected cat foods, STOP FEEDING THEM TO YOUR CAT IMMEDIATELY, and switch to another product with healthy nutritional profile.

As readers of this blog already know, I can recommend Innova Evo as a healthier alternative. It's one of only two low carbohydrate dry cat foods. Innova Evo is not as good for your cat as low-carb wet cat food, but it's great if you must feed your cat dry food.

For more information about Innova Evo, please see my blog post: Low Carbohydrate Dry Cat Food Does Exist! BUT Is It Right For Your Cat?

If you've purchased any of the products affected by this voluntary recall, you can return them to your retailer for a full refund or exchange.

If you've already fed your cat the recalled products...
The company has had no reports of illnesses in any cats yet. Short-term symptoms in pets may include reduction in appetite or refusal of food, weight loss, vomiting or diarrhea. If your cat is experiencing health issues or is pregnant, please see your Veterinarian.

Not every Nutro pet food is affected by the recall...
For you multiple pet owners, there are no Nutro Products dog foods (wet or dry), wet cat foods, dog treats or cat treats included in the recall.

For More Information...
Again, for specific varieties of dry cat food included in this recall and their UPC codes, please see the Nutro Products web page: http://www.nutroproducts.com/press-recall/affected-Products.html

Constipated Cat? Your Cat May Need Fiber!

noreply@blogger.com (tom-thomas) — Sun, 17 May 2009 16:15:00 +0000

Lynn (Raja's mother) went away on vacation for a week and I came over every night to feed the cat and clean her box. That's when I first noticed Raja's problem.

While cleaning her box, I could see that poor Raja was having some pretty hard stools. She also didn't seem to be "going" every day.

So, after checking the Internet for a cure, I tried adding unsweetened canned pumpkin to her food, as recommended by people and some of their vets. Pumpkin is a safe, home remedy for constipation, because it contains quite a bit of fiber and is usually something cats will eat.

Of course, Raja hated it. Apparently most cats love it and consider it a treat, but not our Raja. What little I did manage to sneak into her food seemed to help a couple of days later, so that was good. However, when Lynn returned from vacation, we stopped feeding her pumpkin (she was avoiding any food with pumpkin in it) and we noticed the hard stools again.

Fortunately she was scheduled for a vet visit anyway so we asked the vet about her problem.

First, the vet checked her anal glands (who knew?) and said they were impacted and that was probably causing her hard stools. Also, if she was having difficult bowel movements, she was probably holding it in (talk about anal-retentive!) which explained her not going every day.

So, Lynn paid like $29 to have the vet "express her anal sacs". I could tell by her howls from the back room that Raja really didn't care for the procedure at all. Would you?

Anyway, the vet suggested we give Raja 1/4 tsp Benefiber in her food every day as a stool softener and to add fiber. She suggested Benefiber because it is completely tasteless and would dissolve in Raja's wet food. The other fiber you can buy is not water soluble and usually has a flavor added.

However, the vet did say that expressing her anal glands might be all she needed.

Just to be safe, we started her on Benefiber and it seems to be working. Her stools are looking better (who knew we'd become stool watchers?) and she's "going" a lot easier.

If you are trying the Benefiber cure at home, keep in mind that if your cat has another problem, like diabetes for example, that might be drying her up, adding fiber could actually make things worse. So keep an eye on your cat's stools and if they don't get softer after adding fiber, be sure to take him/her to the vet for a checkup.

For more details than you may want to know about your cat's anal glands, here's an article from About.com: http://cats.about.com/od/healthfaqs/f/diyanalglandsex.htm

Our Cat Stopped Peeing Outside Her Litter Box! So Far So Good . . .

noreply@blogger.com (tom-thomas) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 18:59:00 +0000

Well, we tried a few things and I think we've solved the "peeing outside the box" issue with Rajah.

Here's what we did:

We got a bigger litter box. Rajah is a very l-o-n-g cat and so she barely fits in a standard litter box. Also, the smaller boxes give her less clean space to do her business if there's something already in it.
We clean her box every day. We used to wait a couple of days because we didn't want to "spoil" her. Meaning we were a bit lazy and didn't want her to get used to a daily clean litter box. Now that we clean it every morning, she has stopped going outside the box.
We removed all the carpet in the area around her box. Not sure if this is important or not. I read online that cats like to go on soft carpeted areas if they don't have litter, so we removed the basement carpet. Fortunately, we were going to do this anyway because we had some water seepage problems and the carpet got soaked.

So far she's been a good girl, so apparently this all worked.

But, I really think it's because we clean her box out daily and she has enough room in the larger box to get comfortable.

Hope this helps anyone else out there with a similar problem.

HELP! Our Cat Is Peeing Outside Her Litter Box!

noreply@blogger.com (tom-thomas) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:25:00 +0000

Raja's at it again! Her box is nice and clean with the new litter we're using but every now and then she pees outside her box. Can anyone give us an idea of what to do to make her pee inside her box all the time?

It's really weird, because she will also pee in her box, so there doesn't seem to be any reason for her to go outside it.

Another weird thing.. she doesn't just pee outside the box, she pees many feet away from it. Her box is in the basement on a cement floor that was carpeted with indoor/outdoor carpeting. When she went outside the box, she peed a couple of feet away from it.

Because it stunk, we removed the carpeting from her box area so that her box now sits directly on the cement floor. Now, when she has her "accidents", she pees on the remaining carpeting on the landing at the bottom of the basement stairs, about 4 feet from her box.

She doesn't do this every day either, just sometimes. Of course, once she christens the carpet, it seems she can't resist going in the same spot eventually.

Please, does anyone reading this know how to stop her from peeing outside her box?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

(Click to Post a Comment. Thanks so much!)

The Best Cat Litter In The World!

noreply@blogger.com (tom-thomas) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 23:57:00 +0000

We've found it! Yes, we finally discovered the best cat litter in the world! And not a minute too soon.

Raja is such a delicate "lady" that she will pee and poop outside her box if it's dirty or smelly. So over the past few months we've tried lots of litter, hoping to find one that clumps nicely and keeps the smell to a minimum.

We Tried Them All
First, we tried all the cheap store brands from WalMart and PetSmart, but they were very dusty and left a coating of fine dust over the whole litter box room. Didn't clump very well either and, being inexpensive, they had no odor absorption.

We tried scented litter, but Raja didn't like the smell and frankly, neither did we. Smelled too much like a public bathroom.

Next we tried a fine-grained litter that didn't really clump very well, so her pee smell would remain in the box after scooping. It really didn't have the right consistency and our prissy miss Raja would sometimes go outside her box with this litter

Then we tried Tidy Cat clay litter. Nice big chunks that cats are supposed to like, but no clumping whatsoever. When you try to scoop up a big pee, it just falls apart and you end up leaving wet, smelly clay in the box.

We Ask An Expert (A Two-Cat Owner)
So, Lynn discussed our litter problem with her daughter. Colette has 2 cats and has been using Arm & Hammer Super Scoop for years without any "out of box" experiences.

It's Simply The Best
Lynn was ready to try it, so we got some at Petsmart. Man, what a difference!

First of all, it pours easily without any dust. But most important, it absorbs like crazy! Lynn cleans Raja's box once a day and that works fine with this litter because the pee is completely contained by the litter. This keeps the smell down and stops the pee from spreading in the box the next time Raja steps in. And of course it contains baking soda which helps absorb the odor too.

We thought it was a little pricey, it's around $12 for 30 pounds, but we were pleasantly surprised when we found that we didn't have to change the litter out as often with this product! Because it clumps so well, it holds the pee easily in a large clump which stays together when you scoop it out. So, once you remove the clumps, you pretty much have a clean and odor-free litter box. That means we don't have to dump the whole box as often due to the buildup of left-over smelly litter. It just doesn't happen with Arm & Hammer Super Scoop!

So, considering that we are using the same litter for longer periods and just adding a little to "top it off" once in a while, it's probably costing less or at least the same as the other inferior brands we already tried.

We All Come Out Smelling Like Roses!
That's a real win-win-win. Raja likes it and she goes in her box all the time now (win), we like it because it keeps her box neater and it's easier to scoop when the pee stays in a clump (win), and it absorbs odors effectively (win).

Here are the details from the Arm & Hammer website:

Arm & Hammer Super Scoop Cat Litter:

Power of baking soda destroys odors on contact
Clumps hard and fast to lock in odors
Advanced clumping system to remove the source of odors easily
No crumbling
Available in fragrance free for those with allergy and fragrance sensitivity
Just remove waste-no need to completely change the litter each time
Super Scoop Cat Litter is available in both Fresh Scent and Fragrance Free- for fragrance-sensitive cats and their people

And, check out these Ebay auctions for money-off coupons
on Arm & Hammer Kitty Litter:

Find Deals on Arm & Hammer Cat Litter Today at Ebay

So, if your cat is thinking outside the box or if your litter room stinks, we highly recommend Arm & Hammer Super Scoop litter.

Although it comes in 2 flavors: Fresh Scent and Fragrance Free, we use the fragrance free version and it works just fine.

HairBall Help for Laxatone-Hating Cats

noreply@blogger.com (tom-thomas) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:43:00 +0000

It's summer and that means hairball season! It also means sneaking up on Raja and trying to smear Laxatone or Petromalt hairball remedy on her paw. She hates that! She hates it so much that she usually shakes it off her paw and then won't lick off what's left anyway.

The directions for Laxatone and Petromalt suggest you "Place a small amount of Laxatone on animal's nose to stimulate taste interest." Yeah, right. After giving it a perfunctory snarf, Raja just walks away. So much for stimulating interest. And that's the tuna flavored Laxatone, a taste we were sure she would love!

So, we tried mixing it in her wet food, thinking she wouldn't notice. Well, we found out that she'd rather starve than eat Laxatone in her food.

So we gave up and just hoped her hairballs were taking care of themselves, since she wasn't throwing up very often. Then one day we heard her crying while having a bowel movement. Believe me, you don't want to hear your cat wailing while doing something so natural. It's really pitiful. And preventable, if she would only eat the Laxatone or Petromalt (she hates that even more than Laxatone.)

So I did some online research and talked to our vet and we came up with an alternative that works so well I thought I'd share it with anyone that has a "Laxatone-intolerant" cat like ours.

What we tried was regular petroleum jelly in her wet food (you feed your cat wet food don't you?) and it worked! Petroleum jelly is the main ingredient in Laxatone anyway, but because it's tasteless and odorless it mixes well in Raja's wet food. She eats the whole thing!

Did it work to solve her difficult bowel movements? Yes, we're happy to say, she is NOT crying anymore while pooping, which makes us all happy.

That's the upside.. now for the downside.

There is one problem with petroleum jelly and with Laxatone or Petromalt too. Because they are indigestible fats, they pass through the small and large intestines intact. That's how they coat the swallowed hair and allow it to easily pass through your cat's intestinal tract.

So far, so good. The problem is that petroleum jelly can interfere with the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins E, A, D and K. So use only according to the directions and only if needed for hairball relief.

For example, our cat doesn't shed much at all in the winter now that she is on an all wet food diet. So we will reduce the amount of petroleum jelly we give her to maybe once per week.

Ideally the petroleum jelly should be fed between meals to prevent problems with vitamin absorption, but I doubt any cat will eat plain petroleum jelly by itself.

Here's what we do that seems to work well: Since we feed Raja about 4 times each day, on the days when she gets her petroleum jelly, we mix it in one of those feedings. That gives her 3 feedings that day without the jelly so she can absorb her fat soluble vitamins in those feedings.

Directions for feeding petroleum jelly for the prevention of hairballs:
(NOTE: these directions were taken from a tube of Laxatone, but will work for petroleum jelly too; just be sure not to overdo it.)

Dosage

For Hairballs: Give 1/2 to one teaspoonful for two to three days then 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon two to three times a week for maintenance.

Store in a cool area and try to keep the petroleum jelly sanitary. To do so, it's best to get a tube of petroleum jelly just for your cat instead of scooping it out of the jar everybody in the house uses.

Please note: If your cat develops diarrhea, constipation, has bloody stools or throws up too often, please take him/her to your veterinarian immediately! These could be symptoms of a serious problem.

Other ideas for preventing hairballs (from CatUrineRemedy.com):

A small pinch of catnip, because it's rich in fiber, every other day can help reduce hairballs.
Canned pumpkin (unsweetened please!) is also rich in fiber and may be a tasty treat for your cat. Just don't overdo it, as pumpkin can cause diarrhea in large amounts!
Brush your cat everyday, especially in the summer. You know your cat loves this!
If your cat has long hair you can have it trimmed. This is an especially good idea in the summer since it will help keep your longhair cool and prevent matted hair.

So there's our remedy for hairballs for cats that hate Laxatone or other hairball remedies.

I hope this will work for you too if your cat is "Laxatone-intolerant"!

Does Dry Food Clean Your Cat's Teeth? Truth vs Myth

noreply@blogger.com (tom-thomas) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 19:27:00 +0000

I have received email questions about wet cat food vs dry cat food and keeping a cat's teeth clean, so I thought I'd mention my findings about this issue. Up until last April, I didn't have any concrete evidence yet with our cat, Raja, that a total wet food diet was good or bad for her teeth.

Since we took her to the vet in April, I am happy to report that after nearly 8 months on a wet food diet, her teeth are the same as her last yearly vet visit. I pretty much expected this result because according to Dr. Elizabeth M. Hodgkins, D.V.M. in her book: Your Cat: Simple New Secrets to a Longer, Stronger Life the idea that dry food will clean your cat's teeth is simply a myth perpetuated by the pet food industry.

Here's an excerpt from that chapter:

"Myth #4: Dry Cat Food Cleans a Cat's Teeth... While this idea has a momentary appeal, the truth is that the evidence in practice refutes this idea. Today, most cats eat dry cat food, yet veterinarians continue to see tremendous numbers of patients with serious dental and periodontal disease. Clearly, these diets are not protective against these conditions..."

"In fact, dry kibble, like human snack foods, becomes a very sticky paste when mixed with saliva in the mouth, and adheres to the teeth and gums to a greater extent than does wet food, which is swallowed more completely after chewing. The processed carbohydrates and sugar in the dry kibble paste can then support bacterial growth... If anything, dry foods may even promote plaque and tartar formation, with the resultant gum disease and enamel erosion." (emphasis is mine)

So, it looks like feeding wet cat food will delay the onset of dental and periodontal disease, but what about brushing? We all know we're supposed to brush our cat's teeth, but how many of our pets will let us? I know Raja won't, we've tried!

Here's an article I just found that describes a way to do it that sounds like it might just work:

Brushing Your Cat's Teeth: (from Cat's International website)

"The steps involved in getting your cat to accept having his teeth brushed is much like the gentle and gradual process involved in introducing him to nail-clipping. Long before the toothbrush is ever brought out, Kitty must be comfortable sitting on your lap while you tenderly massage his mouth and lip area. (You can sneak this into your petting session.)

When your cat is comfortable with the muzzle handling, then start to rub the teeth and gums with your index finger. (Be sure your fingernails do not poke into the sensitive gums!) It is best to start with the canines (fangs) and those teeth just behind them.

If Kitty is OK with this then you can wrap a piece of cheesecloth around your finger. If will probably be more acceptable to Kitty if it is smeared with something delicious. Some cats like the taste of the poultry toothpaste that is formulated especially for cats. Do not attempt to open Kitty's mouth until he is completely comfortable with these steps.

Some very relaxed kitties will accept the introduction of a finger toothbrush (made especially for pets) or a 2-row child's toothbrush into his mouth, but don't push it. Every step of this procedure should be positive and accompanied by praise and rewards. Any impatience on the owner's part will only delay the successful performance of this procedure.

If you don't think you have what it takes, then it is better to let your veterinarian take care of your cat's dental hygiene."

Please let me know how this works for you or if you have any other ideas for cleaning kitty's teeth. Thanks!

So there you have it. Yet another problem caused by dry cat food solved by switching to canned food!

When will pet food makers catch on? They won't until we stop buying dry food and start demanding high quality low-carbohydrate wet food instead.

Ok, I'm off my soapbox, for now at least...

Raja Gets the Verdict From the Vet About Her Low-Carb Diet

noreply@blogger.com (tom-thomas) — Tue, 27 May 2008 22:36:00 +0000

Well, it's now almost June and we took Raja to the vet in April. I hesitated to post the results of Raja's vet visit then because there were some mixed results and I didn't know how to react.

As you know she has been on a low-carbohydrate wet food diet since September, 2007 so we were eager to see how much weight she lost at her vet visit in April, 2008. The vet's scale is very accurate compared to our home scale so we decided to wait until the vet weighed her before reporting the results in this blog.

Well, here's where we had the "mixed" results. Did she lose weight? Yes, but...
Here's what happened. In March, 2007 she weighed 14.7 pounds at the vet. In April, 2008 she weighed 14.5 pounds. Yes, it's lower, but by only a few ounces. Not a significant weight loss, but at least no weight gain.

We and the vet were thrilled with this, but in truth I was a little disappointed that she hadn't lost a few pounds instead of just ounces. Don't get me wrong, considering Raja's sedentary lifestyle, we considered no gain a very positive result. Still, although it was definitely a trend in the right direction and she's noticeably healthier than a year ago, it's still a bit of a let down, at least for me.

How much healthier is Raja? Well, for one thing her blood and urine tests were perfect. Her coat is much shinier and softer to the touch and she stopped shedding completely last winter. That was new and welcome!

Also, Raja used to have a slight temporary limp when she got up after lying down too long. It was some sort of stiffness in her rear joints. But since going on her low-carb wet food diet, we've noticed she doesn't limp at all anymore. She also had trouble sitting on her back haunches (probably related to the cause of the limp) and now she sits and gets up all the time without any problem.

Are we glad we put Raja on a low-carb wet cat food diet and took her off dry food? You bet! She is more spry, her coat is shinier, and she is losing weight, albeit very slowly. But at least her weight gain has stopped and is trending downward, which we are thrilled about!

It's really good to see her able to jump better and now she even chases a laser light around. It's like she has new energy and physical health.

So, the bottom line is: Your results with weight loss may not be dramatic, but there's no denying the health benefits of a low-carbohydrate, all wet food diet for your cat, if Raja's any example!

Any Ideas About How To Get Our Fat Cat To Exercise?

noreply@blogger.com (tom-thomas) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 22:51:00 +0000

As hunters, our cats need exercise to maintain their alertness and keep their bodies in shape. It's not just a matter of diet, especially for older cats. The trouble is, the fatter the cat, the less inclined he/she is to exercise at all.

Which brings up the problem with our cat, Raja. She's not terribly fat (about 4 pounds overweight), she's mostly just lazy or maybe a little spoiled, at least that's our guess.

So, to add some excitement to Raja's life and to help her lose weight and keep it off, we really need your help with answers to this daunting question:

Does anybody know how to get our chubby cat to exercise?

Raja has lots of cat toys, small mice, catnip birds, balls, etc. She will bat them around occasionally but only for a few seconds. Then she plops down and lays on top of her toys and just stares at us!

Here's what we've tried so far with very little luck:

ping pong balls
balls with bells inside
yarn ball
fabric balls
catnip mice
stuffed mice and birds (with and without catnip)
colorful mouse on a string attached to a stick (This gets Raja a little interested for a short while: She bats it around if I dangle it right in front of her. She even moves to chase it for a second. Then she lays down and bats it from a reclining position. How lazy can you get?!)
"Da Bird" (It's feathers on a string attached to a pole. The feathers twirl as you wave the pole back and forth through the air.) She really likes this, but will only chase it in the beginning and then only for a few minutes before she collapses on her back and wants to paw at it from that position. She just doesn't like to run. She seems healthy and strong enough (she will run after it for a little while), but she prefers to bat at it on her back. Even then, she gets bored with it after a few minutes and just watches it go by instead of batting at it.

Our most recent shot at getting Raja interested in something other than lying on the couch:

Weasel Ball (it's a battery operated ball with a furry "weasel" attached that rolls around the floor by itself.) She is fascinated by it (stares at it from a distance) but won't go near it. I think it frightens her a bit because it's kinda big and moves a lot.
Remote controlled mouse. We got a small one from a garage sale that only worked a few minutes at a time, but she really loved it! She chased it around and batted it quite a bit. Problem is our place has wall-to-wall carpeting and the little mouse won't run on the carpet. We had to use it in the kitchen which is not one of Raja's hangouts, plus this mouse didn't work very well.

Questions...

Does anybody know of a remote controlled mouse that can run OK on a carpeted floor?

- AND -

Does anybody have any other suggestions for cat toys / cat exercise items that we could try?

P.S. Raja's not a real jumper or climber, so those multi-level kitty condos won't work. Not to mention how much space they would take up in our townhouse! By the way, Raja does have a window perch which she uses sometimes. She can't jump right to it, but we have furniture nearby that she uses to easily climb up to it.

So, if anyone has suggestions for getting our semi-lazy cat off her duff and exercising, please let us know! Not only will it help Raja lose weight, but it will benefit all readers of this blog too.

Please click ADD COMMENT or Post a Comment at the end of this post to leave your suggestion. We really appreciate any help you can offer!

Thanks in advance,

Tom and Lynn

Low Carbohydrate Dry Cat Food Does Exist! BUT Is It Right For Your Cat?

noreply@blogger.com (tom-thomas) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:51:00 +0000

As promised in my last post, I've discovered two high-quality dry cat foods with low carbohydrates (for a dry food) that you can feed your cat if necessary. I say "if necessary" because currently there is no dry cat food that doesn't have some form of bad carbohydrate in it. By bad I mean a carb with a high-glycemic index.

The Hidden Dangers of High-Glycemic Index Ingredients

The problem with high-glycemic index carbohydrates like corn and potatoes is that they cause an unhealthy rise in blood sugar which increases the risk of obesity and diabetes.

To further explain, here is an excerpt from the book: Your Cat: Simple New Secrets to a Longer, Stronger Life by Elizabeth M. Hodgkins, D.V.M., that lays out the problem in detail:

"One dry food on the market has only 7 percent carbohydrate, according to the manufacturer. Chemical analysis of this food shows that it's carbohydrate level is actually about 13 percent."

"Although I had hoped that this product would be a satisfactory dry food option for my patients and my own cats, it has proved very disappointing in tests I have conducted. This food can promote obesity in spayed and neutered adult cats, just as its much higher carbohydrate dry food rivals do, and it cannot be used by diabetics. Feeding this food to a diabetic in remission causes a lapse out of remission." (emphasis mine)

"This food uses potato as its starch component for extrusion; apparently potato, with its simple sugar content and high glycemic index (corresponding rise in blood sugar), still causes the adverse effects in the cat that higher levels of less sugary carbohydrate ingredients do. Other "no cereal" dry foods containing novel starches like tapioca are in development. These foods will also fall far short of ideal foods for cats."

OK, that's the expert's take on these new dry foods. So, I leave it to you to decide if your cat should eat them. Considering that the average dry food, even "science" blended dry foods, are over 30 percent carbohydrates with some exceeding 40 percent, these new dry foods are definitely an improvement.

So, I figure in a pinch you can try feeding them to your non-diabetic cat. When I say "in a pinch" I'm referring to times when you can't be there to feed wet food or if someone is watching your cat(s), but can't be there 2 or more times a day to do a canned food feeding.

The Two Dry Cat Foods That Are Low In Carbs:

Dry Food (1) - Innova Evo Cat and Kitten. I believe this is the dry food that Dr. Hodgkins refers to in her quote above.

The manufacturer brags about the contents of Innova Evo Cat and Kitten as follows:

EVO is based on ground chicken and turkey meat, bones, fat, cartilage and connective tissue.
It includes whole, raw fruits and vegetables which contain health promoting phytochemicals and micronutrients.
EVO has Hi-Protein, Low-Carbs, and No Grains.
EVO Cat and Kitten Food has the HIGHEST MEAT CONTENT of any dry cat food!
EVO Cat and Kitten Food contains 50% PROTEIN, 22% FAT, and only 7% CARBOHYDRATES, the lowest in the industry!

These are the main ingredients for Innova Evo Cat and Kitten:
Turkey, Chicken Meal, Chicken, Herring Meal, Chicken Fat, Potatoes, Egg, Turkey Meal, Natural Flavors, Vitamins, Apples, Potassium Chloride, Carrots, Cranberries, Alfalfa Sprouts, Minerals, Tomatoes, Herring Oil, Cottage Cheese, Ascorbic Acid, Dried Chicory Root Extract, Vitamin E Supplement, Taurine, DL-Methionine, Lecithin, Rosemary Extract

Guaranteed Analysis and computed carbohydrates for Innova Evo Cat and Kitten:

Innova Evo Cat and Kitten	Protein %	Fat %	Fiber %	Moisture %	Ash %	Total Guaranteed Analysis %	Carbs	Actual Carbs % (dry matter basis)
	50	22	2	10	9.4	93.4	6.6	** 7%

** As you can see, Innova Evo Cat and Kitten formula contains potatoes and claims a 7% carbohydrate content, which is apparently more like 13% after analysis (according to Dr. Hodgkins, D.V.M.)

Dry Food (2) - Wellness CORE Fish & Fowl for Adult Cats & Kittens. This dry food contains about 12% carbohydrates and unfortunately also uses the high-glycemic index carbohydrate: potatoes, in its formula.

Here's what the manufacturer says about Wellness CORE Fish & Fowl:

Higher animal protein. The most meat possible in an extruded dry cat food. Over 80% meat ingredients.
No grains
Lower carbs. Only 12% of the calories coming from carbs.
Incredible palatability

Here are the main ingredients for Wellness CORE Fish & Fowl:
Deboned Turkey, Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Whitefish Meal, Potatoes, Salmon Meal, Natural Chicken Flavor. Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols, a natural source of Vitamin E), Tomato Pomace, Cranberries, Chicory Root Extract, Salmon Oil, Flaxseed, Vitamins

Guaranteed Analysis and computed carbohydrates for Wellness CORE Fish & Fowl:

Wellness CORE Fish & Fowl	Protein %	Fat %	Fiber %	Moisture %	Ash %	Total Guaranteed Analysis %	Carbs	Actual Carbs % (dry matter basis)
	50	18	3	11	7.5	89.5	10.5	12%

As you can see, Wellness CORE is 12% carbohydrates and Innova Evo is most likely around 13% after analysis, so they are really about the same. It's just a matter of what your cat will eat and possibly the cost of the food.

WARNING: Stay away from the regular Wellness dry food formulas. At this time only the Wellness CORE Fish and Fowl formula is low in carbohydrates. In fact, the other Wellness dry cat food formulas are around 40% carbohydrates, so be sure to avoid them!

Dry Food For Your Cat, Yes or No?

Remember, according to many veterinarians, no currently marketed dry food is good for your cat, but if necessary, you might try something similar to what we do with our cat.

Since Raja is not diabetic, just chubby, we feed her 99% canned foods from the lists in this blog. We feed her twice a day, once in the morning before leaving for work and once in the evening when we return.

Because we don't want to worry about Raja if we can't get home to feed her in the evening, we leave a small amount of Innova Evo Cat & Kitten dry food in a bowl next to her water bowl.

When I say "small amount" I mean very little. We just barely cover the bottom of a standard small cat dish, which ends up being about 20 kernels of food. The dry food is there ONLY if she gets hungry because we come home later than usual, it's NOT her main diet.

In fact, usually when we return home we find only a few chunks of the dry food have been eaten. Of course, Raja l-o-v-e-s her wet food, so she only eats the dry when she's really really hungry.

Your cat may act differently, especially if he/she is used to a dry food only diet. So try an amount that works for your pet but only as an add-on to a predominantly wet food diet. And please, don't use ANY dry food if your cat is diabetic!

Where To Find Innova Evo and Wellness CORE Dry Cat Food:

Regular pet food stores like PetSmart and PetCo do not sell these premium brands. You won't find them in most grocery or discount stores either.

If you have a Pet Supplies Plus store near you they usually supply both brands. Click here to see if there is a Pet Supplies Plus store in your area.

Or check your Yellow Pages for local pet supply stores in your area. If they don't stock these products they can order them for you.

You can also find store locations for Innova Evo products (these are made by Natura) by clicking here and you can find stores selling Wellness CORE cat food by clicking here.

Coming... I'm checking into some additional premium wet cat foods that are supposed to be based on high-quality meat and very low in carbohydrates.

I'll report my findings in my next blog entry.

Free Download - Low Carb, Brand Name Cat Food Cheat Card for Your Chubby Cat

noreply@blogger.com (tom-thomas) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 21:45:00 +0000

I've done a lot of research and came up with lists of canned cat food brands and flavors that are low in carbohydrates and have healthy (i.e. meat or fish) ingredients. You can see these lists in prior posts.

When Lynn or I go cat food shopping, I thought it would be a lot handier to carry a small business-sized card in my wallet rather than the lists from this blog.

So I put together a "cat food cheat sheet" or rather a "cheat card" that can be printed on any printer from a simple PDF file.

<== Good Carbs Cat Food Cheat Card
(click image for larger view)

PDF File Contents
One side of the card lists Fancy Feast, Petsmart Sophisticat Supreme, WalMart Special Kitty, and Trader Joe flavors of canned cat food that are OK for our cats to eat. These are the same flavors I've previously listed in this blog in the posts: List of Good-For-Your-Cat, Affordable, Low-Carb Cat Foods and Even More Healthy, Low Carbohydrate Cat Food Brands.

On the other side of the card are the preferred Guaranteed Analysis percents and a brief list of the general criteria for healthy cat food that you've seen here: Even More Healthy, Low Carbohydrate Cat Food Brands.

How to Download and Extract Your Free "Cheat Card"
The download consists of a single ZIP file which contains the actual PDF file to print. Download the ZIP file to your Desktop or to the location where you normally save downloaded files.

Click on the file name below to download the free Cheat Card ZIP file:
==> Good-Carbs-Cat-Food-Cheat-Card.zip

If you're running Windows XP or Vista, you can use Windows Explorer to extract the PDF file from the ZIP file. Just double-click on the ZIP filename. If you have any other operating system, you can use Winzip, 7zip or the equivalent to unZIP the file and extract the PDF file for printing.

Printing your "Cheat Cards"

Once you have extracted the PDF file, double-click it to view it in Acrobat Reader. (Click here to download and install the free Acrobat Reader if it's not already on your computer)
The PDF file is 3 pages long. The first page contains the printing instructions and page 2 and 3 are the contents of the "cheat card". The file is setup to print 4 cards at once on a 8 ½ x 11 sheet.
First you print page 2 and then flip over the paper and print page 3 on the back of the same sheet.
The cards are double the height of a standard business card, so you'll need to fold them over once to make them wallet-sized.
You can print on any paper, but I used 60# card stock to print the cards. They are stiff like business cards and still fold easily.

Don't worry, the instructions in the PDF file are easy to follow, but if you have any problems downloading or printing, please don't hesitate to email me. I'm happy to help.

To get your free Low Carb Cat Food Cheat Card,
click on this file name to download the ZIP file:
==> Good-Carbs-Cat-Food-Cheat-Card.zip

Coming... I finally find healthy, low-carb dry cat food, or so I thought. After checking with an expert, I'm not sure any dry cat food is really OK.

In any event, I'll be listing a couple of dry cat foods I've found that are lower in carbohydrates, and might be alright to feed your cat in a pinch...

How To Switch Your Cat From Dry Cat Food To Wet Cat Food

noreply@blogger.com (tom-thomas) — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 23:40:00 +0000

Most cats absolutely love wet cat food, but if your cat is addicted to dry, you may have trouble weaning it off of this "junk" food addiction.

The simplest way to find out if the switch is going to be a problem is to try using canned cat food as a treat when you are home to see how your cat responds. We found that the smell of the wet cat food was enough for our cat to get very excited!

If that works, then gradually increase the amount of canned food and decrease the amount of dry food. What you'll find is that your cat needs less and less dry food as you increase his/her wet food intake. That's because canned food (i.e. the foods listed in this blog) have more protein and fat than the dry food your cat has been eating. The more protein and fat your cat eats, the better nutrition it's receiving and the less it feels hungry.

Your cat may not like all textures and flavors of canned cat food, so you may have to experiment. If you buy canned cat food from the lists in this blog, you should have enough variety to figure out what your cat will and won't eat.

However, if your cat is a picky eater or really, really addicted to dry cat food, you may have a problem switching to wet cat food.

Here are some ideas to help wean your chubby friend off dry food:

Be sure the canned cat food you choose has meat ingredients. (You can refer to the list of meaty canned cat foods in this blog.) Foods with grains are not only higher in carbohydrates, they are less palatable to your cat.

Many cats really like fish-based canned foods. If your cat is one of them, by all means use fish-based canned food as a transitional food. Eventually, you can vary the mix of canned foods by incorporating other meat flavors. Remember, too much mercury-tainted seafood is as bad for your cat as it is for us humans.
Try different textures of meat-based canned cat food to see which your cat favors. For example our cat, Raja, is not fond of the mushy "spam"-type of cat food. She prefers food with a chunky texture or with gravy or aspic.
If your cat won't eat canned cat food, try adding a meat gravy or meat juice (like tuna juice from human canned tuna) on top of the cat food. Create a sauce-like texture to induce your cat to try the new food.

If you (or your cat) prefer, you can mix-in roasted meat. Basically, use any healthy "enhancers" to train your cat to eat wet food. After he/she is used to canned food, you can gradually eliminate your home-made "additives".
If your finicky eater still refuses canned cat food, try feeding it meat-based baby food either alone or mixed-into the canned cat food.
As mentioned before, you can mix a little dry food into the canned cat food. How much will depend on your cat. After a while, reduce the dry cat food until your cat is only eating wet food.
IMPORTANT!! Do not allow your cat to go without eating anything for more than 36 hours!

Your cat can develop liver problems if it refuses to eat for that length of time. Even three to four ounces per day of a meat-based food will provide enough protein to avoid such problems. If your cat is eating at least that much, continue with the diet changeover to wet food.
Don't take the feeding recommendations on the canned cat food labels too literally. Many say to feed your 14 lb cat 3 3-ounce cans per day. This is not necessarily what your cat wants or needs. I talked to Raja's vet and he said that 2 cans is sufficient for proper nutrition unless your cat is heavier or more active.

If your cat seems to want 3 3-ounce cans, then do it. But always consider whether your chubby feline isn't just overeating. To be sure your cat is getting what it needs and no more, it's best to confer with your vet.

Our Raja has never been an overeater, so when we switched her to canned cat food about all she could eat was 2 3-ounce cans. Any more would just go to waste.

That's the good thing about canned cat food -- Because it's higher in protein, fat and water, your cat fills up faster and stays satisfied longer than with high-carbohydrate, low-protien, low-moisture dry food. So don't be surprised if your cat eats less overall, just be sure it gets enough food. See (6) above and talk to your vet if your cat's appetite drops significantly.

We had it easy with Raja as she loves canned cat food and did from day one. If you have other solutions to wean your fat cat off dry cat food, I invite you to leave a comment at the end of this post so other readers of this blog can learn from your success. Thanks!

Coming... I'm working on a "cheat sheet" or rather "cheat card" that I can carry with me to the pet store. The card will list only the low-carb brands and flavors that I have researched here.

As soon as I have finished the "cheat card", I will make it available for download from this blog.

Even More Healthy, Low Carbohydrate Cat Food Brands

noreply@blogger.com (tom-thomas) — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:47:00 +0000

I've discovered some additional lo-carb wet cat foods as well as some canned food you should avoid because of the high carbohydrate content or other unhealthy reasons. (For other cat food choices, please see my prior post for a list of healthy, affordable, low-carb canned foods.)

These are the criteria for a healthy wet cat food (repeated from my prior post: "List of Good-For-Your-Cat, Affordable, Low-Carb Cat Foods"):

Healthy Canned Cat Food Criteria:

First two ingredients must be some form of meat, and NOT meat or fish by-products. (by-products are poor sources of protein and should not be the main ingredients in any quality cat food.)
No corn or corn meal in the list of ingredients. Corn has a high-glycemic index which means it is too readily converted to sugar in the body... VERY high in unnecessary and dangerous carbohydrates.
No rice, or other grains in the first 5 ingredients. (Same problem... too easily converted to sugar & too high in carbohydrates.)
No bone meal or bone phosphorous in list of ingredients. (Bone meal and bone phosphorous may contain harmful and poisonous chemicals.)
Actual dry-matter carbohydrates 10% or less. (To determine dry matter amounts for all important nutrients, please refer to: How to Read Cat Food Labels to Find Healthy Lo-Carb Cat Foods in this blog.)
Ideal Guaranteed Analysis protein: 8.8% or higher; ideal Guaranteed Analysis fat: 5.5% or higher.
Note: It is almost impossible to get protein and fat in these exact percentages in the same canned food. That's why it's important to mix brands or flavors to be sure your cat gets adequate protein and fat in the long run.
Limit feeding of canned food with fish ingredients to no more than 3 days per week. (Most fish contains mercury which is poisonous to your cat.)
NOTE: Be vigilant when reading cat food labels. I was surprised to find that some non-fish flavors of canned food contained fish somewhere in the ingredient list. This is ok, but just be sure to limit feeding of fish-containing foods to 3 times per week to be safe.

In addition to the Fancy Feast flavors mentioned in my prior post, here are some other brands and flavors that are healthy for your cat:

Innova Evo Cat and Kitten Food
(1.05 / 5.5oz; 1.59 / 13.2oz at Pet Supplies Plus)

	Guaranteed Analysis
Innova Evo Cat and Kitten Canned Food	Protein %	Fat %	Fiber %	Moisture %	Ash %	Total Guaranteed Analysis %	Carbs	Actual Carbs % (dry matter basis)
Cat and Kitten (one flavor)	12	8	.5	78	3	101.5	0	0%

Note: This is a very high-quality food with real meat ingredients, but since there is only one formula, it would be best to feed your cat more variety than just this one brand/flavor.

Trader Joe's Tuna (.50 / 6oz can)

Seemingly good ingredients (just tuna, water, vitamins and minerals) and no carbs!
Note: Although this cat food has ultra-low carbohydrates, I am reluctant to recommend Trader Joe's Tuna for Cats because of the dangers of feeding this type of concentrated tuna.

Yes, this is a very high-quality food with real meat ingredients, but since it contains only tuna, water and some vitamins and minerals, it would be best to avoid this food. Please see the comments below this post for a detailed description of why feeding your cat tuna is a really bad idea.

Eukanuba canned cat food (Petco, Petsmart)

Very low in carbs, if not a little expensive. However, all varieties of the canned cat foods were recalled a while back and are not available as of this post. If they become available again, I will check them out and list them in a future post.

Purina Pro-Plan Adult (.72 / 3 oz can @ Petco)

Some OK, but avoid rice in the flavor name. Read labels carefully!

Max-Cat Gourmet Classics (.55 / 3 oz can @ Petco)

Some OK, but not many. Read labels carefully!

Friskies, 9 Lives and cans of the inexpensive Sophisticat brand from Petsmart

Very cheap, but poor ingredients. For instance most have meat by-products as 1st or 2nd ingredient, even though some varieties have decent carbohydrates. Not recommended.

Iams, Science Diet and other readily available so-called "life-cycle" and "diet" canned foods should be avoided.

The ones I checked were all way too high in carbohydrates and many had corn and rice in their ingredient lists. I know, we were shocked too, since we thought with Science Diet we were feeding Raja a high-quality food! Not recommended.

Hopefully, your cat will find enough food in the lists here and in my prior post to satisfy his/her palate. If not, there are other brands like Evo (see above) and possibly Eukanuba that are harder to get and cost more that are OK.

To view the most up-to-date list of low-carb wet cat food, please visit my post: Major Brand Lo-Carb Wet Cat Food - 2011 Update

I am now searching for a dry cat food that is lower in carbohydrates than the major brands. We don't intend to feed this to Raja instead of canned food, it's only in case we go on vacation and leave her in someone else's care.

Even if we go away for a day or a night, she'll need food in her bowl that will last more than a couple of hours, so it would be nice to know if there is a dry cat food that is low in carbohydrates and still healthy in all other respects.

I'll let you know what I find out after checking low-carb dry cat food products online and visiting some specialized pet food stores in the area...

List of Good-For-Your-Cat, Affordable, Low-Carb Cat Foods

noreply@blogger.com (tom-thomas) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 01:33:00 +0000

From my reading of the book: Your Cat: Simple New Secrets to a Longer, Stronger Life by Elizabeth M. Hodgkins, D.V.M., and from checking online websites and forums, I put together a list of criteria for wet (canned) cat food that would be healthy for our plump Raja:

Healthy Canned Cat Food Criteria:

First two ingredients must be some form of meat, and NOT meat or fish by-products. (by-products are poor sources of protein and should not be the main ingredients in any quality cat food.)
No corn or corn meal in the list of ingredients. Corn has a high-glycemic index which means it is too readily converted to sugar in the body... VERY high in unnecessary and dangerous carbohydrates.
No rice, or other grains in the first 5 ingredients. (Same problem... too easily converted to sugar & too high in carbohydrates.)
No bone meal or bone phosphorous in list of ingredients. (Bone meal and bone phosphorous may contain harmful and poisonous chemicals.)
Actual dry-matter carbohydrates 10% or less. (To determine dry matter amounts for all important nutrients, please refer to: How to Read Cat Food Labels to Find Healthy Lo-Carb Cat Foods in this blog.)
Ideal Guaranteed Analysis protein: 8.8% or higher; ideal Guaranteed Analysis fat: 5.5% or higher.
Note: It is almost impossible to get protein and fat in these exact percentages in the same canned food. That's why it's important to mix brands or flavors to be sure your cat gets adequate protein and fat in the long run.
Limit feeding of canned food with fish ingredients to no more than 3 days per week. (Most fish contains mercury which is poisonous to your cat.)
NOTE: Be vigilant when reading cat food labels. I was surprised to find that some non-fish flavors of canned food contained fish somewhere in the ingredient list. This is ok, but just be sure to limit feeding of fish-containing foods to 3 times per week to be safe.

I know it sounds like a lot of criteria, but it really isn't so bad. I managed to find a few varieties of canned food that fulfilled most, if not all of these requirements.

To view the most up-to-date list of low-carb wet cat food, please visit my post: Major Brand Lo-Carb Wet Cat Food - 2011 Update

Remember, if in doubt use the formula I listed in the blog entry: How to Read Cat Food Labels to Find Lo-Carb Cat Foods and check the ingredient list against the criteria above. It's the only way to keep your cat trim and avoid feline diabetes or other maladies.

Help My Fat Cat Lose Weight!

Laser Toys - Not The Best Toys For Cats

Cat-Safe Flowers & Plants for Your Home

Here are a few types of flowers you can have around your home without being concerned if kitty takes a bite.

These flowers are kitty-safe:

What plants to avoid around your home?

Pet Grass - A Healthy, Tasty Treat For Your Kitty!

Wellness Canned Cat Food Recall Alert!

Wellness Canned Cat Food Recall Alert! (brought to you by Pet Supplies "Plus"):

Recall Alert

Question - Can Tuna Be Harmful To Cats?

Here's a question I've received about feeding tuna to cats: "My vet told me not to feed my cat tuna as it would weaken her bones. Does this also apply to cat food that is primarily tuna and water?"

Answer: I did some research and apparently there are a lot of reasons to limit your cat's intake of tuna. For example:

What is Steatitis?

What are the symptoms of steatitis?

What's the difference between human grade tuna and tuna flavored cat food?

Bottom line:

Major Brand Lo-Carb Wet Cat Food - 2011 Update

And, Here is the NEW 2011 List Of Fancy Feast Lower Carb Wet Food Flavors:

PLEASE NOTE: If you have previously downloaded the "Cheat Card", please discard it and download the New 2011 Version Of the "Cheat Card". The prior cheat card lists the old varieties of Fancy Feast and other brands as lo-carb, but they are not lo-carb anymore! Thanks.

Nature’s Variety Recalls Some Instinct Rabbit Meal Kibble!

URGENT! Here's yet another Iams cat food recall!

Yet Another Pet Food Recall: ALL Iams ProActive Health Canned Cat Food!

Nature's Variety Nationwide Recall - Some Chicken Raw Frozen Diets For Dogs and Cats

Recall Alert Nature's Variety Issues Nationwide Voluntary Recall on Chicken Raw Frozen Diets For Dogs and Cats with a 'Best If Used By' Date of 11/10/10

A special thanks to our friends at Pet Supplies "Plus" for this timely warning!

Another Pet Food Recall - Some Wysong and Diamond Varieties!

Cat Food Recall - Stop Using Some Nutro Dry Cat Food Varieties!

Constipated Cat? Your Cat May Need Fiber!

Our Cat Stopped Peeing Outside Her Litter Box! So Far So Good . . .

HELP! Our Cat Is Peeing Outside Her Litter Box!

The Best Cat Litter In The World!

HairBall Help for Laxatone-Hating Cats

Does Dry Food Clean Your Cat's Teeth? Truth vs Myth

Raja Gets the Verdict From the Vet About Her Low-Carb Diet

Any Ideas About How To Get Our Fat Cat To Exercise?

Low Carbohydrate Dry Cat Food Does Exist! BUT Is It Right For Your Cat?

Free Download - Low Carb, Brand Name Cat Food Cheat Card for Your Chubby Cat

How To Switch Your Cat From Dry Cat Food To Wet Cat Food

Even More Healthy, Low Carbohydrate Cat Food Brands

To view the most up-to-date list of low-carb wet cat food, please visit my post: Major Brand Lo-Carb Wet Cat Food - 2011 Update

List of Good-For-Your-Cat, Affordable, Low-Carb Cat Foods

To view the most up-to-date list of low-carb wet cat food, please visit my post: Major Brand Lo-Carb Wet Cat Food - 2011 Update

Wellness Canned Cat Food Recall Alert!
(brought to you by Pet Supplies "Plus"):

Here's a question I've received about feeding tuna to cats:

"My vet told me not to feed my cat tuna as it would weaken her bones. Does this also apply to cat food that is primarily tuna and water?"

Answer:

I did some research and apparently there are a lot of reasons to limit your cat's intake of tuna.

For example:

PLEASE NOTE: If you have previously downloaded the "Cheat Card", please discard it and download the New 2011 Version Of the "Cheat Card".

The prior cheat card lists the old varieties of Fancy Feast and other brands as lo-carb, but they are not lo-carb anymore! Thanks.

Recall Alert
Nature's Variety Issues Nationwide Voluntary Recall on Chicken Raw Frozen Diets For Dogs and Cats with a 'Best If Used By' Date of 11/10/10