Pet Safety Month: Animals in Disasters: Part 1: Plan Ahead

 In honor of Pet Safety Month, here are some suggestions to help you weather an emergency with your pet.

1) PLAN AHEAD

- Make sure your pet is microchipped. Collars and ID tags are important, too, but if your cat is wearing a safe break away collar, the collar could be lost and your cat's identification would be lost with it. Most of the lost cats that we hear about are not microchipped. If your pet has a chip with current registration information, they have more than 70% chance of finding their way back to you, compared to only a 10% chance if they have no identification. Onlyabout 1-2% of dogs and cats that appear in shelters as "found pets"have any kind of identification. Reasons that microchip identification fails to work include: unregistered chips, disconnected phone numbers, failure of the contacted owner to respond to phone calls or letters about their pet.

- Even if a collar could become lost, training your cat to wear a safe, break-away collar is a good idea, since that is the first form of identification that rescuers will look for. It is also more obvious that your pet has ID if they are wearing a collar, than if they are only microchipped, even if the only tag on the collar is the one that indicates your pet has a microchip! You may want to make sure that the phone number on your cat's ID tag is a cell phone and not a land line in case you need to relocate and cannot be reached at your home number.

- Know where the pet-friendly hotels are located in the near (and far) vicinity. If your house loses power and you need to relocate, you may not know how far you need to go to reach an area that is safe. You may also want to make an agreement with a distant friend or relative who will allow you to come stay at their house with your pets (or allow JUST your pets) in exchange for you agreeing to allow them to do the same. If you have multiple types of pets, you may need to make separate arrangements for each species (or even each pet!).

• Make sure your back-up caretaker knows your pets' whereabouts and habits.

Let your back-up caretaker know where your pets' food is and where you normally feed them and keep their water bowl, and if they need any medication.

If you need help locating pet-friendly hotels, there are a number of online resources that can help you:

• DogWonderful.com
• BringYourPet.com (United States and Canada)
• PetTravelCenter.com (United States and Canada)
• Pet Friendly Hotels (United States)
• PetsWelcome.com (United States)
• DoginMySuitcase.com (International)
• PetTravel.com (International)
• PetsWelcome.com (Canada)
• Gopetfriendly.com (United States)
• Tripswithpets.com
• Pets-allowed-hotels.com
• Doginmysuitcase.com
• Bringfido.com 
• Dogfriendly.com

If you know that severe weather is approaching and that you may need to relocate, you may want to Michigan State Animal Response Team (MI-SART) is equipped to set up several animal shelters located near human shelters and is partnering withthe Red Cross to assist people in evacuating and caring for their pets.  

call ahead for reservations. Currently, Red Cross shelters do not admit any animals other than designated service animals to their shelters, however, the

- You may also want to locate emergency veterinary services outside your area, in case your pet is injured in a disaster and cannot be treated by your regular veterinarian. Also keep a list of boarding facilities or veterinary offices that plan to function in emergencies. Be aware that animal shelters bear most of the brunt of housing found pets in emergencies and will be stretched to the limit during these times, and may not be able to accommodate you.

-Exchange pet information, house keys and emergency information with a trusted nearby friend or neighbor. If you are unable to return to your home in an emergency situation, your friends or neighbors can evacuate your pets for you. If you have a regular pet sitter, he or she may be able to help, but it is a good idea to make plans in advance. Plan where to meet in case of emergency, in case power and phone communication is interrupted.

- Have an emergency kit for your animals with some important supplies and information that is ready to grab and go. We will be posting some emergency kit tips in our next article.

- Be aware of your cat's favorite hiding places so that you can locate him quickly in case of emergency. If you know ahead of time that severe weather is approaching, you may want to close off areas of the home from which it is difficult to retrieve your cats. 

- If an emergency does occur, remain calm. Your cats can sense your stress level and if you are upset, they will be, too. Some pets will feel comforted by interactions with you in a stressful situation and others will prefer to be left alone, or may benefit from being placed in a pet carrier with a blanket over the top, simulating a secure, cozy nest. Be aware that some pets may experience dramatic behavior changes during times of stress - a loving cat may become aggressive. 

- If your cat is used to going outside in a fenced yard, have a plan for the possibility that your fence might be damaged or destroyed in a severe storm. Make sure that your cats have been brought inside if a severe weather warning has been issued. Some cats may become disoriented if severe weather has affected their normal scent "directional markers" and may not be able to find their way home. Additionally, high winds or flooding may spread or spill chemicals that may be dangerous to your cat, such as chemicals, fertilizers, or other dangerous substances.

- If your cat becomes lost during an emergency, they will likely end up at an animal shelter. Keep a list of the local shelters in your area and their phone numbers and locations.

Mobile Animal Shelter Trailer

- Make sure to keep your cat's vaccinations up to date, since many emergency shelters will require vaccinations prior to admitting pets for sheltering, or will require special sheltering care, such as quarantine, for animals with no proof of vaccination.

- The most important rule: If it is not safe for you, it is not safe for your pets! Even if you think you will only be gone a short time, take your pets, since you may find that even after the emergency has passed, travel may be restricted due to road damage, downed power lines, or other post-emergency problems. In addition, if they are left behind and your house is damaged, your cats could become injured or escape from your damaged home.

Additional Resources

USDA Animal Disaster Preparedness resources

HSUS disaster checklist

National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS) Emergency Planning Guide 

CDC Disaster Preparedness information

July 15th is National Pet Fire Safety Day!

Did you know that firefighters rescue more pets than people from burning buildings? People can get out of a house on their own, but pets, especially cats, can become frightened and hide in small places, making it difficult to evacuate them.

If you need a sticker for your door or window to alert emergency personnel that they should watch for pets in your home, visit this link. When you receive your window cling, write down the number of pets you have and then attach the cling to a front window. Your local fire department may also have stickers available.

Here are some additional pet fire safety tips:

• Extinguish Open Flames - Cats are curious critters and will investigate cooking appliances, candles, or even a fire in your fireplace. They will walk across hot stoves, and they will bat at hot irons. Ensure your pet is not left unattended around an open flame or other heated appliance and make sure to thoroughly extinguish any open flame before leaving your home. Note: a different kind of burn (chemical) can occur when cats come into contact with scented oils in diffusers or heated oil lamps. Please make sure that your cat does not come into contact with these aromatic oils. These burns worsen over time, so if your cat does spill scented oil on itself, please seek emergency attention for your pet immediately, even if the burn does not appear too bad.
• Pet Proof the Home - Take a walk around your home and look for areas where cats might start fires inadvertently, such as the stove knobs, loose wires and other potential hazards.If you have a cat that likes to chew wires, wrap the wires in bubble wrap, or spray them with a bitter tasting spray such as Bitter Apple.
• Secure Young Pets - Keep cat, especially young kittens, separated from potential fire-starting hazards when you are away from home.This may mean your kitten needs a special play-room when the house is empty until he or she is old enough to outgrow chewing behavior.
• Keep Pets Near Entrances - When leaving pets home alone, keep them in areas or rooms near entrances where firefighters can easily find them.  
• Practice Escape Routes with Pets - Have a plan for your cats in case you have to evacuate quickly or firefighters need to rescue your pet. If your cat hates the carrier, have alternative carry methods such as a secure cardboard box or a knotted pillowcase. If your cat has not had to travel in a carrier, or if your cat hates the carrier, try to acclimate your cat to it by leaving a carrier out at all times. If you have a carrier that comes apart easily, you can take the top off and convert it into a bed with a cushion or soft blanket. You may try feeding your cat meals in the carrier to decrease the negative feelings your cat may associate with it. Practice putting your cat in a carrier at times other than when you plan to take them to the veterinary hospital, so that they learn that not every trip in the carrier ends with shots!
• Pets Can't Escape a Burning Home on their Own - If you have a home security system, you may want to install monitored smoke detectors which are connected to monitoring center personnel that call the fire department. Or, if you do not have or want a home security system, a product such as the Nest Protect will send you notifications on your Smart Phone when smoke or carbon monoxide are detected in your home and no one is home.
• Keep Your Information Updated - Firefighters are familiar with pet alert window clings so keep the number of pets listed on them updated. Knowing the accurate number of pets in the house aids rescuers in finding all of your pets. Also make sure to keep your pets' microchip information up to date in case they escape your home on their own. While you can't track them, you have an 86% greater chance of finding them if they have a microchip versus those pets that do not. If you have recently moved or changed your phone number or email address, take a moment and update that information with your microchip company. If your pet is not currently microchipped, you may want to think about having it done.
• Summer is Grilling Season! - Be aware of your pets around the grill, as well! June and July are the peak months for grilling accidents. Your cat may try to jump on the grill and investigate that yummy cedar-planked salmon or sink their claws into those just baby back ribs!

Meet the Cats of July!

Messrs. and Miss July - Joey, Roger, and Delilah 

As told by Joey

Eight years ago, while still a very small kitten, I (the Tuxedo on the left) was found wandering the halls of a Catholic high school in Plano, TX. After a brief stay with a family, and an incident with two schnauzers that I still say was not my fault, Mommy picked me up from a shelter.

Joey

Me and Mommy are now far away from Texas - we live on a small lake in Waterford, with Daddy and lots good of smell-o-vision. In October 2012, I had a stay-cation at Exclusively Cats, and I came home with two cats of my own, Roger and Delilah.

Trisha rescued "Dodgie" and "'Lilah" from underneath a Dumpster in Flint, and I'm very happy that they're my cats now. Roger, the big black cat on the right, and Delilah, the little gray and white cat in the middle, have come a long way since we all came home almost two years ago. They started out being very shy, hiding behind the drier, but now they take naps with me, and we chase each other all over the house. Roger is still very shy around the bipeds, but Delilah will jump up on the couch - or let Daddy scoop her up - for rubs and scritches. She also likes to fling toys off the top of the cat tree and send them across the den.

Roger

I started out as the big brother, but Roger may be a little bit bigger than me (just a little). I still win when we wrestle. Just sayin'. I see another cat who lives outside, Yeti, and he gets the best food ever that Mommy and Daddy put out for him. Daddy says it's the same kibble I eat, but I know better. I hope I get to adopt him soon, too!

Kitty BFFs!

How do I know if my cat has high blood pressure?

This is Kitty - why is she falling?

Does this cat look like she has high blood pressure? It's hard to tell from the outside, so routine testing, or "screening" is usually the best way to tell.

Most of the time, when we diagnose cats with high blood pressure, their owner has no specific complaints about their cat's health or behavior. That is because most of the negative effects of high blood pressure in cats are subtle, and act internally before outward signs are seen.

One of the most common causes of sudden blindness in cats is high blood pressure. This is because the tiny blood vessels are put under a lot of strain when a cat has chronic high pressure. This can cause the vessels to rupture or break and small areas of the retina lose blood supply. Once the blood supply is gone, small lesions or detachments form, giving your cat spotty vision. If this goes on for long enough, the entire retina can detach and cause complete blindness.

Fortunately, if high blood pressure is caught early, before too much retinal damage has been done, the lesions can heal, with treatment.

This particular cat was brought in to have an exam because she was wobbly and had started falling off a chest of drawers where she liked to sleep. The only thing that was found on her exam was that she had high blood pressure and some changes to the retina:

So, that's one problem on her list - but is her high blood pressure making her fall?

Sometimes, when a cat has high blood pressure, it is due to the presence of another disease, such as kidney disease, or hyperthyroid disease. In fact, 61% percent of cats with chronic renal failure and 87% of cats with hyperthyroidism have high blood pressure, according to research (citation below).

For Kitty, we took a blood sample to test for kidney disease and hyperthyroid disease. We discovered that Kitty did have some mild changes to her kidneys, too. We started blood pressure medication for Kitty, and when she came in to have her pressure rechecked, her owner told us that she was a changed cat! She had significantly improved, and was no longer wobbly or falling off her favorite sleeping spot.

High blood pressure can cause signs that owners can note, but again, most people only recognize that there was a problem after their cat's high blood pressure is being treated. We hear comments like: "Fluffy is so much less cranky!" or "Callie's appetite is so much better!" or "Smokey seems so much less restless and has stopped crying at night!" when people come in for their blood pressure rechecks.

Other symptoms of high blood pressure (besides blindness and retinal detatchment) include:

• Seizures
• Circling/disorientation
• Dilated pupils
• Hemmorrhage (bleeding) of the eye or nose
• Blood and/or protein in the urine
• Abnormal kidneys
• Heart murmur
• Weakness
• Signs of thyroid disease

If you think your cat may have high blood pressure, or if your cat is over the age of 7 years and you would like your cat screened for high blood pressure, you may want to consider participating in a current high blood pressure study that is being run. For more information about the study, visit www.mycatcanhelp.com or read more about it on our blog at "Feline Hypertension: What you need to know!"

J Vet Intern Med. 1990 Mar-Apr;4(2):58-62. Hypertension in cats with chronic renal failure or hyperthyroidism.

Kobayashi DL¹, Peterson ME, Graves TK, Lesser M, Nichols CE.

Why are my cats fighting? Part 3: Finding solutions - the 5 "R"s

If you have read part 1 and part 2 of this series, you now may have a good idea what reasons may be behind your cat's aggression and you have a list of behaviors and locations that clarify the aggression. However, what you really want is a solution, right?

Some forms of mild territorial aggression, such as conflict that occurs after the introduction of a new cat to the household, will resolve themselves over a period of 4 months. Temporary aggression issues, such as conflict after a veterinary visit or other traumatic event, may resolve in 24-48 hours.

Rub cats around the cheeks and face to transfer scents

Re-Scent: If your cats only have problems after one of them visits the veterinarian (non-recognition aggression), try to schedule vet visits at the same time, or segregate the cat that went to the vet in one room with food, water and litter, to let him regain the familiar smell of the household and de-stress before re-introducing him to your other cats. You could speed the process by rubbing the cats with the same towel around their ears and cheeks - the areas that cats use to mark their territory and rub other cats - and then across their bodies.

Re-Introduce: For troubles with a new cat in the house, or long-standing territorial issues, try re-introduction of the cats. Generally, the aggressor cat is the one that should be treated as the "new" cat and the victim should be treated as the "existing" cat. Use rewards to reinforce desired behaviors, but do not physically punish fighting. It will NEVER help the situation, and may make the situation worse. Patience is a big key to working with remodeling your cat's relationships - your goal in cases of aggression is not to make your cats into best buddies, but to give them the ability to tolerate each others' presence without fighting.

Method of exercising cats by mckibillo on Poolga

Redirect: Don't punish aggressive behavior, because that will cause stress, which may increase aggression. Don't reward aggressive behavior by trying to distract the aggressor with treats or attention, either. Instead, try to distract the aggressor before a fight occurs by redirecting his attention with an interactive wand toy, a game of fetch, or a laser pointer or flashlight and try to lure him away from the impending fight. Reward the cat when you catch him acting neutrally towards the victim.

Resource management: Increase the desirable space in your house by adding vertical territory, such as cat trees, perching shelves, or giving cats access to upper levels of existing shelving with ramps and stairs. Make sure that there are plenty of feeding and watering stations, so that essential resources can't be completely blocked, and make sure that you have at least one more litter box than the number of cats in your home, preferably at least one box on each level of your house, as well. This will help prevent inappropriate elimination related to resource blocking or stress.

Remedies:
Medications: If aggression issues are significant, your veterinarian may recommend the introduction of calming medications or anti-anxiety drugs to aid your efforts to train your cats to tolerate each other. These medications will help take the edge off the bully's attacks, or decrease the victim's reaction to aggressive posturing from the aggressor cat. Drugs are generally not the cure for the problem, but can be a useful tool to aid in implementing behavioral conditioning. Sometimes only one cat needs to be medicated, but sometimes the problem is significant enough that both cats need to receive drug therapy in addition to behavioral therapy. Medications such as fluoxetine, buspirone, alprazolam, clomipramine and elavil are prescribed based on the information that a cat owner provides about the types of aggressive incidents that occur. Because the dosages are different for humans and cats, and because the recommendation for medication is based on the behavior of the cat, it is only recommended to start behavioral drug therapy with the guidance of a veterinarian.

In addition to prescription medications, some of the other products that we often incorporate into behavioral solutions are pheromone products, wraps and treats.

Feliway

Pheromone products: Calming pheromones help decrease the stress levels in the household and lower the intensity levels of the aggressive encounters. Products such as Feliway and NurtureCalm contain pheromones associated with marking "happy places" and the chemical a mother cat produces to calm and reassure her kittens.

Wraps: The Thundershirt is a product based on information from studies of autistic children and adults indicating that pressure therapy, massage, and the use of a hugging machine can relieve anxiety. In addition, swaddling of infants has been shown to calm them. While research and controlledstudies are still in the works for this therapy, it is not harmful to employ them in an effort to calm hyper-anxious pets as a part of a behavioral plan.

Mr. B wears a Thundershirt to help him deal with all the cats in the hospital

 
Treats and Supplements: The pill Anxitane and Composure treats contain L-Theanine, (Gamma-ethylamino-L-glutamic acid) which is derived from the mushroom Boletus badius and Camellia sinensis tea leaves. L-Theanine causes a calming effect without drowsiness.

You will probably need to resign yourself to the fact that your cats will never be best friends. If aggression is a significant issue between your cats, the best you may be able to hope for is tolerance of the other cat's presence, and that can take months of baby steps forward (and a few steps back) to accomplish. However, if you are patient, and if you let the cats tell you when you can move forward, you will hopefully eventually be rewarded with a peaceful (if not amicable) household.

Why are my cats fighting? Part 1: Three reasons your cats might not get along

Why are my cats fighting? Part 2: Fighting Styles

Why are my cats fighting? Part 2: Fighting Styles

If you read last week's blog post, you know about some of the common types of aggression that you may see between cats. This week, we will discuss how to recognize aggression and conflict between cats.

There are two main styles of aggression displayed by cats:

1) Overt - This is behavior that is obviously hostile, such as hissing, growling, spitting, biting, piloerection (fluffed up fur), lashing the tail, staring at the other cat, standing over the submissive cat, flattening the ears, dilating of the pupils, and swatting. The following images can be helpful in reading the level of your cat's aggression. In general, the more aggressive cat tries to make himself larger and more intimidating, and the more submissive cat tries to make himself smaller and less threatening.

Cat facial expressions

Cat tail communication

Body postures of the cat, increasing in aggression towards the right and increasing in submission/fear towards the bottom

2) Covert - Physically blocking another cat from resources like food, water, sleeping areas and litter, either through actual contact, chasing, or by sitting in a position of power over the resources. Excessive marking of territory (either with facial pheromones or with urine and/or feces) may also occur. In addition, human contact and attention may be deprived from the victim by physical blocking or threats. The victim may end up urinating or defecating in other places than the litterbox if the aggressor is successful in completely preventing access to the box.

We had one client who had introduced a new, shy cat to her house, and her older, existing cat started urinating inappropriately. She was sure that it was because he was marking territory in the house because of the new cat. However, after consulting with one of our staff members and having a thorough physical exam and urinalysis to determine that there was no medical cause for the inappropriate urination, the owner went home and watched her two cats and discovered that when her existing cat got up and walked towards the litterbox, the new cat would run to the box, get there first, use the box, and then sit next to it and stare at the older cat. He would then turn away and go urinate by the door. There was no fighting or overt physical aggression between the two cats; in fact, they mostly ignored each other. However, the new cat was being covertly aggressive towards the existing cat by blocking his access to important resources. 

Even though these cats aren't fighting, one is acting aggressively towards the other

Determining the best way to find a solution for inter-cat aggression issues can be a complex process, but being able to identify all the ways in which your cat displays aggression can help give a lot of insight to your veterinarian. If you have a problem with aggression between cats in your home, you can provide some helpful information by doing the following:

1) Identify problem areas of the home - areas where most of the conflict takes place. You may even want to draw a map of your home, identifying areas of conflict and prime resource locations (food, water, litter, sleeping spots, favored perches, etc.). 

2) Document the aggressive interactions that you witness - who is involved? How did they behave? How did the conflict resolve?

3) What are the relationships between the humans in the house and the cats in the house? Who spends peaceful time together and when?

4) Describe your cats' personalities in detail. How does each cat feel about visitors, food, affection, and things that happen outside? Do your cats have any health issues?

If you can provide this information to your veterinarian, you will be helping him or her help you and your cat.

Why are my cats fighting? Part 1: Three reasons your cats might not get along

Why are my cats fighting? Part 3: Finding solutions - the 5 "R"s

Why are my cats fighting? Part 1: Three reasons your cats might not get along

There are two major reasons people seek help with their cats' behavior. The first is inappropriate elimination. The second is aggression or fighting.

There are several reasons that cats may fight -

1) territoriality

2) play

3) stress or anxiety

1) Territoriality

While cats do not live in packs, they do form social bonds in wild colonies. However, in the wild, cats have much larger territories than they do in our homes. Various studies have been performed in England and the US, tracking feral cats and indoor/outdoor pets. These studies have found that cats have a range of up to 2 square miles in the suburban U.S. and as large as 8.5 square miles in rural farmland in England.

Cats with indoor habitat tend to roam less than feral cats, but still cover a lot of ground.

These studies have shown that cats live more closely together in urban areas where they have more resources available - more sources of food, water, litter areas and "prime" resting spots. We also know that cats establish small territories within a room, and "time share" resources. Cats in a household can be predictably located in certain areas of the home at certain times of day, just like outdoor cats will patrol certain parts of their territory on a predictable schedule. Because of this, cats are very tied to predictability of their environment, and changes to the environment (a.k.a. territory) can cause outbreaks of aggression. Similarly, changes to resource availability - loss of perches, change in feeding location or feeding schedule, changes in the number of people or cats in the home, elimination or relocating of litterboxes - can cause dominance struggles as well, as cats re-negotiate their territories and schedules.

Territorial aggression issues tend to develop when a new cat is introduced into the home without giving the existing cats a chance to acclimate to the idea. It can also be related to the loss of a cat, either because the cat has moved out of the house, has been hospitalized at the veterinary office, or because the cat is no longer living - this can open up a valued resource in the home, causing cats to fight. It may also develop over time as a confident cat starts to guard resources and threaten other cats over these resources, escalating over time (the dominant cat becoming more aggressive and the victimized cat becoming more anxious or fearful). This situation may progress beyond growling and hissing to inappropriate elimination issues (this can be due to due to litterbox guarding by the aggressive cat, territorial marking on the part of either cat, or due to extreme fearfulness on the part of the victim).

2) Play aggression

Cats under two years of age are still honing their hunting skills. It is not unusual for these cats to dash

Play fighting is usually silent, while real fighting is very vocal

madly around the house with the "kitty crazies" as often as several times a day! They pounce and attack anything that moves interestingly - from the dog's tail to your ankle (especially when you're under sleeping under a blanket at 2am!) and this is considered normal and natural behavior at this age. This type of aggression includes all sorts of predatory behaviors that will aid cats in hunting when they are older - pouncing, biting, climbing, stalking, chasing, attacking, running, ambushing, leaping, batting and swatting. This also means that your 14 year old cat may get his fur ruffled when your new kitten wants to pounce his tail 26 times a minute. Most of the time, the wary can avoid attacks from a kitten - watch for a lashing tail, the "butt-wiggle" as they prepare to pounce, a sudden dilation of pupils. Kittens learn "bite inhibition" through play with siblings, and those kittens that were not raised with a litter or who were removed from their mother and siblings at an early age, may be more aggressive than kittens who stayed with other kittens of their age until they were 8 weeks of age. Kittens that spend long hours in a house by themselves, or kittens that are encouraged to view human body parts (hands, arms and legs) as acceptable toys may display more intensely aggressive play behaviors than cats in a multi-cat household.

3)  Stress or anxiety

Many times, cats will become aggressive when they are uncomfortable with a situation. Perhaps your

cat is frustrated that he can't hunt the chipmunk that teases him through the window, or go out and

Stress and frustration can cause cats to act aggressively

explain to the neighbor's cat that the back yard is HIS territory, not hers. Perhaps you have a pregnant female who becomes anxious when you handle her kittens. Perhaps your elderly cat becomes stressed when you pet him over his arthritic hips. All of these scenarios are potential causes of stress or anxiety in a cat - in addition to the stress of living in a multi-cat household, establishing time shares and territory in an indoor range, sharing litterboxes and feeding stations.

Now that you know some of the reasons that cats may fight, stay tuned to discover what you can do about it!


The paper, “Home Range, Habitat Use, and Activity Patterns of Free-Roaming Domestic Cats,” is available online or from the U. of I. News Bureau. 

Why are my cats fighting? Part 2: Fighting Styles
Why are my cats fighting? Part 3: Finding solutions - the 5 "R"s

What is the best cat food to feed my cat?

Nutrition is based on life stages and overall health. You would not feed the same thing to a kitten that you would feed to a 6 year old cat or a 14 year old cat, and you would not feed the same thing to a healthy cat that you would feed to a diabetic cat, or a cat with kidney disease. 

Pet nutrition has become a very hot topic in the last several years, with good reason. There have been a great number of recalls, and a number of revolutions in the way we think about feeding pets (Canned food vs. dry food, raw food vs. traditional diets, carbohydrates vs. proteins...). If you asked 7 different pet owners or veterinarians what food you should feed your pet, you would probably get 7 different answers.

In the wild, a cat would eat a variety of prey animals – primarily mice and other rodents, insects, birds and frogs (rarely fish!). The average mouse is about 75% water, and provides about 3-5% carbohydrates. No matter what your cat eats, it should not eat a food that contains more than 10% carbohydrates.

Let’s say we are talking about a normal, 5 year old, healthy cat. Because most foods have the statement “formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by AAFCO Cat Food nutrient profiles for all life stages” on the label – most would be an appropriate option for basic nutrition. Your cat will not suffer any nutrient deficiencies while eating a food with this label.

Let's compare two brands of food, just to see how complex it can be to determine which is better. A can of Instinct turkey flavored food costs about $1.25 per 3oz can. Fancy Feast turkey and giblets costs about $0.60 per 3 oz can.  Common sense would suggest that if a food costs more, it must be higher quality. Let's take a closer look.

Since canned food is mostly water, meat also contains a large amount of water, and the amount of water may very between canned foods, you have to do a little math to figure out what nutrients the actual solid part of the food contains. This also allows you to compare between canned foods, or compare a wet food to a dry food. If you take a few minutes to calculate the dry matter carbohydrate content of the food, you will see that the Instinct food has 18% carbohydrates on a dry matter basis (DMB)!! That’s pretty high for a cat. Fancy Feast has a carbohydrate content of 6.8%. Instinct is also 10% lower in protein and 8% higher in fat. It also has about twice the calories of the Fancy Feast. A cat with weight issues might not want to eat this food, no matter how much kelp it has in it…and speaking of kelp, why would your cat need kelp in his diet? Kelp may have some great nutritional benefits on a chemical level, but cats are descended from desert animals - their digestive tract is not designed to digest it. 

Cat digestive tracts are much simpler than a human’s or a dog’s. The way they digest foods takes a lot of shortcuts – skipping important steps that relate to carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits – things that are not part of their natural diet. Even though apples, blueberries, pumpkins and flax have great nutritional benefits – if they are in whole-food form, their nutritional benefits may stay locked away from use if eaten by a cat. If given in supplement form (raw vitamins, omega fatty acids, etc.), they are likely of much more use.

In fact, while artichokes, pumpkin and cranberries sound yummy to us, cats are obligate carnivores – that means that they HAVE to eat meat. Meat, meat and (almost) only meat! In reality, most cats would get vegetables/grains/fruits only if they ate the pre-digested contents of their prey’s stomach. A cat could NEVER be a vegetarian and be healthy. They get taurine from muscle meat – it is an amino acid that dogs and people can make in their bodies. Cats can’t, so they need it in their food, or they suffer damage to their hearts and eyes. Dogs might raid a trash can and eat your leftovers. If a cat was REALLY REALLY hungry, he might, but he’s not looking for the carrots or the chocolate cake – he is looking for that turkey gristle, or the fish bones. 

Cats rarely will choose to eat vegetables. They also tend to hate citrus. But even if they eat it, it doesn’t mean they can digest it. Most cats will drink milk or eat other dairy products, but the majority of cats are also lactose intolerant. It means they can’t digest milk proteins. Cats will also eat ear plugs, shoelaces, plastic bags, hair bands, rubber bands, ribbon…Just because they eat it, doesn’t mean they can digest it! So, just because a cat is eating kelp and broccoli and loving it doesn’t mean that its body can break down the food and use it for nutrition. 

Similarly, Instinct contains tomatoes, which are members of the Solanaceae family of plants which

includes the Deadly Nightshade. Tomatoes contain a bitter, poisonous alkaloid called glycoalkaloid solanine that can cause violent lower gastrointestinal symptoms. Generally cats aren't attracted to tomatoes, but there have been reports of a single cherry tomato causing a near-fatal reaction. Green tomatoes and the leaves and stems are all toxic. This toxin is destroyed by cooking, so I would have to assume that the tomato in the Instinct diet is cooked, or in such small quantities that it is non-toxic, but why even put a toxic veggie into the food? This is one reason that it is a good idea to use foods whose companies have done feeding trials – they can tell you in detail how the food affects a cat – what its urine concentration or pH is, blood levels of vitamins (so you know they are really getting them), etc.

The ingredients are listed on the label in the order of greatest content by weight to least content. Allowing for the fact that the order of ingredients does not tell us quantity, we do know that Instinct says that it is 95% duck and turkey liver. We don't know whether Fancy Feast is 95% turkey and liver or not, but we do know that they are the two ingredients that make up most of the food by weight. The first 5 ingredients on the Fancy Feast are meat-related products. Only the first two on the Instinct label are meat related. Then comes water and then flax (which a cat may or may not be able to digest). Both have all the necessary vitamins and minerals. Instinct has clay in it? The Montmorrilonite clay may have benefits for people, but I highly doubt that any research has been done on cats and the benefits of ingesting clay. What’s good for people is not necessarily good for cats. Many people love to eat garlic and chocolate (not at the same time, of course!). But both garlic and chocolate are toxic to cats. Besides, a cat likely gets plenty of clay in his diet from cleaning his paws after using the litterbox.

Don't believe what you read about "meat by-products" either. Most Internet sites will have you believe that "meat by-products" are beaks and toenails, roadkill, euthanized shelter animals and intestinal contents, but in reality they are organ meats: lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, liver, blood, bone, and cleaned stomach and intestines. The FDA has tested multiple brands of pet foods and has found no sign of dog or cat DNA in any of them.

Most of the ingredients of this diet are grains and vegetables, not meat

So, long story short – if we were going to pick one of these two foods as the best food to feed a young, healthy cat, we would pick the Fancy Feast! It has a better protein/carb/fat ratio, more water, fewer questionably digestible ingredients (which means potentially more nutrient bioavailability). We are not suggesting that Fancy Feast is the best food on the market, today, but that it is a viable and reasonable choice to feed your cat, and that the more thought and consideration you put into your cat food choice, the more likely you are to pick a decent food.

Your individual cat may have specific dietary requirements or sensitivities that mean that Fancy Feast is not the best choice, or you may pick a food that you have examined and determined to be a great food for your cat, but he or she just won't eat it. There is no perfect food for all cats. We hope that some of the issues that have come about due to recalls and consumer complaints will help change pet foods for the better. It is an ever-evolving field, and with informed consumers, things can only get better!

Further reading:

First of a 3 part series on cat nutrition, reading food labels, and what you can learn about pet foods by the way they are named.

An FDA article on pet food labels

A general article on adult cat nutrition

A long and short article about the benefits of canned foods.

Calculating calorie content.

Dry Matter Basis online calculator.

Meet Mr. June!

Angus

One of Mom’s co-workers took in a pregnant cat who soon had a sizable litter.  I was one of those kittens. My human-mommy waited to receive me at work with a large dog crate under her desk complete with climb-toy, litter pan, food and water.  She played AC/DC songs for me because of my namesake, Angus (Young).  Lunchtime was filled with laughter and cuteness while I cautiously explored a conference room with Mom and her friends.  Feeling bonded, I made sure Mom could hear me calling out for her when she ran an errand down the hallway.  

Mom had an older, female cat when I entered my new home.  I loved this cat, Harrison, on the spot; she did not like me – at all. Mom took me on a previously arranged camping trip the next day.  It rained.  I batted at the raindrops as they ran down the outside of the tent.  During dry times, I sat in my large crate on the picnic table while Mom did her homework.  At night, I slept next to mom’s head to keep warm.  Although my new sister was not pleased to see me when we returned home, she warmed to me after six months.  

I have lived life! I enjoyed speeding fearlessly through the house and exploring every crevice.  I’ve been caught in mid air trying to fly over the balcony; I pulled a large tray of stones and seashells off of Mom’s dresser during the night; and I knocked a mantle clock off of a shelf - among many other misdemeanors.  

A year and some later, Harrison passed on.  I yowled around the condo a lot. 

Thinking that I missed my sister, Mom got me a baby brother.  Before we were introduced, I silently crept into the room where my mom was playing with Mozie … and watched.  Within four days, we were best friends.  He needed me, having been removed from his litter too soon.  I showed him how to be a kitty-cat and life went on peacefully for the three of us.

I still yowled a lot around the condo, though!

Several years later, I accepted a dad (after a time) and his elderly cat.  That cat passed and we got another brother, Ru.  I loved Ru!  Sometimes even young cats pass and I lost my Ru.  Soon after, Dr. Palen was my champion in helping me, who had never been sick, survive a serious URI. I was hospitalized for days.

Much has happened between then and now.  I am finally feeling well again after bouts of ailments these past few years. Mozie and I gained two more fur-brothers and two years after that, a sister joined the fold.  Mom and Dad have two employees in the house now, as well. I permit them to pet me. Mom commends me on my graciousness.  

It isn’t easy maintaining Alpha-cat status with so many changes, but I have.  I love my catio and sometimes play with the younger cats.  Somewhere along the way, Mozie and I have fallen out of friendship.  

I am now eleven years old. I maintain a special relationship with Mom where she understands my quiet nature and I trust her completely.  I am the one cat who eats whatever Mom or Dad serve.  My favorite toy was a tattered ball that has been handed down to all the kittens (and has seen many washings).  We time-share the beds, furniture, and carpet-trees around the house. Most nights I sit on Mom in her chair and sleep by her legs. As I instruct Mom on what to write for my story, I am dozing near old Mozie. Life is strange. Strong, gentle silent type that I’ve become, no one would ever recognize me as the reckless kitten that I once was.