This web page lays out some often-ignored principles of feline nutrition and explains why cats have a better chance at optimal health if they are fed a quality canned food diet instead of only dry kibble. (Website Written by Lisa A. Pierson, DVM)
Please take the time to read--it could add years to your cat's life.
This is what Purrever has learned about feline nutrition:
We all know that if we eat healthy, we will lead healthier lives. The same goes for your pet. People are always asking me what cat food I recommend. One with no dyes & the first ingredient should be meat such as chicken or turkey--never by-products & corn meal. Usually the darker the food, the higher the quality. Please don't buy into the television advertisements! They make their cat food sound so healthy & delicious when most are comparable to fast food. (Read the ingredients!) If price is important to you, I recommend MAXIMUM NUTRITION. There is Kitten, Adult, Senior & Reduced Diet & Hairball Formula--which is Purrever's fav as it has LYSINE in it--helps fight Feline Herpes & builds immune system!. Maximum Nutrition is sold only at Wal-Mart yet made by another company. Compare the ingredients to any premium food. Best bang for the buck.
One nice benefit about giving your cat premium dry food will be in the litterbox. It will smell less & they won't poop as much. Think if you ate cheap fast food everyday....
PLEASE go to this website & read about feline nutrition & how important it is to your cat. Consider giving your cat wet food each & every day as it is much healthier for them than just eating dry food which typically is 50% carbohydrates. Think about it. Most people keep their cats inside these days & feed them a carb filled diet & wonder why their cat is fat & sick! (Always consult with your Vet)
It is extremely important for geriatric cats to eat wet food every day. Anyone who has an elderly cat knows keeping the fluid intake is a constant worry as they can get dehydrated easily. Canned food helps keep them hydrated.
Did you know that tap water is one of the worse things you can give your cat as they can't filter out all the chemicals especially the chlorine. This is hard on their kidneys! Vets often recommend that felines on a K/D diet should be given filtered, bottled or well water. With my cat sitting clients, I've seen cats health improve dramatically just by improving their water intake.
Are we over vaccinating our pets?!
This is extremely important & I ask that you read & educate yourself on pet vaccinations. By law, the only vaccination that is required of your pet is rabies. Please just educate yourself on the new information that is available & decide what is best for your pets.
For years, we were told to vaccinate our pets every year & we thought we were doing the right thing. We don't vaccinate ourselves every year, why would we do this to our precious furries?!
Vet associations & vet schools now recommend vaccinating every three (3) years IF you are going to revaccinate, depending on lifestyle & health of your pet. More feline vets are not revaccinating inside or geriatric cats. Some vaccinations are no longer recommended at all. FIP, FIV, Bordetella, Chlamydia or Pnuemonitis, Feline Dermatophyte Infection (Ringworm) vacs are NOT recommended by the American Association of Feline Practitioners and 22 Schools of Veterinary Medicine.
To make sure your pet remains healthy, it should be examined by your Vet at least once a year, 2X/year for seniors.
Take a moment to read & decide for yourself...and your pets. EDUCATE BEFORE YOU VACCINATE!
What the vets think about vaccinations DVM Mag
NO geriatric feline vaccinations! DVM Mag
Vaccine associated feline sarcoma task force AVMA (American Vet Med Assoc)
For more information, regarding vaccination guidelines, please contact the following:
The American Veterinary Medical Association 1-847-925-8070
The American Animal Hospital Association 1-800-252-2242
The American Holistic Veterinary Association 1-410-569-0795
Titer Testing:
Consider giving your cat or dog a titer test, which can determine whether the animal is still immune, instead of administering a new vaccine. More Vets are offering this service. Discuss this with your vet & see if titer testing is an option for your pets.
Rescue Groups Demanding All Pets Be Current On Shots
If you adopt a pet from some rescue groups, they may want proof of ALL your current pet’s vaccinations. If you have educated yourself & have decided with your Vet not to vaccinate annually (or revac indoor kitties), please discuss this with rescue group or have your Vet write you a letter of referral. Never allow anyone to insist you revaccinate. Rescue groups just want to make sure the pets they adopt out will be vetted & cared for. Sometimes, this is their only gauge.
MEWSWORTHY SITES
"If you want to have a better dog," she announced with some contempt, "you will just have to be a better human."
I HAVE LEARNED… By Jim Willis
My animals have taught me to not see breeding, pedigrees, colors, physical or personality oddities.
They expect to be accepted for who they are and ‘improvement’ can only be accomplished through
love and encouragement.
They don’t assume or anticipate. They have no sense of elapsed time and they live for the moment. They respond to kindness and
they immediately recognize a loving spirit. They react to how they are treated and always respond appropriately.
They don’t judge and they forgive.
Their communication is natural and direct, without subterfuge or cunning, and every movement has meaning. They notice everything and live by their senses. They don’t rely on other’s opinions and they do nothing for the sake of appearances.
They respect their elders and would die for their young. They maintain a hierarchy for survival, not for prestige or arrogance.
They are good to themselves. They own nothing, accumulate nothing, and are rich in their simplicity
their needs are pure sustenance, and their love and loyalty are without restraint.
They do nothing to damage the Earth or threaten our environment.
As an imperfect human who respects their perfection, and that of all animals, I can only wonder if ‘dominion over the Earth’ was granted to the wrong species. And I consider it the supreme human arrogance to suggest that animals do not have souls.
How can we flawed humans claim to be the only species created ‘in His image,"
when by their very nature, they are surely closer to the Creator than we are?"
Purrever Ranch
(A Sanctuary For Senior Kittizens)
Summer 2005 Newsletter
Rescuing Bernie?
It was a rainy tuesday afternoon. I was completely exhausted from working 18 hour days &
decided to indulge in a glass of wine on the back porch & soak up the purrs & headbutts.
My dog, Arius, a rescued bouvier, had her huge head in my lap & my cat, Eros, was making biscuits on my arm.
Ah, rare peace at last. No animals in distress, nothing needing immediate rescuing.
Suddenly Arius began barking her "let me get it" bark. It was then I saw the lone baby calf bellowing
for help in my back pasture. I looked up at the heavens & thought, "NOT funny!"
Mama Cow was nowhere in sight so I made a phone call & found out it was my neighbor's runaway calf.
He would be there directly.
I grabbed our horse's lead rope & headed to the pasture & the baby calf. Suddenly I was Robert Redford--I kneeled down & began what I thought was calf whispering. Sure enough, the calf walked right up to me & began licking my hand with his huge tongue. My head doubled it's size, my ego inflated infinately. I was good. I could gentle anything.
There wasn't an animal I couldn't befriend. I was simply gifted.
I was standing there quite full of myself when my neighbor walked up with a bucket & called "Cmon Bernie"
He told me that Bernie was a big pet that he had bottle-raised & she was just a spoiled baby.
My head shrunk to the size of a penny, my ego deflated--a lesson learned.
I looked up once more at the heavens, smiled & realized I had just been rescued.
