In a few weeks, the population of cats will go up because of the Spring season. Many shelters will be bottle feeding rescued kittens. However, a warning needs to be put out to all shelters regarding milk replacement products.
A local animal shelter lost a litter of kittens to dehydration because the milk replacement product turned rancid.
Kittens 6 weeks old or younger without their mother should be fed on milk replacement products. The most popular one is called KMR. The product comes in a powder form where the package does not have any warning signs that say the product needs to be refrigerated. However, the powder can spoil without refrigeration. The company recommends that you sniff the powder in order to make sure it has not gone rancid, but there is no warning of such printed on the product.
Continue Reading Milk Replacement Product Goes Rancid
Milk Replacement Product Goes Rancid, originally appeard on LoveMeow.com
Cat: "nom nom nom.." Dog: "That's mah fud..."
Should cats eat dog food? Many people wonder about this question since many cat owners also have dogs. There are a few reasons why cat owners consider feeding their cats dog food:
1. Dog food is usually significantly cheaper than cat food.
2. Many cat owners have seen their cats stealing dog food and are confused if the food is right for their cats.
3. Dog treats come in more varieties and are usually readily available at most stores. Certain cat treats such as dental treats may not always be available at some stores.
Continue Reading Should Cats Eat Dog Food?
Should Cats Eat Dog Food?, originally appeard on LoveMeow.com
There are many human foods that are harmful to cats. That explains why we should take extra precaution during holidays or special occasions where cats are exposed to more human foods. However, many cats seem to have developed plant-eating tendencies on things such as broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, green beans, or even sprouts. Are they safe for cats to eat?
First of all, cats are obligate carnivores that should be fed meat for the largest part of their diet. Cats sometimes seek out and eat plants and grasses in order to alleviate an upset tummy or discomfort. Other times, they munch on greens to induce vomiting to remove hairballs. Some cats eat greens simply because of the taste.
Continue Reading Are Broccoli, Melon Toxic to Cats
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Are Broccoli, Melon Toxic to Cats, originally appeard on LoveMeow.com
Flickr: Captpiper
Though the economy has taken a toll on many families and their beloved cats, there is always help you can get to keep your kitties fed. Cats do not deserve to be hungry because of the economy. That’s why many non-profit organizations have stepped up to help including Cat Adoption Team that has been gathering generous donations from millions to provide food and assistance to low-income or unemployed cat owners.
Cat Adoption Team’s Cat food bank has provided more than 24,500 pounds of food to feed hundreds of thousands of cats in Oregon, US since June this year. They provide food for people who may not be able to afford pet food from the regular stores.
(Play the video below to check out Cat Adoption Team’s Cat food bank:)
Continue Reading Cat Food Bank Needs Your Donations to Help Feed Hungry Kittens
Cat Food Bank Needs Your Donations to Help Feed Hungry Kittens, originally appeard on LoveMeow.com
Corn has been a controversial ingredient in cat food for as long as I can remember. Do cats need corn? Why is corn a common ingredient used by so many pet food companies?
Before we start let’s look at cats’ digestive system. Cats have a much shorter digestive tract than humans, dogs and many other mammals. Food only stays in their system for a few hours compared to 24 hours for humans. Their digestive system is designed to consume a smaller amount of food that is highly dense and packed with energy, vitamins, minerals and so forth.
Cats’ liver is constantly working at a high enzyme activity which is perfect for a high protein diet. We are able to lower our liver enzyme activity when we consume low protein foods. However, cats cannot decrease activity of enzymes when fed low-protein foods. Also, cats are not equipped with the ability to break down the cell walls of vegetables and extract the nutrients from a plant. They require high grade protein to sustain their daily needs. This makes cats obligate carnivores and should only be fed on meat based foods.
Many companies use corn because it contains low grade protein which is much cheaper than muscle meat. Though many companies have figured out the technology to process corn so that cats can digest it or will not develop allergy, the protein is far from ideal. Since corn does not provide many important vitamins and nutrients such as taurine (found primarily in muscle meat), many companies fortify their products with artificial nutrients.
Some companies claim that corn provides amino acids or fatty acids in the cat food. But quite the contrary, corn lacks those important nutrients that our cats need. The rule of thumb is that if your cat food has corn (corn bran, corn germ meal, ground corn, corn gluten, corn gluten meal, etc) as one of the top ingredients, you should definitely avoid it.
Sources:
Why are cats described as “obligate carnivores?”
Amino Acid Profiles of Some Common Feeds
Image: sindykids
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