FNES - The Feline Nutrition Education Society
Gavick News Image I
Everything You Know is Wrong!
Indeed everything you know, at least about commercial cat food, is wrong. Today, our cats are fed a diet so inappropriate for their nutritional needs that we risk their health and lives. And most of us never realized this for the simplest of reasons. Shouldn’t we do what we are told regarding our pets’ health? Shouldn’t we trust our vet? The simple and misleading answer is yes. But. That is actually the wrong question, and part of how we got ourselves into this situation. Most of us were never actually told anything. We just did it. We lead busy lives. We make many decisions about many things.
What is Raw Feeding, Anyway?
Many of you may have never heard of raw feeding cats before. Not that long ago I hadn't either. At first I was very dubious. Isn't it dangerous to give them raw meat? I found out that, no, raw food isn't bad for cats, it's better for them. We want to show you why. All cats, small or large, are true carnivores, obligate carnivores. This means they must eat meat to survive. Cats cannot be vegetarians. Because they evolved to fill this top predator niche, their bodies are specifically geared for processing a prey-based diet. This is as true for a tiger as it is for the cat on your lap. Raw feeding is a way to try to feed cats a more natural diet.
Fake Food and Its Consequences
Just about eight years ago, I had a mighty sick cat on my hands. My gentle-tempered orange tabby had been unwell since he was a kitten. Six years into his life, I was thoroughly exasperated and struggling to understand why it was that this well-cared for, amply loved creature had relentless diarrhea and low energy. I'd lived with and loved cats before, and I had what I thought was a pretty impressive library of cat care books. I did everything my vet suggested, forking over whatever I had to for quality "prescription formula" food and waiting impatiently for him to improve. My vet seemed to be trying very hard, but described it like this: the ailment that my furry
The Many Benefits of a Raw Diet
"Raw meat is the natural food of the cat, and is really the 'gold standard' of diets for any obligatory carnivore." Elizabeth Hodgkins, DVM From Your Cat: Simple New Secrets to a Longer, Stronger Life. Besides giving you the peace of mind of knowing what is in the food you're giving your cat, the benefits for your cat are many: Improved digestion Greatly reduced stool odor and volume Healthy coat, less shedding, fewer hairballs Increased energy Weight loss (if overweight) Better dental health Better urinary health Improved Digestion Cats are obligate carnivores, they must eat meat. Their digestive systems are adapted specifically for a meat based diet.
Diabetes and Obesity: Preventable Epidemics
Today, the cat is the favorite house pet in the United States, at least if your definition of "favorite" is "most numerous." The cat has outnumbered the dog, the previously "most numerous" pet species, for a decade or more and this trend shows no signs of reversing itself anytime soon. Those of us involved in any of the pet care industries or professions know very well that we are seeing more and more well-cared-for felines, belonging to people and families that are intensely bonded to their kitty family members.
Transitioning Your Cat
Transitioning your cat to a raw diet is something that the majority of us will have to do until the time comes when people grab a kitten from its mother's teat and start raw feeding from the beginning! But in the meantime, it's a major issue in the raw feeding movement. This step-by-step approach, and patience, will work for nearly every cat. Kittens, of course, need no transition; they take to raw food like ducks to water! Special kitten food is not necessary. They eat the same food as adult cats, just more of it and more often! Kittens need about twice as much food per ounce of body weight as an adult. All that growing to do!
Easy Raw Feeding for the Busy Person
Fortunately, there are now many easy raw-feeding choices for the person on-the-go. You know, most of us! In stores and on the internet, you can purchase frozen complete diets, plain frozen ground meat/bones/organs and pre-mixed supplements that you just add to raw meat. Here are the pros and cons of the choices you have. There are a number of raw food producers making quality food for cats (and dogs). We list some here, but there are many others. This option is probably the most convenient (just thaw and serve), but can be more expensive, and gives you the least control over what ingredients are used.
Raw Feeding
What is Raw Feeding, Anyway? Many of you may have never heard of raw feeding cats before. Not that long ago I hadn't either. At first I was very dubious. Isn't it dangerous to give them raw meat? I found out that, no, raw food isn't bad for cats, it's better for them. We want to show you why... Read more Raw Feeding | Margaret Gates | Monday, May 18 2009 |
Diet and Disease
Fake Food and Its Consequences Just about eight years ago, I had a mighty sick cat on my hands. My gentle-tempered orange tabby had been unwell since he was a kitten. Six years into his life, I was thoroughly exasperated and struggling to understand why it was that this well-cared for... Read more Diet and Disease | Anne Jablonski | Friday, May 15 2009 |
Welcome to FNES!
Everything You Know is Wrong! Indeed everything you know, at least about commercial cat food, is wrong. Today, our cats are fed a diet so inappropriate for their nutritional needs that we risk their health and lives. And most of us never realized this for the simplest of reasons. Shouldn’t we do what we are told regarding our pets’ health? Shouldn’t we trust our vet? The simple and misleading answer is yes. But. That is actually the wrong question, and part of how we got ourselves into this situation. Most of us were never actually told anything. We just did it... Read more Ashley Stephen Root | Friday, May 22 2009 |
Features
Transitioning Your Cat Transitioning your cat to a raw diet is something that the majority of us will have to do until the time comes when people grab a kitten from its mother's teat and start raw feeding from the beginning! But in the meantime, it's a major issue in the raw feeding ... Read more Features | Margaret Gates | Monday, May 11 2009 |
Opinion
When a Vegetarian Feeds Raw I came to raw feeding strictly by accident. I had a cat named Kitty who showed up at our house one day. She was strong and healthy, ate birds and mice, and we decided we would adopt her. We brought her inside, vaccinated her and fed her kibble... Read more Opinion | Lee Ellis | Saturday, May 23 2009 |
Latest Blogs
The Latest
Most Read
Get the Flash Player to see this player.
Get the Flash Player to see this player.
Focus
- 0
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
prev
next
Raw Food For Do-It-Yourselfers Homemade raw food gives you the most control over what goes into your cat's food, and is also the most economical. It takes a little time and some equipment, but it's worth it! Equipment Grinder. You ... Read more |
Spooked By Salmonella: Raw Food! Your first thought when considering a raw diet for your cat may be "Isn't it dangerous?" Feeding a raw diet is not risk free, but neither is a diet of processed commercial pet food. I would consider a commercial dry ... Read more |
Cystitis and Bladder/Kidney Stones Cystitis and stones are extremely common in the cat and can be very painful and life-threatening. Cystitis can lead to inappropriate urination (urinating outside of the litter box) and stones can cause a fatal rupture of the b... Read more |
Reading a Pet Food Ingredient Label This is where it gets tough. The current labeling system for pet foods is seriously lacking in usable information. The "guaranteed analysis" numbers that you find on a can of food simply gives a wide range of the levels of wat... Read more |
The Serious Dangers of Dry Food "I have never seen a single case of serious obesity, diabetes, urinary tract disease, or IBD in a cat fed meat instead of commercial dry foods. Many other people have seen the same results. Further, I do not see nutrition... Read more |
The Many Benefits of a Raw Diet "Raw meat is the natural food of the cat, and is really the 'gold standard' of diets for any obligatory carnivore." Elizabeth Hodgkins, DVM From Your Cat: Simple New Secrets to a Longer, Stronger Life. &nb... Read more |
Carnivore Digestion and Inflamatory Bowel Disease The digestive system of a carnivore is very simple. Unlike herbivores and omnivores, cats lack salivary amylase used to initiate digestion of dietary starches. Their jaws have limited side-to-side motion (necessary to grind fo... Read more |
A Proper Diet For a Diabetic Cat "Feline diabetes is not the natural fate of hundreds of thousands of pet cats world-wide. It is, rather, a human-created disease that is reaching epidemic proportions because of the highly artificial foods that we have be... Read more |
What is Raw Feeding, Anyway?Many of you may have never heard of raw feeding cats before. Not that long ago I hadn't either. At first I was very dubious. Isn't it dangerous to give them raw meat? I found out that, no, raw food isn't bad for cats, it's bet... Read more |
Easy Raw Feeding for the Busy Person Fortunately, there are now many easy raw-feeding choices for the person on-the-go. You know, most of us! In stores and on the internet, you can purchase frozen complete diets, plain frozen ground meat/bones/organs and pre-mixe... Read more |
Free Feeding – Not a Good Idea Cats are not cows. That is an obvious observation but why do so many cat owners feed their cat as if it was a cow or other grazing animal? I'm talking about free-feeding, leaving a bowl of dry food in front of the cat all day.... Read more |
A Brief History of Commercial Pet Food How did we end up feeding corn to cats? Like most people I never really thought much about cat food. It came in cans and bags, and always had, right? After doing a little research, I found out that the whole idea of commercial... Read more |
Everything You Know is Wrong!!! Indeed everything you know, at least about commercial cat food, is wrong. Today, our cats are fed a diet so inappropriate for their nutritional needs that we risk their health and lives. And most of us never realize... Read more |
Fake Food and Its ConsequencesJust about eight years ago, I had a mighty sick cat on my hands. My gentle-tempered orange tabby had been unwell since he was a kitten. Six years into his life, I was thoroughly exasperated and struggling to understand why it ... Read more |
Proper Feeding from Pottenger's Cats The findings from a ten-year feeding study of cats conducted a little over 70 years ago by a doctor in California reveal that feeding cats raw food had a dramatic and positive impact on their health and well-being when compare... Read more |