Are You Abusing Your Cat?

By Ike Lowe

Do you do it out of ignorance?
Please allow me to educate you. This article could very well upset you but I urge you to read it in its entirety because your cat's life hangs in the balance.
The first thing you must understand is that the physiology of cats is very different from humans. Humans are omnivores - meaning that our bodies are well designed to digest fruits, vegetables and meats. Our bodies have long digestive systems therefore our bodies can extract nutrients from fruits, vegetables and meats and benefit from them.
Cats are obligate carnivores their bodies have a short, acidic digestive tract. Their bodies are well suited for digesting raw meat but they have difficulty digesting fruits, vegetables and processed carbohydrates. Prolong use of fruits, vegetables and processed carbohydrates will cause your cat to develop food related illnesses such as; diabetes and irritable bowel disease also known as IBD.
The commercial cat food companies sell large amounts of the cheaply produced, bagged dry cat foods. Cat caregivers purchase this food out of convenience and after viewing misleading ads produced by the commercial cat food companies. Their ads make you think that such things as; fruits, vegetables and large amounts of processed carbohydrates are beneficial to your cat.
When you enter a supermarket or other places that sell cat food and you see bags of cat food with fruits and vegetables on them, this gives you the false impression that since fruits and vegetables are good for humans, then they must be good for your cat. But this is a wrong and dangerous belief.
This is the same as taking a human that's been a vegetarian for many years and changing his diet to a strict meat-based diet. This would wreck havoc on his digestive system. It will cause constipation coupled with deterioration in his health and a premature death.
You do the exact same thing to your cat, an obligate carnivore, when you feed him/her foods their bodies were never designed to digest. Feeding those fruits, vegetables and processed carbohydrates is wrecking havoc on their digestive system and as a result, they are dying prematurely.
Although the commercial cat food companies are responsible for perpetrating these false beliefs on an unsuspecting public, you have the responsibility of ensuring that your cat's food is nutritional.
The commercial cat food companies do it for money. They are part of a multi-billion dollar, mostly unregulated pet food industry. You do it out of love for your cat. I know you really do believe that by feeding your cat what the commercial cat companies tell you is nutritional - is right but that is not true. Do you really know what goes into a bag of dry cat food?
Your cat could be a cannibal without you knowing it. Yes, dead dogs and cats have been known to find their way into pet foods. It is not uncommon for pet food companies to use the four D's (dead, dying, diseased, disabled) animals.
The four D's can include road-kill (dead animals found on the side of the roadways), euthanized animal from Veterinarian clinics, dying circus animals and ill farm animals that are not fit for human consumption and other animals that are riddled with cancerous tumors. You will find these ingredients listed on the bag as meat meal, animal digest, animal by-product or meat by-product.
It's as if the commercial cat food companies thought that the aforementioned toxic ingredients are not enough because to exacerbate the situation, they add known toxic preservatives.
In order to extend the shelf life of their foods, they use such deadly preservatives as; Ethoxyquin, BHA and BHT. All these preservatives have been linked to kidney and liver failure in cats.
How can any food that sits in a hot warehouse for twelve to eighteen months be considered nutritional?
It's time for you to break the strangle-hold the pet food companies have on you and your cats. You need to take control of their diets and stop feeding them foods that are harmful. This is not a difficult process. The one thing you must be cognizance of is the fact that cats are carnivores. They should be fed a meat-based diet and by doing so, you and your cat will have many years together.
About the Author: Ike Lowe, Researcher and Cat Nutrition Expert is avid about and writes extensively on proper cat nutrition. His unsurpassed nutritional knowledge boldly comes alive in his riveting must read book. "21 Nutritious Cat Food Alternatives the Commercial Pet Food Industry Hopes You Never Discover" He goes for the juggler of the commercial cat food industry exposing the horrible truth about the toxic ingredients causing premature cat deaths. Get the facts on proper cat nutrition and prevent your cat from a premature and painful death. click here http://www.whatiskillingourcats.com
This is a win win for you and your cat.
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Tags: cat, cat food, treating cat, training cat

How Safe Are Dog and Cat Vitamin Supplements?

By Dr. R.J. Peters
If your pet needs to take vitamins, or other dietary supplements, how can you be sure they are safe and effective?

It's the same question asked of human supplements, and just because they are approved by government agencies doesn't necessarily mean they are safe for a particular individual.

The same is true for pet products, but there are certain major differences when considering safety factors.

1. Probably the greatest concern arises from the fact that pet supplements have not been tested adequately. Very little data can be found in this area.

2. Only three nutrients are mentioned in the scientific papers at this time, namely, lutein, garlic and evening primrose oil, and then only in regard to dogs, cats and horses.

3. Studies to date have shown that certain supplements that are safe for humans are not always safe for animals. For example, garlic has not been proven safe for all animals.

4. So far, it has been difficult to study these products, because there are no systems in place to evaluate them. There needs to be a way to quantify dosages, active ingredients, and what's known as "adverse events," or, side effects.

5. There is little to no regulation in the animal dietary supplement manufacturing industry.

6. It's much more difficult to evaluate the more subjective aspects of a particular product. In other words, we can't ask a dog if he feels more energetic than he used to, or if he thinks he's sleeping better now.

7. There have been no studies of sufficiently large numbers of animals to identify any patterns of change or improvement in any area, except perhaps for obvious changes, such as coat condition (shinier, smoother, less shedding) or observable behaviors, such as irritability. Still, such changes cannot be claimed as significant without larger, controlled study groups to evaluate.

While there have been few, and inadequate, studies of pet supplementation by government agencies, such as the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), there have been many studies conducted by independent researchers. However, these have been criticized as biased or unscientific by the scientific community, and many of the same concerns as listed above apply.

What can you do to ensure your pet receives supplements that are safe and effective? At this time, the burden falls to the pet owner to do the homework. Consult with pet nutritionists, many of whom are veterinarians who have focused on these concerns and have their own clinical studies on which to base opinions.
To learn about one such independent study and the products that were developed from it, please visit http://www.everypetmatters.com/recommends/dogsupplements.html

Dr. RJ Peters also recommends exploring books and other materials on the subject. To get you started, visit http://www.theproblemcat.com/books.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._R.J._Peters

Tags: cat, cat food, treating cat, training cat