I have Daily Tips that pop up on Catster.com and every so often the comments get startling in their nastiness — both to me and others who comment. It was really discouraging since all we’re all trying to do is support happy living with kitties, right?! So I commented back to the commenters and got a lovely note from one who calls herself “Little Doll” when she posts.
Little Doll you are doing a great service to be taking care of so many kitties and I salute you. Here are some thoughts on how to make it easier and more affordable. Feed each cat on a small paper plate then no wash up, more sanitary actually. For the best food bargains you can go to PetFoodDirect.com and my website has the code — CATCHAT20 — to put in at the end for a 20% discount. You can get any brand on the planet, no dragging home heavy bags (UPS man does it all!) and often they have many choices on sale, which is how I do it for my dogs. If you have to use dry (for a variety of reasons) you’ve picked a quality brand so the higher the protein and a named protein source as the #1 ingredient, the less worrisome it is to feed dry food. But it must be without corn, wheat, soy,powdered cellulose (which is SAWDUST!!) etc. I like HALO because they use actual real meat, muscle meat, in their kibble which no other company does. Still, any kibble is bad for cats’ health because at the end of the day it is highly processed and carbohydrate heavy. As for listening to my shows, any chance you can download them from the online library onto an iPod or other device? I am a dope and don’t know how, but loads of people are doing it. I really appreciate your very kind words and hope you’ll have a chance to get THE CAT BIBLE at some point because I know it will give you even more insights and advice you can use. If you do get it, remember to send me your mailing address and a list of ALL your kitties names so I can send you an autographed bookplate to put in it — and a coupon for $20 worth of Cat Attract litter and a CD of my show about nutrition.
Thank you so much, Tracie. There’s a place here in Chico (CA) called Northern Star Mills that has some good prices on dry pet food and I will have to check out Halo. I did forward PetFoodDirect (I’m on their mailing list) to a good online friend of mine who has MS and it is very difficult for her to wrestle big bags of dry food home. My neighbor has a three-year-old daughter who has been fascinated by my cats for the last year and a half and it inspired my neighbor to adopt three kittens. She then realized how much commitment they can take and stopped there. I am, somewhat slowly, trying to educate her without preaching, which is difficult for me. The quality of pet food bought is one topic I’m working toward.
I do forward some tips on to a few of my friends who have cats and recommend Catster to cat people I chat with. The Cats room in Pogo Addiction Solitaire seems to be a special gathering place for cat people, more than any other room or game I’ve been in. Whenever I come across someone who is grieving over a lost feline friend, I recommend putting a memorial page on Catster. Also, there are many cat people at Care2.com and cat groups.
Thank you very much for your kind offer. I may surprise you someday by taking you up on it!
I am very sorry about the people who attacked you in comments on your Daily Tips. It was certainly out of the blue. I think these people feel threatened. Most people want to be patted on the back without doing the work. We often do things like putting in five inches of kitty litter in the box or filling the dry food bowl without even realizing why. Often, it is because the product itself recommended that amount. The more used, the better for them. Or maybe their parents did it that way, never stopping to consider that their parents might not have really known or understood about cats and then they have an emotional attachment to doing that way. The point is to get beyond that emotional reaction and reexamine the best way to do things for the animals we say we love, not for our own emotional fulfillment. Just because we did it that way it and it seemed to work doesn’t mean we can’t, in the light of new information, rethink our methods and try something different.
Actually, I think one drama queen had a knee jerk reaction which influenced a few other people, but I don’t think the majority of your readers feel this way at all.
I noticed that Comments are closed on the last couple of Tips. I hope this was your decision and wasn’t forced on you. Please don’t be discouraged, the presence of crazies actually means that you are being effective and getting somewhere. Certainly, you are being noticed.
Thanks for your kind words & encouragement — it means a lot. I did tell the folks at Catster about the out-of-control responses so they probably turned off the tap. Great to know you are out there!
Best wishes,
–Tracie Hotchner
The Cat Bible
