But then I came upon a booth for SEER Farms Sanctuary from Jackson, NJ, and discovered a one-of-a-kind temporary home for cats, dogs and other pets. I discovered that this uniquely brilliant facility was created as a safe haven for the dogs and cats of people whose lives were in upheaval but who were determined to save their pets by finding a safe place for them until they could be reunited again. Folks going on military duty, those in financial distress (including home foreclosure), divorce, domestic violence, medical issues — you name it, any of the misfortunes or obligations that can befall people and put their pets in jeopardy, were all welcome at SEER Farms. You can be sure that I showered them with all the Halo treats I had left, knowing they would be put to extremely good use and appreciated not just by the dogs, but by all the volunteers who walk and play with the animals to keep their hearts light until their original families can reclaim them.

Please go to DogTalkTheRadioShow.com to listen to my recent interview with Laura Pople, who heads up SEER Farms, to hear the wonderful story of how many of these pets go back to their families (who pay a sliding scale fee to have them at the Farm) and the growing network of volunteers who come from all over to keep those pets well loved and cared for until their families are ready for them again.

–Tracie Hotchner

[P.S. SEER Farms Sanctuary also benefited from the incredible kindness of Dr. Elsey’s Precious cat litters, who sent a whole truckload of Cat Attract litter to help keep the hundreds of kitties at the Farm using the litter boxes, followed by a second donation of another huge pallet of litter this year. To learn what you might be able to do for SEER Farms (or how to create a similar sanctuary in your own area!) go to www.seerfarms.org.

One caller asked what sort of treats she should use for re-training her kitty. I said it needed to be a “high value” treat — one the cat would really make an effort to please you to get. I pointed put that an all-protein treat is preferable for cats since they are obligate carnivores and do best with real protein as their prize. I suggested that the person could use little bits of cheese or chicken but they are messy to deal with. I began to say there is a terrific line of pet treats made of freeze-dried real proteins, but before I could continue, Jackson Galaxy jumped in and said exactly what I was about to suggest: Halo Liv-a-Little freeze dried chicken, beef or salmon! “I love those Halo Liv-a-Littles,” Jackson said. ” I use them with all my cat behavior clients — on television and in real life.” He even went so far as to call out the brands he especially does not like (and we’re on the same page about that, too)!

I was so excited that of all the cat treat products available out there, someone whose life is all about cats like Jackson Galaxy would pick Halo Liv-a-Littles over all the others.

I was so delighted about the good nutrition advice he is giving his cat consulting clients, I offered to send him enough copies of THE CAT BIBLE to give to all the folks who were on the show in the first season (and maybe the folks at HALO will send him a few Liv-a-Littles to thank him for his good taste in cat treats!

This nice lady was so happy to “get permission” from the Food Police (me!) to continue sharing the Halo canned stew between her kitty and the Chihuahua. I’d love to have a picture of that dinner scene!

–Tracie Hotchner

Maile

I first purchased The Cat Bible because I didn’t really know a whole lot about cats. I learned quite a bit from reading it but I continue to learn as I use it as a reference. It only made sense for me to purchase The Dog Bible. It too, is seeing the same amount of use. I would love signed book plates to put in them. My dog’s name is Kaia. My cat’s name is Maile. I’m attaching pictures of both my girls. Maile is sitting by her favorite screened window (I check her screen every day). Kaia is just being cute. She is beagle/ Austrailian Cattle Dog. She has a very beautiful story. But really when it comes down to it… don’t they all?  Keep up the good work of educating others. I have a problem that Animal Planet in a story titled Five Ways Your Cat Can Live Longer suggests feeding dry food to the cat. Despite all that we know about cats being obligate carnivores and the dry food manufacturing process and carbs. Additionally, I’ve had first hand experience with AAHA. They recommended a vet to me that had been disciplined by the state vet board in 2008 and his license was put on probation of JAN of this year. He was on probation when I went to go see him. The only way I figured this out is that something didn’t feel right during the visit. So I went home and did the research and found out this information. I emailed AAHA and brought it to their attention. They forwarded my complaint to the vet. I have not heard anything else from AAHA. The vet is still up on their website as an AAHA accredited hospital (there is only one vet at that location). Whose interests do they have in mind?  Whose interests do they have in mind? Those are only two discrepancies that I know of. You know people see Animal Planet and they think it’s the know all of pet care. They don’t think of Iam’s dry pet food paying the AP light bill so they have to give bad advice. As a social worker, I knew I had to question the government but AAHA? I can’t even figure out where their pay out is. So it’s up to writers like you to put science and facts out there so as consumers we can make informed decisions and give us a starting point for discussions with our vets. If reviewing your books on Amazon will help you and will get the word out… then I’m on it. Thanks for writing such great books.

My name is Emma and I am in 6th grade. I am doing a Passion Project, and cats are my passion. I need to ask an expert some questions on cat behavior. I hope you have time to answer my questions. My cat is Angel and she is 17! Thank you very much for helping me.

Why does a cat like to curl up in a cardboard box when she has a nice fluffy bed?

Cats are quirky creatures who each have their own personal taste in what makes them happy. A cardboard box is a dark cozy place — it feels safe, like a nice hiding place, so might appeal more to a cat who enjoys her privacy and the feeling of security you get from being less out in the open.

Do cats get bored of the same brand of cat food? Do they ever get bored of homemade cat food?

Often just the opposite is true — cats are creatures of habit and usually do not like change or variety. Cats actually can get really stuck on one flavor and one brand of cat food. Rather than getting bored by the same taste and texture at every meal, they sort of get addicted to it and will refuse anything that is different — just because it is different! This is why I always recommend that people get a variety of flavors and ingredients in canned cat food.  Homemade cat food is a whole different story since you cannot safely make your cat’s food because it will lack taurine which is essential to a cat’s health, as well as not having the proper amount of fat (which is good for cats) and calcium. You can give snacks of real food and I don’t think any cat gets sick of surprise treats!

Why do some vets say we need to brush a cat’s teeth, when cats didn’t do that in the wild? Is there something they can eat that takes care of their teeth?

Please go to my website TheCatBible.com to read the blogs and Q&As about how dry cat food is bad for cats in many ways, but especially because it makes their teeth dirtier, not cleaner.  Dry cat food is sprayed with fats and flavor enhancers and can leave a residue on their teeth, just the way eating corn chips does on our teeth!  In the wild, crunching on the bones, feathers and fur of birds and mice keeps a cat’s teeth clean — at home you can use a small kitty toothbrush with cat-friendly toothpaste or a dental cleaning pad that you wrap around your finger and rub on your cat’s teeth and gums.

Is it OK if my cat eats catnip every day? We have some in our yard.

Eating catnip is a nice healthy touch for the digestive tract — like eating our salad every day — but you can buy little pots of wheat grass and other cat-friendly grasses that will grow on a windowsill and the cat can munch on when she feels like it. Not all cats respond to the “get happy, get crazy” effects of catnip, which is always dried before it is used in toys and treats. I don’t actually know if the fresh catnip has the same effect as when it is dried, but it certainly cannot do any harm

Good luck to you, Emma. I hope you get a gold star on your Passion Project and go on to include animals in whatever you wind up doing in life!  Hugs & kisses to Angel — 17 is a great age to be. I urge you to get her off any dry food immediately to keep her healthy for many more years. “Kitty crack” is my name for any dry food — and my website and book THE CAT BIBLE explain very clearly why this is true.

–Tracie Hotchner

Our 10-year-old male cat was diagnosed with diabetes last Monday. Since then we have been treating him with two units of Prozinc (protamine zinc) insulin. Last night Jack had difficulty walking and became extremely lethargic, from the literature that we have read we thought that he was hypoglycemia. So we started treating him with honey at around 2:00 AM when it appeared that he was worsening we took him to the emergency room. His glucose was 557, twelve hours later his glucose level 550. They are administering insulin via an intravenous drip.

He will spend tonight at the emergency facility and we will take him to our vet in the morning. If you were his Doctor, would you expect any improvement? I know that this is a difficult question not having seen Jack, but I would value your opinion.

I replied:

First of all, I am not a doctor, just a pet expert!

I am honored that you have sought my advice, but you need to turn not just to a veterinarian, but to one who is a board-certified veterinary internist — someone who has a big perspective and can work long distance with you and your own vet. Dr Donna Spector (CC’ed here) is the Official Second Opinion vet of both my radio shows and I recommend you contact her immediately to help you understand exactly what is going on with Jack and to make sure you know how to deal with it. It is so valuable to have a “veterinary detective” — which is how I think of internists! — who is aware of all the latest research and can support your own vet’s decisions or give you other ideas, too.

In your situation I would get in touch with her right away.

I can also urge you to go to my website www.TheCatBible.com to learn the dangers of feeding dry food, which is the only known cause of type II diabetes in cats. “Kitty crack” is a harmful and addictive product for obligate carnivores, who need canned meat only. My website has a printable list of Cat Chat approved flavors and brands.

Dr Elizabeth Hodgkins is the official Vet of Cat C hat and her book YOUR CAT is a valuable resource you should have on your shelf, too!

Good luck
Tracie

I posted this reply:

I can totally relate to issues of not enough space or not wanting every room to have a toilet! And I am really happy for you not having out-of-litter-box issues with only one box for multiple cats. I can promise you that generally speaking the best advice is to have multiple boxes in different locations (exactly because of a dominant cat like Stephen’s!) to avoid the nightmare of those out of box incidents which can escalate to your whole house being a litter box!) So if you only have one, keep the box meticulously clean and scoop more than once a day, because what’s working right now can deteriorate if dynamics change between the cats in ways you wouldn’t even know until it was too late.

–Tracie Hotchner

My cat Tortie has been tortured by children! As far as i know, she was forced in a plastic box and left for hours. There were many scratch marks inside and signs of struggle. Now all she does is scurry up next to my leg on the couch and pathetically curl up in a ball. She hasnt moved from the couch in almost 48 hours! Whenever I try to move her she crouches and eventually runs back up on the couch staying close to the ground. She doesnt like any treats and barely reacts to catnip. Is there anything I can do to excite her back into her normal self?

I replied:

I think THE CAT BIBLE will be really useful in understanding how to let a cat recover from traumatic situations. (Also, you would learn facts such as:  many cats don’t react to catnip at all.)  Couple of ideas: give her safe vertical escapes like a big study cat tree and also leave an empty book shelf and tack down something soft there for her to jump up onto. I highly recommend that you get a Feliway diffuser from your veterinarian — it’s a synthetic version of the  “feel good” pheromone that cats rub on things with their cheeks and can be really calming. If you do get THE CAT BIBLE send me your mailing address and I’ll send you an autographed bookplate to stick inside it inscribed to the kitty — or I can send you a copy already inscribed to her. In either case, along with a free coupon for $20 worth of Dr Elsey’s Kitten Attract litter!

–Tracie Hotchner

The Cat Bible

One of the most popular features of the magazine is the annual “Dry Dog Food” issue which includes descriptions of the ingredients and places of manufacture of all the premium dog foods that WDJ approves of (by a standard they explain).  It has bothered me for a long time that my own personal favorite dry dog food — the one I choose to feed my dogs as part of their meals — is not on WDJ’s list. The kibble I use as part of their meals (along with other and ever-changing additional elements of protein and vegetable) is Halo’s Spot’s Stew. I feed the Halo chicken, salmon and now the new lamb recipe, all in rotation.

Because I have become friendly with Nancy over this period of interviewing her, I had some topics I wanted to run by her off the air. In the course of doing so, I decided to raise my preoccupation that some of the finest dry dog foods are not included on her list — namely Halo, Purely for Pets, and other companies that have literally raised the bar for how dry dog food is made and been leaders in positively influencing how other companies make their products. Nancy Kerns explained (as she does in the WDJ) that if a company cannot make public where their foods are manufactured, she cannot include them as that is a prerequisite for inclusion. The companies themselves have explained to me that they have to protect their sources for ingredients and manufacture from other premium brands (as well as lesser-quality more commercial brands) that might try to take advantage of that information. So I understood that it is basically a stalemate and they won’t find themselves in that WDJ listing, despite being what I consider “stars” in the dry food firmament.

But then Nancy divulged an incredible bit of information: her aging, cranky, peculiar and very, very picky cat Shadow cannot live without her Halo dry food! I told Nancy that I recommend no dry cat food of any kind for cats because they are obligate carnivores and should be on a meat-only diet. I tried to give her my “No kitty crack!” lecture but Nancy said this cat would starve to death if she didn’t have access to her bowl of dry food — she’s that determined. Nancy explained that she does also feed some canned food to Shadow, but that if the cat walks by her bowl and does not see some Halo kibble in there, she screams bloody murder!  Sometimes she doesn’t need to eat any, she just needs the reassurance that she can see it in there!  How’s that for irony?!  Shadow the picky eater chose Halo as her favorite and “necessary” cat food and puts her little paw down demanding that it always be visible in her bowl or she has a hissy fit! (In a future blog I’ll write about how the Spirit Essence called Aging Gracefully actually toned down some of Shadow’s mania.)

I assured Nancy that for those rare people (like herself) who must put down some dry food for their cats, Halo’s kibble is the one I recommend because I can trust the quality of the ingredients that went into it: no by products, no meal, no artificial anything.  Ironically, this is equally true of Halo’s dry dog food — which may not be on that list of Whole Dog Journal approved dry foods but certainly deserves to be. Just ask Shadow!

As for The Whole Dog Journal, you will be doing yourself and your pooch a huge favor (or for a gift for a dog-centered friend) by subscribing to this publication the name of which makes me think of the phrase “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” Go to www.whole-dog-journal.com and get hooked up now before you forget!

–Tracie Hotchner

The Happy Litter Box Website

–Tracie Hotchner