I think you know by now how strongly feel about feeding cats only wet food, never dry, because they are obligate carnivores with digestive systems that struggle to deal with the highly processed carbohydrates of bagged food. Between my radio shows DOG TALK® (and Kitties, too!) and CAT CHAT® I thought I had heard every possible problem people have encountered in trying to get their cats off the dry kibble and onto wet, meat based food. And then I had someone call into CAT CHAT® (on Sirius/XM channel #110 live every Wednesday at 8 PM EST) with an entirely unique dilemma. She said her cat would only eat dog food — but a very good brand, Halo. I told her I agreed that Halo was a terrific kibble — and explained the coincidence that, in fact, Halo is the only bagged food I will feed my dogs as part of their meals. But then I began to explain that dry dog food is just as bad for her kitty as dry cat food when she interrupted me by saying, “No! My cat will only eat Halo canned dog food!” I asked whether she had tried the Halo canned cat food and of course she had — but the cat would only eat the dog’s dinner, which was Spot’s Stew in a can (the dog in question was a Chihuahua smaller than the cat!) After she explained that she had tried many premium canned cat foods — including the one Halo makes! — she gave up and divides the dog food between her Chi-chi and the kitty but was worried she was doing him some harm. I explained that while cats have a higher need for protein than dogs that she could sprinkle some Halo Dinner Party on the wet food to increase the protein content (it’s dehydrated pure chicken meat) or crumble some Halo Liv-a-Littles on top of the cat’s dog food, which is also pure dried meat. After that, I told her that the only missing element would be the taurine that pussycats need added to their foods — which Halo does in the cat version of their canned foods. Since the cat would not touch the cat food (which seems pretty nutty given that the products are made the same way) I recommended making certain that the cat gets her taurine by using a daily supplement like Platinum Performance, which supplies taurine (as well as some ingredients which can prevent joint issues and arthritis).

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

There are many by-products of meat and poultry in the human food chain which are delicious and nutritious — but these are NOT the ones used by pet food companies that admit to having “by products” in their food!  In fact, the quick way to determine whether you are dealing with a low quality food is to check if the word “by-products” (meat or poultry) appears on their label. This word has come to be associated with lower-quality dog and cat foods, many of which frequently use “by-products” as the basis of the protein content of their food — but when by-products appears on a label, especially near the top of the ingredient list, it means there is little to none of what we think of as protein (meat) and a whole lot of nasty ingredients you’d probably rather not hear about!

Where people are concerned, there are excellent “auxiliary” parts of animals in the food chain to nourish the body and delight the palate (if you are so inclined!).  Rustic French and Italian country cooking often features the organ meats or the parts of slaughtered cattle, pigs or chickens that were historically cooked inventively by poor folk: lungs, spleen, kidneys, thymus gland, brains, liver, and more. This country cuisine evolved from peasants who could not afford the finer cuts of actual meat and had to make do with all the leftover parts of the slaughtered animals after the wealthier people consumed the actual meat. A good example is the cow’s stomach, which is known as “tripe” and when eaten by people is called trippa alla Livornese when cooked by the Italians, or tripes a la mode de Caen when made by the French.

In theory, meat by-products in pet food could include many of these nutritious organs of the slaughtered animals, which people in Asia and Europe continue to eat, even when they can afford meat. In human cuisine, we think of by-products as typically anything except the actual flesh or muscle-meat of the animal.  However, the by-products that go into pet food are not these fresh, intact body parts of animals used for human consumption. By-products in pet food are whatever is left behind on the slaughterhouse floor after the muscle meat, organs and anything usable for human food has been processed.

In the case of “poultry by-product” in pet food, it is actually defined as “heads, feet and viscera, with an allowable amount of feces and ‘foreign matter.’” While chicken feet might possibly have nutritional value (another poultry body part sometimes found in “poor man’s” rustic cuisine, I doubt that you understood that the ingredients called “by-products” in your pet’s food included chicken heads and a “reasonable” amount of chicken manure and “foreign matter,” which is frankly too frightening to even contemplate and could be anything off the floor, including industrial waste.  Additionally, once by-products are destined for pet food, they can legally be handled with little care in terms of food safety and can be subjected to hot weather, kept in uncovered containers where flies can lay eggs, etc.

When the by-products (or expired meat, which comes from the supermarket to go into pet food still in its Styrofoam and plastic wrappings — which can also legally be included in the final recipe) reach the pet food factory, everything is thrown into a big vat for high temperature boiling to theoretically purify out all the contamination (and much of the nutrition).

In addition, many other sources of “meat” are often included in this “by product” concoction for pets – including dead animals removed from roadsides (“road kill”), farm animals that die before slaughter (usually from illness or disease), and euthanized shelter animals or privately owned pets that have been put to sleep. There is the problem with pet foods that once “by products” are introduced, all the ingredients in that recipe are then designated as “not fit for humans” then there is no attention to the cleanliness or “food safety” handling techniques and temperatures of these ingredients.

A big note of caution: by-products can also include the brain – which is one of the locations for Mad Cow Disease, which can be transmitted through consumption. This means that when you see “by-product meal” on a pet food label you basically want to take a detour. If you want to feed your dog nutritious organ meats, you’ll be best off getting it from the human butcher counter.

Myself, the only kibble I will feed is HALO because they have a strict rule that by-products will never find their way into the recipe.

Rebecca from Virginia wrote me this excellent letter about what she thinks is best for her pets and I really admire her passion!

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.

I got this charming email recently:

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

I got this message from Billie and Mark, which they addressed to “Dr. Hotchner.” While I am humbled to be trusted by my listeners, I recommend that anyone with a troubling medical situation turn to the Official Second Opinion Vet of my radio shows, Dr. Donna Spector (link to her website is www.SpectorDVM.com).

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

Catster.com often posts Daily Tips from me and whenever there is one about food, things heat up! (http://blogs.catster.com/cat_tip_of_the_day/2011/02/28/how-much-food-does-a-cat-really-need/#comments) I just LOVE when the feeding topic gets everybody energized! There are a few different issues raised here so first I urged everyone to go to my website TheCatBible.com and read some of the lengthy blogs and Q&A’s on the topic of cats being true obligate carnivores who should eat ONLY a meat-based diet with no more than 10% carbohydrate content. They also should NOT be grazing and eating continuously– their short digestive tracts and the fact that they are hunters whose bodies are built for feast and then rest is essential to feeding them correctly. The dry food industry has us all brain washed into thinking otherwise.

Once you create a “kitty crack” addict — they will have non-stop cravings for unhealthy carbs (dry food, any dry food) and need to be re-educated about having 2 satisfying wet meals a day. For TERRI who is a truck driver this can be a challenge — someone to come in and give a second wet meal would be great, but my website also has answers for this particular situation. For MIKE and other feral cat feeders, dry is usually the most economical and practical way to go. Those cats would starve otherwise. For CAROL and ROBIN who are feeding a huge family of cats, wet feeding requires large cans of food, paper plates (if you don’t want to wash 12 saucers!) and teaching patience at feeding time. Again, I suggested checking out the huge amount of free advice on my website, or calling into CAT CHAT® any Wednesday night so I can personally help solve individual situations. For BETH, I certainly accepted her apologies for having strong feelings against my advice, but it’s so important to me that everyone come to understand that cats cannot get fat on wet food fed in two meals a day. They will actually lose weight. It’s the constant snacking on highly processed carbs that their bodies are not designed to digest that causes obesity, diabetes, kidney problems and a host of others. TONI: It’s such a shame your cat was able to become an ex-kitty-crack user and then you got him back on it. BERNADETTE you are right about how well Maggie has trained you to give her Halo Liv-a-Littles! But that is really healthy for her because Liv-a-Littles are pure dehydrated chicken, beef or salmon and just the quality protein that a cats body really needs! The truth is that if she only eats protein snacks and wet foods, and no dry at all, she will eventually settle into the 8-10 lb. range and be very healthy. Many compulsive eating cats have gotten that way from carbohydrate addiction and once they get an all-protein diet, with only 2 meals a day, they eventually chill out. Remember that you can always use a fishing pole toy instead of giving a treat!

–Tracie Hotchner

What a wonderful life Jane has given Jaco – but he’s still a lonely kitty.

Thank you for taking my message.  I have a most loving, wonderful 6 year old cat.  He is now an only cat, living in our 1850 house in Haddam Neck, Connecticut.  His humans are me and my husband, we have never had any children and our house is quiet.  We have busy jobs, but Jaco is rarely alone for more than 8 hours.  He has lots of toys, I play with him often each day, and he has access to our screened in porch where he watches birds and squirels.  About six months ago, he started to pull his hair on his groin area, and he has increased the pulling over a large area of his body.  When I first got him, we had another older cat named Taj.  Taj tolerated Jaco at first, but ended up sort of liking him and they ran each other around the house amusing each other.  They seemed to always want to be at least near each other.  When Taj died at 19 years, Jaco had an adjustment to being the “only” guy.  He changed, and seemed OK.  He stills seems OK, but he is very skittish, hides when people visit, but is loving, sits on my lap, loves to play, is very snuggly guy, the most snuggly guy I ever had.

I am starting to think that perhaps he needs or wants another cat to share his hours with.  I don’t know if that will cure his hair pulling, but I just want the little guy to be happy.  I feed him only dry Evo food because I haven’t caved in to his refusal of moist food.  He never wanted moist food, another strange thing, I always had cats that loved wet food!

So, I appreciate your insight.  Thank you for everything you do.
Jane

I need you to call into CAT CHAT® please!! This Wednesday or any Wednesday night. You MUST get him off dry food — it will change his life, his personality and his longevity I think his behavior changes are around grief & loneliness for Taj and yes, the right new cat would be a terrific companion for the fantastic life you are already providing him. I think the Spirit Essence “changing times” rubbed inside his ears and drops on his new WET FOOD!! will help him emotionally, too. Go to the Spirit Essences link on my website and say you are a CAT CHAT® listener and get a 5% discount. My book THE CAT BIBLE and Dr. Elizabeth’s book YOUR CAT would be a great addition to understanding the nutrition importance of getting off any “kitty crack” and onto a real meat diet — and to understanding his emotional states. Thanks for caring for him so wonderfully- and caring about him so much

–Tracie Hotchner

The good people at Weruva kindly forwarded this email they got about their new line of food made just for PETCO called Soulistic. I was really gratified to know people are learning about the less expensive alternative to Weruva. I love the ingredients of Weruva (and I deeply respect a company that has resisted making any dry food because they know it is bad for cats and have heard me call it “Kitty Crack” so many times) but many times I have felt conflicted recommending it because it is pricey and out of many peoples’ comfort zone for their budgets. So here is what Amy wrote:

Thank you for the SOULISTIC version of your food offered at Petco at an affordable price! I have purchased WERUVA for my cat, and heard about your SOULISTIC product offered at Petco by Tracie Hotchner on CAT CHAT® on MARTHA STEWART RADIO.  Thank you!  But I have only one wish: I use the small cans for my cat (1/2 can per meal) but my plastic can covers don’t fit your cans!  Do you know of a can cover available to fit your cans? I know it sounds petty… but the can covers are so much more convenient!

And David Forman, who owns Weruva, wrote her back:

Thank you for the email to Weruva/Soulistic and support of our products. You live in Natick, Massachusetts, home of our corporate headquarters! We love Tracie, and we are pleased to hear that you are a listener to her show. Yes, there is a cap that fits our 3.0 oz cans. It is called Kitty Kap, and it is available at one of Tracie’s favorite places to shop… Pet Food Direct. Here is a link to Kitty Kap, and if you use MYCATCHAT (thanks to Tracie) as a coupon code at checkout, you can get 20% off.

Martha, a dedicated CAT CHAT® listener on her way home from work every Wednesday,  said that if she called in and waited on her cell phone she would be in a “dead zone” by the time I got to her. So she wrote me instead with a question about Greenies:

I love the information on your show and I tell people all the time about avoiding “kitty crack” and vaccinations. I have 5 cats – one older than 20, another 15 (he is the one with the thyroid problem), an 8 year-old, and two who are 17 and 16 months old. I also have 3 dogs: 2 Pugs and one Akitalab.

I have found a web site for pill pockets that my vet suggested to give a pill to a cat who isn’t too happy about it! The only company I’ve found that makes them is Greenies… from what I remember they were very bad for dogs, with claims that they brush the dog’s teeth when chewed?  But my question is whether they are okay to give a cat? My cat has hyperthyroidism and we have to give him pills for this as neither surgery nor the radioactive iodine is an option.

So I checked with Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins, the Official Vet of the show, and she said that the pill pockets are not that bad. They have a very small amount of sugar and they do work well for cats that are difficult to pill. But Dr. Elizabeth wants to know whether you are feeding dry food? (My website has loads of blogs and Q&As and especially about the harmful effects of feeding dry food, which is known as Kitty Crack around here, as you probably know by now!). She wanted me to ask Martha why your vet says that I131 is not possible? Dr Elizabeth said, “Chances are, your vet is just wrong. If you don’t know why your cat can’t have the treatment, you NEED TO ASK. I know you everyone has heard this tirade from me before, but pet-owners deserve information, not just patronizing one-liners from their vet as though they are too stupid or not deserving of actual detailed reasons for decisions the vet is making on their pet’s behalf. I want to know WHY this cat cannot have the I131. Chances are Martha needs a second opinion, unless her cat has serious renal failure already. She also needs to read my chapter in YOUR CAT on hyperT as I discuss (and criticize) many vet’s views that you cannot treat cats with early CRD with I131.”

So Martha, if you call in to CAT CHAT® and say to my engineer Jimmy “It’s Martha and I cannot stay on hold,” I promise he’ll move you right to the top of the list and I’ll interrupt whatever I am doing to help you.  That radioactive treatment is a lifesaver- no more pills (which you have to increase over time, too) and a total cure. You should try to find a “cats only” vet (listed on my website under veterinary care and see whether you can get a treatment and forget all about those troublesome pills!

Tracie

I haven’t had a chance to announce on the air that the good folks at Weruva have come out with a less expensive but very high quality line of foods called BFF — Best Feline Friend — that is low-carbohydrate and human grade, as is Weruva itself.  The difference is that BFF is fish-based (the only way to keep up their high quality standards and keep the price lower) but while fish is not a good idea as a cat’s only protein source, using it intermittently is just fine. Saves you money and gives them a taste sensation! But you can see that Mimi beat me to the punch and reminded me to tell everyone about BFF. Right now PetFoodDirect.com is having a 20% off sale on BFF and if you add the CATCHAT discount of 20% that is pretty darn great savings!  Your cats are surely thinking, “WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!”

Hello Tracie, I saw photos of my kitties Chloe and Johnny girl on your website and just wanted to thank you so much for the goodies and signed bookplates you sent for The Cat Bibles — I may have to give my sister and niece their Xmas gifts early!!

Also I ordered two cases of Weruva cat food using the catchat coupon code… thanks for the 20% discount.  My three kitties are transitioning over to all raw plus canned food from an all-dry diet.  I can already see a difference in their coats.

I have attached the email response I received from Weruva Cat food folks. I noticed the BFF label and Weruva both had the same address and inquired as to the difference between the two brands. Thought you may want to see their response below.  Just FYI in case you didn’t already know.

Thanks for all your shared wisdom. I know my Kitties and I appreciate all you do for us.  Sincerely, Mimi

Here’s what David, the owner of Weruva/BFF replied to Mimi:

Thank you for the email to Weruva/BFF. Yes, we make both brands. We created BFF as an additional option for both stores that carry our products as well as consumers who may be looking for something different. The BFF price at pet stores is less than Weruva as the raw materials used are different, yet the quality of BFF and the manner in which BFF is produced is no less than Weruva. We just use different raw materials that we source less expensively.