Jane in Lakewood, New York wrote me this simple note that was like a thunder clap for me – I can no longer reject dry cat food for each and every situation. Jane listens to CAT CHAT® and understands everything I have said about the harm of kitty crack. Nonetheless, she and her husband travel and live where there are no neighbors, much less pet sitters. The tone of her letter really got to me. Respectfully, she asked when I was going to “break my silence” and help guide someone whose lifestyle cannot accommodate canned food. The way she asked made me realize that no matter how “correct” I know my conclusions to be, that theories are one thing and real life is often another — and if I care as I do for the health and welfare of ALL kitties, then I cannot simply ignore the needs of those who want to do the right thing for their cats within the realities of their own situation. So here’s the email that rocked my world:

Tracie – I know your mantra about kitty crack. I listen you on Martha on Sirius. I inherited two cats when I married my husband but we cannot accommodate feeding canned food. We both travel for work and live in a rural area with no one to care for the cats while we are gone. I switched from Friskies to Iams and noticed improvement. They certainly eat less and have lost some weight. But I believe I heard you give praises to Halo pet food and am wondering what you think about the claims for their dry cat food? I respect your opinion and am hoping that you will break the silence on which dry food might be better than another for those of us that cannot accommodate wet food but are trying to do better for our cats. They are happy, healthy cats with no objectionable behavior. Thank you.

Hello Jane – this is for you! And all of those whose pussycats I have not been acknowledging, for whom dry food is necessary because they genuinely cannot make canned food an option for their cats. I have always said that it is the highly processed carbohydrates in all dry cat food which causes the health issues — and that remains absolutely true — but if circumstances require dry food, it’s time I told you what you’ve been waiting for: which dry food is best?

Jane is right, I have recently been singing the praises of Halo’s Spot’s Stew. In fact, for the first time I have chosen it as the DOG food kibble that is head and shoulders above the others and which I am now feeding to my dogs as part of their daily meals. And the reason for the tap of the “Tracie Wand” is all about ingredients. For dogs we want a kibble made with the cleanest possible ingredients and with as high a protein content as possible – with cats this goes double, since their digestive systems are not designed for carbohydrates and they need real meat. Well that is what makes Halo’s Spot’s Stew in a class by itself. The protein content of the dry food is 33%, on par with Wellness CORE (and below EVO) however here is the kicker: Halo uses only meat that is “fit for human consumption” in their foods. Halo has made a moral decision that they will only use meat that people could eat — no by-products, meals or any of the suspicious ingredients (which is where wheat gluten and melamine came in pre-pet-food recall) that can raise the theoretical protein content of a food on the label, but which can have origins that make the food indigestible to the pets (or not “bio-available”). As you’ve read in THE DOG BIBLE, the line on a pet food bag which lists the “crude protein” level can be deriving that number from good quality meat or “hooves, beaks and feathers and the manure clinging to them.” If you were a manufacturer and profit margin was your driving concern, would you go to the astronomical additional cost of using real meat “fit for a human dinner table?” Guess what: Halo made a company decision they would do just that — knowing they could actually bag a food claiming twice their protein level, but it would have meant going to some of the non-nutritious ingredients which are legally permitted and being used in a great many pet foods — but not doing the pets any good at all.

So the clear winner of any kibble out there is Spot’s Stew. Every bag is sealed with a company’s code of ethics, to do the best they can to nourish the pets of America. Honestly I am kicking myself that I didn’t learn this earlier, because I have three huge dogs who have been eating kibble as a portion of their meals without my knowing the difference between Spot’s Stew and other high-end brands. Also, it is vital that you know that a great many pet foods, which at one time were owned by a private company (like Halo or Weruva or Dr. Harvey’s or The Honest Kitchen still are) where there was personal pride and commitment to excellence and transparency — are now owned by multi-national corporations selling everything from soap powder to chewing gum. Dry food is the highest profit item in a pet food line and the best way to make more profit is to spend less on what you put inside the bag. So Jane – now that you have gotten me down off my high horse about dry cat food (with the thanks of many other cat lovers, I am sure!) may I ask that you either get a copy of  THE CAT BIBLE (and write to me so I can send an autographed bookplate to stick in it, inscribed to your kitties., along with some nice surprises) and/or spend time on my website www.TracieHotchner.com and learn some more about how to evaluate a pet food by reading the label and learning what those words mean. Even though you raised the level of your cat’s nutrition a little bit, you knew in your heart that you needed to find something genuinely preferable, which is why you wrote to me. So let me add that when you are home you need to please feed canned cat food, any of the flavors and brands on my website. At least your obligate carnivore will be getting some real, minimally-processed meat some of the time! Thanks again for pushing me to offer this advice.

A LITTLE DRY FOOD SOMETIMES

I got this letter from Margo, a CAT CHAT® listener I thanked for listening to me – and for hearing me! So now she has a small window of opportunity to give a little Spot’s Stew dry food, but only when absolutely necessary! Once again, even though a brand may show a high protein content, we have to consider the origin of that protein (Where did it come from? Can the cat’s body really utilize it as protein?) in making the healthiest choice for our kitties.

Hi Tracie – I spoke with you on Martha Stewart radio. I know you are a big proponent of wet food, but due to cost and lifestyle (ie overnight travel)… dry would be nice, an occasional addition, provided that it is not harmful to my kitties.

The EVO brand of dry foods says it contains no carbs and the ingredient list shows no carbs… do you think you might look into this brand? I still feed primarily wet, but if you think I should not even occasionally give them this dry… I will not.

Thank you!

The Cat Bible