I got this appeal from Dee in North Carolina — the length shows how attentive she is to her pets’ symptoms and how aware she is of dangers and nutritional issues too — a really great owner!

One of our cats, a 2 year old neutered male named Pumpkin (picture attached), has not been eating well the past few days. He’s one of three cats (two boys and one girl, all siblings) who each eat a normal 5.5 oz can of wet cat food (Friskies) twice a day — totaling 6 cans/day– and the only one not eating the food. We have a variety of flavors so I thought it was a specific one and changed which one he was eating. Still not interested… Would try to take some bites but then walk away. His urine and fecal movements are okay and we do have water down for them, too. Out of frustration and desperation to get him to eat, I cooked up some ground beef and he’s had about 1 C worth over the past 24 hours. Also ate a vienna sausage (I use those to give my12 year old dog a daily pill — gave him one without a pill obviously), and some baked ham so I know he’s hungry. Turned up his nose to some turkey gravy (also opened up a can of this out of desperation), but I’ll try him on some chicken tomorrow — still frozen.

Fur feels kind of oily like it gets when they are sick but not overly oily — he’s normally a very soft (almost angora like his sister) and fluffy kitty. I had been adding in the oil of one fish oil capsule to the boys’ food as they were having a bad time with flea dermatitis (their sister doesn’t like the fish oil at all) so I’ve stopped that for the meantime. He’s really not changed behaviors, just a little sluggish at times. Just gave him some more hamburger and he’s happy — I’m just glad he’s eating! What else should I give him besides chicken? He’s the known butter thief in the family too — but I’ve had it locked up and he can’t get to it (room temperature butter for spreading on toast — locked it in the cabinet above the toaster).

I’ve also attached two pictures of plants I’ve recently brought into the house when these freezing temperatures descended upon us last week. Nearly killed my huge Aloe plant and HUGE Macho fern (forgot them on the front porch — we use the carport for going in and out), two bridal veil plants (dark green pots), and my jasmine plant which I had in the back yard in full sun. Not sure if he’s chewed any of those — though the aloe is suspect as it was weeping for a bit when it thawed out (and STUNK! I need to trim the bad leaves off now), and he did play a bit with the macho fern (likes to play hide and seek under it). I do know someone or all three of them have been munching on my artificial Christmas tree as I’ve seen urps with that stuff in it on the floor. Nothing like more cleaning of carpets…

We have recently changed (in Nov) all of their flea meds from Frontline to Advantage and I’ve seen such a DIFFERENCE in their skin. They’re not breaking out anymore! We’ve been vacuuming (which the vet’s tech — their daughter — said activates the hatching of the eggs with the vibrations) every other day and cleaning the carpets with HOT water every two weeks to keep on top of it. The cats are indoors only but we have the large dog (1/2 Boxer- 1/4 German Shepard 1/4 Labrador Retriever) and our daughter’s year old Australian Terrier who do go in and out. We do try to remember to spray the yard during the spring and summer but it’s been a very tough season here in the south for fleas.

I do wish we could afford the Weruva and Vectra for the cats and dogs but we also have a horse (5 year old American Quarter Horse, sorrel/chestnut, named Buster) so our pennies are stretched out very thin for animal upkeep, and my husband will be retiring from the Army this next year. I don’t work, do homeschool our youngest daughter, and we have a wedding for our eldest daughter next year to pay for in October. Her dog and horse will go with her too–so then I could possibly afford the Vectra. which I’d like to invest in as we live in a very sandy soil area (“sand hills” of North Carolina). I’ve also looked into the cost of making our own cat food and have found the supplements I’ll need online — just need to buy a meat grinder and find who has the best prices for the meat. That will be a gradual transition, too. Until then, bonuses of homemade meat balls once in a while are given to all of them (they like them raw and I don’t add anything to them).

There were a couple of things I told Dee when she called into CAT CHAT® that night (she doesn’t have SiriusXM satellite radio but I told her anyone can call the toll free number 866-675-6675 between 8-9 PM EST any Wednesday night!) First, I think something is definitely up with Pumpkin — his greasy fur and change in appetite is a big tip off so I think a vet visit is need for a physical exam and blood work. Secondly, while I understand financial constraints, the science behind Frontline is 17 years old so it is markedly less effective than Vectra, which has been formulated and newly developed with the newest technology and research. Also, Frontline is now sold over the counter and on websites and there is no quality control and no way of knowing you are getting a genuine product (there are a lot of websites selling fake product), even if it is less effective than Vectra! (many people find it stops working after about 2 weeks so they put on another application which is really unsafe and unhealthy since it is a 30-day product, even if it does not work effectively for that long). The really awesome Christmas Stocking Stuffer news is that Dee is going to get some complimentary Vectra for her kitties from Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins (the Official vet of CAT CHAT® who is now the head of Vectra’s Veterinary Services — congratulations Elizabeth!) One reason why is that Dee knows about Vectra from me, would want to choose it over any other brand, and has budgetary concerns right now — we know she’ll one day be able to be a loyal and satisfied Vectra customer for her dog and kitty cats!

Lastly, if she wants to make food at home it needs to be chicken-based and the grinder she gets must be capable of grinding whole chickens, bones and all, with added organ meat. Beyond that, she is going to need to supplement with Platinum Performance for a fully balanced meal (taurine, etc.) and overall health benefits (Dr. Elizabeth and many vets I know suggest all their dogs and cats are on Platinum daily, as are my dogs and mini-donkey and my husband and I!) so there are monetary considerations in all this, too!

Here were Dr. Elizabeth’s comments on Pumpkin:

The Friskies is not a bad alternative to dry food if the owner can’t upgrade to whole chicken or similar. The Platinum only costs 5 cents/day/cat so that really shouldn’t be an issue. Unfortunately, I doubt that cold weather is affecting this cat’s appetite. Hot weather can, but generally cats will eat more during cold weather. She doesn’t say how old this kitty is but I suspect there is something medical going on and if it persists, she will have to take him to be examined as it may be serious and it will be cheaper and easier to deal with the earlier she acts. The change in the fur is also troublesome so I think unless he snaps out of this soon, a vet visit is in order.

Here is a comment about Pumpkin from Dr Donna Spector, DOG TALK® and CAT CHAT® Official Second Opinion Vet (www.SPECTORDVM.com):

While the decreased appetite does happen to some cats… I wouldn’t necessarily want to just chalk it up to that. I took a look at the picture and he is looking a little greasy/unkempt. Being a young cat… they can get into a lot of things… sometimes GI foreign bodies look like this, pancreatitis, dietary indiscretion, etc. These are the questions I would ask of a client: with the holidays… do they have tinsel up or other decorations that he might have nibbled on? Does he have access to the tree / tree water? I once had a 3 year old cat who ate so many pine needles from the Christmas tree he was impacted from the stomach up to his mid-espophagus. No vomiting… just didn’t want to eat. So this isn’t necessarily something like that… but this can be a digestively stressful time of year… any parties? People who fed fatty treats? New treats recently?

I don’t think trying a different brand of food is a bad idea and in the short term (one or two weeks) she can home cook for him… especially if he is sick (like with a pancreatitis, etc) the very best thing would be lean meats she cooks at home. Sounds like he liked the burger she gave him and he actually ate a decent amount. But I think she needs to get the vet sooner rather than later.

Thank you to my wonderful veterinary colleagues who are so swift and generous with their time and knowledge! And wishing good health to Pumpkin, of course.

UPDATE: Pumpkin Pulled Out of It!

I was so happy to get this message back from Dee in North Carolina — who was ready to take Pumpkin to the vet, but was very glad not to have to!

Last night Pumpkin came and slept with us, something he’s not done in a very long time. This morning he ate an entire can of food (gave half with the others at breakfast and then the other half about an hour later), and again this evening he just ate a full dinner without any problem. His fur is feeling and looking almost normal again. Whatever it was it has passed (of course I was praying for him, too . I’ll still continue to monitor him and will call in tonight as promised.

I am so thankful for this gift of Vectra! Honestly it is a true surprise as I was not expecting anything but a suggestion of what to feed Pumpkin, etc. I am truly thankful to both you and Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins for this unexpected but very welcome gift.

We have two vets we use. One is the vet clinic on the Army base (Fort Bragg) where my husband is stationed and retiring from and they only carry Frontline for the cats. I take the cats there for their annual shots, but we can’t do much beyond regular check ups and minor things there. I can pretty much say it will be a no go for the military to add Vectra to their clinics — they’re extremely tough to get things changed there.

I will look into the Platinum Performance supplement Dr. Elizabeth mentioned, and the fish oil was normal human fish oil by Sundown Naturals (1000 mg). Obviously I have listened to you about fish oil but thought this would be as good as Nordic Naturals and even more obviously now I have a LOT MORE to learn! My cats have been off “kitty crack” since March and I will look more into what would be best for them at the level that I can afford. If it’s staying with Friskies then so be it unless there is something better out there which is better and pretty comparable in price. I can say our cost for cat, dog, and horse food/litter/meds is pretty expensive each month, but I love them all as I do my children. They are my furry children! I’ll be calling in tonight, I promise. Thank you, again, for all of your generosity and helping me get them on the right track.

I replied:

Dear Dee — It was terrific that you called into CAT CHAT® tonight – wonderful to get to know you in person! I have three things to straighten out for you which I didn’t have time for on the air.

1)   The vet on the base is WAY “OFF BASE”! No cats should be getting annual shots of any kind — holistic vets and health-conscious vets of any kind have known for years that yearly vaccinations are unnecessary and possibly harmful. The AVMA (which is the organization all vets belong to) has a stated policy that vaccines should only be given every 3 years (although many of the more educated vets would say that is often overkill for many pets). So you can save some money and definitely some potential harm to your kitties right there!

2)   WERUVA, my favorite cat food, is definitely costly because of the very high quality ingredients it contains, but they also make BFF (Best Feline Friend), a less costly yet high quality cat food. Both these foods and even the Friskies your other kitties eat and many brands both value-priced and premium can be found at my newest sponsor www.PETLFOW.com! With a minimum $60 order you will pay NO SHIPPING even for litter (all the Dr Elsey Precious Cat litters are there and imagine how nice to not have to lug them home but let the UPS man bring them without charge!) Simply put dogtalk (one word) in the code box at checkout and you will not be lugging stuff home from the market anymore! Also, Petflow.com carries the kibble I feed my own dogs — HALO — which I’d love you to try because you can feed less of it because of the high quality of the real meat they use to achieve the protein level. The brand you have been using was recently part of a pet food recall and instead, I’d love to see your dogs getting the highest quality nutrition from a company that does no advertising and instead uses that money for charitable contributions through www.Freekibble.com (you should sign up for their daily quick quizzes — it’s seriously fun and HALO food is donated even if you get the answer wrong!).

3) Other fish oils are definitely NOT like Nordic Naturals — for you, or your pets. There is no comparison between the seriousness with which the Norwegians treat their oceans and responsibly choose the fish they will use for their omega-3 oil — it is a country with a centuries old tradition of making fish oil in a safe, sustainable and healthy way. The oil is filtered with the highest level of care and is third-party tested for purity — one of the worst things you can put in your body or your pet’s body is oil that is tainted with pollutants or has become rancid, both of which would do more harm than good. So please get Nordic Naturals — you can puncture one capsule and squeeze a few drops on the cat’s paw each day to lick off — for the dogs, each pet capsule is dosed for 20 lbs of dog, so feed accordingly. If you are going to make the really good decision to include the anti-inflammatory and overall health benefits of omega-3 fish oil in your diet and that of your pets, an important use of your resources is to make sure you have a really fresh, pure product or it’s better not to do it at all (but I do definitely recommend doing it!)

–Tracie Hotchner

I got another negative comment about Thailand as a location for Weruva’s food production and it discourages me that Americans are so incorrectly convinced that everything American is necessarily better — and everything from anywhere else (especially the continent of Asia) is automatically under suspicion. I have written a number of blogs explaining this and urge everyone to please take the time to read some of the blogs I take time to think through and write and post here. First of all, products from China are worthy of your suspicion and history has shown they should be avoided whenever possible. But Asia is a very large place, and Thailand is a highly regulated and civilized country. We all need to work together to improve the lives of our pets and the products we offer them. A fantastic company like Weruva is working TWICE as hard as any other company to make sure that human grade ingredients go into their cat food — which is made in a human food facility — and is made to the MUCH higher EU food safety standards – so they need to be applauded. Here is the posting that just went up on my blog at the tail end of another posting.

Bought the “Paw Lickin’ Chicken” and 3 of my pets have thrown up and have diarrhea. I can’t say it’s from this food, but strange that 3 would have same problem after eating. I read the label again. Noticed the small print says “PRODUCT OF THAILAND”. WHY is the food from Thailand? Is it processed in Thailand?? This really concerns me. Why can’t they make in USA?? From my research, it’s very difficult to prove products are really processed to safe standards OUT OF USA even though claim. I’m not happy about this. Won’t buy again unless they use USA food & process in USA… and even have to be careful with USA commercial foods!!

Okay, so here’s what I need to say to this person: many pets have digestive disturbances when they go from an all-dry diet to a wet one. This also can happen when they go from an inferior canned product to one that has a higher protein content and real vegetables, like Weruva does. So if this is the case, it means the cat’s digestive system needs to be introduced to this superior food slowly — add it in small increments to the cats existing diet. Go slowly when changing a cat’s diet — and make sure the cat eats slowly. Sometimes cats who are giving up “kitty crack” can wolf down the wet food so quickly it comes right back up, so you need to feed very small amounts at a time (like 1 teaspoon every few minutes).  As for this person’s “research,” he can rest assured that the food safety standards in the U.S. are definitely a challenge both to people and pets so choosing a food made according to the more strict EU (European) standards means you are getting a food made more safely. And it is made in a human food facility – American pet foods (except for a small handful of companies) are made from the rejected food from the human food chain and are regularly contaminated and also may contain no meat at all, only bones, beaks and feathers.

–Tracie Hotchner

A nice lady name Marsha called into Living Today during my regular 1 PM time there on Wednesdays and was concerned about giving a quality food to her Australian Shepherd who had only one kidney. I cautioned her to give only the highest quality food without chemicals in it and said that WERUVA’s ingredients are without hormones and antibiotics. She dropped a note to Weruva and got a quick reply from David, who is always a gentleman and right on top of things:

Hello,
I spoke with Tracie today on her radio show. She suggested that I order some of your chicken dog food. I do not live near any stores that carry Weruva. Can I order online or by phone. I have a 10 year old Aussie that has a kidney removed in May. I have been feeding Blue Wilderness. Tracie told me it had been recalled and to try your food.

Thank you,
Marsha

David replied:

Thank you for the email to Weruva and interest in our products. We are sorry to hear about the issues with your dog. Yes, our product can certainly be ordered online through a number of our online retailers. Please check out Pet Food Direct. Here is a link to the Weruva dog food page: http://www.petfooddirect.com/Product/9304/Weruva-Paw-Lickin-Chicken-Canned-Dog-Food

Weruva is not only on sale, there is a coupon code for an additional 15% off (it says today only). As you may know, it is always best to slowly transition a dog from one food to another. Our food is good in the fridge, if sealed properly, for 4 days. If you are feeding twice a day, then you can divide the one can over 8 meals. During each meal, you can gradually increase the food. Again, thank you for the email…best of health and happiness to you and your Aussie! BTW…We love Tracie!

Best Regards,
David Forman
President and co-founder
Weruva Because Weluvya!

And I would add that there is a 15% discount code on my website for PetFoodDirect.com for all my listeners — which I got specifically so that everyone had access to Weruva, actually! [Webmasters note: Try code CATCHAT20] But I’d like to also tell you that you can get pouches of the most delicious hormone-free, antibiotic free chicken (in a pumpkin carrot soup) packaged by Weruva for Proportions .com — either as part of their 3-course meal plan (with a serving packet of dehydrated human grade vegetables and fruits) and a serving of the kibble of your choice, or get the chicken by itself in convenient pouches. If you want to try a free sample of a couple of Proportions meals, go to Proportions.com, fill in all the information about your Aussie and put my name, Tracie, in the code box to get it free of charge. In whatever way you get your Weruva food, it’s all uniquely “clean” food without chemicals or artificial ingredients, which is extra important when your dog has only one kidney to do the job of filtering the system. Good health to you!

–Tracie Hotchner

Author Laura Jacobs (who came on my show www.AuthorsOnAnimals.com on NPR) with her book The Bird Catcher) has three Ocicats she would do anything for — but she didn’t know the “kitty crack” story. She did feed canned food but said her cancer-survivor Jasper was on a different diet:

Jasper is on a bland diet of Feline ID for life and it’s just one flavor, so we give him some chicken to keep him from getting too bored.  But I confess that at dinner we do give them a few small kernels of dry food/crunchies alongside the wet because we were told it was good for their teeth.  Is that not alright? Also, thank you for the info on health insurance — I’ll look into Pets Best.

So I replied:

I have to give you the serious “kitty crack” talk! You can either call into CAT CHAT® or go on www.traciehotchner.com/cc/ or thecatbible.com and put “kitty crack” in the google search bar on my site and find out the need to get into kitty rehab and go 100% clean.  A little “crack cocaine” is still a harmful addictive drug for people — so is kitty crack for cats. And to make matters worse, dry food also contributes to dental disease, not the opposite. The prescription diet foods use such low quality ingredients and with such a high carbohydrate percentage that is it criminal, in my opinion, to use them for ill pets.

Laura replied:

I checked out your the posts on your website.  The reason Jasper was put on a bland diet is because he had a bout of pancreatitis two years ago.  But I’m happy to try to change him over to Weruva if you think that’s the right thing. He just can’t have anything fatty.  FYI the supplements he gets are 3G fish oil, Lysine, DMG (an immune booster), and co-enzyme Q-10.  Also, a few drops of Vitamin E at dinner.  Veronica and Henry get Wellness wet.  How do you feel about that?  I bought a small can of Weruva today and checked out the percentages.  The fat percentage is 1.2 compared to Feline ID’s 4.0.  So Weruva has LOWER fat than the ID.  I’m thinking I should start transitioning all three cats onto Weruva.  We can easily not feed the cats hard food.

Dr Elizabeth’s comments on all this were:

This diet is unnecessary. I/d is full of rice. Not the worst Rx diet but none of them are worth a dang. She can feed Wellness or any other quality canned that he likes and can also feed raw or cooked meat to supplement. Platinum Performance supplement added besides as well. Poor guy has suffered enough! She doesn’t want a lower fat diet, as you and I discussed at Petco last year (note: Elizabeth & I did a video in a Petco store in California about cat food). She can give extra fat in the form of meat that has fat if she feeds a low fat canned food.  Even if this kitty did have pancreatitis, that is not caused by or exacerbated by dietary fat. For supplements, ALL she needs is PP. She should pick up a copy of my book YOUR CAT for more depth of explanation. This is just another example of the ignorance of veterinarians treating cats like small dogs.

I had the wonderful author Laura Jacobs (The Bird Watcher) on my show Authors on Animals (www.AuthorsonAnimals.com) recently and gave her the whole “kitty crack” lecture — she thought her cancer survivor Jasper (she has three Ocicats) needed to be on a prescription diet, but Dr. Elizabeth & I talked her down off that ledge.

Laura wrote back with happiness:

Thank you so much for all your great advice — especially at dinnertime. I started the kids on Weruva and they LOVE it.  I’m so thrilled for Jasper that he now gets to eat what the others are having.

I felt so terrible — I got terribly swamped with email and for months didn’t get around to writing Lori in Culpeper Virginia who had 13 kitties and wanted to know whether Giant foods cat food was made by Weruva (it is! The fish flavors, anyway). So I wrote and asked whether I might send her a gift for her patience of a coupon for $20 worth of Precious Cat litter and an autographed bookplate to put inside her copy of THE CAT BIBLE, if she had one. So here’s what she wrote back:

Thanks so much for the reply. I figured you get so much mail that I probably wouldn’t get an answer due to sheer volume, so this is a nice surprise!

I have noticed the Giant Naturals has been on sale for some time and am a bit concerned they are going to stop carrying it. But yes, I am definitely going to get as much as I can in the meantime! It’s good to know it’s actually good for the kitties, too!

Sadly, we lost one of our cats since I wrote you. Cindy got feline leukemia, even though she had been vaccinated. We are very fortunate that no one else caught it from her. So, we are now at 12 kitties. Yes, I’d be honored to have the autographed bookplate and the cat litter coupon! Thank you so much! We go through a lot of litter, as you might imagine, and Dr. Elsey’s is my favorite brand.

I also want to thank you for the catchat20 code which I use frequently at Pet Food Direct. I don’t know what I’ll do if that code every expires! It has been a lifesaver for us.

Thanks again for all you do for pet owners!

Gratefully,
Lori (and Snickers, Shanequa, Mama Kitty, Addie, Fannie, Willie, Pepper, Toonces, Spike, Angel, Greta, and Kimmy)

Can you imagine that? Lori had to wait so long she actually lost a kitty during the time between emails! And poor Cindy, even though vaccinated she got leukemia — such sad luck. I was happy to see she is already a Dr. Elsey’s customer so she knows how great all his litter products are — she’s not kidding when she says she goes through a lot of it! Anyway, she was so gracious to forgive me for the delay and be grateful, anyway — she let me off the hook! Plus, she can now stock up on the Giant fish cat foods knowing they are made by Weruva, so the quality is assured.

–Tracie Hotchner

UPDATE:

Awww Tracie, thank you for that.  That’s wonderful.  And a nice memorial to our beloved Cindy.   But you are too hard on yourself!

Thank you again,
Lori

P.S. I think since I wrote you that original email, we finally got all the cats spayed and neutered.  It was a long and expensive process, but what a huge relief to have it done!

Here’s a great question about whether Weruva makes private label food for a big supermarket chain – so I learned something in the process.

I am writing in hopes you can help me feed my 13 cats as healthy as possible on a small budget.

My cat adventure began almost three years ago. A feral cat started coming on the property, and she was so small and skinny that we felt sorry for her. We began to feed her. Well, she started having kittens. Litter after litter. We now have thirteen cats, thanks to “Mama Kitty”.

After much effort, I am happy and somewhat proud to report that we have gotten 12 of our cats spayed/neutered and intend to get the last one done very soon! As you might imagine, this has been a very expensive process. We got the Humane Society rate at our local vet, but it is still close to $250 for each cat, with shots/tests included.

We love each of our cats very much and want to give them good healthy food. Unfortunately, the name brand premium foods that are recommended are very expensive. I noticed in your blog you mentioned that Petco’s Soulistic food is made by Weruva. We don’t have a Petco very close by, but we do have PetSmart. Do you have any idea who makes their Authority brand food? The ingredients look OK, but I have no idea if the meat is human grade or if the food is very high quality. I also have gotten Giant brand Naturals, and my cats love it. When I look at it and smell it, it appears to be very much like Weruva’s Best Feline Friend food. The ingredients are almost identical. Could it be that Weruva supplies Giant with their Naturals brand, too?

If you have any information on these or other “cheaper” store brands, I would really appreciate it. I am desperate to do right by my kitties, but I can only afford so much.

Thank you for all you do for pet owners and our furry friends!

-Lori in Virginia

Hey Lori,

Thanks for asking because you taught me something I did not know! Weruva DOES make “Companion Naturals” for Giant brand markets – they make the 3.0oz tuna based cat foods. There may be more Companion products from other producers — but Weruva makes the tuna ones. Remember that Weruva uses the smaller bodied Skip Jack tuna — that does not have the same health risks as the large tuna – but still fish should only be part of your cats’ meals about three days a week.

In reply to your other question, you can get Soulistic from Petco.com and on my website there should be a discount code you can use which the offered because I have been a spokesperson for their Natural section of the stores.

–Tracie Hotchner

Dear Tracie,

I’m thrilled that the Weruva has resolved my cat Leo’s struvite crystal situation.  However, for the last 3-4 months he has been biting the tip of his tail and chewing on his paws.  The vet thinks he possibly has a food allergy to chicken, and offered steroid shots.  To give Leo some immediate relief the vet gave him one shot.  I do not plan to continue a course of steroids.

I also switched Leo to a limited ingredient diet on March 14th, feeding him Instinct’s rabbit, venison and lamb.  There is no chicken or chicken liver.  He did really well until last week when he started over-grooming and biting his tail and paws again.

I apply Advantage flea control every three to four weeks. I was hoping the change in diet would help, but he seems to have the same allergy symptoms. I would love your advice on what other things I can do to help him.

Laura

Here’s what I think is going on:

Leo needs omega-3 fatty acids in the form of fish oil. Nordic Naturals is my favorite because of its purity and freshness — it comes in pet capsules and you can puncture the capsule and squeeze a few drops on his paws every day for him to enjoy & lick off. These omega-3 oils are anti-inflammatory in general plus they nourish the skin at a cellular level.

You are so right to avoid the steroid shots — it creates a horrible cycle of dependence on them and it solves nothing — only deals with the symptoms and creates problems of its own

Food allergies are extremely rare and sorry to say I hear of vets who blame chicken all the time and then give shots — without any proof of why the animal is suffering — it’s ridiculous! I think you may still have fleas — one flea bite can create a terrible itchy reaction and the biting and scratching can cause more irritation.

The product you are using is based on older technology and cannot compare to Vectra for cats — which is far superior because it is the newest technology and kills off all 3 life cycles of the flea — which can live in your environment for years unless the life cycle is ended. Plus, it works efficiently for a full 30 days so there is no longer any reason to buy a product that you have to reapply too soon because it isn’t working anymore! Please go on my website and see the page about Vectra so you can figure out how to ask your vet to carry it. Otherwise, you can go to your nearest Banfield Vet Clinic — which has Vectra made for them under the name First Shield. This product is available only through vets, never online, to protect the quality and safety of the product.

P.S. About the crystals — to avoid them forming again you want Leo to drink as much water as possible — which cats are not inclined to do, especially if getting such good nourishment. So you have to make the water really tasty! In addition to giving my favorite canned cat food, Weruva, I urge you to buy a canister of ICE PUPS (just ignore the name!)  from the Honest Kitchen.  It’s finely ground chicken & herbs which dissolves in water after you stir it around and makes it really delicious. So you can put half a teaspoon in a shallow bowl of half a cup of water and see if you can get him to slurp up some of that, too! You can buy Ice Pups (and the new Honest Kitchen treats called Wishes, which are freeze dried little fishes!) from www.K9Cuisine.com, which despite the name carries Weruva and a whole lot of great cat treats. With a minimum order there is even free shipping.

Let me know how everything goes!

Dear Tracie,

You are so kind!  This is great information.  I Googled Banfield Vet Clinic and there is one near my house, so I’ll definitely check out Vectra flea medicine.  I’ve been wondering about Advantage since I noticed that it wasn’t particularly effective.  The kitties keep scratching and biting even after I apply it…. so I concluded their issue must be food allergies (thinking the product was killing the fleas).

I’m going to switch back to Weruva since they absolutely love it…. they eat rabbit and lamb, but they are not really crazy about it and they are still biting themselves.  So… sounds like nasty fleas.

I’ll pick up some Ice Pups…. I’m sure they’ll enjoy another treat.

And then I sent Laura a few more thoughts from me (since I cannot be stopped)!

I think you’re going to see a big improvement over time with the Nordic Naturals omega-3 fish oil, which is a natural anti-inflammatory that helps the skin and should also reduce their itchiness over time.

Goody gumdrops on getting Leo back on  the Weruva! The Vectra is a lifesaver AND MUST BE USED MONTHLY YEAR ROUND because fleas have a long life cycle (most of it invisible to us) and they are always looking for their next meal.

–TracieHotchner

Hi Tracie:

I have been a listener of your Cat Chat® show for many years, & I also have your book The Cat Bible. I received an email the other day from you & it mentioned your new food.

I drove about 12 miles to buy it & I bought many of the different flavors, but when I read the can at the very bottom, it says, “product of Thailand”.

I was very surprised because I thought it also says it is produced in a human facility. I thought it was made here in the USA.

Thank You,
Patty C.

So glad you got in touch so I can help clear up this frequent misunderstanding we Americans have about whether what is produced in other countries is good — or inferior to our own products. I think we all need to keep in mind that China is a country whose products have proven over and over to be either suspicious or dangerous — but that does not hold true for the rest of Asia by any means. Thailand, in fact, holds itself to the much HIGHER European standards. Plus it’s important to note that Weruva is made in a human food facility (which makes many of the foods eaten in restaurants across America). Once you know that, you can feel a whole lot better about letting your kitties enjoy Weruva. And rather than driving 12 miles, you can order Weruva from PetFoodDirect.com and get a special discount as a Cat Chat listener. Use discount code CATCHAT20.

I used my site’s Google search box to find a previous Blog I did about Weruva and the Thailand connection, so please take a moment to read this, too.

Best,
Tracie
P.S. if you’d like an autographed bookplate inscribed to your kitty to put into your THE CAT BIBLE please send your cat’s name & your mailing address and I’ll pop it right in the mail.

The Cat Bible

Hi Tracie,

I’m thrilled that the Weruva has resolved Leo’s struvite crystal situation.  However, for the last 3-4 months he has been biting the tip of his tail and chewing on his paws.  The vet thinks he possibly has a food allergy to chicken, and offered steroid shots.  To give Leo some immediate relief the vet gave him one shot.  I do not plan to continue a course of steroids.

I  also switched Leo to a limited ingredient diet on March 14th, feeding him Instinct’s rabbit, venison and lamb.  There is no chicken or chicken liver.  He did really well until last week when he started over-grooming and biting his tail and paws again.

I apply Advantage flea control every three to four weeks. I was hoping the change in diet would help, but he seems to have the same allergy symptoms. I would love your advise on what other things I can do to help him.

Thanks!
Laura K.

Laura -

Here’s what is going on:

Leo needs omega-3 fatty acids in the form of fish oil — Nordic Naturals is my favorite because of its purity and freshness — it comes in pet capsules and you can puncture the capsule and squeeze a few drops on his paws every day for him to enjoy & lick off. These omega-3 oils are anti-inflammatory in general plus they nourish the skin at a cellular level.

You are so right to avoid the steroid shots — it creates a horrible cycle of dependence on them and it solves nothing — only deals with the symptoms and creates problems of its own

Food allergies are extremely rare and vets blame chicken all the time and then give shots — without any proof of why the animal is suffering – it’s ridiculous! I think you may still have fleas — one flea bite can create a terrible itchy reaction and the biting and scratching can cause more irritation.

The product you are using cannot compare to Vectra for cats — it is far superior because it is the newest technology and kills off all 3 life cycles of the flea — which can live in your environment for years unless the life cycle is ended. Plus, it works efficiently for a full 30 days so there is not reason to have a product that you have to reapply too soon because it isn’t working anymore! Please go on my website and see the page about Vectra so you can figure out how to ask your vet to carry it or you can go to your nearest Banfield Vet Clinic which has Vectra made for them under the name First Shield — this product is available only through vets — never online, to protect the quality and safety of the product.

About the crystals — to avoid them forming again you want him to drink as much water as possible — which cats are not inclined to do, especially if getting such good nourishment. So you have to make the water really tasty! In addition to giving my favorite canned cat food, Weruva, I urge you to buy a canister of Ice Pups (just ignore the name!)  from the Honest Kitchen — available online if you don’t have a premium pet store near you. It’s finely ground chicken & herbs which dissolves in water after you stir it around and makes it really delicious. So you can put half a teaspoon in a shallow bowl of half a cup of water and see if you can get him to slurp up some of that, too!

Let me know how everything goes!

–Tracie Hotchner