Just wanted to send you a Thank You for The Cat Bible. I've been looking for a good book of info on cats for some time and found yours. Most books are so old I don't know why anyone would purchase a book that hasn't been updated in years ... oh well. Anyway, I've been tossing around the idea of raw food for my two rescue cats. The more I read about Kitty Krack the worse it got. I have a natural pet food store in my area and discussed the options with the owner. I bought several cans of wet food and a starter pack of the raw food.

My kitties ate Innova Evo dry for several years, got canned on weekends for a treat, so the transition hasn't been difficult. My one cat will eat the raw if mixed with the canned, the other won't. I think raw is a good way to go, but I also feel for me, it just isn't going to work as easily as the wet canned. I use the high quality canned that is mostly meat and they love most of it. I will continue to mince in the raw until that is gone.

Quantity is the most difficult part of this transition. How much? 3oz seems like an awful lot of food at one feeding, so, as you suggest, I let them eat their fill in 30 minutes then remove the food. I know that the wet isn't as good as raw, but for our situation it will work and I truly believe that my cats will live a more healthy happy life because of it. I have a friend who has a Diabetic cat and the problems that cat has are almost unbelievable, and the cost. I don't want that to happen to my darlings. They both had tough lives on the street, and the least I can do besides giving them a loving home is to feed them right.

Thanks again for your wonderful book, I've even taken out insurance on my girls. I hadn't before because the Vet's office said most pet insurance wasn't worth the money. After both kitties had different bouts of illness and I spent $800 in about 3 weeks at the Vet, I learned my lesson.

My biggest fear is that my one cat Page received the 3 year immunization that Vet's don't give anymore because they found a higher incidence of Cancer because of the immunization. That just drives me crazy and really convinces me that too much immunization is not a good thing. I worry for her all the time, but not much that can be done now.

Thanks again for all the great info in your book. I was at Trader Joe's today and told the store manager that their cat food was mentioned in your book, they thanked me and said that was good to know.

Betty, Page and Butterscotch ^..^ ^..^

Dear Betty,

So nice to hear from you and know that THE CAT BIBLE is giving you pleasure and information - that means so much.

About the food - a good canned food is just terrific and don't feel you have to go raw - maybe you'll do it once in a while for a treat (www.FelinesPride.com will have it delivered frozen right to your door.) And mixing it in is a wonderful solution.

Quantity is just as I said in The Cat Bible, and the short window of opportunity to eat it. What you're doing sounds just right. - whatever the cat will eat in about 15 minutes, twice a day. Let your cat decide - and when making the transition from dry food, some cats experience actual "carbohydrate withdrawal" from being on the Kitty Crack, so it takes time to find the quantity that will satisfy them and that amount may diminish over time.

I am really happy and relieved that you got pet insurance - and humbled that you took my advice. I do hope that the company you picked was Pets Best, and not just because of the special extra 10% discount they are offering my listeners and readers. The other reason is that many pet insurance companies pay very little and very slowly on every bill - I have found the response time at Pets Best is blazing fast and you have contact with an actual human being who explains the process! If you did not get Pets Best please reconsider, because my advice is only true if you're dealing with a company looking to protect you. Any insurance company has to repay you for the unused time, so if you only recently signed up to a company other than Pets Best, you should consider canceling, getting a refund and switching your pets over because which insurance company you use makes all the difference.

As for the immunization, done is done, no sense brooding about it. They still don't know what caused the cancers at the injection site, but now it's time for you to make a new plan that once the cats reach 3 or 4 years old they will not get these vaccinations anymore. You want to look for a vet - preferably a cats-only vet - who supports avoiding any more immunizations.

Take care,
Tracie