On to today's blog post!
We have 6 cats. You can read all about them here if you're so inclined, as well as the story of how we ended up with all of them! I am a little cat obsessed;) My poor wife ended up with 3 by default when she met me and then, together, we adopted another 3, and I am completely to blame. I can't bear to see a helpless, homeless cat! She's drawn the line now. I can't get anymore sadly. I understand why. They aren't cheap and, because they are our children, it is going to start getting more complicated than it already is, if we adopt more.
They DO take up a huge part of our lives and I wouldn't want it any other way! I love seeing all their little furry bodies lying all around the house and garden when I am home and with 6 of them, you're never short of a cuddle;) I miss them horribly when we go away. Every cat very much has their own personality and that makes for an interesting life. They have a little hierarchy going as well and that means a couple of them get terrorised constantly. They're all needy and yet all independent in their own little ways and it certainly keeps us busy. Getting any more would be even more of a challenge.
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| Our room becomes a cat obstacle course when the sun shines through our french doors;) |
I'd started to notice that my older cats just seemed totally devoid of energy. They were losing more and more weight and all they did was sleep. Now, some might say it was because they were old but I had a cat when I was growing up, who lived for 20 years! So I KNOW 13 isn't old. Our little "differently-abled" cat, Blue, who is missing her back paw, was steadily gaining body fat despite being on "light" food and I was really getting worried about her health. I've always bought the best food for my babies because I wanted them to be around for many, many years too. But, as we transitioned to an organic, chemical-free, processed-free lifestyle, it began to dawn on me that my cats were, essentially, also on a processed food diet and that it couldn't be doing their bodies any good.
I have friends with 2 Boxers who had been to a talk on raw food diets for animals. Since then they'd put their dogs onto a raw food diet and they were THRIVING. I asked their advice and then I did some of my own research and I chatted to GLM and then I decided to give it a try. Let me just say that the next few months were some of the most frustrating, hair-tearing, tear-inducing months of my life! But there IS a happy ending;)
Let me explain something about cats and why a raw meat diet is so imperative to their health. Cats are, what's known as obligate carnivores. That pretty much means STRICT carnivores and that means they don't SOMETIMES need protein. They ONLY need protein, at every meal. The bad news about processed pet food is, firstly, that they all contain carbohydrates. Secondly, the protein that they DO contain is usually plant-based. The reason they use those is because they are "fillers" and they are cheaper. The food will be filling, but in the wrong way for a cat.
The problem is that cat's bodies don't know what to do with carbohydrates. Humans and dogs can survive on a vegetarian diet. It's not at all recommended for a dog but it CAN be done for a time. Cats simply can't. And before you argue and say that your cat is just fine eating Whiskers and Friskies, I am going to jump in and tell you that they aren't. Not really. It's the same as saying that you eat processed foods and you're just fine. If you've read any of my blog posts you know the effects that processed foods are EVENTUALLY going to have on your system. The build up of toxins in a body may take a few years but, in the end, the effects can be truly devastating.
The fact that processed pet foods are heat-treated is also a huge concern. Firstly, cooked food is actually carcinogenic for a cat. Secondly, cats get most of their water intake from their food. If you are feeding them dry kibbles then the water content is zero. Raw meat has a high water content. Drinking normal water isn't quite the same for a cat. They actually need the water found in meat. Their bodies know how to use it. If you cook it, you get rid of it. Even canned food contains double the amount of water that kibbles do so it's a better choice for them although not first choice. Sadly, my little Gypsy is now struggling hugely with her kidneys because she has been pretty much dehydrated for the last 13 years! The raw food diet is helping her but it's a constant struggle to make sure she gets enough water in her body.
Another concern with pets eating processed foods is that it rots their teeth. Cats were meant to tear at raw meat and bones. The tearing, chewing motions actually clean their teeth and gums. It acts almost like dental floss. I don't know a single older cat or dog who hasn't had to have their teeth professionally cleaned OR, even worse, removed because they are rotting. It shouldn't happen but, because of their diets, it does. Something very important to know about bones is that they MUST be raw. Giving cooked bones to an animal is asking for disaster. They splinter and can cause untold damage to an animal's mouth and digestive system. Raw bones, however, are actually quite soft. Especially chicken bones. It's really good for them to chew on a piece of chicken wing or neck. They love it and it is not only full of calcium but it also cleans their teeth. My cats chew, and swallow, the entire piece of raw bone. They love it! What's important with bones is the quantity of bones and I will go into that in my next post.
The sad truth is that a lot of our pets are not dying of old age anymore. They are dying of diabetes complications, cancer and heart disease. (The same is happening to our dogs but I am focusing on cats because I only have cats) All of those diseases are diseases of civilisation. They haven't always been around. They became more common they more rubbish entered our bodies and our environment. They've only been around for the last century. Our pets are just as susceptible to that rubbish. In fact, even more so if you think of how close they are to the floor. If you are using dangerous chemicals to clean your floors, they are ingesting them. Read this post on how the chemicals that we use harm our animals even more than us. Then there is also the "food" that we are feeding them.
Since when did food need to be scientifically engineered? Our ancestors have been eating real food for years and they weren't just "fine", they thrived! Suddenly, someone decided that food had to be made up of various elements in order for it to be consumed, and then packaged in a carton that added more refuse to an overflowing environment. It became so normal that, these days, people consider a packet of crisps actual food! They'll choose it over a fruit, almost every time and yet there is actually no real food in those crisps. The same applies to our animal's food. At some point someone realised that the pet food business was an untapped market and they started making, and packaging their own recipe. Then they put a HUGE amount of marketing into the product and, before you knew it, everyone just assumed that this was how you were supposed to do things. None of this was done for the good for human or animal, it was a way to make money and that's all.
It's frightening how like sheep we are. That is why big business does so well. They know how to tap into that sheep mentality. People are so unsure of what is "right" and "wrong" that they need to be told what to do and the larger part of the population succumbs to it. I agree that there are experts in certain fields and sometimes you need advice in a certain area, but food has been around for millennia and, would you believe it, humans being are STILL around. We survived WITHOUT processed foods and pet foods for a very long time. In fact, we did BETTER before anyone got involved and made it a business. Now cancer and heart disease are the number one killers. Why would anyone think that anything that isn't natural, is better for you or for your pet? Well, because big corporations are making a MINT off of all us suckers and we are being duped over and over again.
The truth is, processed food is NEVER going to be the better choice. Looking at my cats now, the best thing I could EVER have done for them was to feed them what their bodies actually needed, just like I do for myself and my wife. They have lost weight, they have more energy, their fur is so soft and shiny and they are HEALTHY.
Vets will tell you that domestic cat's systems have changed over the years and that too much protein puts too much pressure on their kidneys and that is why they die after 7 years in the wild and I will tell you that that is utter bull. You don't ask a doctor for nutritional advice, do you? That's because they study how the body works, not how food works with the body. Vets are no different. And sadly, a lot of vets are in the pockets of big corporations like Hills and Iams. It's in their best interests to promote their food. Cats bodies haven't changed any more than ours have. Our bodies still need the same food they needed thousands of years ago and, thanks to "progress" which, as far as I'm concerned, as taken up backwards, our bodies are sicker than they have EVER been. If our bodies, and our cat's bodies, got the nutrition they needed, all the time, we'd be living a long and healthy life.
Wednesday's blog is going to be all about how I transitioned my cats to a raw food diet and how you can go about it if you have been convinced that this is the route you need to take for your animals. I urge you to do some research into it and consider it. Here is a good website to start with.
I guarantee you will be doing your pets a HUGE favour and they will thank you by being in your life for many, MANY years to come.
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