Originally posted by RedCairo
I've had cats all my life, sometimes 10 at a time (not on purpose I assure you lol).

Cats are a little like people in this regard. SOME cats seem to be ok eating commercial food just like some people eat the standard diet and as they are relatively thin and haven't developed cancer or diabetes yet, they're assumed to be fine. Some genetic lines will get fat but not ill until somewhere down of the road of that. Some will get psychological disorders or cancer or whatever. For cats, just like people most of the initial symptoms are obvious, it's just that people don't know to look for it. That includes skin conditions in particular, from cystic acne to rashes, and common allergy-style issues such as chronically recurring rhinitis or bronchitis. Some cats, like people, will die of other things before disease kills them so you never know.

But grains don't generally help anybody. Food is probably the biggest genuine conspiracy on the planet, in part because it so profoundly affects everything else. And grains for cats are just nasty.

Thank you RedCairo - those are very intelligent and true remarks. And it is so true that grains do generally not help anybody - humans are also affected negatively by gluten and grains - I can vouch for that fact.

My cats are dramatically affected by food, in psychology and in energy as well as in skin disorders, constant barfing, etc. I once took a cat to the vet and he told me that her liver etc. was sluggish and he could give her some medication. I said, would that cure her? No, he says, but it will deal with some of the symptoms... for awhile. Might cause others. I ask, so what causes sluggish liver? He says, all the organs get sluggish when the health is poor. I say, what makes the health poor? He says, generally the food. I said you know... you could have started the conversation on that point. :-)

Ha ha - it would be nice if the actual source of the problem could be addressed first!

Now, go over to a site like earthclinic dot com and find another 8 zillion testimonials and stories by people and how they cured their pets of nearly everything under the sun, many of them with the pet near the point of death.

I should go and add my testimonial to those zillions.

Thank you RedCairo for your very interesting and intelligent post. I thoroughly enjoyed reading of your experiences. Keep well!

I've lived and worked in Uganda OP where commercial pet food was either too expensive or not available.
Bare with me (please note 'bear' is an animal OP). Most expats cook up offal etc from the market. It's perfectly good for pets - indeed where I was living there were many locals who would have been glad of such a diet. It shouldn't be a shock that this is what goes into pet food. Should we be giving them fillet steak then? As for there being chemicals in dog food, what do you think is in so much 'human food'? Tried a 'chicken nugget' lately' or 'ham' shaped from gunk?
I should probably be feeding my dog fresh meat. That said, my neighbours dogs lived till they were 15 and mine is well on track for that age. We all use commercial dried food. Not much of a 'conspiracy' there.
As for cats I think anyone who keeps more than two cats should be euthanised along with the cats. They are not 'little people' sheesh.

Originally posted by truthseeker84
Raw feed, "processed properly" (don't feed raw meat you buy from your local Vons/Ralphs/Albersons), is the best for your pets.

Agree

Wet food, most of the time are not recommended. I mean, if you understand the science of it, you will know why. It's not that every single brand of wet food is bad, it's just that wet food contains almost 60% of water.

I have to disagree with you on this point. Wet food is best for exactly the reason that it contains more than 60 % water. Cats by design are not big water-drinkers. They do not have a natural thirst-drive, as they have been designed in nature to derive all their moisture from the food that they eat.

Cats on a predominantly dry diet are oftentimes in a permanent state of semi-dehydration.

Dry kibble, is generally recommended the most. But, the quality is largely dependent on the consumer, how much are you willing to spend?

I absolute agree with you though on the different tiers of dry-food, and the quality of the ingredients and amount of fillers included in each tier. In fact - I just read this information this morning prior to discovering your post here.

The problem though is that the US has a wide variety of amazing and natural dry-products containing only quality ingredients on offer. I live in South Africa, and what is known as the "middle tier of pet-food products" in the US is considered our "highest quality dry food available". What we can find at the vets i.e. the Royal Canin / Iams and Hills products are the most expensive in the country, and is the only other alternative to the other option - grocery-store-bought brands...

After research, First Shield Trio is # compared to Frontline. But again, I discovered that First Shield Trio was made by these f***ers just like Royal Canine or Science Diet. So again, they get commission for what they sell, screw your pet's health.

Very sad situation indeed. And a person has to wonder exactly how these "anti-flea and tick" products operate - how it affects the cat biologically. I mean - if it is strong enough to kill off and repel hundreds of small organisms such as fleas, it must be toxic in a lesser sense to the bigger organism i.e. the cat. If a product is sh###er than another brand - poor kitty will bear the brunt of the toxicity.

I now feed my dog Orijen dry dog kibble. It is a "Grain Free" formula. Which means, there is no wheat, no rice, no brown rice, no grain of any kind. It is guaranteed 80% protein 20% fruits & vegies. My Golden Retriever's energy level is like Krypto the Super Dog on this diet.

But Orijen will cost you dearly and it cannot be found in regular pet stores like PetSmart or PetCo. Orijen is a Canadian brand dog food, you have to look for it online.

Fantastic. And love the fact that it is grain-free (and Canadian ).

Again, grain free dry dog food will cost you an arm and a leg but over time, it is the best for your dog, saves you more in the long run when your dog is disease free.

No diet can be more costly than Candy's vet bills for the past 3 years. And her happiness and health is worth more than all the gold in the world to me. The price of a good-quality diet is more than justified in benefits IMO.

Thank you for all the information as well as the link. I will have a look-see at their products.

I hope you had pet insurance, I cant even imagine what a fully tally of all you vet bills is.

I am glad your kitty is doing better she looks like a cool cat.

What is BARF diet and what kind of raw food do you feed her? In a can? Or just raw fish or chicken from the supermarket?

My kitten Shamus the left one on my avatar is and has always been sick. He sounds congested all the time, and the vet couldn't do anything. We tried anti-biotics, the LLysine powder you mentioned, and echinacea drops. I wonder if the raw diet would give him the strength to fight off whatever he has. He eats heartily and plays all day and he's big for only 8 months, but I feel bad because we cant do anything for him.

Thank you, I'll definitively look in to it. With the cold weather it's gotten worse he's completely clogged, I'll try anything at this point.

My cat's sometimes eat mice raw, it does no bother them at all. They even eat the skull!

I have a cat who had that "cat flu" illness. The vet diagnosed it as respiratory herpes virus and it does respond to adding powdered l-lysine to the food. I read that respiratory herpes virus can also affect and eventually cause eye ulcers. So that is is something to be aware of if you have a cat diagnosed with it.

I had a cat live out a full life span on Pro Plan dry kibble. I tried getting her on a better diet but she wanted no part of any other foods, ever. She had FIV her whole sixteen years and still did fine on that diet though she did barf a lot.

I am open to experimenting with foods and the cats seem to pick what works for them. I would rather go to grain free diets but the two brands I tried, one being "Before It's Grain" canned version was roundly rejected by all of my cats for some reason after they were on it a couple of months. Then one day a new bag of the dry version gave them severe diarrhea that took days to clear up. I don't know if I got a bad bag or what but I decided never to buy it again.

I've had two dogs so far live to their mid teens on commercial dog food from a supermarket. They had no health problems and were feisty right up to within a few days of their deaths. My husband had a cat who lived over eighteen years on Meow Mix which is all she would accept. So I think it is luck of the draw and a lot comes down to the genetic cards your pets are dealt at conception and any disease they contract later in life as strays.

The only thing done by pet owners that I ever saw kill cats outright through a bad reaction or adjuvant induced cancer was vaccines. That being said, my pets are vaccinated because it's the local law. And because I have a multiple pet household. I won't say exactly how many cats I have because I don't want someone from ATS to euthanize me!

oh I did have a feline leukemia positive cat who lived close to ten years with the disease. We did not treat him for it because the vet missed the diagnosis until it was too late. He ate IAMs dry.

My sixteen year old male cat who was once operated on for FUS eats Pro Plan dry. Again, I would love to change him over to something more wholesome but if he is doing well, I'm reluctant to rock the boat.

Originally posted by SheeplFlavoredAgain
I have a cat who had that "cat flu" illness. The vet diagnosed it as respiratory herpes virus and it does respond to adding powdered l-lysine to the food. I read that respiratory herpes virus can also affect and eventually cause eye ulcers. So that is is something to be aware of if you have a cat diagnosed with it.

Sorry for only responding to your post now. Yes - the virus apparently attacks the weakest part of the body, and if the eyes have had prior trauma, they could possibly be prone to ulceration.

I had a cat live out a full life span on Pro Plan dry kibble. I tried getting her on a better diet but she wanted no part of any other foods, ever. She had FIV her whole sixteen years and still did fine on that diet though she did barf a lot.

I must say that 16 years for a cat with FIV is a tremendous achievement, and is a testament to your good care!

I am open to experimenting with foods and the cats seem to pick what works for them. I would rather go to grain free diets but the two brands I tried, one being "Before It's Grain" canned version was roundly rejected by all of my cats for some reason after they were on it a couple of months. Then one day a new bag of the dry version gave them severe diarrhea that took days to clear up. I don't know if I got a bad bag or what but I decided never to buy it again.

I have not encountered any of the brands you have named above. They do sound good in principle though. Strange that the kitties rejected the food - especially as they were used to it. Must have been a bad batch. I do know that when I change my cats over to a new diet, I have to phase in the new food very slowly. They also get diarrhea from any sudden food change. Such sensitive little beings with sensitive little noses and tummies...

I won't say exactly how many cats I have because I don't want someone from ATS to euthanize me!

LOL LOL - I must admit that the above post in question contained one of the most creative trolling sentences ever constructed!

Thanks for your post - you have obviously been a very considerate fur-baby parent for a long time, and I appreciate communicating with people who hold animals in high regard.

I must add that I have just prior to writing this thread adopted a 2-year old cat, who has been suffering for most of her life from inflammatory bowel disease. She has had chronic diarrhea for a very very long time. The recent change-over to a grain-free and predominantly wet diet has almost cured her IBD and I have had very few problems since.

Yes - it comes down to sensitivity of the individual (of which genetics plays a role) - but I still do firmly believe that most feline chronic health problems can be attributed to the addition of grains in their food.

It would seem that I attract those "food-intolerant" individuals into my life, so I can speak from a lot of experience.

Keep well. Shimmer

Whew, for a minute, after the battery of tests and treatments that would have Dr. House envious, I thought Candy had an allergy to humans.

The grains it is. This is why I don't feed my dog grains like wheat and corn. Actually under optimum conditions, I don't feed myself grains. Always read the labels!

But you know you coud have bought a house instead of doing science experiments on your cat. Live and learn!