Food For Thought
How can you keep your dogs and cats active, alert and thinking clearly even into old age? A good place to start is their dinner table. Many experts believe the very best food you can give your dogs and cats is raw or fresh food you prepare yourself, and this is easier than you may think. But if commercial dog and cat food is a better fit for your lifestyle or your animal friends' palates, try to share the leftovers from your dinner with them. Even just a few bites of raw or gently cooked food will be good for them. And they'll enjoy it!
Only the "Fancy Feast cat" expects a linen tablecloth and crystal goblet. But while your cats and dogs may be less demanding, they'll still appreciate a properly set table. Here are some suggestions.
- If they eat dry food, throw out the old and give them fresh food every day. Dry food is sprayed with animal fat to make it smell appealing. After the smell has evaporated, cats won't recognize it as food and won't eat it.
- Canned food should be more than a "treat." Make it a regular part of your cats' and dogs' diets. Animals' bodies are designed to derive most of the moisture they need from their food, not a bowl of water. And veterinarians see strong links between all dry-food diets and such chronic diseases as feline diabetes. It's a myth that dry food keeps cats' and dogs' teeth clean! "Brushing" your animals' teeth with dry food is like brushing your own with preztels!
- Cats are obligate carnivores. They need foods that are high in animal protein and fat and convert both into energy. It's the carbohydrates in dry food, not fat, that make them overweight.
- Put your cats' water bowls as far from their food as possible. Another room is best! Cats taste their water, and if there are crumbs of food in it they won't want to drink it.
- Serve your cats' and dogs' food and water in glass or stainless steel bowls. Plastic can develop cracks that harbor bacteria and can cause chin acne.
- Your cats will prefer bowls that are fairly shallow and wide enough to let them eat without crumpling their whiskers.
Here's some more food for thought from the Animal Protection Institute:
- Look at the ingredients in your pet's commercial food. "By-product meal" or "meat and bone meal" are rendered products and the most inexpensive sources of animal protein. Their contents and quality can vary from batch to batch, and are not a reliable source of nutrition for your animal.
- Avoid foods that rely on by-products as the sole source of animal protein. Byproducts consist of organs and parts either not desired or condemned for human consumption.
- Many light, senior, special formula, or hairball formula foods contain acidifying agents, excessive fiber, or inadequate fats that can result in skin, coat and other problems. Light foods often leave animals feeling unsatisfied and hungry.
- Your animal companion's diet should include canned food, which generally contains more animal protein and less grain than dry foods. Plain dry food does not clean the teeth and is not an essential for either cats or dogs. The diets of cats in particular should be at least 50 percent wet food to reduce the workload on the kidneys and keep the urine dilute.
- Offer several brands or flavors of food to prevent boredom and avoid deficiencies or excesses of ingredients which may be problematic for your animal. Cats will not eat things they don't recognize as food, so it's important for them to get used to a variety of tastes and textures.
- If your animal companion is on a prescription diet, check with your veterinarian periodically to make sure the diet is still necessary and correct. Many conditions resolve over time, and some prescription foods are not meant to be fed forever.
- A cat's diet should contain minimal carbohydrates. Plant products tend to raise urine pH and may predispose cats to urinary tract disease and other health problems.
