My Top 10 Feline Feeding Tips.

My cat Magpie contemplates breakfast while perusing the passing food choices available 
on the others side of the windowpane.

There are few shortcuts to success in this march toward the final curtain call. When I talk to my clients about how to best care for their cat(s) I focus on essentially a very few topics.

I remind my clients that we really "are what we eat, and we get what we pay for."

For cats, the strictest of carnivores of all of our domestic species, the poorer the diet, and the more contained your cat, the more likely you are to have problems.

Cats are roamers and hunters. They are lean muscled inquisitive beasts who all roar loudly on the inside even if they purr quietly on the outside. They are built to eat flesh, and not chewy cookie like food, they are also less tolerant to the accumulation of adipose (fat) tissue then other species. They tend to accumulate fat around vital organs, like heart, and suffer significantly if that fat remains. The consequences are staggering and severe. Joint disease in 4 and 5 year olds when I typically only see it in 15 plus year old fit cats. Diabetes, the terrible consequences of this disease are often life-threatening and life-costing. Recurrent chronic infections, overwhelming amounts of urine that isn't always deposited in the litter box. Difficulty breathing, poor coat, inability to clean themselves leaving fecal matter stuck to the back of the rear legs and tail area. It is a sad reality that many cats struggle with obesity simply because we, their parents, are feeding them a poor quality kibble based diet.

Tigger presents for a pat.

Here are my recommendations for what and how to feed the felines in your life;

1. Rely on canned food and minimize access and quantity of dry food. 
A normal sized middle aged house cat (8-10 pounds) should be fed 1/2 of a high quality 5 ounce can twice a day. In my home for my 4 cats I use Science Diet. I vary the flavors to keep my cats interested and avoid problems posed by an exclusive single animal based protein. If your cat is used to eating only dry, and is currently overweight start at 1 can twice a day. If they aren't finishing it start to reduce to 1/2 can twice a day.
Confession Notice; The number of clients who tell me that "They cannot feed canned food," is ludicrous. When I ask "why?" The answer is almost invariably, "because I don't like the smell or the mess." I have trained myself to not respond the way my gut wants to. Instead, I remind them that the best diet choices available are freshly killed small rodents.

2. Offer 1/2 cup of dry food per cat a day. This should be age, lifestyle, and appropriate for any underlying disease(s). Again, in my home I use Science Diet adult feline. In general, most of my obese, diabetic cats have been on a poor all-you-can-eat food trough dry food. Worst yet, they are cartooned, day-glo foods with packages that look like these;

Cartoon logo, day-glo colors, and weird shapes,
the junk food telltale trifecta.

Drumstick and fish shapes, with filling..

Filling and "soft inside, crunchy out"
and a cartoon character.

3. Choose a high end commercially available diet. My personal favorites are Science Diet. I have fed it to my cats for decades and I have seen this company stand by their product, their patients and my non-stop veterinary help requests for decades. (I am not paid, compensated, nor biased in any form by any company). I typically buy multiple cases of different flavors and offer a mixed variety to my cats. It is important to not feed one type, or allow your cats to become addicted to only one flavor or type. Having your cat find a favorite can lead to them becoming intolerant to any other foods and make a treatment of a disease by change in diet incredibly difficult.

4. Food and water bowls should be emptied and cleaned at each meal.

5. Pay attention to who is eating and how much they are eating. Too often we catch a sick cat after days to weeks of reduced eating. Free feeders are the most difficult to monitor for adequate food intake. If it is out all of the time many people don't know when, or how much the pets are eating until it they are very skinny and weak.

6. I love water fountains for cats. They seem to enjoy running water, and it encourages drinking. I also like to add cat grass to them. The cats often enjoy the greens and they are fresh and organic.

7. Any kind of diet change, especially for cats, can be difficult. The best advice is to do it so slowly and so gradually that they don't realize it is happening. For the first few weeks (or months if needed) leave the wet food out and gradually reduce the amount of dry available. If your cat is finishing all of the dry and demanding more give in, but try to make it the highest quality dry available. If they are being reluctant to try the wet add a tiny bit of canned tuna, or chicken/beef baby food, or even lunch meat. 

My cat Wren, takes a little love bite nibble.

8. If your vet advises that your cat should be on a prescription diet I would still recommend that you try a gradual transition. If you cat is not so keen on the new diet it is better to have some of the 'good' versus all of the 'bad'. Let them decide how fast you can transition them. If you are having a difficult time with the prescription food ask your vet about other options. In many cases there are a few different manufacturers and a few other options.

9. Cats are ALWAYS in charge. The old "eventually they will get hungry enough and eat it," is NOT TRUE for cats. Cats can, and do, go on hunger strikes that can lead to irreversible life-threatening liver failure or disease. Surrender before they prove their point with an expensive potentially deadly disease (hepatic lipidosis). If your cat is getting so finicky that they are refusing the best stuff, start feeding other stuff. In the end a cat has to be eating, and as disease, or age, advances feed them whatever you have to to keep them eating. Try the following; gravied canned foods, chopped cooked chicken, fish, shellfish, meats, hot dogs, baby food meat flavors, tuna, or any of the foods or treats from number 2 above. In the clinic we have a special 'junk food' section that we pull out as our secret weapon to encourage our sick cats to eat.

10. Embrace the challenge that is the independent intelligent spirit of a cat. They have their reasons for every decision that they make. They need more than most of us can offer in a life of jobs, kids, responsibilities, and convenient diet choices. Too often we are not meeting their dietary needs, their inquisitive curious minds, and their exercise stamina. I have become an advocate of lots of choices, loads of mental and physical stimuli and an appreciation that we, unknowingly, and unintentionally asked them to live a life of boring captivity. Take your cats for a walk (try a harness or an enclosed outdoor cat cage), or even a playmate to chase and play with in the house. What about a cat room with shelves on the walls, cat trees, and an indoor garden of their own?

If you have any tips, or thoughts on how to best care for cats please leave me a comment. If you have a pet care question please visit me anytime at Pawbly.com. Pawbly is a free open pet community designed and dedicated to helping pet people care for the pets in their lives.

I am also available for veterinary care at the vet clinic, Jarrettsville Vet, in Jarrettsville Maryland, or on Twitter @FreePetAdvice.

Why Would You OR Your Cat Want to Visit the Vet?

It is the subject of great debate, discussion, study, and marketing analysis in the veterinary field...
Why do American own more cats than dogs, but yet bring them to the vet less than half of the time?

This sad statistic is made even more bleak by the latest data showing that cat vet visits continue to decline year after year.

There are about a million reasons, (although I debate that 'excuses' is a more accurate term than 'reason').

Loon, one of our clinic cats.

Here are some of the more popular reasons that I hear;

1. "My cat doesn't go outside." I suppose the argument is that if your cat doesn't go outside that they don't get exposed to anything? Well, critters still come in to your house don't they?
2. "My cat doesn't see other cats, so how could she get sick?" The chance of your cat getting a disease from another cat is slim if they are in your home AND  away from other cats, but the sad truth is that many alleged "indoor only" cats should more accurately be labeled "primarily inside." A cat that spends any amount of time outside is best protected from disease by being up to date on vaccines appropriate for both your cats lifestyle and risk, your geographical location and associated threats, and your local and regional laws.
3. "My cat gets freaked out by going to the vet." OK, there is the stress of traveling, I get that. Some cats have a very difficult time traveling, and some cats are down right impossible to examine, for these guys there are mobile vets available.
4. "I can't get her in the carrier." Your vet can help with this one. There are lots of tricks to try, like leaving the carrier in the house for a few days, or putting your cat in a pillow case and then putting the pillow case in the carrier. Or lowering her into the carrier with the door open facing the ceiling..or use a mobile vet.
5. "She doesn't need anything from the vet." There is great value in your cat being examined by your vet. (A penny of prevention is worth a pound of cure!).When your vet looks at your cat they will assess their teeth (almost 60% of cats have evidence of dental disease by age 3), their heart, lung, muscle mass, ears, eyes, muscle condition, weight, joints, and look for any abnormal growths, conditions, or behaviors. There are very few examinations where I don't find something that the parent wasn't aware of. At minimum we discuss diet, litter box habits, household and living environment and how your cat is doing overall. 

My Wren. My pillow. 
You get it.

There are a whole slew of things to discuss when I see a cat that hasn't been to the vet in a very long time, or even ever. This is made even more difficult if the cat is coming to see me and is ill.

Here are a few things that I think you should ask your vet about at your next visit;

1. Ask about three year vaccines. If your cat is inside and at minimal risk to diseases like leukemia then three year vaccines are a safe alternative. BUT, coming in for a vaccine every three years is still not a valid reason to skip the yearly exam!
2. I now give vaccinations in the tail. IF, your cat is the one in 10,000 cats that get a vaccine induced sarcoma amputating the tail is a quicker, easier treatment option than amputating a leg, or large area of the dorsal shoulder area.
3. How bad are the teeth? I say this because it is much more likely that there is some degree of dental disease. To be even more specific IF your cat is over 4 there they are probably in need of a dental cleaning.
4. Review your cats diet. What and how much are you feeding? Does this need any adjustments?
5. Review your cats coat. Should your cat be groomed? Matted, thick, or long hair has only two places to go. In your home, or in their belly. We take massive hair ball obstructions out of cats who are dying from them. Such a silly thing to die from.
6. Check all nails and clip if needed. This becomes more important to cats with age. (Don't forget the thumbs!).
7. Look at ears. Are they dirty? How can you safely and easily clean them at home?
8. Look at your cats nails, ALL of them. Older cats often need nail trimming more often, (monthly), and you should know how to safely and easily do this.
9. Can you tell if your cat is overweight? or undermuscled? Ask your vet to show you how to monitor for these at home.
10. All cats over 8 years old benefit from yearly examinations, blood work monitoring, (to include the thyroid), and a yearly urinalysis and fecal. 

My Magpie.
No worries here.

The data is indisputable and undeniable. There are a whole bunch of cats in our homes, and a whole bunch of them (like half) are not being brought to the vet on a routine basis! Now we have already cleared the air on why people think that they don't need to visit with their bunch of justifiable credible reasons, but here's my advice; your cat will live a longer, healthier, and happier life if you do!.

There is a wealth of  pet information at your fingertips that is available free, 24 hours a day, all 7 days of the week. It is a resource for anyone who cares about pets. Pawbly.com is a place to share information, help pets and their people and connect those of us are pet professionals. But better than that we invite everyone who has a pet, loves a pet, or wants to connect with other pet people to visit and join the place dedicated to social pet care.

How can I get any work done?
Ah, who cares,, I'd rather play with Wren anyway...

If you would like to meet me I can be found at the clinic, Jarrettsville Vet in Jarrettsville Maryland. I am also on Twitter @FreePetAdvice.

Butterscotch, How To Care For A Found Cat.

Butterscotch

There are some pet stories that remind me to sit back, shut up, and regale in the beauty of sharing the magic of the joy of a pet. For those of us who sleep uncomfortably short-sheeted, contorted, and without moving for fear of disrupting the sleep of our pet bed hog, or share our meal time with the sad begging eyes of the Fido food vultures, or even those of us who put out bird seed everyday just to gaze at the beauty of the winged visitors to our feeder, you will understand what I am talking about.

Sometimes we meet someone who just understands exactly what we are about. Such was the case in meeting Butterscotch and the soft hearted guy whose house he crashed one very cold winter night.

Arrival

I first met Butterscotch on a busy weekday morning. He was a scruffy bony boy who arrived in a copy paper box. Now if you know a thing or two about cats you will know that scant few felines will allow transport in a box. Fewer still will sit contentedly in that box and watch the chaos of a veterinary clinic just pass by.

But, there he sat. Unabashedly perched high, nose inquiring, calm, and cool. As if he was a regular visitor who just landed himself in the box on the bench as a matter of pure fancy. 

The cats that demand the least in attention are those I naturally gravitate toward. If curiosity ever claimed a cat, mine was going to need a resurrection after meeting Butterscotch.

A quiet ominous man sat next to the red box slowly and methodically petting Butterscotch. They were a quiet calm pair in a room of commotion. My fist guess would have been that they were old solid chums. 

When I introduced myself the man he replied that he was here because this cat was huddled up next to his house and "I couldn't leave him outside to freeze to death, and I can't keep him. I am already over my allowed limit." 

"Argh!," I thought. He was here to dump a cat. How many of these do I see every week??,,,at least one..

We have been having record low temperatures. The kind that freezes unfortunate souls in hours and few things tug at me harder than a person stepping up to help, a pet in need, and the dilemma of trying to care for "just one more cat."

With these scenarios the plan is always the same.. Think a second, take a minute to process everything that you are about to say,,, long sigh, deep breathe, and try to figure out a way to help all parties involved without putting the clinic yet another kitty in the Jarrettsville Vet Center general population, or discouraging a good Samaritan from ever helping another creature again. Be strong and kind and don't get frustrated...(all much easier said than done).

Now don't get me wrong, I love having clinic cats. They remind me everyday why I do what I do. And without us every cat in the JVC clinic would have met the end of their days via lethal injection under our roof. We take the cats that clients no longer want, or are able to care for. Lately these stories have left us with our two resident blood donor cats, a diabetic, a chronic stomatitis cat, a back injury cat who cannot urinate voluntarily, and two cats who's parents died unexpectedly. We have four house cat cages and seven cats. Clearly my ability to maintain our 4 cat max policy lacks discipline.

I apologized for being full and offered to help him find this overly sweet cat a home. 

The man asked me to give the cat an exam, a rabies shot and said he was going to keep the cat inside overnight and try to decide what long term plan for him would be tomorrow. 

We quickly discussed the availability of being adopted at the local humane society, or being taken by one of the rescues, and agreed that based on his age and the over abundance of cats in a similar predicament, this cat's options were limited, and his fate bleak if he wasn't taken in by someone we knew. 

At the end of the exam Butterscotch departed in his box to the front desk.

Thirty minutes later the receptionist found me to inform me that that scruffy ornage box cat was now Butterscotch. And he would be back next week for the rest of his shots. His new dad was keeping him, and "to hell with the consequences!" 

Testing for FeLV/FIV

A week later Butterscotch was back at the clinic for the rest of his recommended health items. After a thorough examination, vaccines, a fecal sample, de-worming, flea preventative, and a microchip, Butterscotch was his same cool collected self, but a bit bolder in the seeking affection from anyone and everyone department and a bit bulkier in the body condition.

Looking for more

He was thriving! 

The only photo I could get without him head butting me

He has a corneal defect on his right eye that we are monitoring. With his lack of any sort of medical history I am taking an educated guess and presuming it is an old injury. He is on an ophthalmic antibiotic just to rule out that I am wrong and will be re-checked weekly until we convince ourselves one way or the other.

Is it an old injury? Or a new corneal infection?

The weather has been brutally cold. Everyday is frigid with temperatures hovering around zero. It is not fit for man or beast. Butterscotch is a lucky cat, but he is also a gentle affectionate cat. He wasn't a hard sell, but he was fortunate that his age, medical condition and the size of his adoptive family. His story is not unique, but it is not the norm either. Too many cats are left outside to fend for themselves and too many of them cannot adequately maintain their body temperature in these extreme temperatures and without shelter or resources provided to them.

Fewer found cats will receive needed medical care. 

Here is what you need to know if you are thinking of helping a pet in need.

1. Always assume that a cat is feral. Always. Many cats have had some human exposure, but many are adept skilled survivors, and their intuitive instincts will kick in in a split second. DO NOT PET OR HANDLE AN UNKNOWN CAT! The consequences of your assumption could kill you. If that cat gets scared, and it likely will if you try to approach or pick it up, it will bite you. That bite could kill you if that cat is carrying or infected with rabies. Be careful in your assessment of a cat. Remember rabies can look like the furious (aggressive) form or the dumb (quiet reserved "sick" looking) form. 

2. If a cat looks sick call for professional help. Your local animal control can assist in catching and transporting the cat for care. BUT, be warned if you have not vaccinated the cat, and if they deem it aggressive, sick, unsafe to be handled they can and will euthanize it. A feral cat is only yours if you are caring for it based on the local, state and federal laws. To make the situation worse, IF the cat tests positive for rabies the health department WILL come to your home and CAN quarantine or mandate euthanasia of every pet that IS NOT vaccinated for rabies. I have seen it happen and it has been devastating to the families who love their cats (and dogs). 

3. No Good Deed Goes Unpunished vs. Paying It Forward. Where would society be if we didn't take care of, look after, and intervene for each other? How does humanity survive if people don't have a compassionate soul? It is cheaper and easier to turn a blind eye and walk away from a creature in need? Can any of us say that we earned everything in our lives without the help of others? 

4. If you can help a cat know what you are getting yourself into. It is not enough to provide food and shelter. It is a good start, but you are ultimately responsible for that cat, and that cat will at some point need assistance outside of your abilities. There are rescues, shelters, and non-profits that can assist you if you cannot afford to, or are physically able to help your cats. Prepare for this day today.

In an effort to help Butterscotch his physical examinations were done pro bono. 

Related Articles;

The Risk of Rabies

The Raccoon Seven. How Seven Puppies Almost Died.

How Can Cats Be The Most Popular Pet AND Yet The Most Neglected?

Cold Weather and Outside Pets