Feeding your little carnivore

It seems like almost every day our volunteers field calls from people who are looking to give up their cat because of inappropriate elimination, are seeking medical assistance for a cat with urinary crystals, or are looking to replace a beloved cat that died following a painful urinary blockage. You can help your cat avoid a similar fate by feeding a species-appropriate diet of wet food instead of dry food.

Whether you choose canned food or a real meat diet that is carefully prepared with bones, organs, and supplements, your cat’s urinary health will benefit from a moist, meaty diet.  Feeding dry food to cats is also associated with other common health conditions like obesity, diabetes, and kidney disease. And dry food will not improve your cat’s dental health (does crunching on cookies or potato chips improve yours?).

While feeding dry food may at first seem more convenient or less expensive, feeding wet food—most any brand of canned food—will pay off with a happier, healthier life for your cat and lower vet bills for you. For more information from veterinarians on feline nutrition, see www.feline-nutrition.org and www.catinfo.org.

Mackryl, adopted from Feline Rescue in 2001, suffered from crystals and UTIs as a  young cat. Now on a canned food and raw meat diet he stays lean, healthy, and happy!