Many cat owners may be surprised to hear that there is a lot of controversy surrounding cat food. Having looked at quite a bit of information since the end of 2007, I feel that there is a good chance that cats will be healthier and live longer on grain-free canned cat food.
I believe most veterinarians are NOT letting their clients know about this. Cat owners must take it upon themselves to try and get the word out to each other so we can try and make informed decisions that affect the health of our pets.
Where to start.
I believe scientific evidence IS important when making important decisions about our pets' health.
I am suspicious of certain scientific studies about pet food because they have been organized and funded by pet food manufacturers. The shocking facts surrounding the poorly regulated food industry is highlighted in the documentary Pet Food: A Dog's Breakfast.
Excerpt from the documentary description on CBC.ca at http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/dogsbreakfast.html:
This exposé takes viewers inside the world of pet food manufacturing and is essential viewing for every pet owner. It features critics of the industry, foremost among them Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins, a California vet, and insider who used to work in the pet food industry. She says the recall of food made by Menu Foods of Toronto is a sign of larger problems. "Unfortunately the pet food industry is cutting corners, is not doing the testing it says it's doing, is not using the quality of ingredients it wants pet owners to believe are in that bag and can, and is not forthcoming with pet owners about those facts. It is not a truthful industry."
More info at above link. You may be able to fink the video online somewhere. I highly recommend watching the documentary if you have pets or care about them.
Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins is the author of “Your Cat: Simple New Secrets to a Longer, Stronger Life”.
I think it's important to read "The carnivore connection to nutrition in cats" article published in the JAVMA by Debra L. Zoran, DVM, PhD, DACVIM. www.Catinfo.org has a link to Dr. Debra Zoran's article online at http://www.catinfo.org/zorans_article.pdf
The controversy over cat food was also a topic addressed at an international vet conference in Montreal reported Steve Dale. Dr. Zoran spoke there and explained how canned diets are better for cats and why it’s important to start when they’re kittens. See article http://www.goodnewsforpets.com/Articles.asp?ID=1335
If you couple this with the fact that there is relatively little research on feline health issues compared with dogs, it should be no surprise that most veterinarians don’t know as much about cats.
Feline issues are NOT getting equal attention, or perhaps many people don't care as much about their pet cats.
See “The truth about cats” article by Steve Dale.
Americans own more felines than canines.
"Why then," writes USA WEEKEND pet expert Steve Dale,
"don't we treat them as well?"
See article at http://www.usaweekend.com/08_issues/080706/080706cats.html
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