Holistic cat food means that the food is all natural and yes you should be using it.

The cat industries food producers are one of the biggest culprits in the early deaths of our lovable furry family members.

A cat should live on average a quarter of a century but strangely enough the average life of a house cat is only eight years. This might be because of the nutritional value of the food we give them. Most store bought food is equivalent to a well known brand of junk food with creamy insides and a golden cake on the outside.

Fortunately for us we eat other things besides Twinkies or our life span might not be much better off then the average cats.

Anything holistic means that it is void of all artificial ingredients. The thing about cat food is that even if it says that it is holistic that does not automatically mean that it is good for your cat. The cat food companies have different laws they follow then food for human consumption does.

Here’s what the law says, if at the many stops on the way to the companies processing plant things get added to the meat and meat byproducts it doesn’t have to be claimed. The only things that the producers have to state as being in the food are what they personally added.

What they consider meat for cat food is another problem. Animals put down at the pound, parts of cows not usable for us, and road kill are all used for the meat and meat byproducts.

When they put the animals down at the pound they use a poison. This poison does not get cooked out in the processing plant so the food you feed your cat everyday may contain active poison in it.

So what should you do?

Well if you want your four legged family member to live a long and healthy life you might want to consider using a combination of homemade food and safe commercial food. With homemade food you don’t have to wonder what’s in it because you put it their.

Get more information about natural cat food to allow your cat to live his life to the fullest. Find out if natural cat food is the right direction to go for your cat.

Using small cat food tins for deodorizing is a quick and easy craft project. The reuse of objects that would otherwise be garbage is considered thrifty fun by many people.

The first step to reusing cat food tins is to wash and dry them thoroughly. After the tins are completely dry, the cat owner may want to apply spray enamel as a quick way to color the inside and outside of the tins.

Cat food tins can also be decorated with gift wrapping paper, colored paper, or wallpaper. When decorating the tin cans, the person may want to consider which colors are in the desired location for the tin.

Numerous types of craft supplies can be used to decorate the cat food tins. Craft accents such as small floral appliqu?s, buttons, foam letters, and other craft supplies can be glued to the tin after it has been sprayed with enamel or covered in paper.

White vinegar can be poured into a recycled cat food tin that is to be placed in an area that tends to have a strong odor. Some cat owners place cat food tins containing vinegar near the litter box.

A favorite perfume or pine cleaner can be added to cotton balls that are then placed in the cat food tin. Scented oils can also be used to add scent to cotton balls that are placed in the tins.

Using small cat food tins for deodorizing can be done by decorating the outside of the tins and filling them with potpourri. Potpourri may be made by adding a scent such as vanilla to pine cones or dried flower petals.

Decorated cat food tins can be used in holiday decor by matching the color of the enamel or other decorations with the holiday theme. The tins can hold seasonal potpourri.

Whole coffee beans can be used as scented filler for reused cat food tins. The cat owner can squeeze and break some of the coffee beans to reactivate the scent once the coffee scent is no longer noticeable.

Cat food tins can be recycled as candleholders with a little care. Nothing flammable can be used to decorate tins used as candleholders. The tins must be placed on a heat-proof surface since the can may heat up when the candle is burned.

In tough economic times, one of the first places people look to cut expenses is pet health. The purpose of this article is to help you realize that cutting corners and buying pre-packaged cat food is the worst thing you can do for your cats health and well-being, and your budget.

Prevention is Key

Sadly, and solely through lack of knowledge, many cat owners put their companion down because they could not afford the vet bills associated with a disease. Most chronic disease takes a long time to develop to a point where your cat begins to show signs of illness. When it does, vet bills can overwhelm the family budget. It is ONLY through prevention that you will be able to greatly reduce the potential of life threatening illnesses, and subsequently, your vet bills.

How Important are Annual Exams?

A veterinary exam can only assess your cats health at the time of the exam, plus cats are adept at hiding their illness as a defense mechanism. Chronic illnesses and disease typically develop out of view, deep within the gastrointestinal and immune systems, making them almost impossible to detect, even with expensive testing. The best approach is to watch your cat for signs like a change in energy, or behavior. However, be aware that they are very good at hiding pain and illness as a defense mechanism.

A well thought out budget can save you a lot of sleepless nights. Take a vet visit for example: first you have the obvious cost of the visit which typically costs $50-100, but you also need to factor in the hidden costs, like time lost from work (average time door-to-door is 4 hours), gasoline, vehicle wear and tear…

Better Health through Nutrition

The old adage you are what you eat is five times more applicable to your cat. Why? Because cats age five times faster than we do! Chronic illness and disease seem to come on suddenly, when in fact they develop slowly, below the surface.

The pet-food recall of 2007, put the ingredients in pre-packaged pet foods under a microscope. This was actually a good thing. While prepackaged cat foods today are considered safe, they are the equivalent of eating fast foods for every meal.

If you havent yet seen it, the documentary Super Size Me is a must see! For those who havent; the film maker made a documentary of himself eating nothing but McDonalds food for 30 straight days. Prior to starting, he had a battery of tests by physicians, who also monitored him throughout. A mere two-weeks into the experiment his doctors urged him to stop immediately as his overall health was deteriorating rapidly, and yet, this is exactly what the overwhelming majority of owners feed their cats daily, weekly, monthly and yearly. The connection between food and health can be ignored, but it cannot be denied!

By far, the best way to safely stretch the time between annual exams, and to minimize the risk of your cat getting a serious disease is to improve their diet!

The most effective way to restore or maintain your cat’s health is with a diet that includes human grade meats, fowl and fish, combined with daily supplements like; soil-based probiotic supplements, and high performance oils, or vital pet lipids, which are essential to maintain every aspect of your cats health- joint, skin, digestive system, immune system and all internal organs.

When transitioning, you can avoid, or minimize GI upset by mixing the old cat food with the new in a 50/50 ratio for a week, then making the full switch to lightly cooked meats; then, after one month, transition the same way to a raw meat diet, again with daily supplements.

The Bottom Line

Quality cat health care on a budget is possible once you realize that you cannot do it by cutting corners on food or supplements! The actual cost of 3 vet visits a year (including annual check up) is hundreds-of-times more expensive than the difference in cost between pre-packaged cat food (which should only be fed in times of emergency) and better food combined with a high performance supplement program.

Spending more upfront, for better cat food and proper supplements, will not just minimize your vet bills; doing so will reward you with a happy and healthy cat that will live 5-7 years longer than if you dont!

Since they age so much faster then we do , anti-oxidents are of the prime importance as are gastro health to absorb the nutrients. Many claim to be all natural however that has become simply a standard applied marketing term made famous in tha 1970’s health and fitness boom. To get real organic quality pet supplements on has to look fro a food source like Super Blue Green Algae. It is a food source that grows wild and is simply harvested .Therefore having non of the toxic fertilizer stuff found in food sources grown by big corporaete farming operations. It’s processing is freeze dried preserving it in all it’s nutritive integrity.

Since they age so much faster then we do , anti-oxidents are of the prime importance as are gastro health to absorb the nutrients. Many claim to be all natural however that has become simply a standard applied marketing term made famous in tha 1970’s health and fitness boom. To get real organic quality pet supplements on has to look fro a food source like Super Blue Green Algae. It is a food source that grows wild and is simply harvested .Therefore having non of the toxic fertilizer stuff found in food sources grown by big corporaete farming operations. It’s processing is freeze dried preserving it in all it’s nutritive integrity.

Since they age so much faster then we do , anti-oxidents are of the prime importance as are gastro health to absorb the nutrients. Many claim to be all natural however that has become simply a standard applied marketing term made famous in tha 1970’s health and fitness boom. To get real organic quality pet supplements on has to look fro a food source like Super Blue Green Algae. It is a food source that grows wild and is simply harvested .Therefore having non of the toxic fertilizer stuff found in food sources grown by big corporaete farming operations. It’s processing is freeze dried preserving it in all it’s nutritive integrity.

Super Blue Green Algae is an excellent source of Beta Carotene,Chlorophyll,amino acids,essential fatty acid,mineral and trace minerals,vitamins,enzyme,as well as the important probiotics for digestion. All contributing towards reducing the aging and degenerative breakdown processes of your pets.Makes for a serious nutritious treat as well as a constant form of pet health insurance. For pedigree breeder types it will soon be your secret feed tip weapon that gives the serious competitive edge.

Plain fact;animals need basic nutrition to keep their systems running smoothly.They need nourishment from all-natural sources that can help fill in the nutrient gaps when diet alone isnt enough. For general well-being, there are probiotics to supply friendly bacteria that are essential to the health and balance of the gastro intestinal track.Organic wildcrafted food sources are simply the best sources of antioxidants,which are a major defense against free radicals that can cause oxidative damage to cells responsible for negative changes associated with aging and various health problems.Look for product formulated to give your pet a superior combination to balance their bodys internal ecosystem naturally.

Holistic cat food is the absence of unnatural ingredients in the food. Unnatural ingredients are not good for your cat so he will definitely benefit from better food.

One of the reasons cats live such a short time is because most cat food produces don’t make nutritious food.

A normal cat only lives to about the age of nine but the natural life span for cats is around twenty eight years. One of the contributing factors for how long a cat lives is the nutrition of the food he eats. The majority of the commercial food is no better for your cat then feeding him Twinkies.

You better believe that if you ate nothing but Twinkies for the next ten years you would not be doing much better then most of the cats.

When you have food that is free of everything that is not found naturally then you have holistic food. The problem with cat food being holistic is that you never know what is actually in it. The cat food company’s only have to claim the ingredients that are put into the food after it reaches their plant.

That means that if the meat (I’m using that term loosely) was brought to the plant with preservatives in it that they could still claim that it is preservative free. By law this is okay for them to do.

Another thing to consider is the quality of meat that is put into cat food. Basically, if it can’t be sold for human consumption (i.e. it is bad for us) then they put it into your cats food. This could be a range from anything like road kill to euthanized animals from the pound.

When an animal is euthanized at the pound they use poison. Unfortunately for your cat the poison does not cook out when they process the meat. You might unknowingly be poisoning your cat when you feed him.

But what are your options?

One of the things you could do is to start making your cat homemade cat food. While this might sound like a time consuming option it really isn’t. When your cat starts getting the proper nutrition he will eat less food so you will only need to feed your cat once a day.

You probably think that since your cat’s food has not been recalled that it is safe for your cat to eat. This is not necessarily true. Many store bought cat foods are so bad for your cat that they are actually hurting him.

The majority of store bought cat foods have no nutritional value in them at all. What’s worse is that they may actually contain poison. You don’t want your cat to eat poison? Well one of the many meat sources for cat food is dogs and cats that have been put down at the pound.

The problem with this is (other then the obvious that your cat is not a cannibal) is that the poison they use to put the animals down does not cook out when they cook the meat.

Anything that is on the dog or cat is also considered fair game to use as a meat source. This includes any metal id tags, flea collars, and even hair and teeth. Another meat source that is used is road kill that is to big to dispose of by digging a hole in the ground.

Another form of meat used in cat food is parts of a cow that are diseased. Any part of the cow that is inedible for human consumption such as a cyst in a leg, cancerious lungs, or any part that is pussy can also be used in cat food.

Basically tha gives us diseased, dying, or dead animals as the meat source for cat food and the meat by products are not any better. That might be a very good reason why most cats die well before they should.

The more information I found out about cat food, the harder it became to feed it to my cats. Just the thought of touching my cat’s food was appalling.

In order to give your cat a safe diet that will allow him to get the nutrition he needs to grow strong and healthy a combination of homemade cat food and safe commercial cat food is recommended.

Our society is thoroughly convinced of Veterinarians’ qualifications with respect to knowledge of our cats’ nutrition. As a cat owner, we never even consider the alternative. But the question is; could we be wrong?

Some cat owners assume that the commercial pet food industry cares about our cats and we never consider another possibility. They produce ads that tell us their foods are good for our cats. They tell us that if we follow their advice, our pets would realize the same beneficial results as the pets in their commercials.

For the most part, we are trusting people and therefore we have no reason to doubt their claims. When the commercial pet food companies put a high price on their food, we are totally convinced that their product is good

That’s what we’ve been told now let me tell you the truth

Up and coming Veterinarians, while in Vet schools, are bombarded with commercial pet food companys’ propergander. The little nutritional training they do receive is done so by people with a vested interest in the pet food companies. They are buying Veterinarians’ loyalty and this loyalty usually last throughout the Vet’s career.

Barring any independent research by the Veterinarian, this bought loyalty will continue throughout the Veterinarian’s career

What about the food the pet food companies claim to be wholesome, nutritional, 100% natural and complete? That statement is false. Our domestic cats are descendents of the wild cats that roam the African and Asian Continents. Domestic cats’ diets should mimic their predecessors. However, today’s commercial pet foods are chocked with harmful, processed and often toxic ingredients.

Most pet food company’s products contain grains. Cats are obligate carnivores and because of this, commercial pet foods are full of ingredients they should never eat. The digestive physiology of carnivores is ill-suited to digest these ingredients and they often cause illnesses.

Then there are the preservatives both artificial and natural. Ethoxyquin, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are artificial preservatives and all have been linked to cancer and other health-related problems. Although the Food and Drug Administration has received numerous complaints from consumers that fed their pets food containing these preservatives, the FDA has refused to act.

In the final analysis, I’ve shared with you information that many Veterinarians are ill-equipped to provide nutritional advise for your cat or dog. Moreover, many Vets are bought and paid for by the pet food industry and their main objective is to make money.

Many Vets are in direct violation of the oath and creed they’re sworn to uphold – “First do no harm.” They sell, in their offices, foods that are harmful to your pet.

Love your cat(s) enough to take the time to learn what foods are good for them. Don’t leave this chore to strangers – you need to be the one that learns what’s good for you pet and feed them those foods.

Could this possibly be the case?

I urge you read this article even if it upsets you because the life of your cat hangs in the balance.

You must first be mindful of the fact that humans and cats have diverse physiologies. Our bodies are designed to benefit from fruits, vegetables and meats but cats’ bodies have a digestive system that’s designed to digest meat and do it efficiently.

Feeding your cat, for a prolong period of processed carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables will cause food related illnesses. These illnesses include such problems as; diabetes, IBD and others. Cats are obligate carnivores. Their bodies are well suited for eating and digesting raw meat.

Commercial cat food companies are well aware that convenience and low prices are good selling points and they capitalize on this by producing ads that make you believe their foods are beneficial to your cats. So you purchase their foods that are chocked full of harmful ingredients and over time, these foods cause your cat to suffer from a premature death.

Commercial cat food companies will use every psychological tactic at their disposal including ads that bombard you saying their dry foods are beneficial for your cat to putting pictures of fruits and vegetables on their food packages. All these messages are produced to persuade you to purchase their products but you are smarter than that. You are now getting the rest of the story.

This is the same as taking a human that’s been a vegetarian for many years and changing his diet to a strict meat-based diet. This would wreck havoc on his digestive system. It will cause constipation coupled with deterioration in his health and a premature death.

A human needs fruit and vegetables to live a healthy and quality life. If you take away his fruits and vegetables and force him to survive on meat and processed carbohydrates, soon you would witness deterioration in his health. This type of a diet would wreak havoc on his digestive system. When you feed your cat commercial dry food, this is exactly what you are doing to your cat and it will lead to costly Vet bills and even a premature death.

Irrespectively of what claims the commercial cat food companies make, as a cat caregiver, you are responsible for their nutritional needs. Get the facts to ensure your cat’s nutritional needs are met.

The commercial cat food companies that are part of a mostly unregulated industry produce cheap, toxic foods for your cat and make claims that the food is good and nutritional. They make those claims to convince you to buy their products. You believe their claims without researching them to uncover the truth. You do this out of love for your cat but this belief can cause your cat a premature death.

Do you really know what goes into a bag of dry cat food? Your cat could be a cannibal without you knowing it. Yes, dead dogs and cats have been known to find their way into pet foods. It is not uncommon for pet food companies to use the four D’s (dead, dying, diseased, disabled) animals.

The four D’s can include road-kill (dead animals found on the side of the roadways), euthanized animal from Veterinarian clinics, dying circus animals and ill farm animals that are not fit for human consumption and other animals that are riddled with cancerous tumors. You will find these ingredients listed on the bag as meat meal, animal digest, animal by-product or meat by-product.

As if this was not enough the commercial cat food companies add toxic preservatives.

Ethoxyquin, BHA and BHT all have been linked to kidney and liver failure in cats are used to extend the shelf life of their foods.

Do you believe that cat food can sit in a hot warehouse for twelve to eighteen months and still be considered nutritional?

Always keep in mind that your cats are carnivores – they need meat to thrive. Don’t just assume what all the commercial cat food companies say is true. Take control of your cats’ diet and this will enable them to avoid premature deaths.

Many pet owners believe that Veterinarians are thoroughly qualified to dispense nutritional advice. Most believe their nutritional training, without question, is second to none. We have been brainwashed to the point of not even considering the possibility that our Vets may not be as nutritionally trained as we might believe.

When we see commercial pet food ads on TV or read their ads in print, we have no reason to doubt their claims. So we, the trusting public, is so convinced by their ads we put the nutritional needs of our pets in their hands.

Cat owners mistakenly believe that the commercial pet food companies care as much about our cats as we do. So we buy their products

That’s what they say but can it be true?

Up and coming Veterinarians, while in Vet schools, are bombarded with commercial pet food companys’ propergander. The little nutritional training they do receive is done so by people with a vested interest in the pet food companies. They are buying Veterinarians’ loyalty and this loyalty usually last throughout the Vet’s career.

If the Veterinarians never question what they’ve been taught and chooses not to do any independent research, they will continue their loyalty to the pet food industry until they retire.

What about the food the pet food companies claim to be wholesome, nutritional, 100% natural and complete? That statement is false. Our domestic cats are descendents of the wild cats that roam the African and Asian Continents. Domestic cats’ diets should mimic their predecessors. However, today’s commercial pet foods are chocked with harmful, processed and often toxic ingredients.

Cats are obligate carnivores. Their physiology is not designed to digest most of the ingredients that most pet food companies put in their foods. The grains and other carbohydrates will cause illnesses in cats. They should be avoided.

Preservatives like; Ethoxyquin, BHA and BHT have been liked to cancer and other health-related problems. Consumer complaints have flooded the Food and Drug Administration regarding illnesses suffered by their pets when fed food containing these preservatives by the FDA has chosen not to act.

Many Veterinarians lack the necessary training to offer nutritional advice for our pets. Their allegiances are to the pet food industry and making money, not our pets.

Many Vets are in direct violation of the oath and creed they’re sworn to uphold – “First do no harm.” They sell, in their offices, foods that are harmful to your pet.

Love your cat(s) enough to take the time to learn what foods are good for them. Don’t leave this chore to strangers – you need to be the one that learns what’s good for you pet and feed them those foods.

Although commercial cat food companies will use such terms as; super premium, premium, natural and quality, there are no legal or scientific definitions for those terms. When it comes to cat foods, the source of the ingredients (animal or plant) really does matter.

Is your cat overweight and no matter what you do, your cat will not lose weight?

It is a foregone conclusion that you are feeding your cat too much and you’re feeding him/her the wrong type of food. You are probably feeding your cat too many snacks coupled with little or no exercise. Why do you think that cats need snacks? Perhaps you are confusing what humans eat with what cats should eat. Just like some humans eat too many carbohydrate loaded snacks and become obese, the same thing happens to cats every day. Obesity spells danger for humans as well as cats. For the life of your cat, it’s imperative that you change your cat’s diet right away to avoid serious and costly illnesses.

You should change your cat’s diet to a species-appropriate diet

Let’s incorporate some common sense into this. To do that, we should consider your cat’s origin. Just where did your domestic cat(s) originate? Your domestic cat is a descendent of the wild cats that roam the African Deserts. Mother Nature has well-suited the cat to survive and even thrive in a desert environment.

There is not much water in a desert. Therefore, cats naturally have a low thirst drive. Additionally, cats are carnivores but not just carnivores but rather obligate carnivores – meaning that they have to eat meat. They derive their needed nutrients from raw meats. Not many plants are indigenous to a desert environment.

Dry, processed and plant foods are not part of the cats’ evolutionary diet. Mother Nature designed cats in this manner because of their area of origin. Cats are obligate carnivores – they must eat meat. Their bodies are well designed to efficiently digest meat, bones and most bacteria.

It’s not uncommon, in the desert, to witness cats enjoying a meal of prey that’s been dead for awhile and swarming with parasites

The organ meats, of their prey, provide moisture. Their prey’s stomach content, provide seeds, wild grasses, berries and various nuts. Their prey’s bones serve as tooth brushes for cats.

A cat’s prolong intake of dry food will cause dehydration because the dry food will absorb the cat’s moisture from within and that will lead to other problems such as; diabetes, urinary track problems, a weaken immune system and death.

Why do commercial cat food companies produce such low-grade, non-beneficial and toxic cat foods?

PROFITS – grains are cheaper than meats – then they load up the dry foods with harmful preservatives. All of this spells danger for our domestic cats.

In spite of the claims commercial cat food companies make with respect to their food being wholesome, nutritious, all natural and well-balanced, their claims cannot be supported by science or common sense.

What foods are best for your cat?

You should feed your cats a diet that closely mimics the diet of their predecessors. A raw meat diet with a little taurine sprinkled on top. Avoid feeding your cat(s) dry foods or any commercial food with any of their first five ingredients listed as a carbohydrate.

Keep in mind that cats are not humans. Their dietary requirements are much different from humans. Show them the love that they show you and feed them a diet that’s beneficial and not one that greatly reduces their longevity. Then you will have your cat by your side for many years to come.