9 Reasons Why You Should Avoid Seafood Cat Foods

I know, cats can be finicky eaters...and they always seem to go for the seafood flavors, right? It's because they are really smelly and to a cat this is enticing. Pet food manufacturers know this. They know that if they just add some type of fish to their foods, the cats will go for it. In fact, I have discovered that some entire lines of can cat foods contain fish in the ingredients, even when it doesn't state so at all on the front of the label. It might say something like "beef dinner in gravy" or "chicken dinner in gravy" on the front of the label, along with "grain free" and "gluten free", so you think you're getting some quality food without fish in it.....wrong! Read the list of ingredients on the back and you will find fish among the top 5 ingredients!

9 reasons why you should avoid 

giving fish or seafood flavor foods (can or dry!) to your cats:

1    They contain PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl) and PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers) which are flame retardant chemicals that are also derived from marine organisms. PCBs and PBDEs are endocrine and thyroid disruptors.

2    They most likely contain elevated levels of heavy metals including mercury. The FDA advises women of child bearing age and children to avoid certain fish entirely for this reason. If they are dangerous for children, cats are at an even higher risk!

3    Fish is one of the most highly allergic foods for cats, which causes inflammatory conditions.

4    It's not a species appropriate diet for cats.

5    Fish fed in high amounts can lead to thiamine deficiency.

6    Fish fed long term can deplete vitamin E and vitamin E deficiency causes a painful condition called steatitis, which can be life threatening.

7    Seafood is a rich source of iodine and cats are not designed to process a lot of iodine.

8    Magnesium content in fish has been linked to urinary tract diseases in cats; a diet with too much magnesium can cause ammonium phosphate crystals or struvite crystals.

9    Pet food regulations require menadione sodium bisulfite to be the ONLY vitamin K source for a fish based cat food. There is no other vitamin K source approved (regulations) for a fish based cat food. This is a synthetic form of vitamin K3, which for humans is known to be hazardous to our health if ingested and that prolonged exposure to it can produce organ damage. So how could it be okay for our pets to eat, especially when they are fed the same thing for every meal over long periods of time?


For more details on why you should stop feeding your kitties fish or fish-flavored cat foods please read this article written by holistic veterinarian Dr. Karen Becker  by clicking here. 

For more details on menadione sodium bisulfite and other unwanted pet food ingredients please read this article by Susan Thixton at TruthAboutPetFood.com on How Safe is Pet Food?

My Natural Cat

Kilo, our seven month old kitten is loving his new food My Natural Cat by Feline Instincts! And I couldn't be happier! Since he loves raw organic ground chicken so much (better than anything else), I was wanting to make a complete and balanced food with the raw chicken that wouldn't be too complicated or involved and I found the perfect thing! My Natural Cat is a natural nutritional supplement mix that is AAFCO and veterinarian approved. All you do is add water, salmon oil, raw ground meat (organic is best), mix well and it's done!

Kilo loves it and will even eat it cold, right out of the refrigerator! Wow. I started with the trial size (plus chicken liver), which makes mix for four pounds of meat. I portioned it into what he will eat in a couple days and freeze the extra. I take them out of the freezer and put them in the refrigerator as needed. You don't want it to be in the refrigerator more than 2 or 3 days. He has been going through it so fast that I had to hurry and order the regular size bag of supplement mix.

FelineInstincts.com also has a supplement mix for kidney support and a supplement mix for dogs too! (Sorry, no trial size available for dogs.) 

Here's how easy it is to make:

You will need a meat grinder unless you buy the meat already ground. I bought an inexpensive one on Amazon for under $70 that works great and is easy to clean. 

I buy organic, boneless, skinless chicken breast and thighs at Costco.

When buying salmon oil, look for wild caught salmon oil due to farmed salmon being fed GMOs or the fish being GMO themselves. I found wild caught Alaskan salmon oil capsules (1,000 mg) at HEB.

Update 6/25/16: Kilo still loves his My Natural Cat raw food! I am now also making the dog version for our dog Duke, who loves it too!

Note: The raw chicken mix is one of the foods Kilo eats. His meals are rotated between that and other foods and sources of protein. It is important to feed a variety of foods and sources of protein. Cats are not meant to eat the same thing all the time any more than we are. Variety is the key!

Update 7/31/19: Kilo still loves his My Natural Cat raw food. It is his favorite, but he likes a variety of foods.

Letter to Pet Owners Who Don't Use Professional Pet Sitters

As a Professional Pet Sitter it can sometimes be frustrating to hear the term "pet sitter" being used so loosely. Some people refer to their friends as the pet sitter, a family member, the child next door or the elderly woman across the street. The media does it too. You can call anybody a pet sitter, or anyone can put an ad online calling themselves a pet sitter, but these are not Professional Pet Sitters. There's a big difference. 

Pet Sitters International (PSI), the world's largest education association for professional pet sitters recently published an Open Letter to Pet Owners Who Don't Use Professional Pet Sitters. I applaud their message.

Click HERE to read the article.

Duke turns 14!

Our dog Duke turns 14 years old this month! And he's doing great! He just recently had his yearly physical exam and blood work done and everything looked great. In fact, his kidney values, which showed some elevation on a blood test just six months prior, had improved! That's something I don't normally hear! How did I manage that? I already feed him quality human grade, organic or raw foods with added supplements like probiotics, digestive enzymes and coconut oil along with the best water you can drink -- structured water. The only thing I did different since then is I added a daily kidney and liver supplement in his food. It seems to have done the trick! What good news! 

To celebrate his birthday I made him pumpkin muffins for dogs made with healthy ingredients. Duke loves them! I got the recipe out of a book called Doggy Desserts and customized it with organic ingredients. They're easy and quick to make. I've included the recipe if you would like to make them for your own dog(s):

Pumpkin Muffins for Dogs

Pumpkin Muffins for Dogs

2-1/2 cups unbleached white flour (I used Namaste Gluten Free Perfect Flour Blend)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda (organic)
1 tsp baking powder (organic, no aluminum)
1/2 cup all natural applesauce, no sugar added (organic)
1 egg (organic)
1 cup can pumpkin (organic)
1/4 cup honey (local)
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts, chopped (optional)

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients until blended. Spoon the batter into muffin cups, 3/4 full. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes. The muffins are completely baked when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let them cool before removing from pan. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Break apart into pieces for smaller dogs and for dogs who inhale food.

Yield: The book says approximately 8 muffins. However, I got 21 muffins out of this recipe! (though I did use a different kind of flour.)

Happy 14th Birthday Duke!

The Truth About Cancer: A Global Quest

Though this is not necessarily directly related to the subject of pets, it's important enough I wanted to share with as many people as possible.

The Truth About Cancer: A Global Quest is the documentary everyone is talking about. It's already saved lives. If you haven't seen it yet I highly recommend watching it!  Everyone needs to see it. I watched it last year and bought the DVDs so I can share it with more people. I plan on watching it again as it is so full of information! This is not just for people who have or have had cancer, but also for those who want to avoid it in the first place. That pretty much covers everyone I think! You will be amazed at what you learn on this life changing documentary.

 FREE and on-line, this is a must-see 9 part cancer docu-series, April 12 - 20.

CLICK HERE to learn more and sign up to watch it for FREE.

What is Structured Water?

In this short video, inventor Clayton Nolte explains what Structured Water is.

CLICK HERE for a special sale on Structured Water units.

CLICK HERE for more options.