Comments on: Holistic Cat Foods

By: Shannon

Shannon — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 17:56:01 +0000

Sarah, I’m thrilled to see a veterinary professional with a passion about pet nutrition. I cannot tell you how many vets I’ve dealt with over the decades that are more interested in pushing sub-standard pet food for personal profit. Nor can I name the numerous vets I’ve met who don’t know (or care to know) much about pet nutrition beyond the basics.

And what frightens me most is that people wrongfully do trust pet food companies and veterinaries who are more interested in their personal income rather than the well fare of our pets. Without question, or even a 2nd opinion, people blindly purchase these “premium” pet food brands that are not much better than saw dust nutritionally, basted in fat to make it taste good.

I “know too much” as the saying goes and that has made me an advocate for holistic pet food and pet food that is more meat protein based than full of grains. My cats have thrived on Wellness Core for the last 6 years and I am thrilled about that.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 17:04:53 +0000

Well, I am a veterinary professional and I know that cats who have lowered or diminished renal function cannot properly process too much protein in their diets. I am fully aware that cats are obligate carnivores, a 50% protein diet would be fine on normal cats or kittens (seeing as the excess that is not absorbed would just be excreted in the feces and urine) but if the renal system is already taxed by some other pathological issue, trying to process that much protein may further rob the individual’s kidneys of much needed glomerular filtration that is needed for vital body functions. Most consumers looking for a holistic or grain free diet may not even know what their animals’ kidney function is or if it is normal or not. Thanks for the clarification on the carnivorous nature of cats. There are still some people out there that try to feed their cats a vegetarian diet and don’t realize the damage it can do to a cat’s internal organ system.

By: Shannon

Shannon — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 12:02:28 +0000

Too much protein? Cats *must* have protein in their diets to survive. It is natural for them to eat meat. It is unnatural for their diet to have too much grain in it. Unlike dogs, who apparently can do well on a vegitarian diet.

I am not a scientific professional, I am a cat breeder with years of experience in feline nutrition. If you have questions regarding Wellness Core, I would contact them directly. I’m sure they have quite a few scientific lab results to refer you to.

Thank you for the post!

By: Sarah

Sarah — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 04:58:45 +0000

I would like to know about the protein percentage in the recommended food. If there is too much protein, it is harder on a cat’s kidneys. Are there any test results published on the kidney values of the cats who were fed Wellness Core over a period of time? I would be interested to see the lab results if there are any available.

By: Eileen

Eileen — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 23:17:35 +0000

I usually look for chicken meal for my first ingredient considering that its dried and processed already. If you have ‘chicken’ as your first ingredient, this is the actual chicken before processing. This usually means, depending on the company, that its really lower on the ingredient list after its processed.