Tips on Cat Food

Holla catlovers!

This time around, I will share some tips/info on cat food. Basically, the basic nutritional needs for your cats are:
-Protein (from fish, poultry etc)
-Taurine (an amino acid)
-Certain Vitamins, Enzymes, Fatty Acids, Minerals
-Water

Cats dont really need carbohydrates, but carbo does exist as fillers for both canned/dry foods available for the cats.

I give my cats IAMS dry food; combined with WHISKAS canned food. They tolerate well with the combination. Its important for you to mix-and-match their meals from time to time, so they wont get bored over time.


Some facts on Dry Food VS Canned Food:

• While dry food is convenient, and can be left out for "free feeding,"
• Canned food contains water, and many cats do not drink water regularly
• To ensure that your cat gets the right amount of nutrients. That "near-perfect" food you've selected might be adding too little (or too much) of certain minerals and/or vitamins.
• Cats may actually become bored with the same food day in and day out, and simply quit eating. Face it, would you enjoy pizza morning, noon, and night, for years?
• To head off possible allergies to certain ingredients. Cats (like humans) develop allergies over a period of time. Although the incidence of food allergies in cats is rare, cat owners might want to err on the side of caution, particularly if their cats have shown evidence of allergies in the past.
• To prevent "food addictions." The Whole Cat Journal, in its October, 2001 issue, cites the case of a cat that was addicted to a particular flavor of a particular brand of cat food, right down to a specific factory and lot number! This kind of addiction can be difficult to deal with when that last can is gone, but can be easily avoided by feeding a variety of foods from the start.

Cheap Brands No Good?
Many owners do opt for cheap foods (as cheap as it can be) for their cats. For them, "hey! its only an animal!" But, if you're a serious cat-lover or pet owner, you'll think beyond that.Well, studies have shown that cats eat as much as they need to get the nutrients they require. Therefore, they might eat twice as much of that generously-carbohydrate-filled store brand to get the nutrients they need in a normal feeding of premium food. Second, the continued feeding of substandard foods over a period of years will heavily contribute to, or even cause, serious medical conditions that will require expensive veterinary care.


Avoid this on the label!

• Words such as "By-products," "meat and/or bone meal," "animal digest," most other descriptions including "digest" or "meal," and added sugars.
• Chemical preservatives, including BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin, and propyl gallate
• Corn meal as a filler
• Excess of carbohydrate "fillers" (Dry food can contain as much as 50 percent grain)

So, all in all..it all depends on you...Dry or Canned? Cheap or Expensive? Good or Bad? Hmmmmm......miaoowssss!

OKO Plus Cat Litter

OKO PLUS Cat Litter

I just wanna share with you here, the brand of Cat Litter that I'm using for my felines.

Its the wood-based, CAT'S BEST OKOPLUS.

Cat's Best Öko Plus is up to 3 x more efficient than conventional clumping kitty litter because the fluids are more effectively trapped in the capillary system of the natural plant fibers. Therefore Cat's Best Öko Plus can be used more sparingly and is thus also distinctly more economical than many other types of kitty litter.

The work of cleaning and filling the litterbox will be reduced to minimum because it stays in the box longer - thanks to its ability to trap odors without other irritating smells.

• Traps odors extremely well
• Can be composted and is 100% biodegradable:
  Cat's Best Öko Plus is currently the only kitty litter that can be composted and is biodegradable. Therefore you can empty the litter box right into the compost or the bio-waste container.
• 100 % pure plant fibers:
  Cat's Best Öko Plus uses the finest plant fibers, which come from untreated native fir timber. This timber continually accumulates; its use contributes to the maintenance of natural, healthy forests.
• Easier to transport
• Quality tested:
  Even the independent product test commission Stiftung Warentest evaluated Cat's Best Öko Plus in April 1998 as having best quality and an outstanding price/performance ratio. Of the 19 evaluated clumping kitty litters, Cat's Best Öko Plus was the only ecological litter among test winners.

Its currently available at Pets Wonderland branches (KL, that is) , and also through the Online Pet Store at www.buddypetwagon.com (not to mention, cheaper here). But its quite pricey though, selling at RM40.90 at Pets Wonderland, and it can last up to 1+-2months (I have 3 cats! So, its quite economical for me).

So, I've tested it. Have you????

Brushes for Your Kitty

I suppose, you must own one or more brushes for grooming your cat. But, do you even know what are the types and use of these brushes? Here are some info on these:

Basically, there are different types of brushes;

1. BRISTLE
This can be used on all coat types. Generally, the longer the hair coat, the longer bristles should be; and the coarser the hair, the stiffer bristles are needed.

2. WIRE-PIN
This is preferred choice, for pets with medium to long hair and those with curly or woolly coats.It comes with or without rubber-tipped ends.

3. SLICKER
This brush have fine wire bristles and are especially useful for removing mats and tangles.

4. FINE TOOTHED COMB
Combs are good for all but wiry coats. They are helpful at moving any small knots of hair. For more severe knots or mats, you need to use a matbreaker.

5. RUBBER CURRY
Made from rubber; effective at massaging the skin and removing dead hair. Excellent to use as final follow-up to a grooming session.

When brushing your kitty, be gentle and be patient. Be extra careful when removing the mats/tangles.

(Info Source : PetEducation.com)

I hate Cat Hairballs!

Hey y'all..its been a while since my last post..anyway, hope its never too late all of you a Happy New Year :)

Okay, my first entry for year 2007 is about Hairballs! I simply hate them.

First of all, do you all know what are hairballs?

Scientifically or technically (hmm..whatever..), a hairball is known as "trichobezoar"; "tricho" means hair and "benzoar" means accumulation of indigestible material forming a lump in the digestive tract.

Cats prize themselves as being clean. They lick to clean themselves; all the time. But to them, its not ust cleaning. Kitty is trying to remove loose hair, too. The tounge of a cat has tiny barbs taht pulls loose hair from its coat. Some hair will be ingested and some will move through the digestive tract with no problems.

But, if too much is ingested, will make your kitty sick. This resulting in heaving and strange noises through the cat's nose and throat; sounds like muted cough/sneeze. Your cat will feel uncomfortable and starts to comfort themselves by cleaning/licking..again..

To prevent hairballs, brush your kitty regularly. Cats do enjoy this. You can trim the fur occasionally for the long-haired cat, as they sheds more. Some vets do recommend to feed your cat with a litle amount of grass daily. I guess, this is why I always spotted outdoor cats nibbles on grass often...

There are also cat food formulated specifically to reduce/ control hairballs. I once try IAMS formula for hairball control, but my cat seems not to like it .. There are also other hairballs remedies such as ointments, that help to break -up the hairball so its easier to pass..

Okay...so long..till next time..meowsss!