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The Need-to-know Facts About Your Cat's Pet Food.
With Guest: Kymythy Schultze, Author of "Natural Nutrition for Cats: The Path to Purr-fect Health."
Original Air Date: 02-06-2009
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As cat lovers, we want to take care of them to the best of our abilities. The food they eat is critical to maintaining their good health. With the recent large pet food recall in 2008 and increasing information about the pet food industry, it leaves us wondering what is best to feed our cats and what do we need to know about all this. In today's episode, Kymythy Schultze, the author of "Natural Nutrition for Cats: The Path to Purr-fect Health" will share what is good nutrition for cats, and why, and tell us what ingredients should and shouldn't be in our cat's food.
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Kymythy Schultze, a clinical nutritionist and certified nutritional consultant, came to this field by a rather remarkable story of her own. Here Kymythy is holding her cat, Scratch.
(photo courtesy of Kymythy Schultze)
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Kymythy and her dog, Panda.
(photo courtesy of Kymythy Schultze)
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Wild cats such as this mountian lion, are larger versions of our small domestic cats. To help us know what our cats need to eat, we need to look at their biological nature.
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Thanks to this photo of a mountain lion yawning, we can see its long sharp, front canine teeth (it's fangs) that reveal that this animal is a carnivore, meaning that it is a meat eater.
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This domestic cat, a Chartreux breed, also has four long sharp canine teeth. The canines (the ones in the corners of the cat's mouth) grip and kill prey quickly. The smaller sharp teeth in front and next to the canines, called incisors, strip flesh from the bones of animals. Our house kitties have the same teeth as the wild tigers and are true carnivores.
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This young cougar has needle-sharp claws that can catch and hold onto prey animals.
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Here, a domestic cat has sharp claws that can hold prey and climb trees.
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A mountain lion jumping and pouncing as it hunts in the snow. Haven't you seen your cat in a similiar position as it plays, catching the toy mouse?
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Cats are natural predators, meaning they will hunt smaller animals. Left on their own, they are very successful hunters. Here the cat has caught a mouse.
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A cat's biology dictates that they must eat meat. And if hunting on its own for food, the meal, of course, would be raw. And the whole mouse would be eaten - flesh, bones and all.
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Note what these carnivores are most interested in on this table. A plate of meat, in this case hamburger patties! As cat owners, we must offer food that most closely matches what they were built to eat.
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So, what should be in our cat's food dishes?
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And how can we protect our pets from pain and suffering? There is increasing information that appears to link a traditional commercial diet to many of the illnesses and diseases that veterinarians are seeing.
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What are the ingredients in our average canned cat foods and what does it matter?
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Dry food, is a staple of many cat's diets and easy for owners to place out for their cats. What do we need to know about dry food?
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But my cat likes milk... Is is wrong to let them have it?
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If there are reasons we might not want to feed our animals the food we normally do, then what do we feed them? Let's go to the refrigerator and see.
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The choices we make for our cats affect these "wonderful furry beings that count on us to do the right thing and make the best decisions for them." A beautifully written idea by Kymythy Schultze that calls us to responsibility.
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This cat is rather eager to sink it's teeth into a raw turkey leg.
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Feeding your cat the "Species-Appropriate Diet" from "Natural Nutrition for Cats: The Path to Purr-fect Health. " Here this cat is eating raw meat. One does not have to drop a whole leg on the ground however. There are easy ways to prepare your own food that will go into your cat's dish in the kitchen.
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Remember, your cat's digestive system, like it's wild cousin the tiger, is designed to deal with raw meat. It is digested quickly before any negative bacteria can grow and then the waste is excreted. Mmm, yum, bones!
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This book tells you how to make some easy raw food menus for your cat. Your cat needs other ingredients such as bones and fat in addition to raw protein.
(photo courtesy of Kymythy Schultze)
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If your cat does not immediately take to eating a new diet, Kymythy Schultze has some tips for how to help your cat make the switch.
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"Begin offering teeny tiny pieces of raw meat, off your finger, mixed with the cat's old food."(from Natural Nutrition for Cats: The Path to Purr-fect Health.)
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Dogs are also counting on us to feed them well. Are there better recommendations for what they should eat?
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Kymythy Schultze also has written a book that includes a species-appropriate diet for dogs. Many of the same issues spoken about concerning commercial cat food applies to commercial dog food.
(photo courtesy of Kymythy Schultze)
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The tide is changing, more experts in the field of animal nutrition are changing their views (and texts) on traditional grain-based pet diets. Our cats and dogs can both eat much better and enjoy greater health and vitality.
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There is nothing like the feeling of taking good care of your cat and providing the best home and life possible for your beloved companion.
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 After recovering from a crippling illness through improved nutrition,Kymythy R. Schultze began an intense study in species-appropriate nutrition and holistic modalities. Now, almost two decades later, as a Clinical Nutritionist and Animal Health Instructor, she's considered a trail- blazer in the field of human, dog and cat nutrition, and her recommendations are endorsed by health professionals worldwide. Kymythy is the author of Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats: The Ultimate Diet, The Natural Nutrition No-Cook Book: Delicious Food for You and Your Pets! and her new book, Natural Nutrition for Cats: The Path to Purr-fect Health. She teaches classes in nutrition for humans, dogs and cats, and has helped thousands of people and their animal friends live healthier, happier lives.
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Additional Resources
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