Oh what to do about those presents kitty brings in from outside just for you. Some folks have quit allowing their cats to go outside as a method of avoiding this issue. This avoidance may be less stress for the owner but could be harmful to the cat. Consider the diet of an indoor cat versus an outdoor cat and that would be the difference in eating live prey verses commercial foods.
I remember my past veterinarian Dr. Teague who would say that the difference in today’s cats’ verses 40 years ago is the absence of live prey. He went on to say that a lot of the cats’ immunological health is dependent on live prey whether insects, small mammals or reptiles. It did not impact me as much back then as it does now because I was accustomed to feeding out of a can or bag then.
Oh how I loved the convenience of plopping chow out of a can or bag but nutritionally I am starving the cat from needed meat proteins substituted with grain proteins, starches, vegetables, and sugary fruits that do not fit a proper diet for a cat. Cats are “obligate carnivores”, which means all of their feeding requirements are met with capture and consumption of live prey. Less than that can lead to many diseases that are not typical in a carnivore.
Chronic Renal Failure or CRF, I can’t count the number of cats I had or knew that ended with this terminal disease. CRF is the result of poor diet and dental hygiene which is so typical of today’s’ indoor cat. Not saying that an outdoor cat would not also suffer this way if it was unable to catch prey on a regular basis and likewise an indoor cat given a proper diet of whole raw food and supplements is less likely to contract CRF. It is all about the type of diet your cat is getting.
Maybe when kitty brings in the present there is more meaning to it than what you think. Consider it is the cats’ way of telling you that this is the real food and not that stuff you keep putting into my bowl! Then again perhaps not, because depending on how long you have been feeding your cat “commercial cat food”, and also the age of the cat would determine whether it is a “junk food addict” or not.
I am fighting an uphill battle with my two tabbies. One is 13 and the other is 3 years old and both are certifiable junk food kitties. Converting them to a whole raw diet will take considerable time and effort plus patience on my part. The long term payoff is reversing my 13 year old cat that has early signs of kidney disease from the last blood work. The 3 year old is giving the most fuss and fight and no longer will the crunchy bowl be out 24/7′s.
Back to my opening statement about those presents that kitty brings inside. Consider another possibility that your house, bedroom, or wherever kitty brings in the prey, it considers to be its’ den. That is always a possibility. I currently have such discussions with Journey, (our Torte), who insists that all live catch meals must be consumed in our bedroom. The credibility of this being her den is also where 90+ percent of the time she sleeps.
Related Coverage
Understanding Cat Health Problems
Cats are one of the most adorable pets that we can get along with. The key to enjoying an energetic feline is to know the common cat health problems that may cause him danger. They can become a good companion and have an excellent ability to hunt unwanted house pests or dangerous creatures such as rats, scorpions and snakes. Since they are known to be hygiene conscious, cats always lick their bodies to get rid of dirt and other unwanted elements. This habit may be vain yet harmless. Common Cat Health Problems
Pet owners should be familiar with common cat health problems so that they won’t escalate into something worse. Prevention and early treatment is key to preserving the health and life of your cat. Anorexia in Cats
Anorexia in cats is a symptom and not an actual disease. While it is often caused by an underlying illness it can also be the result your cat is recovering from an illness. However, there are several cases in which your cat may just be a very picky eater. Polyphagia in Cats
Polyphagia in cats can be either psychological or it is the result of a very serious underlying disease in your pet. It can be just as dangerous as polydipsia, which is excessive drinking on the part of your cat. However, it does not always lead to an excessive weight gain, as with some underlying conditions, it may actually cause a weight loss.
You can bet I am working hard on changing were she thinks she should eat her catches.
Even though she has free run of the house and cat door to the outside she will spend most of the day outside and still sleep most of the night with us. Odd considering most cats are nocturnal but has always been the case with our other cats, and I bet some of this is directly related to the feeding schedule we keep. A wildcat will only hunt if it is hungry and does not require 2 meals plus snacks a day. Our cats’ behavior is likely related to being over fed with the wrong type of food.
What is the right type of food and what is the feeding schedule? The cat should eat whole prey, (either live caught or frozen purchased), not the ground up food recipes you can get on the internet. There are a number of producers of whole live food so Google that or you can go to my website. Let the cat determine the amount of food. Often they may take most of the day to eat larger whole prey and will stop eating when they are full. Point I am making is give your cat the food in the morning and if it wants more then give it more, otherwise the one time may be sufficient.
A cat eating a lot of good raw meat will tend to be more active than a cat eating a lot of heat processed protein with added carbohydrates and sugars, and that is why your cat gets fat. The cat does not have the energy to exert for lots of exercise when it is on a commercial cat food diet.
That kind of diet is hard on the cat to digest and utilize for an energy source so over the long haul the kidneys and liver start to degenerate and disease sets in. It’s not an overnight process before the bodies organs start to fail and neither is it an overnight process to repair. Proper diet and supplements over time can in some cases restore useful function to these organs if it is started near the beginning stages.
Problem with the blood tests is the kidneys are already close to 70% gone before the test indicates any problem. A cat can survive on just 30% renal function but one needs to stop and hopefully reverse this process with the proper diet and supplements. Most veterinarians disagree with my action steps and to their credit they may be correct since significant damage to the kidneys has already occurred when blood tests indicate possible CRF.
Your cat could be suffering from many other things like dehydration, weight loss, high blood pressure, and thyroid function. Because of the possibility of multiple conditions you may have to “stabilize” your cat first with the recommended therapy that the vet recommends then improve on diet. The number one site for information about CRF from the medical aspect is Feline CRF Information Center.
Most vets recommend Hill Diet also known as KD diet. This is a can or kibble diet low in protein and phosphorus in an effort to have a reduction of protein the kidneys need to process. Sounds great except most of the protein in the product is loaded with JUNK proteins which do just the opposite that you’re trying to achieve. What is really needed is a diet that is totally sourced from good protein with as much phosphorus removed. This would be a huge niche for someone to formulate
Recapping, most cats over the age of 8 years who have been fed only a dry food commercial diet will develop CRF. The same is true for cats over the age of 12 that had a diet consisting of canned commercial food. Some cats get it earlier than others and some expire from other conditions. CRF is a progressive terminal disease that has a strong relationship to diet and gum disease.
Feeding your cat early on a whole raw diet and allowing it to hunt is the most natural prevention of early onset of CRF. The blood work and urine evaluation are the best ways to detect CRF early before more serious conditions begin but the disease has already significantly progressed in the kidneys. My website provides specific blogs concerning a whole raw food diet for cats and has many links to other sites for additional information.