posted by Tess on Dec 17
Cat lovers the world over have become increasingly disillusioned with the pet food industry. Poor quality food masquerading as balanced diets and expensive brands promising superior nutrition, yet leaving out vital ingredients to provide yet another “solution” product, have lead many to see through the marketing doublespeak and realise that profit, not their pets good health, is the manufacturers main concern.
The exposure of certain manufacturers’ total disregard for the rights and dignity of companion animals in their testing facilities, has been highlighted by undercover investigations. These investigations have revealed the appalling conditions and ongoing unnecessary and cruel testing perpetrated in the name of science, but aimed at providing yet another marketing angle to sell their products.
John and Susan Mulder of Noordhoek decided to go against the grain and have formed Anges De Gardien Nutrition to manufacture and develop, truly balanced all-in-one feline nutritional products. A core policy is that no painful, inhumane or unnecessary animal testing be performed on any any of their food.
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posted by Tess on Apr 30
Obesity and improper diet are the most common reasons behind feline liver disease. It has been seen that stress due to environment changes like a home shift, a new pet or a new baby often induces a cat to refuse food. A change in diet and concurrent bacterial infection are two other triggers that may lead to anorexia (loss of appetite) and ultimately to any of the following liver disease.
Fatty Liver Disease (Hepatic Lipidosis)
Fatty Liver Disease is the most common liver disease in cats. An obese cat often stops eating properly for some unknown reasons and the body starts sending fats to the liver for conversion into lipoproteins, which are necessary for transporting lipids (essential structural component of cells along with proteins and carbohydrates) in the blood. Ironically, a cat’s liver is not very good in processing fat, which leads to Fatty Liver Disease.
Inflammatory and/or Infectious Disorders
These may relate to inflammation or infection of the bile duct or the biliary system, which may extend to the liver. Infections are mostly caused by pancreatitis, bacteria and parasites.
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posted by Tess on Apr 3
When you bring a cat home, your responsibility is to take care of the animal. Cat owners, who are busy, normally leave their pets alone at home free to eat whatever they like. By not taking enough care of what their pet eats and not exercising them properly they are actually doing them a disservice.
The liver processes fats, proteins and other nutrients to convert them to the relevant substances that the body requires to function properly. The liver also filters toxins that the cat may have consumed through food or drugs or paint scrapings.
The problem with a cat’s liver is that it is not very efficient and cannot process fats as it should. Too much of fat in a cat’s diet leads to accumulation of fats around the liver causing a common feline liver disease, hepatic lipidosis, commonly known as fatty liver disease.
Obese cats are more susceptible to fatty liver disease. Obesity in cats is dependent on various factors:
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posted by Tess on Nov 8
How Low Quality Foods can be Hurting Your Pets
A few short months ago, pet owners everywhere were afraid to feed their pets for fear of what they might be ingesting. Every time you turned on the news, there was an update on the “Pet Food Scare”.
Although the situation has now subsided after more than 60 million bags and cans of pet food were recalled, concerns with production and safety standards were raised regarding the high levels of hazardous food that slipped through to the retail market. The situation caused pet owners to question the quality and safety of even the well-recognized brands on the market.
Disturbing Findings on Nutritional Content
James Morris and Quentin Rogers, two Molecular Biologists at the University of California at Davis, found a lack of information on the bioavailability of nutrients in many of the common dietary ingredients used in pet foods. “These ingredients are generally by-products of the meat, poultry and fishing industries, with the potential for a wide variation in nutrient composition,” the biologists stated.
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posted by Tess on Dec 28
* 1 cup whole-wheat flour
* 1/4 cup soy flour
* 1 teaspoon catnip
* 2 tablespoons wheat germ
* 1/3 cup powdered milk
* 1 tablespoon molasses
* 1 egg
* 2 tablespoons
* vegetable oil
* 1/3 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients together, then add molasses, egg, oil and milk. Mix well until dough sticks together. Roll dough out on a floured board to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into small pieces and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool and store in tightly sealed container.
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posted by Tess on Jul 24
Vegetables in your dog’s diet, and minor amounts in your cat’s diet, can enhance their health and provide a rich and diverse supply of nutrients, enzymes, healthy fibre and antioxidants. In the wild, dogs and cats would have acquired plant foods through the semi-digested remnants in the stomachs of their prey; vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds.
Canines possess a greater ability to break down plant matter and synthesize relevant nutrients therein. Because of this, although classified as carnivores, they are in fact omnivorous and are not solely reliant on animal meat for sustenance. Wolves can be observed eating fallen fruit and berries, and first consume the stomach and intestines of their prey where plant foods can be found.
Felines on the other hand are obligate carnivores and are unable to manufacture essential nutrients from plant matter. These include the amino acids taurine and arginine, and the fatty acid arachidonic acid. Unlike omnivores cats also cannot convert vitamin A from beta-carotene in plants and need animal-derived sources of vitamin A such as liver. Accept for smaller prey which cats eat whole, in the wild the stomach and intestines tend to be avoided, yet organs such as heart, liver and lungs are enjoyed.
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posted by Tess on Mar 24
Cat Food Info #1 Cats Need Protein in their Cat Food
The cat food you feed to your cat should always be rich in protein. This generally should come from meat, poultry or fish. Many cat food brands advertise chicken, beef, and tuna flavored cat food because they know that cats need protein and cat owners are looking for quality cat food. However, you need to make sure the cat food you buy has a sufficient amount of cat food regardless of what flavor it is.
Cat Food Info #2 Cat Food with Taurine
Also check the cat food you typically buy for an amino acid called taurine. This particular amino acid is very important in the overall health of your cat, and your cat will eat as much food as it has to in order to supplement this particular amino acid. So, if you are buying cheap cat food that does not have the proper nutrients your cat will eat a lot. If you buy a nutrient rich cat food then your cat will eat little and save you more money while still getting proper nutrition.
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