I missed my self imposed Blog deadline last month… and for not a good reason. Our cat Casper, a neutered male, had a urinary track blockage scare. Even with four cats, I can tell you who used the litter box by the location from where they each “go” – I am very aware of urinary track issues.  Mia our big tuxedo girl, goes dead center in the box, not very deep, and well, she is a big girl, enough said. Callie, our little fluffy all white, she goes in the corner furthest away from the litter box entrance and well, she is the one that dumps and runs… never covers up! Buddy, our feral, he digs to China, all the way to the bottom of the litter box and then has to cover up with all the rest of the litter left in the box. And then there is Casper. My big all white boy, (brother to Callie) who follows me everywhere and is always on my lap. He has to be the first one to use the litter box right after or during the time I am scooping and cleaning. He “goes” right by the entrance door.

“Any wet Brand would be better than dry”

After we moved to Rock Hill, SC, from Boca Raton, FL, we had to locate a Veterinarian. While in Florida, we had Dr. Hugo, at The Cat Hospital (Deerfield Beach, FL), more than a 30 minute drive away from where we lived, but, a cat only practice. Spoiled we were! Our new area had many Vet clinics, and I visited them all due to my litter cabinet business (Out of Sight Litter Box, Inc.) dropping off advertising flyers and posters, but also to check them out as for our potential new Vet. But they were all dog, plus cats practices. Now, I have nothing against dogs, but if you are a Cat Person, dogs change things… and when you bring in your cat for an appointment … in a cage … and a nosey dog runs up and barks and sniffs at your cat, well, it is extremely alarming for your cat, and for you.

Wet Cat Food vs. Dry Cat Food

Back to the reason of this post… I have always been a wet cat food person since day one with my cats. It just seamed right that since cats, (including all cats species) ate meat while hunting, so that wet (canned) high protein food would be normal for them. Have you ever seen a Lion eating grass? rice or vegetables? no… they hunt for meat… moist, wet, meat. But, our new local Vet recommended a new dry kibble food manufacturer by a new company (with the color of the sky in the name). The Vet gave us information/advertising sheets, and added since our two new white kitties had such sensitive stomachs, that is would be better for them, and recommended a diet variety for our, chunky Mia. So, we gave both dry foods a try. And yes, I have to admit it made my life much easier… just fill up the bowl on a high counter for the kitties, and scoop in the measured amount for Mia twice a day, and walk away. No cans to open and to wash out. I did have to fill up the water bowls more often, but all seamed just great. But after two years, Mia had still not lost any weight eating her diet food, and then the issue that put my Blogging on hold… I noticed Casper was having an issue urinating.

Urinary Track Issues for Cats

Casper jumped into the litter box as I was cleaning, and just sat there. Pushing, as I could see him struggling to go. And, then when he left… there was only a very small clump area, not the scoop full he would normally leave behind. Knowing that male cats are pron to get urinary track infections and or blockages, I went to the web first to research my fears. And then after having a bad last experience at our dog (and cat) Vet’s office… I searched for a Cat Only Vet in our area and there was one, but the office was over 45 minutes away, in Charlotte, NC. The 4 Seasons Cat Hospital. It was time for a change, and that long drive, well it turned out very worth it.

After I called and made an appointment for the next day to bring in Casper, Dr. Moses called back and asked if I could bring Casper in right away. Long story, short, my boy is just fine now. After giving him fluids, a few days of pills, and a shot twice a day, he is now “going” like a race horse once again. We, he, was very lucky, it was the start of a blockage, that could have been, a major problem. And, after listening to Dr. Moses’ history about the food we had been feeding our kids, we were not alone with the issues. She too recommended going back to wet canned food, “any wet Brand would be better than dry”.  All our cats love it! And Mia is already losing weight and becoming more playful.

I have done more research on the wonderful internet, and found many sites with pet owners telling the same or sad and painful stories of their not so lucky pets regarding dry food. It seams that dry food for cats, is becoming a big health issues. Now, don’t just take my word for it… look into it yourself. I can personally say that our 4 cats seam happier, more playful, love eating time and are drinking much less water. Cat’s normally don’t drink water, they get most of their fluids from eating prey… as they do in the wild. But you’ll find more out about that as you do your own research. Here are a few links to sites I found with information that I believe you will find very interesting regarding… Wet Cat Food vs. Dry Cat Food:

www.catinfo.org

http://pets.webmd.com/cats/guide/feeding-your-adult-cat-what-you-need-to-know

https://www.mypetspride.com/raw-truth

ConsumerAffairs Pet Food Info Resurce Pages:
CAT FOOD LINK:
https://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/cat-food/

DOG FOOD LINK:
https://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/pet-food/

All my best, blessings,
PAUL I. PETTYS “Cat-man-doo-doo”
Out of Sight Litter Box, Inc.
www.outofsightlitterbox.com
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