ARE RAW FOOD DIETS SAFE FOR CATS?
The risks of well-known bacteria like Salmonella and E.coli are very real in raw diets. Although cats are less susceptible to these dangers due to shorter GI systems and therefore less exposure to harm, the risk of cross-contamination is alarming — not to mention that these harmful bacteria can negatively affect cats.
Food safety and thorough cleaning procedures must be adhered to. High Pressure Processing (HPP), a food safety step using pressure rather than heat, is often used commercially to ensure safe nutrition. Cat parents should always adhere to the feeding guidelines and storage recommendations provided by the supplier.
4. WHAT HEALTH CONCERNS ARE HELPED BY A RAW DIET?
As evolved desert dwellers, cats lack a strong thirst drive. The tendency of raw diets to contain more moisture offers added hydration, helping to alleviate some urinary problems and improve overall health.
Perhaps the most common health concern that can be helped by a raw diet is kidney disease. The kidneys, when healthy, work wonders metabolizing protein and processing waste. Heat processing damages the foods’ amino acid profile, creating lower protein efficiency (usability by the cat) and waste to be processed by the kidneys. In turn, a diet free of heat damage can improve kidney health.
5. WHO SHOULD NOT USE RAW DIETS?
The risks of raw feeding are real — especially if pet owners are not able to prepare homemade complete, balanced and safe meals, or purchase and properly store raw meals.
Due to the risks to the animal and any humans cohabitating with them, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advise against feeding raw diets to pets.
6. ARE RAW FOOD DIETS COMPLETE & BALANCED?
Pet parents familiar with nutrition product labels have probably seen the term “complete and balanced” before. This term signifies that the product meets the required nutrient inclusion for a given animal’s life stage — which is determined by AAFCO, the voluntary association that regulates the safety of animal feed in the marketplace by working with animal nutritionists to create guidelines.
Oftentimes a vitamin pack or nutritional supplement must be used to ensure a complete and balanced nutritional profile is achieved.
7. HOW CAN I PREPARE A RAW FOOD DIET?
While raw feeding may bring to mind thoughts of throwing a piece of raw meat or fish in the bowl for your cat, making a complete and balanced homemade raw diet is not that simple.
A serious danger of raw feeding is the risks posed to the human residents of a house. Food safety storage and cleaning practices must be followed. It is always best to consult an animal nutrition professional to develop a complete diet of protein from meat or fish, amino acids, vitamins and minerals, and proper water intake for your cat.
8. HOW DO I TRANSITION MY CAT TO A RAW DIET?
Our feline companions are notoriously finicky when it comes to their diets, but providing them with the least processed nutrition possible is the best thing for them.
Transitioning to progressively less processed foods over time is usually the best bet. This can be accomplished by phasing in raw food leading to a completely raw diet. The Feline Nutrition Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to educating cat parents on the benefits of a raw diet, and offers an informative transitioning guide.
I learned years ago that if there’s one thing I should never leave out, it’s plastic shopping bags. In my case, it’s just because the sound of my cats licking that crinkly material was enough to drive me batty. But for one of my friends, keeping plastic out of her cats’ mouths is a matter of life and death: One of her beloved furry friends actually ate enough of a plastic bag to result in a midnight trip to the emergency vet and surgery to remove the stuff from his stomach. One of my cats also had an odd obsession with licking the emulsion off photographs.
Why do cats do this? What’s up with this obsession with stuff that’s not very tasty and even potentially fatal? There are several theories as to why cats might be driven to frenzies of foolishness over those crazy polymers, and here they are:
1. Enticing food smells
Soft plastics are porous and they trap the odor of whatever was contained within them. Cats’ sense of smell is even stronger than dogs’, and since we put everything from meat to fish to sandwiches in plastic, it makes sense that even the faintest whiff of a tempting treat could lead to licking and perhaps even swallowing plastic.
2. Crinkly fun
A shopping bag makes all kinds of cool noises, which in some way mimic the sounds of little rodents scurrying around in the grass and leaves.
3. The corn starch factor
More and more plastic shopping bags are being made of biodegradable materials that contain corn starch. Some cats seem to find the smell and taste of corn starch attractive.
4. Lickable lubricants
Plastics are treated with stearates, which are derived from tallow. I’ve seen some sources that say lanolin (the oil that makes sheep coats feel greasy) is also used in the production of plastic. Either of these things could be tempting to a curious carnivore. Gelatin is also used in photo emulsion, so that may explain the bizarre allure of those old Kodak moments.
5. It’s a texture thing
Some experts think that the smooth texture of plastic feels good on a cat’s tongue. There’s some thinking that the temperature of the plastic may be a factor, too, but in my experience, plastic pretty quickly picks up the ambient temperature of the room it’s in.
6. Pheromones
Some plastics contain chemicals that may mimic pheromones or other attractants, and it’s possible that licking plastic could be an extension of the flehmen reaction (a behavior in which an animal curls back his upper lips, inhales, and often holds this position for several seconds). This could also explain why some cats like to urinate on plastic bags.
7. Mental short-circuit
Some cats get in the habit of eating non-food items. This condition, called pica, is sometimes considered a mental compulsion and sometimes thought of as an attempt to try and get necessary nutrients that aren’t present in the cat’s diet.
CNTower
2021-12-8 10:27:46
https://www.catster.com/lifestyle/is-it-bad-for-my-cat-to-chew-on-plastic
Is it bad for my cat to chew on plastic?
By Dr. Eric Barchas
,
My cat, Kitty, likes to chew on plastic grocery bags. It’s annoying to us, sure, but is it bad for her? She doesn’t eat them. Do a lot of cats do this? And do you know why?
Shawna
Olathe, KS
Believe it or not, people ask me these sorts of questions almost every day in my practice. So, to answer one of the questions, yes, a very large number of cats like to chew on plastic bags. Many cats also enjoy chewing other forms of thin plastic, or chew on (and sometimes swallow) rubber bands.
I do not have a definitive answer for why cats do this. It may be because they enjoy the texture, which is unlike most objects found in nature. But, frankly, that is just a guess. Certainly, medical science has provided no answer to this question that I’m aware of.
If your cat is not swallowing portions of the bags, then it probably is harmless. The plastic in most bags is inert and not toxic. Even if swallowed, small pieces of plastic (or rubber bands) usually will pass harmlessly through a cat’s system. However, a slight risk exists that such foreign material might coalesce into a form that can obstruct the intestines and require surgery. As well, if any toxic materials are on a bag (for instance, if the bag was used to carry insecticide or motor oil), they could make your cat sick. And, a risk of suffocation exists if cats crawl into plastic bags. So, to be safe, you should probably keep plastic bags out of reach.
However, if your cat is like most, she will probably continue to chew on the occasional plastic bag without coming to any harm.
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