Cats Herd You

The Newton Update

Several of you have asked for a Newton update after his urinalysis, and I was stalling on one until I could sound a little less frustrated with the situation. So here we are.

For three weeks, Newton ate his raw diet, and the only treats he had were some freeze-dried Bravo turkey treats (100% meat), and some pinches of unseasoned, grilled chicken breast (also 100% meat).

With the crunchy treats gone from his diet, his pH numbers should look better, right?

orange tabby cat reads test results

His pH was still stubbornly 8.5. That’s crazy high for a raw fed cat.

The vet blamed the raw food and insisted on a prescription diet for life.

The local company I have been buying prepared raw food from blamed the freeze-dried treats.

I was ready to pull my hair out in frustration at the blame game.

orange tabby cat pauses while bathing

I agreed to put Newton on a prescription diet for a while while I figured out what the best long-term dietary move would be. I put off writing an update here until I had a plan.

Newton hates the renal diet. I’m not impressed with the ingredients in it, but he’ll be all right on it for a few weeks.

orange tabby cat

After some research, I took another hard look at the food Newton has been eating. Because life has been stressful, it has been easier for me to buy raw food rather than make it, and the local company who makes the raw food makes primarily raw for dogs, just like all pet food manufacturers do.

I sat down with the ingredient list and for some reason, I saw something I had questioned months ago and then put out of my mind: The food is made with chicken necks.

Newton tastes the wind-up chick

The USDA says that chicken necks are 27% bone.

Turkey thighs are 14% bone. The recipe I use to make my own raw food, from Dr. Lisa Pierson, uses poultry thigh with half of the bones removed, so that lowers the bone level to 10% or less.

Rodents are roughly 5% bone and rabbits are a little less than 10% bone.

There isn’t much way around it, Newton’s diet has too much bone in it.

orange tabby cat grabs the skeleton hand

Adding calcium to your diet can raise your urinary pH. Humans actually do this on purpose with calcium supplements to make their urine more alkaline.

Newton’s high urine pH may be the fault of my getting complacent and not making raw food at home and instead buying food that is too high in calcium.

So I think that’s the next step: We’ll leave Newton on the prescription food for a couple more weeks to get a new baseline on his urinary pH on that food, then I’m going to have to make time to make raw for him myself.

Then we’ll see if that allows him to eat high quality, species-appropriate ingredients and have his urine look the way it is supposed to.

orange tabby cat looks out of frame

In the meantime, Newton is feeling fine. He is still playing and making mischief. And he really doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about.

Research and Further Reading

USDA Agricultural Research Service, USDA Food Composition Database
CatInfo, Making Cat Food
CatCentric, A Prey Model Raw (PMR)/Whole Prey Feeding Guide
Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand, The effects of potassium and magnesium supplementations on urinary risk factors of renal stone patients.

Veteran’s Day Spotlight: Pets for Patriots

On Veteran’s Day, we are often reminded to thank a veteran for their service to the country. The animal community is saying a special thank you to veterans now with a special program called Pets for Patriots.

1 in 5 veterans from Iraq or Afghanistan suffers from major depression. Science has begun to recognize what may people who live with pets have known for years: animal-assisted intervention can help people suffering from depression.

The benefits of living with pets aren’t just psychological ones! Just the presence of pets reduces human stress levels and blood pressure.

Woman with book and cat. Photo credit: depoitphotos/stokkete

While the love and acceptance a veteran receives from a pet can make a huge difference to the veteran, the adoption helps animals, too. The Pets for Patriots program adopts from shelters, and it focuses on animals most likely to spend extended time in shelters and possibly not be adopted at all:

Cats (or dogs), two years or older
Special needs cats (or dogs) with birth defects, disabilities, or chronic medical conditions, regardless or their age
Large 40+ lb dogs

Pets for Patriots also helps veterans with keeping their pets when they suffer short-term financial hardship. Instead of sending pets back to shelters, the organization provides aid to keep veterans and their pets together where they belong.

young man with cat. photo credit: depositphotos/belchonock

Additionally, the organization educates the military community and the public about the plight of animals surrendered to shelters. They promote adopting shelter pets as the only alternative to buying or breeding.

So a big thank you to veterans everywhere today and also to everyone who makes it possible for cats (and dogs) to make a difference for veterans.

Research and further reading:

Journal for Vascular and Inverventional Neurology, Cat ownership and the Risk of Fatal Cardiovascular Diseases, Results from the Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Study Mortality Follow-up Study
Human-Animal Bond Research Initiative Foundation, Animal-Assisted Intervention for People with Depression

Photo credits:

depoitphotos/stokkete
depositphotos/belchonock