CAT LOVERS SITE

Archive for the ‘Cat Health’ Category

The Top 10 Poisons of 2008

1. Human Medications: 50,000 cases

It’s easy for pets to snatch pills from counters and bed-side tables, or quickly eat them if you’ve dropped a couple on the floor. Both over-the-counter and prescription medications and even dietary supplements can be make your cat sick.

2. Insecticides: 31,000 cases

One of the most common exposures involves using chemical flea and tick products incorrectly, such as applying a topical product for dogs on a cat.

3. People Food: 15,000 cases

Grapes, raisins, avocado and citrus fruits can all be dangerous for pets, but one of the worst offenders is chocolate, which contains large amounts of methylxanthines. If eaten it can cause vomiting, diarrhea, panting, excessive thirst, urination and hyperactivity, and in severe cases abnormal heart rhythm, tremors and seizures.

4. Rodenticides: 8,000 cases

Rat and mouse poison can contain inactive ingredients that are attractive to pets. Aside from eating the poison itself, cats can also become sick from eating a rodent that’s ingested poison. Exposure to rat and mouse poison can cause bleeding, seizures and kidney damage.

5. Veterinary Medications: 8,000 cases

Drugs meant for animals can still cause side effects, especially when they are misapplied or improperly dispensed. Some of the most common toxic exposures involved non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, heartworm preventatives, de-wormers, antibiotics, vaccines and nutritional supplements.

6. Plants: 8,000 cases

Azaleas, rododendrons, sago palms, lilies, kalanchoe, and schefflera are common houseplants that can be toxic to pets. Lilies are especially toxic to cats and can cause kidney failure even in small amounts.

7. Chemical Hazards: 5,500 cases

Many chemicals around your home can cause symptoms ranging from gastrointestinal upset and respiratory difficulties to depression and chemical burns in your pets. Examples include antifreeze, paint thinner, drain cleaners and pool/spa chemicals.

8. Household Cleaners: 3,200 cases

Bleaches, detergents and disinfectants contain chemicals that can cause serious gastrointestinal distress and irritation to the respiratory tract in your cat.

9. Heavy Metals: 3,000 cases

Metals such as lead, zinc and mercury can all poison your cat. Lead is especially widespread and pets can be exposed via paint chips, linoleum and lead dust that’s produced when surfaces in old homes are scraped and sanded.

10. Fertilizer: 2,000 cases

If your lawn has been sprayed with a chemical fertilizer it’s essential to keep your cat off of it. Prevention is the best way to avoid accidental exposure to these potentially toxic chemicals.

This is a video by Dr. Karen Becker, a proactive and integrative wellness veterinarian.

Dr. Becker is passionate about educating people about natural health. She often speaks at public seminars and has appeared on Animal Planet. She was also named one of Chicago’s Top Ten Vets, according to Chicago Magazine.

Dr. Lisa Newman is a pet nutrition expert who is also the owner of Azmira Holistic Animal Care. She has an insider’s view of what really goes on in the pet food industry, and she understands why pets are more diseased than ever.

Degenerative disease has skyrocketed in pets. But it’s no coincidence: We’re feeding our pets many of the same disease-causing ingredients that are used in the junk foods people eat. d

When you start to really research how commercial pet foods are made, the ingredient list becomes truly horrifying. Did you know that recycled shoe leather is an acceptable ingredient? Even euthanized dogs and cats are “acceptable” ingredients in pet food.

Dr. Newman explains how to protect your pet with quality products and natural therapies in an amazing interview available at Natural News, you can CLICK HERE to download the pdf.

1) Remove your shoes in the house. Removing shoes has been scientifically proven to reduce contaminants in the home.

A new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency study shows that people track in weed killers and other pesticides commonly applied to lawns during the spring and summer. The study, conducted by the Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, Ohio, is among a series being funded by the EPA to assess how small children are exposed to pesticides around the home. Scientists think that “track-in” exposures may exceed those from the best-known source: pesticide residues on fresh fruits and vegetables.

In 1991 the EPA conducted a study called the “Door Mat Study” that measured the amount of lead dust that was in homes. The study found that in homes where there was a doormat at the entrance and where shoes were NOT worn, there was a marked reduction (about 60%) of lead dust and other chemicals in the home.

2) Go organic: According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 60% of herbicides, 90 % of fungicides and 30% of insecticides are known to be carcinogenic. Alarmingly, pesticide residues have been detected in 50% - 95% of U.S. foods. Pet food fare even worse, especially those containing by-products and “meal” (chicken meal, fish meal etc.)

3) Avoid plastics: use a glass bowl for food, all plastic is synthetic and made from petrochemicals, it neither photo-degrades nor bio-degrades, it just breaks down into ever smaller toxins such as Phthalates and BPA. Phthalates chemically mimic hormones and are particularly dangerous to children and pets.

4) Use safe, natural or organic cleaners.  Paints, deodorants, cleaning fluids, varnishes, cosmetics, dry cleaned clothing, moth repellents, air fresheners all contain dozens of chemicals.

5) Avoid using artificial air fresheners, dryer sheets, fabric softeners or other synthetic fragrances as they pollute the air you are breathing.

6) Never feed your cat fish, especially tuna!  All fish is contaminated with PCBs and mercury, although wild caught salmon and sardines both have lower amounts.

Nature’s Variety Raw Food Diets Organic Chicken Medallions 3 lbs. Raw diet containing 95% freshly ground USDA meat and fresh, natural fruits & vegetables, with cold processed Norwegian Virgin Salmon Oil.

When blood and urine samples were collected from 20 dogs and 37 cats at a Virginia veterinary clinic, 48 industrial chemicals were found.   

Cat samples contained 46 chemicals altogether, including 9 carcinogens, 40 chemicals toxic to the reproductive system, 34 neurotoxins, and 15 chemicals toxic to the endocrine system.

Endocrine (hormone) system toxins include the thyroid toxins and fire retardants called PBDEs. Thyroid disease (hyperthyroidism) is a leading cause of illness in older cats. 

In addition to PBDEs, hyperthyroidism in cats could be linked to the plastics chemical and potent endocrine disruptor BPA that is known to leach from cat food can linings into food.

You can read the full article on POLLUTED PETS at THIS LINK

This is interesting:

AAFCO (American Association of Feed Control Officials) regulations state “the label of a pet food may include an unqualified claim, directly or indirectly”. Say WHAT?? Let’s read that again:

“the label of a pet food may include an unqualified claim, directly or indirectly”

Now, directly from the pages of The Federal Trace Commission’s website, we have: “Advertising must be truthful and non-deceptive”.

“What makes an advertisement deceptive?”
“According to the FTC’s Deception Policy Statement, an ad is deceptive if it contains a statement - or omits information - that: Is likely to mislead consumers acting reasonably under the circumstances; and
Is “material” - that is, important to a consumer’s decision to buy or use the product.”
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/adv/bus35.shtm

OK, see if you can figure this out:  AAFCO regulations do NOT override FTC Federal laws.

By stating they only “recommend regulations“, AAFCO doesn’t take responsibility for their actions.  The FDA doesn’t take responsibility for their actions by stating AAFCO writes the rules; so it’s OK to blindly follow AAFCO’s regulations.

Pet food imanufacturers are allowed to violate several Federal Laws (Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, Federal Trade Commission Act) openly and without any repercussions.  I wonder if this is one of the reasons some folks refer to the FDA as the Fraud And Deceit Association?  This is the same FDA that has given FROOT LOOPS the HEALTHY CHOICE STATUS!! Yup, a highly processed junk food loaded with refined sugar, artificial color from petrochemicals, artificial flavor, artery clogging hydrogenated vegetable oil, artificial “vitamins” and other dead, processed artificial garbage.  How “truthful and non-deceptive” is THAT?

The following cat food food was pulled from store shelves: Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat and Premium Edge Hairball Cat foods with the following codes RAF0501A22X 18lb., RAF0501A2X 6 lb., RAH0501A22X 18 lb., RAH0501A2X 6lb due to a vitamin B-1 deficiency.  

The company discovered the problem after a number of pet owners and veterinarians called in about cats showing neurological symptoms. The company said it did not find any toxins in the food.

Symptoms of thiamine (B1) deficiency:
- Ventroflexion (bending in a downward position) of the neck
- Muscle weakness
- Ataxia (wobbly walking)
- Seizures
- Fixed, dilated pupils
- Paralysis of the muscles around the eye

Did The State Kill My Cat

A veterinary epidemiologist found that Midnight’s blood contained among the highest levels of PBDEs documented in animal research.  PBDEs are fire retardant chemicals that are added to the foam in furniture.  The chemicals evaporate from the foam, settle in dust and coat walls with a thin film.  PBDEs are linked to hyperthroidism.

In 1980, when PBDEs were first added to furniture, hyperthyroid disease in cats hardly existed.  Now it is an epidemic in California,  the only state requiring flame-retardant bed coverings, pillows and furniture. 

Manufacturers of fire retardants, Chemtura Corp., Albemarle Corp. and Israel Chemicals Ltd., spend millions on lobbying to continue the use of these toxic chemicals.

You can read the whole story here: Did The State Kill My Cat

HealthyStuff.org is a nonprofit environmental research organization that just released results on over 900 common products tested for toxic chemicals including lead, mercury, and arsenic.  Pet toys, beds, and collars were included on their list of products tested.  In all, HealthyStuff.org includes test results for over 5,000 products.

Play N’ Squeak “Batting Practice”, Play n Squeak “Twice the Mice”, Penn-Plax Purr Pet Wiggle Wand and Coleman Classic Rectangular Bed For Dogs, Small 18×24 all had exceptionally high levels of toxins, particularly lead. 

Please check out their site to find out if your pet’s toys, beds, collars, harnesses or other stuff contains toxic chemicals.

I was sick for most of my life.  I had Crohn’s Disease and all the crap that goes along with bleeding, inflamed guts…anemia, arthritis, kidney stones…the list goes on and on.  Today, I am fairly healthy, minus a few feet of intestines here and there.  Along the journey, I learned that a good diet of whole unprocessed foods is one of the many pieces of the puzzle of good health.  This applies to our pets as well, and as I learned about the utter garbage that goes into pet food, I changed my cats’ food to the best organic food I could find.                         

They were healthy for sure, but it wasn’t until I eliminated the grains and cooked food that I noticed some really amazing changes.  The two most surprising ones are: Mango used to barf once or twice a day, now he barfs maybe once a month and I really think that’s just for fun.  And my friends who are allergic to cats don’t seem to be allergic to mine!! This is amazing considering there are three cats in this little house.

A few other observations that may be relevant: they simply don’t get sick at all, Taco’s pudge pouch has diminished dramatically, (Sumari is rail-thin and Mango never had pudge), They have tons of energy and play a lot, even old Mango.  They have no discernable odor, no flaky skin, and the litter box has almost no odor at all.  They shed very little, except Mango still leaves behind some of his mass of orange fluff wherever he goes.  It’s decreased though.  Their furs are incredibly soft and silky, they seem happier, they don’t have fleas (but I do sprinkle a bit of Diatomaceous Earth on them when I remember), and they recover from injuries quickly and without intervention on my part.  In case you’re wondering what injuries, Taco and Sumari got stung by yellowjackets,  Sumari enjoys jumping from roofs and other high places and recently hurt her shoulder, and Taco has been known to get into a fight or two. 

I’ve been feeding them Real Pet Food from Slanker’s Grass-Fed, and the following from Only Natural Pet Store

Only Natural Pet Chicken & Veggies Patties 6 oz. Freeze-Dried Dog & Cat Food


Grasslands Cat Food Grain-Free Dry 15.4 lb. for Felines


Pacifica Grain-Free Dry Cat Food 5.5 lb. for Felines


ZiwiPeak Daily Cat Dry Cuisine Pouches Venison 14 oz. Bag


ZiwiPeak Daily Cat Cuisine Canned Food Fish & Venison 6.5 oz. Can - Case of 12


Primal Pet Foods Raw Cat Food Beef & Salmon Nuggets 4 lbs.


Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Cat Food Prowl 4 lb. Bag

This stuff is all incredibly convenient, the Prowl cat food is a powder that you add water to  and it looks like canned food.  Slanker’s is frozen, you need to thaw it a little (it’s very bloody so don’t thaw it much) then cut it into slices, then re-freeze.  My cats all love everything they’ve tried.  It’s less expensive to make your own raw food, but I don’t have the time or freezer space.

About ninety percent of all cat litter sold is made from clay. Clay litter produces a lot of dust (although some brands claim that the type of clay they use produces a dust-free product), which contains silicon particles that have been established by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a known human carcinogen.    
A product made for humans called Moltan Absorbent is also made from the same ground clay as cat litter. It is manufactured for use in garages to absorb oil. This product must carry a warning label that reads, in part, “Aggregate contains crystalline silica. Crushing, grinding, or creating dust may cause exposure to a respiratory silicosis or cancer health hazard.”
Many brands of clay cat litter also include fragrance made from petrochemicals, also known to be carcinogenic.
Clay particles tend to cling to your cat’s fur and in-between their toes. In addition to leaving dusty cat prints on your floors, breathing these particles can cause respiratory infections.
A recent study actually found clay-based litter silica dust in cats’ lungs, and that cats with respiratory disease had up to six times the amount of silica in their lungs as healthy cats.
The clumping capability of sodum bentonite is due to its ability to swell to 15-18 times its dry size when exposed to liquids. This is great for absorbing cat urine. But when cats lick themselves clean and ingest the clay, it can prevent nutrient absorption and cause intestinal blockage as it swells when it gets exposed to intestinal liquids. Many veterinarians recommend not using clumping cat litter as the first litter for inexperienced young kittens, as they may experiment with the litter and eat it.

You can keep your cat safe by using natural cat litter made from corn or wheat. World’s Best Cat Litter is made from corn, it clumps well and is flushable, and contains no chemicals, perfumes, clays, silicas, bentonite, or any synthetic substances whatsoever.

Swheat Scoop is made from wheat, it is completely safe and non-toxic and the natural wheat enzymes work continuously to neutralize litter box odor, no matter how many cats you own.

Natural Pine Cat Litter is made of 100% pure, southern yellow pine pellets which instantly neutralizes ammonia odors and is safe and healthy for our cats and our planet.

This is amazing! The Anibio Tic-Clip offers a revolutionary approach to protecting your pet from ticks and fleas, without pesticides, squeeze-ons, sprays, or topical application of any kind!

The Tic-Clip uses the power of the bioenergetic field around your pet to create an energy barrier that repels insect pests for two years. Tic-Clip tag is imprinted with an electromagnetic charge bearing a polarized energy signature. This energetic charge adapts to your companion’s unique bioenergy frequency and produces a vibrational field around the animal that repels ticks and fleas. Ticks and fleas simply do not react to the pet anymore.

This insect repellent collar tag was created in Germany and has been a huge success with pets throughout Europe.

Environmental Working Group (EWG) just released a new study that showed high levels of fluoride in eight of ten pet foods tested.

Eight major national brands of dog food marketed for both puppies and adults contained fluoride in amounts between 1.6 and 2.5 times higher than the EPA’s maximum legal dose in drinking water.  These levels are higher than amounts associated with bone cancer in young boys in a 2006 study by Harvard scientists (Bassin 2006). All 8 brands contain bone meal and animal byproducts, the likely source of the fluoride contamination.  So far, the names of the brands of dog food have not been disclosed!  WHY?? It seems of course that sales are so much more important than the health of animals.

Food Pets Die For: Shocking Facts About Pet Food
Paw Naturaw Mixed Case of Organic Formulas for Cats and Dogs: 2-Count Organic Chicken Diets and 2-Count Organic Turkey Diets, 32-Ounce Bags (Pack of 4
Paw Naturaw Organic Chicken Formula for Cats and Dogs, 80-Ounce Bag

Ninety percent of the fluoride added to our drinking water is hydrofluoric acid, a compound of fluorine that is a chemical byproduct of aluminum, steel, cement, phosphate, and nuclear weapons manufacturing.  (Surprise!!)

Fluoride is also the active toxin in rat poisons and cockroach powder.  Still thinking about giving you cat (or YOU) flouridated tap water? The National Research Council reported 84 percent of the population had dental fluorosis in areas where fluoride in the water exceeded 3.7 parts per million (ppm).

Flourosis is a systemic change, where excessive fluoride is incorporated into the structure of the teeth AND bones so it stimulates bone growth, but not NORMAL growth. Instead, it’s growth that damages cells at the ends of bones and causes osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer.

Fluoride is known to cause human cells to mutate.  You can read The Fluoride Deception: An Interview with Christopher Bryson to get a good clear picture of the damage that flouride does.

The safest water for you and you cat is pure spring water bottled in glass, which is nearly impossible to find.  The next best is water that is filtered with a high quality filter, such as the Berkey Light without LED w/ 2 Black Berkeys This is the water filter that we use, but I’d like to get the top of the line with LED lights someday.  I can personally vouch for this water filter, it is incredibly easy to use and clean and the filters last forever.   Here’s a picture of mine:

For around $10, the Real Safety Guide to Pet Health gives you the strategies you need to help your pet live a long and happy life.

“Ninety percent of all pet health problems are caused by pet food and preventable health hazards”

Look at all the sources for raw cat food that I found!! I just ordered one bag of freeze-dried, and one bag of grain-free dry food. There are 244 different varieties of raw food at this site, check it out!

Bravo! Raw Food Diets Duck Blend 1 lb package for dog or cat Bravo! Raw Food Diets Certified Organic Chicken Blend 1 lb package for dog or cat These convenient pre-made blends are made of pure premium grade meats, organ meats, ground bones and vegetables

Primal Pet Foods Raw Cat Food Chicken & Salmon Nuggets 4 lbs. Scientifically balanced formulas made with 100% human-grade, antibiotic- & hormone-free meats. Packed with organic fruits and vegetables, too!

Northwest Naturals Raw Cat Food Chicken Salmon 2 lbs. Raw cat food is rich in protein, vitamins and minerals and is grain-free. Includes fresh ground bone as an excellent calcium source.

Nature’s Variety Raw Food Diets Chicken & Turkey Medallions 3 lbs. Raw diet containing 95% freshly ground USDA meat and fresh, natural fruits & vegetables, with cold processed Norwegian Virgin Salmon Oil.

Only Natural Pet Chicken & Veggies Fresh Patties 6 oz. Freeze-Dried Dog & Cat Food - 5-Pack These freeze-dried complete meals (formerly called Fresh Filets) offer the proven health benefits of a raw meat diet in a more convenient form. Made with USDA beef, chicken and organic veggies.

Raw Advantage Organic Dinner for Cats Duck & Yam 1 lb. Fresh frozen USDA free range poultry, organic grains, herbs, vegetables, flax, wheat grass, kelp, garlic, millet, and oats.

Nature’s Logic Raw Food Diets Rabbit Patties 5 lbs. Nutrient dense raw muscle and organ meats with highly digestible eggshell calcium and a select concentrate of fruits and vegetables.

Prairie Feast Grain-Free Dry Cat Food 5.5 lb. for Felines High-protein, grain-free and low-carbohydrate kibble loaded with premium meat ingredients (65%) to promote peak conditioning in cats.

According to the National Research Council an adult cat needs 4.6 mg of zinc a day for optimal health.

A daily dose of Nutro cat food contains approximately 179 mg, depending on the particular batch of food that is tested.  Nutro cat food tested at the Washington Diagnostic and Disease Lab show two of  three Nutro samples contained zinc at levels that would be illegal for sale in the European Union, at 270 ppm and 380 ppm. The third Nutro sample came in at 230 ppm. 

From the Pet Foods Products Safety Alliance:

“Using this food by Nutro recommended feeding guidelines, a pet eating this food would receive over 38 times the amount of zinc recommended by the National Research Council, or 175 mg. zinc a day. Using the most frequently cited median lethal dose for zinc of 100 mg. per kilogram of body weight, a 4 kilogram cat (9 pounds) would be exposed to the median lethal dose of zinc in slightly over 2 days. It is highly unlikely a pet exposed to this food would survive after being exposed to it for more than a few days to a week. Clinical symptoms consistent with pancreatitis would be the most likely outward signs of exposure to this food, with possible liver and kidney damage.”

What do you think they’ll come up with if they test other brands of cat food?

Clinical signs of zinc toxicity are vomiting, diarrhea, red urine, icterus (yellow mucous membranes) liver failure, kidney failure, and anemia. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=565&S=2
CLICK HERE: Natural Organic Raw Pet Food for Dogs & Cats at Only Natural Pet Store

Although acupuncture has been used on hundreds of millions of people for thousands of years, it has only been used on domestic pets in the USA since the 1970’s

When a patient receives acupuncture treatments, the needles are inserted at specific longitudinal points on the patient’s body. Four-legged patients, such as cats, have such points, or meridians, at approximately the same locations as the corresponding points on the human body.  According to acupuncture theory, each point controls a specific region of the body.   

The aim of acupuncture is to treat the root of the illness, not just the symptoms. A short list of the conditions and illnesses in cats that respond well to acupuncture include kidney failure, liver problems, arthritis, musculoskeletal problems, vomiting, asthma, and a multitude of geriatric problems.

Generally, acupuncture is really not painful, except for a patient who is extremely underweight. The needles used are many times smaller than a normal hypodermic needle, generally only 0.02mm wide

For cats who are truly intolerant of needles, there are modern methods of needleless acupuncture.

Because acupuncture stimulates the body to heal itself, it doesn’t work overnight. A course of treatment usually requires six to eight visits to an acupuncturist.  

To find a qualified veterinary acupuncturist in your area, visit the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society’s web site or its American affiliate, the American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture.

ABC News, in a recent story on flea and tick treatments, stated in 2008 more than 44,000 severe reactions and 1,200 deaths were reported from the use of spot on flea treatments.

The website HartzVictims has stories from more than 2000 victims of Hartz flea and tick treatments.

This is a very sad video, but this is what can happen if you use poisons on your cat.

Here is a link to an ABC video on reactions to flea treatments:  http://abcnews.go.com/WN/Story?id=7702101&page=1

There is no need to use poison on your cat or any animal, diatomaceous earth is cheap, safe and effective, just rub it in to your cat’s fur.  Make sure you use ONLY FOOD GRADE diatomaceous earth!
Alternative Health & Herbs Remedies Diatomaceous Earth 12 Ounces (Pack of 3)

Read the ingredients on you cat’s food bag or can. If you see “by-products” of any kind listed, watch the following two videos: