Home cooked food for your pets might end up killing them
Bottom line: As someone who readily admits to loving my cats as least as much as a child, if Ashley and I had been successful in those endeavors, I get it. You, we love our pets and we want what’s best for them. That means when it comes to the food, leave it to the pros. A study conducted of by the University of California, of the 114 most popular homemade cat food recipes online was revealing and at times alarming (as the headline to the story suggests). Here are a few of the key takeaways:
- 20 lacked any comprehensive nutrition needed by a cat
- 68, more than half, provided incomplete or unhealthy feeding instructions
- 46 didn’t provide any feeding instructions
- All 114 lacked the full basic nutrition needed by a cat (including those created by vets)
- 8 included ingredients which are toxic for cats
Speaks for itself, right? And here’s the thing. I mentioned I get it right? I’ll tell you that buying the right food for your cat (and I’m sure pets generally) makes a difference. About a year and a half ago after battling a few health issues following a flea issue with the cats after Irma, I studied the best possible food for each of the cats based on their breed and age. Both for dry and wet food. The difference really has been overwhelming. The food makes as much of a difference for them as it does for us. But just because you use stuff that seems to be organic and healthy doesn’t mean it’s good for them. Do your homework, buy the good stuff, but leave it to the experts. And these days, with Chewy and the like, it’s super easy to buy whatever’s best from wherever it’s produced.