Glutened By The Cat's Food

[elonwy]

I was having such a good day yesterday. I felt so good. Wasn't that hungry for dinner, had a late lunch, had that horrid pasta disaster, decided to have rice bread toast with some melted cheese for dinner. Clean out toaster oven, wash hands, put new foil down, insert my bread.

Cats are bugging me. Grab dry food bag, dish out cat food. Think to myself, hmmmm maybe shouldn't have done that right before I eat.

Wash hands.

Eat toast.

Feel sick.

Take Pepto- go to bed. Tired and grouchy and achy this morning. ARRRG.

My guess is it had to be the cat food, especially since I ate the toast with my hands.

So I'm thinking two options: wear gloves when feeding cats, or get gluten-free cat food ( the cats are really picky eaters- worse than most people).

Any other cat owners have these issues? What do you do?

Elonwy

[tarnalberry]

My bird's food has wheat in it, but I pour straight from the bag (plastic) into his food dish, wash my hands, and haven't had a problem. You might try the plastic gloves; it's worth a shot.

[terri]

Wellness cat food says no wheat on the bag. I have animals too, and must always remember to wash up after giving them a cookie. I also have a purple sponge which I use to wash their bowls and eating areas. I use Wellness for dry food but also feed them canned food so I'm touching the stuff twice a day plus treat time. I just wash my hands real well. Gloves are a good idea.

[mytummyhurts]

I had thought about this too because I give treats to my boys that have wheat in them. Currently, I just wash my hands afterwards and I'm okay. But the food has wheat in it too, we buy really big bags and then I pour some into a container that has a flip lid and the food easily pours out. It works really well.

[frenchiemama]

I would go for a gluten-free cat food. If nothing else it will be better for your cats. Natural Balance makes a gluten-free cat food. Natural Balance is a great company that makes high quality pet foods that are reasonably priced and available at Petco. Your cats will thank you.

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[frenchiemama]

Another excellent choice is Felidae. You might have to use the store locator to find it, but it's a GREAT food at a really good price (my mom feeds it to her cat and around here it costs $7.89 for 5lbs)

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[jenvan]

do you live by yourself? luckily my husband can feed maggie (our kitty : ) most of the time. when i do, i wash the hands and have no issues. we did get special all meat/gluten-free treats for me, so i don't have to get up and wash my hands every time i want to give her a treat. i actually got mine at a local "yuppie" dog bakery

we recently switched food and the litter is smelling worse than ever--switched from iams to some pet co brand. we may try feeding her canned ckn/tuna for a while too and see if she does better than that.

i just cked out that felidae food. it looks good (for cat food!). don't think i've seen it before, but will have to ck. i'll have to look for the 'natural balance' too. coolio

[skbird]

I get gluten free food for the cats and have just switched the dogs. We mistakenly got some gluten cat treats recently so my husband gets to feed those, and doesn't get to wipe his hand on the cat by petting him after - because I am all over that cat, he's got long orange fur and I just love him to pieces!!! (yes, I kiss him, etc, gross, I know... )

Cats and dogs don't need wheat, either. Maybe if they had 4 stomachs like a cow, that would be ok. I get the dogs one of the Nutro foods that has no wheat. I get the cats a Science Diet that has no wheat - I tried another brand (Eukanuba) but my one cat who is very particular kept throwing up on that one, so it was back to the same old Science diet for her. (I have tried several with that one but she always gets sick, poor thing...)

I think there are even some kinds of cat litter that contain wheat. Something else to consider...

Stephanie

[mytummyhurts]

(yes, I kiss him, etc, gross, I know... )

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

They're so cute it's hard not too. I understand!

[elonwy]

I might have to switch to gluten-free cat food, just cause my kitty Tulip is a licker. We have two cats, mine is the snuggly one and his is the aloof no-nonsense cat - that plays fetch.

But Tulip likes to lick my hand when I'm petting her, or my arm, or my cheek, etc. Kitten kisses!

I do have a seperate kitty food sponge already. I'll check out the suggestions.

Thanks to all the kitty lovers

Elonwy

[Merika]

Wow, I didn't know they made gluten-free cat food! But then I buy mine at the grocery store and NONE of those are gluten-free. I feed the cat and just wash my hands after. Haven't had any trouble. I also wash all the dishes in the house - gluten-free and not, with the same sponge (gasp!) and haven't had any trouble.

I'm not saying the cat food couldn't be a problem -like if you didn't wash your hands every single time. But have you considered the toaster oven? Any foods reheated in there can spatter as they warm - all over the sides and top - and this can come back down on your gluten-free food on it's clean aluminum foil. (This can also happen in the microwave.)

The thing is, you washed out the toaster oven with your hands and ate too, so I see no reason to blame the cat food (or washing the oven). Most likely it's the food in the oven you ate that got you.

.02,

Merika

[frenchiemama]

Wow, I didn't know they made gluten-free cat food!

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Well....they don't set out to make it gluten-free, it's just that they set out to make a better quality food and it just happens to be gluten-free. Grains are really not good for cats. Cats are obligate carnivores and ideally would eat an all meat diet with a few nibbles of greens. The only good reason to include grains in a cat food is to make the kibbles hold together. Unfortunately, the cheaper foods are...well...cheap and they use grain as a protien source instead of meat (obviously meat is more expensive). In fact, the majority of commercial cat and dog foods are made of the leftovers from processing human foods that would otherwise be thrown away. Ingredients like brewer's rice and wheat middlings are really nothing more than the husks of the grains used in human foods. Companies like Proctor & Gamble and Ralston Purina saw an opportunity to make a big heap of cash of what is literally garbage by making it into pet foods.

This website is about dog foods, but the same idea applies (actually dogs can get away with eating more grains and fillers than cats can because they aren't obligate carnivores).

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Even if you didn't get glutened by the cat food, making a switch is just plain better for your pets.

[pixiegirl]

Cats are one of nature's very few carnavoirs and they really don't need anything like wheat in their diets. The manufacture adds it to control costs. You'd be doing your cat a favor to feed him/her wheat free cat food.

Susan

[Guest zipy]

I hadn't thought about the microwave...whta if you were to just allways cover your food with something like a paper towel? I haven't had a problem with the cat food yet either...

[jenvan]

carolyn-

true that on the lameness of adding grains to pet food! we've all been 'sold a bill of goods' on what's healthy and what's not ! wow--money does drive so much! i think about pet foods, bleaching grains and hydrogenating oils, trans fats--all things to save $ that are no really healthy... my dh and i have been talking about putting our little maggie (or should i say somewhat large maggie!) on an all-meat diet. maybe we'll try some of these other foods. yum yum!

[elonwy]

I've been feeling bad about feeding my cats brand cat food for a while, this is just the impetus I needed to change thier food. Have to go to the special Pet food store in addition to the special me-food store. I have boycotted Petco due to some questionable practices in this area with thier pets they sell. I used to go to Centinela Feed, which is a SoCal chain, and will start going there again.

I don't think it was the toaster oven, since I'm really the only one who's been using it. I wiped it down more because I find the spatter icky than because I thought my bf had been using it. He's been working 13-14 hour days so hasn't eaten at home in a while.

I also ruled out the cheese by eating just a peice of the cheese I had used for breakfast this morning. Wanted to check how my dairy tolerance was going

The bag of catfood was almost empty and I had to reach way in there, and it kinda poofed dust all over me when I opened it and I'm ashamed to say, I don't think I washed my hands as well as I could have. Getting distracted can be really dangerous.

Here's to gluten-free kitty fud.

Elonwy

[jenvan]

elonwy-

you reminded me of a convo i had with my dh. i had never had pets growing up--never even really gone in a pet store. he and many others since have told me about how sick and poorly cared for pet store pets are. i was shocked! what an oxymoron! we got our cat from a shelter b/c of it.

[frenchiemama]

he and many others since have told me about how sick and poorly cared for pet store pets are. 

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OOOOOH! Now you've hit something that really makes my blood boil. I HATE petstores (that sell animals). I don't go to Petco for that reason, luckily we have a really good feed store in town that I can go to.

About the grains in pet foods, it does suck. I think it's just terrible that these companies spend millions of dollars a year to convince people that these foods are healthy and all that your pet ever needs. Guess who sponsers veterinary nutrition textbooks and seminars? And did you know that only 3 main companies manufacture every food that you can find in the grocery store? Just terrible. The really good foods are the ones that spend money on their food, not on advertising. And you feed so much less of the better foods that the cost is virtually the same.

[skbird]

Another reason I'm glad to go back to Science Diet - the local feed store sells it, but not Eukanuba (or however it's spelled) - only found in my area at Petco.

Stephanie

[pixiegirl]

I go to our local PetSmart, they do have dogs and cats there for adoption but they are all from the local shelter. I feed my dog Nutro Natural Ultra Senior (a mouth full!) and I know they have cat food as well. But again, cats don't need ceral ingredients and I won't feed my dog wheat ingredients, I'm ok with rice but not doing wheat in my dogs food. When was the last time you saw a canine in the wild eating wheat (I know or rice for that matter!, just being silly).

Susan

[frenchiemama]

One of my dogs is actually allergic to wheat (she's very "delicate", my husband says that she takes after me). That was my impetus to research animal nutrition and food in the first place. Kibble needs some kind of carbohydrate to keep them together, and rice is certainly a better choice than most. Because of the allergies that 2 of my dogs have they are currently on a food that uses sweet potato as a carbohydrate source instead of grain, it's helped cut down on the paw chewing.

[elonwy]

Our cats were both from a rescue foundation. I hate pet stores that sell animals and I'm also hugely anti-declaw. My bf thought declawing was fine and then i explained what it actually is and he was appalled. My kitty has feline herpes in her eye ( little squinty cat) and they came with some heath problems but we've taken care of most of it and for having been born in alleys they are very good kitties. They make life so much better.

Elonwy

[mytummyhurts]

Our cats were both from a rescue foundation. I hate pet stores that sell animals and I'm also hugely anti-declaw. My bf thought declawing was fine and then i explained what it actually is and he was appalled. My kitty has feline herpes in her eye ( little squinty cat) and they came with some heath problems but we've taken care of most of it and for having been born in alleys they are very good kitties. They make life so much better.

Elonwy

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I totally agree about the declawing! They basically cut the tips of their "fingers" off. Poor kitties.

We got our kitties from a rescue place too. I feel strongly about never buying from a pet store. Many of those animals come from puppy mills and are not well taken care of.

I will research food for my kitties, because wheat being bad for them makes sense and I love my kitties!

[jenvan]

Ab- What is a puppy mill? I get an image of some awful place where they grow pets in test tubes and push them down a conveyor belt poking them with meta instruments!

I feel some serious pet comraderie right now and wish I could share a pic of my Maggie with you all!! Maybe I'll switch out my avatar for a bit...

[frenchiemama]

Jen, here is a link about puppy mills. Be warned that some of this stuff is heartbreaking.

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