Glutened By The Cat's Food

[mytummyhurts]

Jen-it's really sad, makes me want to cry. (And I actually have.) Puppy mills are where people keep usually a lot of dogs in really small cages breeding them as often as possible, even though it's really hard on their bodies. The cages are often times stacked so the feces and urine go through to the dogs below. The dogs are very sick and get little human contact.

I've been researching pets, rescuing and shelters lately as we want to adopt a dog. There is so much sadness out there. People who ask their vet to put their dog to sleep because they don't match the new way they have their house decorated (not joking!) or because they are moving. People really need to take their pets more seriously. They are not throw away items. I really feel strongly about spaying and neutering and getting your pets from rescues or shelters. I love my rescued boys!

Jen - I want to see a pic of Maggie!

[Guest BERNESES]

Oh don't get me started. I'll cry and scream and rant. But I will add that I got severely sick from feeding the dogs I was dog-sitting treats from Petco (first ingredient on label- wheat flour). I was washing my hands and everything and I still got sick. It was awful. So I bought gluten-free treats for the next time.

I have two cats and I feed them Wellness- just a warning. They may not have wheat but the one I feed (Lite adult in purple bag) has oats and barley listed as the 3rd and 4th ingredient. I've never had a problem with it though. Even the fish food for my betta has wheat in it! Arrrrggghhhh!

[Guest ~wAvE WeT sAnD~]

Don't feel bad, my fish's food has "Wheat Gluten" on the container!! It's Tetra Bettamin (betta fish food), just in case anyone else needs to check.

I hope you feel better!

[jenvan]

Ab and Carolyn-

I cked out those puppy mills...I even searched down one here in good ol' Indiana. That is heart-breaking. The only comfort is that when those individuals profiting from such cruelty leave this earth they will be held accountable for what they've done. (hope that didn't sound too heavy! i do believe it though...)

I am going to bring in a pic of maggie to scan, definitely. By the way--do any of you get the one-a-day cat calendars? It is an annual Christmas gift from my husband. I entered Maggie in it for next year and find out next month if she made it or not. All I can say is she is way cuter than some I've seen in there! Abby-you should enter your avatar pic. I love that thing!

[skbird]

If you think the idea of seeing a dog chow down on wheat is funny, how about the idea of a cat racing after a... cow? Can you see a housecat taking down a cow and chomping away? I always think that's so funny... Maybe some gang of cats getting together and plotting out how to get Bessie! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Actually, I look at my furry orange tabby and think, what on earth would this cat do if there weren't humans? What part of nature do long haired cats play?

Ugh... think I had too much caffeine today... getting all weirdly philosophical...

Stephanie

[mytummyhurts]

Ab and Carolyn-

I am going to bring in a pic of maggie to scan, definitely.  By the way--do any of you get the one-a-day cat calendars?  It is an annual Christmas gift from my husband.  I entered Maggie in it for next year and find out next month if she made it or not.  All I can say is she is way cuter than some I've seen in there!    Abby-you should enter your avatar pic.  I love that thing!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I saw somebody's at work and I thought that I should enter Brown. He has a lot of pics that are cuter than the ones they have in there too. I wonder how they choose, that would be a fun job. Looking at cute kitty pics. I was going to send one in, but never got around to it. I should do that for the next year.

[Merika]

Hey all,

Just popping back in to say I know ...about the bad stuff in Purina etc. We used to feed our cats the "good stuff".....then they started going to the neighbor's and eating Friskies, and they never ate at home....cut down on the food bills for us, lol, but there was just no point in it, so now we feed them what they ask for (sigh).

Merika

[mytummyhurts]

I think that switching your pet's food can be difficult for some. They can be really picky eaters, especially when they have been eating the same thing for a long time. They can refuse to eat it or it may make them have diarrhea. So, I remember reading that the best way to switch it is to mix a little of the new stuff in, then a little more, gradually uping the new food until that's all there is. Hopefully the cat (or dog) will adjust better this way.

[Guest BERNESES]

What Abby says is true- my vet always tells me to change them very gradually. They have sensitive tummies like us!

[MissHaberdasher]

Wow, I'm glad this isn't just me. I've had hives for weeks on end, and only break out when I'm at home. I was beginning to think I had bugs or something when I started slowly feeling like I was having an anaphylactic response (slowly)!! I took 2 benadryl, felt sooo much better. Then I thought, what if it's the cat? Yep. Wheat is the 4th ingredient in her food. She eats it so often and always bathes herself right after eating, it's no wonder why I itch after petting her. I just found this cat food though, Blue Buffalo. I hope my cat likes it because I can't live with hives all of the time.

[pricklypear1971]

Wow, I'm glad this isn't just me. I've had hives for weeks on end, and only break out when I'm at home. I was beginning to think I had bugs or something when I started slowly feeling like I was having an anaphylactic response (slowly)!! I took 2 benadryl, felt sooo much better. Then I thought, what if it's the cat? Yep. Wheat is the 4th ingredient in her food. She eats it so often and always bathes herself right after eating, it's no wonder why I itch after petting her. I just found this cat food though, Blue Buffalo. I hope my cat likes it because I can't live with hives all of the time.

I feed my dog Blue Buffalo dog food. He loves it.

[sandsurfgirl]

OP, if you washed your hands well I would think the gluten would be gone when you ate. But if the dry food is dusty that could give you a CC problem.

I have no trouble feeding the dog his dry food although my kids usually feed him. My bird food has gluten and haven't had trouble there.

The chickens are another story. Chicken feed is so dusty I can't go near it. My husband has to fill their feeder and then change his shirt so I don't get glutened by it. The feed store we go to has big bins of bulk feed and all sorts of wheat and barley products. My son and I went in there one time and go so sick we won't go anymore. Hubby has to shop for feed too.

[Chad Sines]

My smart-elic side almost said "well, stop eating cat food" but my desire to live prevented it. It is so frustrating just how many items have gluten in them. Who would have thought you had to worry about cat food...Then what happens when they lick you or crawl on items, etc. It is a CC revolution.

[Roda]

My cat and dog are on Taste of The Wild. They love it. I think it is better for the pets anyway since they are designed to be carnivores. Ironically, my MIL has a dog that is severly allergic to wheat and grains. She called me a few weeks ago to find out what we feed our pets. She is seeing improvements already!

[Chad Sines]

I know a few people try to make their pets vegetarian. They refuse to accept that cats are obligate carnivores. Dogs are mainly carnivores. They do not eat corn and wheat. I like the BARF diet that many use. There is some plant material, but so much better than the junk in most animal foods.

[psawyer]

I know a few people try to make their pets vegetarian. They refuse to accept that cats are obligate carnivores.

A cat fed a vegetarian diet will slowly die from Open Original Shared Link deficiency. Cats are unable to make this essential nutrient, and must obtain it from animal sources in their diet.

Dogs, like humans, can thrive on a vegetarian diet if care is taken to ensure that all needed nutrients are present.

[Chad Sines]

Isn't it interesting how we often pay more attention to what our pets eat and provide better medical care for pets that we do for ourselves? I know a great many people who feed their pets raw food or expensive quality food with no fillers. Then they bring home pizza and other junk food for themselves and their family..then wonder why they have so many health issues. I am just as guilty in this area.

It is just fascinating that we often are our body's worst enemy.

[MissHaberdasher]

My cat and dog are on Taste of The Wild. They love it. I think it is better for the pets anyway since they are designed to be carnivores. Ironically, my MIL has a dog that is severly allergic to wheat and grains. She called me a few weeks ago to find out what we feed our pets. She is seeing improvements already!

That's what caught me on to the whole thing, I took my cat to the vet and she said these key words "in dry food, they use a lot of whole grains to bind the food and can cause grain allergies in your cat". It got me thinking...

[MissHaberdasher]

My smart-elic side almost said "well, stop eating cat food" but my desire to live prevented it. It is so frustrating just how many items have gluten in them. Who would have thought you had to worry about cat food...Then what happens when they lick you or crawl on items, etc. It is a CC revolution.

hahahaha, but that weirdly textured kibble is just so irresistible

But yeah no kidding, I was reading the ingredients of my favorite shampoo and it has barley in it. WHY?? And I dropped my cat off at my parent's house this weekend so I can study for finals. Believe it or not, I'm hive free. Hmmmm.

[Celtic Queen]

Wellness is another great cat food brand. They use human grade meat, not the nasty byproducts that they use in the cheap food. Wellness not cheap, though. But you can tell the difference when you open the can. It actually looked good enough for me to eat, not that I ever tried it. (It would be much more appetizing than the kibble.) When my cat came down with kidney disease I switched him to Wellness and I think it really helped.

I think it's ironic that our pets are coming down with all these human diseases like diabetes, cancer, heart disease, etc. because we're feeding them the pet equivalent of junk food. Luckily companies like Wellness, Blue Buffalo, and Taste of the Wild have figured out that there are pet owners out there who don't want their animals eating corn and wheat.