Ethical Indoor Cat Food & Litter

LittleMissAspie

Ooh just noticed this thread. You're doing exactly what I would have said anyway though. My cat eats Orijen and poos on OkoPlus too.

Wish I could get her to be more interested in meat though, she'll only eat the flesh and if it's chopped up pretty small. My boyfriend did go into a butcher and ask for offcuts for the cat and they actually gave him a huge bag of lamb spine or something, for free. She didn't eat it though :rolleyes:

Fire_Fox

choille wrote: »

I've kept cats all my life & they live to a grand old age 20, 19,18 & 17.

If you don't use a butcher then you'd be cheeky going to one to ask for scraps for your cat - they'd think it was for you, same with a fish monger.
If you buy everything from a supermarket then that's not ethical.
Of course cats need a balanced diet - everything does, but you needn't buy expensive sachets & bags of so called ethical cat food or litter tray stuff.

I absolutely agree with you about the supermarket problem; I live in an area of food poverty and multiple deprivation and I don't have independent shops within sensible walking distance. The only places selling much fresh food are a Tesco Express and small Morrisons!!

I don't run a car for ethical reasons and because I am on a low income, so I can't get to a farm shop out of town. I live in a flat so no garden to compost litter, remove soil from or add sand to. My choices are to buy online, Pets at Home, supermarkets, or make a special trip out to the Asian areas.

Neither my cat nor I are ever going to be anything like 100% ethical, but at least I am putting some thought into it and I appreciate your input.

Fire_Fox

Kimitatsu wrote: »

Vaccinations - we vaccinate to begin with and then either vaccinate homeopathically (there are more catteries accepting these) or have them titre tested before vaccination. This checks the level of antibodies before they are vaccinated which can lead to vaccinosis especially in older animals. Your vet will probably think you are mad - mine certainly did until my old boy proved the point brilliantly well!

Hope this helps a bit!

That was all helpful, thanks. :T

Noah had a bad reaction to his second set of jabs and has been advised not to have any more. Luckily as an indoor cat he shouldn't be exposed to any infections, and the insurers don't seem bothered. I didn't know there were homeopathic alternatives!

It is thought that his paw condition (pododermatitis) may be linked to some kind of immunity problem, but he is clear of FIV and FeLV. I am therefore keen for his digestion to be healthy, as it is intimately tied in with immune function. I also think the itching is down to something in his diet and I have wondered about his paws ...

I hope having a more natural diet will help keep Noah away from the vet as much as possible - my parents are back in the country in a couple of weeks so dad will be dispatched to his local butcher for scraps! :cool:

Volcano

Fire_Fox wrote: »

I didn't know there were homeopathic alternatives!

They're aren't. If there's little need to vaccinate your cat because it doesn't go outside, that's fine; but don't get scammed out of your hard earned cash. The placebo effect may work on humans, but it doesn't work on cats.

http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/homeo.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placebo

Kimitatsu

Sorry Volcano I have to disagree with you here - Firefox really dont want to hijack your thread but I feel I have to comment on this one!

I was wary of homeopathy too until I had a horse that allopathic medicine could no longer do anything for. I had a wonderful vet who was a homeopathic and an allopathic vet, and so he gave my old nag some homeopathic tablets. I was ready to try anything by this point although I was extremely sceptical!!

I cant tell a 16 hand horse that this tablet that is tiny and is scrunched up in a treat is going to help him but help him it did. Homeopathy is a complimentary medicine - therefore it is there to compliment allopathic medicine not replace it. Where you ahve animals that have any sort of natural immunity or have got to the point where stuffing their immune system with more vaccinations will do them more harm than good this COULD be the alternative. I would never suggest that anyone should so this without proper testing but there is a place for it and the medical profession is fast coming to the same conclusion.

Firefox will post you some links later on

Fire_Fox

Volcano wrote: »

They're aren't. If there's little need to vaccinate your cat because it doesn't go outside, that's fine; but don't get scammed out of your hard earned cash. The placebo effect may work on humans, but it doesn't work on cats.

http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/homeo.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placebo

I'm a qualified pharmacy technician and I presently work in the NHS in lifestyle modification (physical activity/ diet) so I struggle with the concept of homeopathy: I still find it interesting that there are alternatives to conventional medicine for those that seek them. If there is one thing I have learned from my own health problems, it's that modern medicine doesn't have all the answers!

Even if homeopathic treatment is only a placebo for the owner, isn't it conceivable that this would have a calming effect on the pet? Some prescription drugs have the most horrific side effects and are not effective in every case, perhaps a healthy diet plus homeopathy gives the body the opportunity to heal itself.

Volcano

Kimitatsu wrote: »

I cant tell a 16 hand horse that this tablet that is tiny and is scrunched up in a treat is going to help him but help him it did.

As homeopathy consists of administering water (and water cannot exist in solid form apart from ice) your vet didn't sell you a homeopathic tablet.

Homeopathy is a complimentary medicine - therefore it is there to compliment allopathic medicine not replace it.

I can imagine the vet using it to complement his income! If it worked, it wouldn't be called 'complementary', 'alternative' or any of the other terms used for medicine that isn't really medicine.

there is a place for it and the medical profession is fast coming to the same conclusion.

They're really not: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8211925.stm

Fire_Fox wrote:

Even if homeopathic treatment is only a placebo for the owner, isn't it conceivable that this would have a calming effect on the pet?

Only if you think that a calm owner = calm pet (and it probably does). However homeopathy in this context is being promoted as a cure for viruses and disease in cats, something it absolutely cannot and will never be able to do.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Fire_Fox wrote: »

That was all helpful, thanks. :T

Noah had a bad reaction to his second set of jabs and has been advised not to have any more. Luckily as an indoor cat he shouldn't be exposed to any infections, and the insurers don't seem bothered. I didn't know there were homeopathic alternatives!

It is thought that his paw condition (pododermatitis) may be linked to some kind of immunity problem, but he is clear of FIV and FeLV. I am therefore keen for his digestion to be healthy, as it is intimately tied in with immune function. I also think the itching is down to something in his diet and I have wondered about his paws ...

I hope having a more natural diet will help keep Noah away from the vet as much as possible - my parents are back in the country in a couple of weeks so dad will be dispatched to his local butcher for scraps! :cool:

Could also be due to:

Infection

Reaction to scented litter tray liner/kitty shake n vac, if you use them

Cat wee from litter tray being left 24 hours too long and causing irritation rather like nappy rash

The cleaning materials used on the floor

Cleaning materials used on the carpet

A tiny splinter well embedded in the paw (eg, a glass dropped on the kitchen floor ages ago)

A grumpy wasp/bee

Boredom grooming

Fleas


I am assuming the vet has tried antibiotics and steroids with no success before resorting to the more esoteric approaches? After all, if he's insured, there shouldn't be a problem with those fairly cheap treatments rather than expensive immunological studies.

Fire_Fox

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

Could also be due to:

Infection

Reaction to scented litter tray liner/kitty shake n vac, if you use them

Cat wee from litter tray being left 24 hours too long and causing irritation rather like nappy rash

The cleaning materials used on the floor

Cleaning materials used on the carpet

A tiny splinter well embedded in the paw (eg, a glass dropped on the kitchen floor ages ago)

A grumpy wasp/bee

Boredom grooming

Fleas

I am assuming the vet has tried antibiotics and steroids with no success before resorting to the more esoteric approaches? After all, if he's insured, there shouldn't be a problem with those fairly cheap treatments rather than expensive immunological studies.

Sorry I haven't been clear. I have had Noah for three weeks, the pododermatitis was when he was a stray and was so severe he did indeed need both antibiotics and steriods. He was treated for fleas and ear mites in February, last had his ears cleaned by the vet in September and last saw a vet the day he arrived.

There are two types of itching - firstly he licks his legs when he has been playing and CP think this is residual sensitivity in his feet. Secondly I noticed when I gave him different food there was a couple of days where he was really scratching in and around his ears. Since he has had Orijen he is only scratching a 'normal' amount and not on one area.

I use the same non-scented litter he had at the fosters and no fancy smells or cleaning products in the house as I have eczema myself, and also knew of a labrador with bad skin problems due to Shake'n'Vac. His litter is usually cleaned one to two times a day but he only does 'one of each' overnight. He won't go in a dirty tray (and I wouldn't want him to) - one morning he wee'd on my coat as I was too slow scooping!!

Boredom is a worry as Noah is an indoor cat. I have ordered various toys - he already has two sets of Bergan Turbo Track with some add-ons on the way. I have also ordered Da Bird and Original Dragonfly. He also has lots of little toys, but they aren't interactive and can't play for very long in one session due to his paws/ leg licking.

Yes Noah is insured with AXA, tho obviously only for the three weeks I have had him - I haven't yet taken him to the vet as he isn't presently scratching at his ears. His coat is in excellent condition, no thinning patches, no dandruff. Food wise we have just started today with bought-in raw food and he purred like crazy!! :T I would much prefer to treat any minor sensitivities with healthy eating, but would not hesitate to take him to the vet if required.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Great, didn't like to think that someone could be taking advantage of your concern for him. I have a cat who is very sensitive to even the pine litter/shake n vac/temperature/everything - the other two wouldn't notice if I were to exchange the cat litter for a pile of lentils, other than to try and catapult the stuff further across the bathroom floor!

I have used real aloe vera gel on a cat's paws before now, and it seemed to cheer her up. She drew the line at a pair of frilly baby socks to protect them until they healed, although I got at least 45 minutes of amusement out of her misfortune before she disposed of them!