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Pumpkin-A Food For All Reasons

Pumpkin is an excellent source of potassium-a mineral that is important for a variety of physiologic functions.

How to Handle a Finicky Eater

Some cats are just naturally picky and like to have variety in their diet, but changes in eating habits can also be a sign of stress or major illness.

Study Finds Higher Risk of Diabetes in Dry Food

The debate over whether dry cat foods high carbohydate count causes diabetes continues. In the latest development, a study at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences found an increased risk of diabetes mellitus (Type 2) - which resembles the same type found in people - in normal-weight cats on dry food.

Food Puzzles for Cats; Going to the Vet

In advocating environmental enrichment for indoor-only cats, it calls food puzzles foraging devices. The journal warns that, if not managed appropriately, indoor life can contribute to health problems such as obesity and diabetes, and problem behaviors such as house-soiling and attention seeking. Nutrition is the most pressing subject that cat owners want to discuss with the veterinarian, but the same survey, conducted at the end of summer, found that 60 percent of owners dont regularly take their cat to the veterinarian.

Are Probiotics Right for Your Cat?

Your cats gastrointestinal tract, like yours, is home to billions of bacteria. A healthy GI tract allows the absorption of food, while excluding toxins and disease-producing organisms. Yet malfunctions can sometimes occur. Perhaps your cat slipped outside and ingested a mouse or bird containing parasites that can cause vomiting and diarrhea.

Cornell Scientist to Study Commercial Raw Meat Diets

The Food and Drug Administration has awarded Anil Thachil, BVsc, Ph.D., in the Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine a grant to investigate the quality of commercial raw meat diets for pets.

Cat Treats Cause Obesity

When your cat is happy, you are happy. When your cat has delicious chewy treats, he is usually pretty happy. But cat owners oft forget that their furry friends only need about 200 calories a day. At about 1.5 calories per piece, a single handful of Meow Mix is over 25 percent of your cat's daily intake.

Should They Regularly Feed Their Adult Cat Cows Milk?

I have a 12-year-old calico kitty who eats a regular diet of commercial fish cat food and some assorted cat food pates. She also loves whole milk, and we give it to her after her meals on a daily basis. A friend of mine told me that I should not give her milk, as this can be harmful. Is this true?

Looking Beyond the Ingredient Label

In our quest to eat healthy food, we often extend that enthusiasm to our cats. We evaluate their diets with the same scrupulous care we give our own, but commercial cat food can still remain somewhat of a mystery. We question if preservatives are safe. Should we avoid genetically modified ingredients? What about artificial coloring?

Those Lovely Lilies? Theyre Lethal

A touch of green around the house during a long, cold winter provides a reminder of spring and creates a festive mood for the holidays. Although plants like lilies are lovely, the effects on a cat who ingests them are decidedly not. In the case of lilies of the Lilium species, cats can suffer potentially fatal kidney failure.

The Benefits of a Higher-protein Diet

Conventional wisdom has long held that cats need less protein as they age. The truth is exactly the opposite, says Joseph Wakshlag, DVM, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Nutrition at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. “What we realize in geriatrics is that nobody pays much attention to muscle mass. We’re starting to realize you lose muscle mass as you age — human, dog, cat. You can’t reverse it,” he says. “You have to lift weights to maintain current muscle mass, but it’s hard to get a cat to lift weights.”

Singles Turn to Pets for a Sense of Family

An intriguing trend has developed among singles in the U.S. Single people — men particularly — are becoming pet owners at rates greater than families. They’re “turning to pets for love and a sense of family,” according to a survey by the American Veterinary Medical Association. In a five-year period, pet ownership among the never married, widowed and divorced grew 16.6 percent. Excluding people who never married, growth in pet ownership among singles rose 17.7 percent during this same period.