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Lisa A. Pierson, DVM
location_onLomita, California, United States
calendar_add_onMember since May 18, 2015
Latest Posts
Obesity in Cats and What to Do
Obesity is an extremely common and very serious health problem in cats. Overweight cats are four times more likely to develop diabetes than cats that are at an optimal weight.
Transitioning Dry Food Addicts to Canned Food - Pt 4
Once you have established scheduled mealtimes, you will most likely need to start feeding a bit less at each mealtime in order to get the normal sensation of hunger to work in your favor.
Homemade Diets and Commercial Raw Meat Products
Many people have a strong negative reaction to the idea of feeding their cat raw meat but this is what a carnivore is designed to eat. Keep in mind that there are no hibachis or stoves in the wild.
Transitioning Dry Food Addicts to Canned Food - Pt 5
There are numerous freeze dried meat treats on the market that you can also sprinkle on top of the canned food. Halo's Liv A Littles is a popular choice.
Transitioning Dry Food Addicts to Canned Food - Pt 3
Here is another scale that may be even better because its base is as long as the scale. Red Cross Baby Scale. This is important for cats that are trained to walk onto it otherwise, scales like the Salter one linked above may tip.
Transitioning Dry Food Addicts to Canned Food - Pt 2
For 'resistant-to-change' cats, you will need to use the normal sensation of hunger to help with the transition. For this reason, it is very important to stop free-feeding dry food.
Transitioning Dry Food Addicts to Canned Food - Pt 1
This is the hard part. Cats, like children, often resist what is best for them. The two most frequent comments that I hear from people when trying to convince them to feed their cats a healthier diet are "my cat won't eat canned food"...
Dental Disease
Long-standing claims that cats have less dental disease when they are fed dry food versus canned food are grossly overrated, inaccurate, and are not supported by studies.
Hairballs
The frequent vomiting of hairballs can be a symptom of IBD. "Frequent" is hard to define, in this case, but if your cat is vomiting hairballs on a weekly basis do not just assume that this is simply normal feline behavior.
Cystitis (bladder inflammation), Urethral Blockage, Bladder/Kidney Stones - Pt 3
Unfortunately, many veterinarians overlook pain medications as a very important part of the treatment of this common feline problem.
Cystitis (bladder inflammation), Urethral Blockage, Bladder/Kidney Stones - Pt 2
This is what happened to Opie above. His 'driveway' (urethra) got blocked and he was unable to pass any urine resulting in a tremendous amount of suffering and a life threatening situation.
Cystitis (bladder inflammation), Urethral Blockage, Bladder/Kidney Stones - Pt 1
Please see Feline Urinary Tract Health for a more detailed discussion. The first paragraph on that webpage states: If I could have the reader take away just one word from this discussion, it would be "water".
Common Feline Health Problems and Their Ties to Diet - Pt 2
Please also note the following list of the first four ingredients of Hill's dry k/d after reviewing this section on reading a pet food label - and bearing in mind that your cat is a carnivore.
Common Feline Health Problems and Their Ties to Diet - Pt 1
There is a very strong and extremely logical connection between the way that we are currently feeding our obligate carnivores and many of the life-threatening diseases that afflict them.
'Prescription/Therapeutic' Diets - Pt 2
As an example of the serious lack of regulatory oversight, Hill’s secured trademark status for the term “prescription diet” in 1990 thus reinforcing the perception that, like prescription medications, their diets are subject to intense scrutiny and testing
'Prescription/Therapeutic' Diets - Pt 1
Let's move on to the veterinarian 'prescribed' diets which are also known as "therapeutic" or "prescription" diets.
Learn How To Read a Pet Food Ingredient Label - Pt 3
I do not use products made by Hill's (including their over-the-counter and "Prescription Diets") since there are always healthier options available.
Learn How To Read a Pet Food Ingredient Label - Pt 2
Again, we would like to stay under 10% of calories coming from carbohydrates.
Learn How To Read a Pet Food Ingredient Label - Pt 1
Before you get too confused and frustrated when reading this section, I will say at the outset:
Cats Need Plenty of Water With Their Food
Opie's pictorial at Feline Urinary Tract Health is a 'must see' for any cat caregiver who insists on feeding dry food.
Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition - Pt 3
Most canned foods, when figured on a dry matter basis, have more protein than dry food. And remember, even if this was not the case, the percentage numbers do not tell the whole story. It is the protein’s biological value that is critical.
Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition - Pt 2
Cats are obligate (strict) carnivores and are very different from dogs in their nutritional needs. What does it mean to be an ‘obligate carnivore’?
Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition - Pt 1
Diet is the brick and mortar of health. This web page lays out some often-ignored principles of feline nutrition and explains why cats have a better chance at optimal health if they are fed canned food (or a balanced homemade diet) instead of dry kibble.