Author Topic: Newsletter from Feline-Nutrition.org - WOW! Lots going on!  (Read 5958 times)

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Offline TesterDawg

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Newsletter from Feline-Nutrition.org - WOW! Lots going on!
« on: November 07, 2011, 12:35:52 PM »
Bolding is mine.

Quote
November 8, 2011
 
Greetings to all Society members and welcome to all of you who have joined since our last update. We've been busy lately and I'd like to fill you in what's up at Feline Nutrition.
 
We have now passed our goal of 1000 members worldwide and are moving to the "engagement" phase of our work. We need to reach the average cat owner, those people who don't give much thought to cat food. We need to change the minds of people who don't even realize their minds need changing. It's time to move beyond our raw fed comfort zone and get to the people that may or may not accept our message.
 
I think a lot about how to accomplish this, short of grabbing people and shouting "stop feeding that junk to your cat." That might have the desired effect of getting their attention, but also might get me carted off. But, don't think I haven't been tempted. Reason, common sense and a bit of critical thinking are the better way to go. After all, when you apply these to the whole subject of feline diet, most people will get it.
 
We have spent time becoming a valuable and reliable resource on feline diet and health. We have spent time gathering members who think like we do. We have a place to direct people to and a large community they can be a part of. Now, we're ready to open some eyes.
 
We are contacting mainstream media with press releases and I am available for interviews via Skype video. I feel passionate about this subject, but I combine that passion with reason and logic. I promise, no shouting. Well, only if I need to. Every time a feature gets done on the benefits of raw diets for cats, it exposes more new people to the idea and gets them thinking about it. For many people, that's the first step, getting past the "new idea" stage.
 
We're getting retailers and manufacturers more involved. These are the people making raw diets both available and easy, which are vitally important for transitioning the average cat parent to accepting the idea of raw diets. Hah, and here we thought it was the cats that were hard to transition! Several raw diet manufacturers are working as Society Strategic Partners and going that extra step to help our outreach and advocacy efforts, by including Feline Nutrition printed material in their shipments or by promoting Feline Nutrition on their websites. We also have many retailers that promote the Society and make our Guides available to educate their customers. The raw diet manufacturers and retailers are often the ones on the front lines in the diet wars and they can make a huge difference in what foods people choose for their cats.
 
We are engaging with local advocates worldwide. Many of you have become active in your communities, both online and on the ground, promoting better feline diets. Online, we encourage members to write about and comment on their experiences in their blogs or pages. Virtually everyone who switches their cats to a raw diet raves about the results. So, go ahead and rave. Please. On the ground, people are getting involved with their local retailers about what foods they want to see, or don't want to see in the case of kibble, on the shelves. The stores want to sell what people want. If you don't see raw food for sale, ask for it. It means many more people will then be exposed to the idea if it's in the stores for sale. Members are also helping rescue groups and shelters educate new pet parents about feline nutrition. A great example: a Society member who is working with a local shelter by providing a raw diet to a specific cat in need and then monitoring the ca t's improvement, to demonstrate what a simple diet change can accomplish. Everyone has the potential to make a change in what cats are fed.
 
One of the things we have always viewed as important to our advocacy is that the Feline Nutrition website is a safe destination. And by that we mean that individuals and organizations feel confident in directing people to us knowing that when the person gets there, they won't be met with advertisements or an attempt to sell something. That's not what we are about. The only things we are selling are an idea and knowledge, and those are freely given.
 
We've gone through the second round of paperwork with the IRS for the Feline Nutrition Foundation's 501(c)(3) application. Lots of hoops to jump through. I'll be glad when that part is done. Meanwhile, we have been making contacts with organizations involved in feline health research and making plans for the Foundation's website and its first projects. We've heard from some of you that want to get involved with the Foundation and we are eager to hear from more. Let's get some science going.
 
We're starting a redesign of the Feline Nutrition website. We'll refresh the look by changing the color scheme, do some navigation improvements, make better use of the space and add new menu items. We never want to let the look of the site get stale; adding new content isn't enough. In addition to the recently added new menu categories of One Page Guides and Answers, new menu items will include a Press category, to make our press releases and information for the media easy to find. We'll also add a category for the Foundation, once it's up and running. We're adding a live news feed and pointers to our new Feline Nutrition Facebook page, in addition to the RawFedKitty page.
 
Margaret Gates
Director

Join www.Feline-Nutrition.org to receive your newsletter.  Membership is FREE!   cat4

Offline Pookie

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Re: Newsletter from Feline-Nutrition.org - WOW! Lots going on!
« Reply #1 on: November 07, 2011, 04:11:04 PM »
I've been wanting to become a member for a while, but needed to improve my internet access first (I was on dial-up.  Yes, dial-up).

My hope is to someday do classes/talks to people in my community (library or whereever) to share what I've learned.  I'm not as interested in talking about raw as just getting people to dump the kibble and realize just how important PROPER nutrition is for our furkids.  I would certainly mention raw as an option.
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Offline Lola

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Re: Newsletter from Feline-Nutrition.org - WOW! Lots going on!
« Reply #2 on: November 07, 2011, 04:24:15 PM »
I've been wanting to become a member for a while, but needed to improve my internet access first (I was on dial-up.  Yes, dial-up).

My hope is to someday do classes/talks to people in my community (library or whereever) to share what I've learned.  I'm not as interested in talking about raw as just getting people to dump the kibble and realize just how important PROPER nutrition is for our furkids.  I would certainly mention raw as an option.

For ME, the idea of going from dry to raw was mind blowing!  That is why I "push" wet.  If I can get a dry feeder to dump the dry entirely...I'm elated!

Websites, like www.Feline-Nutrition.org, are working hard to get the word out concerning raw.  I think the more raw becomes a familiar word, the less mind blowing it will be.

I got a LOT of info from Dr. Lisa Pierson's website (www.catinfo.org) when I was first learning about allllllll the diseases and issues dry causes.  She feeds raw, but her website starts a person off s l o w l y.  She catches a dry feeders' interest in wet food FIRST...and then goes on to mention raw.  
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Offline The Kittens

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Re: Newsletter from Feline-Nutrition.org - WOW! Lots going on!
« Reply #3 on: November 07, 2011, 06:58:04 PM »
I think we need to be flexable, per say, and realize, there are some kitties, who will not eat wet. Bump is one. He is the president, of the, I Ain't Eatin No Wet club. I think the important thing, to make pet parents aware of, its not so much wet, as it is, grain free, soy free, by products free, gluten free food, dry or wet. The second most important thing, is to tell them WHY, wet is so important, and give alternatives, to increase water intake, for those, that won't eat wet. And this is direct, from my vet.   :-*

I ain't feedin little miceys, to Bump and the kittens. They would be toys, that move by theirselfs, and then I got little miceys, runnin around my house, m-o-l.  kittybutterfly

Bump is prob the exception, but as overly pickey as he is, wouldn't eat any of the better quality grain free foods, we were about out of options, my vet just wanted him to eat something, she was on the verge, of letting him go back to his Goodlife, that when he ate Blue Wilderness, she said stop. She was afraid if we kept going, and he refused, when we came back to BW, he might refuse that one too.   cat4

I think we need to present other good options, for the small handful of kitties, like Bump, and not just say, raw is the best, or wet is the best. They are very good ones, but there are other options too.  :-* cat4 TexasFlag bumpgif 

Offline Mo

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Re: Newsletter from Feline-Nutrition.org - WOW! Lots going on!
« Reply #4 on: November 07, 2011, 08:20:03 PM »
I think we need to be flexable, per say, and realize, there are some kitties, who will not eat wet. Bump is one.

Clover was part of that club that hated canned food.  Till I got tuff that is, and wouldn't take "no" for an answer.  I desperatly wanted her to eat canned food, I just couldn't stand the thought of her eating dry, even if it was "high quality".  I won the fight 'cause I was the one who had the syringe and fed her that way.  http://ibdkitties.net/rawthriving.html has part of her story. 

Offline CarnivorousCritter

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Re: Newsletter from Feline-Nutrition.org - WOW! Lots going on!
« Reply #5 on: November 07, 2011, 09:25:01 PM »
And the saga of an Obligate Carnivore continues ...   http://parenting-furkids.blogspot.com/

Offline The Kittens

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Re: Newsletter from Feline-Nutrition.org - WOW! Lots going on!
« Reply #6 on: November 08, 2011, 05:43:32 AM »
That kitty, gots alot of tarter, on his teefy's, m-o-l.  :P

How much does Clover weigh? Bump weighs 20 lbs, and he ain't fat or overweight, he is a big built boy, and he is at his normal weight.  Tryin to starvey him into eatin wetty, ain't a goody idea, he already wouldn't eaty, and he was overweight at one time, judges told me and vet confirmed, and that was when he was, eating, Goodlife.
He ain't, overweight, eating BW.   cat4 :-* TexasFlag bumpgif

Offline Lola

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Re: Newsletter from Feline-Nutrition.org - WOW! Lots going on!
« Reply #7 on: November 08, 2011, 10:34:04 AM »
Clover was part of that club that hated canned food.  Till I got tuff that is, and wouldn't take "no" for an answer.  I desperatly wanted her to eat canned food, I just couldn't stand the thought of her eating dry, even if it was "high quality".  I won the fight 'cause I was the one who had the syringe and fed her that way.  http://ibdkitties.net/rawthriving.html has part of her story.  

Wow, Mo!  I'm thankful I didn't have to resort to syringe feeding!   :o
A few, in our bunch, gave me a run as well.   pullingouthair  At the time, we only had 4.  It took a lot of patience, determination, and for a few of them...months to make the transition.  
I EVENTUALLY found something that worked for each of the hold-outs.  For some, it was the stinkiest and carpiest wet food I could find to feed along with a grain free food.  For others, it was a food topper.
My biggest mistake, for the MAJOR hold-out kitty, was having dry on hand.   bangshead  Once he knew dry wasn't an option, the transition went much smoother.  
When the next 3 adult cats (free fed dry by previous owners) came along...they ate grain free wet with absolutely NO problems.  Their willingness was a confirmation (to me).  Having dry available was the main problem, when transitioning the original 4 to wet.  
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Offline Mo

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Re: Newsletter from Feline-Nutrition.org - WOW! Lots going on!
« Reply #8 on: November 08, 2011, 11:08:51 AM »
Clover wieghs about eight pounds.  She would wiegh more if she had all her legs though...she is missing a back leg, whch if she had it, would add quite a bit of wieght.  I syringe fed her roughly 125 calories worth of wet food, and then she got a measured amount of dry food.  Once she started eating wet on her own, all dry was thrown out. 

I didn't starve Clover.  She was getting all the calories a cat her size needed in a day.  Feeding her the wet via syringe made her get accustomed to the taste and texture, to the point that she would eat it on her own.  She never went hungry ;) 

I don't mind syringe feeding, as long as I get to use a catheter syringe.  But then, I've had a lot of practice :)  I syringe fed Milo for his last few months, he didn't want to eat on his own, probably because his CRF was making him to nauseous.  I syringe fed Clover for a while as well, I'm just used to it.

Offline Pookie

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Re: Newsletter from Feline-Nutrition.org - WOW! Lots going on!
« Reply #9 on: November 08, 2011, 12:20:02 PM »
You make a good point, Bumpurr.  I need to keep in mind that there are just some kitties that, no matter what, won't "ditch the dry," even with all the tricks Dr. P has.  If I ever get to do these talks, is it okay to use Bump as an example, or is there a copyright fee?   :D
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Offline Lola

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Re: Newsletter from Feline-Nutrition.org - WOW! Lots going on!
« Reply #10 on: November 08, 2011, 01:18:25 PM »
From people I have talked to (and my own experience), the two biggest hurdles to over-come are the change in texture and the addictive additives that are in dry.

Obviously, I'm not a fan of ANY dry, but...isn't Bump fed some wet and/or bland baby food?


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Offline Shadow

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Re: Newsletter from Feline-Nutrition.org - WOW! Lots going on!
« Reply #11 on: November 08, 2011, 01:19:42 PM »
Ouch!!! now I just have to add this link that I got in my email today, sorry guys!
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/11/08/new-trends-in-pet-food.aspx
snip from artcile
By Dr. Becker
 

Today I'd like to discuss a new trend in pet food: low-carb, grain-free kibble.
 
Many proactive, integrative, and holistic veterinarians have long recognized the nutritional drawbacks to commercially available dry pet food.
 
Most popular dry formulas don't contain clean ingredients – those approved for human consumption – and they aren't biologically balanced for obligate carnivores (cats), and scavenging carnivores (dogs).
 
However, in the late 1980's and early 1990's, we saw the production of better quality dry foods that contained more diverse ingredients. Coincidentally, during this same period, pet owners began to see the benefits of home-cooked diets because they could control the quality of the food they fed their dog or cat.
 
Although improvements to commercial dry pet foods addressed some of the quality control issues -- and began to address the biological appropriateness of ingredients – they didn't address one important fact. Companion animals were still consuming an entirely dead, inorganic, over-processed diet that was extruded and cooked at very high temperatures, rendering it devoid of any of the health benefits of living foods
« Last Edit: November 08, 2011, 02:25:08 PM by Shadow, Reason: adding snip »
"Education is the key" to make informed decisions about the health of our pets

Offline The Kittens

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Re: Newsletter from Feline-Nutrition.org - WOW! Lots going on!
« Reply #12 on: November 08, 2011, 04:55:59 PM »
M-O-L Pookie!  funny2

There is a 25 cents, consultation fee, m-o-l, he is a "special" boy and he knows it.  cat4

So as to keep Bump flushed out, because he won't eat wet, he gets 1 teaspoon Gerber baby food, mixed with water, so its like a broth, mixed with his dry, twice a day, and this is per my vet, she advocates feeding wet too, but Bump is just one of those boys.   Bumpurr1

I agree, wet is much better, but, it is better, bee-cause, of the added moisture, per say, and I tell people, to mix water with the wet, so its real soupy.  The added water can be accomplished, other ways.

Bump is a big boy, with big kitties, you have to be careful, that they do eat, very careful, or you run the risk of liver issues, which is why, my vet wanted him to just eat something, and why I asked how much Clover weighed.

I can't tell you, how close, we came, to letting him go back to Goodlife, just so he would eat, if ya never been thru it, its hard to understand. Making sure he does eat, is our primary concern, especially, with his heart issues, that is a factor, most kitties, who won't eat wet, don't have, it makes a huge difference. He CANNOT be stressed out, he likes to eat, trying to force him to eat, something he doesn't want, major stresses him out.

Like we always say in the horsie world, what works for one horse, may not work for another, you have to adjust, to the horse, to the situation.

Now, the kittens, will eat anything, they are little garbage disposals.  I have both extremes, m-o-l.   :-* thumbsup1 Bumpurr1 cat4 TexasFlag survivorgif bumpgif         

Offline Mo

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Re: Newsletter from Feline-Nutrition.org - WOW! Lots going on!
« Reply #13 on: November 08, 2011, 06:44:02 PM »
Quote
Bump is a big boy, with big kitties, you have to be careful, that they do eat, very careful, or you run the risk of liver issues, which is why, my vet wanted him to just eat something, and why I asked how much Clover weighed.

I personally don't see how a cats size has anything to do with how I switched Clover over to wet.  If said cat is getting enough calories per day and if they are being fed more than once every 24 hours, no matter the cats size, they aren't going to end up at risk for hepotic lipidosis as long as they are getting enough food.

-She got all the calories needed for her body size each day
-She did not go with out food, and was fed several times each day
-Syringe feeding simply means that I put the canned food in a catheter syringe, put the syringe in her mouth, and pushed out 1-2 cc's at a time. She would swallow, and I'd repeat the process, until I got a suitable amount done her, typically 30-35cc's per feeding.

Hepotic Lipidosis (which I assume is what you are concerned about) is caused by a cat not eating for over 24 hours.  http://cats.about.com/cs/healthissues/a/fatty_liver.htm

Sorry, but I just don't get why size has anything to do with it?  It should be the same for a 5 pound cat and a 30 pound cat.  If they are getting anough calories, they are not going to have an issue?

Offline The Kittens

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Re: Newsletter from Feline-Nutrition.org - WOW! Lots going on!
« Reply #14 on: November 08, 2011, 07:04:26 PM »
1. he was overweight
2. he was not eating

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