Cats are obligate carnivores. What this means is that they differ from dogs, humans, etc., in that they necessarily subsist on a diet consisting mainly of meat because they do not possess the physiology to digest vegetable matter (carbohydrates). In the wild, the only carbs that cats eat are those that are found in the stomach contents of their prey. The more you stick to this philosophy, the healthier your cat will be in the long run (meaning less vet bills!).

Most commercial cat foods today are chalk full of carbohydrates, GMO’s, meat by-products, and other things that are very unhealthy for your cat. Ingredient labels are listed by weight, so a good rule of thumb is to always look at the first 3 ingredients. They should be meat. Real meat. Unfortunately, commercial carnivore diets can be more expensive. So, what are your choices?

I am a firm believer in a raw diet. I feed raw chicken in an 80-10-10 ratio. That’s 80% breast and thigh meat, 10% bone, and 10% organ meat such as liver and heart. I add supplements, of which Taurine is the most important. I grind this recipe and freeze it and thaw as needed. You can find the recipe here, as well as some great information about the benefits of feeding raw:

https://feline-nutrition.org/beginner
 

If you don’t want to grind your own food (which I totally get), there are many raw food diets available to purchase online or at your local pet food stores. Some off my favorites are Smallbatch and Viva Raw. Both are a family owned companies who’s products are humanely raised and hormone/antibiotic free. They sell frozen blends and convenient ready to thaw sliders.

https://smallbatchpets.com/
https://vivarawpets.com/collections/for-cats

There is also a lot of debate about whether or not to feed kibble along with a raw diet. Commercial pet foods are regulated by two governing bodies on the State and Federal levels:  AAFCO (The Association of American Feed Control Officials) and the FDA (Food and Drug Administration).  There are a lot of things that are allowed in commercial pets foods that I question, such as where they source their meat ingredients, and the addition of toxic oils and preservatives, etc. 

Many people feed kibble because they believe it is the best way to keep their animals teeth clean. However feeding a raw diet that has ground bone in it not only helps keep your pets teeth clean, but it also provides the added calcium your cat/kitten needs to be at optimal peak condition. Also remember: cats are not great at drinking water, and therefore get most of their water from their diet. If you are not feeding a raw diet, please feed a wet cat food along with your kibble that is appropriate for the feline carnivore diet. Some of my favorites are Farmina, Orijen, Acana, and Tiki Cat. 

If you must feed kibble, I like Farmina. They are still independently owned, while the other brands (as well as most commercial food on the market) are owned by big pet food conglomerates such as Mars, Nestle and General Mills.  You can find Farmina Kitten on Chewy:

https://www.chewy.com/farmina-nd-prime-chicken-pomegranate/dp/234229

Your kitten is currently being fed a diet of raw chicken grind mix twice a day. Your kitten will come with some raw food, enough for you to trasition it to the diet of your choice. And remember, fresh water at all times. Maine Coons are notorious for playing in their water bowls, so if your kitten happens to be one of those, try a stainless steel cat water fountain. I use a try under their water bowl to catch any excess water.

If you have any questions or concerns about your kittens diet, I’m here to help. Please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Stress can leave kittens vulnerable to weight loss, lowered immunity and viruses, so it’s important to try and reduce the stress load while transitioning to a new home. Here are a few tips I recommend to help make the transition easier:
 

• Limit your kitten to one room in your house for the first two weeks. This will allow him/her to transition to it’s new environment slowly, and can greatly reduce stress. As your kitten adapts to it’s new home and feels confident exploring what’s “beyond the door”, start to increase the area until it has acclimated to your entire house.
   

• If there are other animals already living in your kitten’s new environment, it is important to introduce them slowly. The best way to do this is allow them to sniff each other under the doorway where your kitten is staying. After a few days they may even begin to play footsies under the door. From there I open the door, but put up a gate or X-pen so they can see and smell each other. Introductions can progress pretty easily from this point on. I always tell people (from years of dog training) that the most you can hope for is mutual toleration; anything more is a bonus. To date I have been very successful in sending kittens to both dog and cat multiple animal homes, with everyone acclimating just fine.
   

• I highly recommend product called from “Feliway”. Cats communicate through natural messages released through the air called pheromones. When a cat is comfortable and happy, it releases happy pheromones. When a mother gives birth, she sends harmony/calming pheromones out to her kittens. Feliway products mimic these pheromones, and have a calming affect which reduces stress. “Feliway Classic” helps when being introduced to a new home, while “Feliway Friends” helps to reduce stress when introducing pets together.
   

As always, please feel free to contact me should you have any questions or concerns…
 

With so many cat litter choices on the market today, how can one tell which cat litter is healthiest for their cat? It can be so overwhelming trying to navigate
through all the marketing and hype to tell which cats litter are actually the best for your kitten/cat.

I was always told that clay clumping litters were bad for cats, because if ingested (by grooming and licking the excess litter from their feet) the litter could clump in their intestines and form blockages. This made a lot of sense to me, even though I had used these litters for years without a problem. They did create a lot of dust, and the cats tracked the dust everywhere, so I was more than happy to switch to something potentially healthier.

I read a lot about different types of litters, such as crystal and silica gels which are good for the environment, and have a lower carbon footprint (because you only change it once a month) but I found these litters to be extremely expensive. So I settled on “World’s Best” cat litter. This litter is made from corn, is low dust, and is flushable (and septic friendly!).

But then I came across a study regarding Dr. Elsey’s Cat Attract cat litter when I was doing research regarding FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis) an almost always fatal disease in cats, which until recently had no cure. The study, by Dr. Diane Addie, PhD, explored whether or not cat litter could prevent FIP:

Video link of her findings: 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEkOFXh8Xd4
 

I currently use both of these brands of cat litter. I start 3-week old kittens (who are most vulnerable to eating cat litter) on World’s Best. At 8-weeks of age I transition them to Dr. Elsey’s Kitten Attract. I then progress to Dr. Elsey’s Cat Attract for my young and adult cats.

Does this mean you should use these litters too?

I recommend Dr. Elsey’s Cat Attract if you have a multi-cat environment, especially if they share cat boxes. But whatever you decide to use, always remember you should have one more cat litter box than the number of cats you have, and Maine Coons need XL sized cat boxes.

Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions or concerns…