Your Cat: Simple New Secrets to a Longer, Stronger Life

Your Cat: Simple New Secrets to a Longer, Stronger Life
By Elizabeth M. Hodgkins, D.V.M., Esq.

What first drew me to this book was that the cover boasted, “Answers your cat food questions.” Unfortunately, it didn’t answer my cat food questions, which were, “Why don’t they make mouse-flavored cat food?” and “How come no one has packaged crunchy cricket cat treats?” But it did answer a lot of questions that humans have about cat nutrition and basically it reaffirms what I’ve been telling them all along: we cats not only prefer meat as the main part of our diet, we need it. And here’s something a lot of humans don’t know: even the premium dry cat food has too high a percentage of carbohydrates. Dr. Hodgkins has seen the health of her feline patients improve — sometimes amazingly — when they were switched from kibble to a quality all-wet food diet. She also teaches humans the real way to read cat food labels so they know exactly how much animal protein we’re getting, and discusses the benefits of raw food, too. Of course, there’s more to the book than just nutrition; with this vet’s wise perspective you learn about bringing a new cat home, our litter box and scratching requirements, vaccines and illnesses — everything a new cat owner needs to know. But even those who have lived with us kitties all their lives will find out more from this book, especially regarding nutrition and disease. Feeding us properly can help prevent or control many problems such as diabetes, obesity, IBD, urinary tract problems, allergies and more. (In fact, I hear this goes for human diets, too.) Not every vet is this well-versed in feeding us cats, and our quality of life depends on what we eat, so I would consider this book necessary reading for every human.