Cat Food DB

Status
Not open for further replies.
Hi Stephanie, hi Quintus.
Stephanie, in one of our first post/reply to post (in Think Tank) I replied to you "I didn't mean to shoot down your ideas". That was meant in total sincerity.
I know you have a background in the digital world and can dig a lot deeper than I can, I respect that. I'll tell you what I think and then you can straighten me out.
Obviously everything on the internet has to be taken with a degree of skepticism, big websites require some financial backing which may or may not influence the reviews, everyone should dig down to further their own research.

Catfood.com is a big site with a lot of info but in "More"/FAQs/"What are your qualifications?" she says (sic) "I'll be totally honest: I make no claims to be an expert/I am merely a cat owner/spent more time than necessary reading cat food labels./compare products using a standardized algorithm./ As a experienced web developer by trade, I am very qualified when it comes to collecting data, working with databases and making websites."

Those are pretty vague statements. That is not a standardized algorithm, it's just a really big list with some Excel sorting. I am also "very qualified when it comes to collecting data, working with databases" but that only reinforces my OCD diagnosis.

Something else that's missing is a "Site Map" and especially "About Us" which doesn't say much for her claim to be an "experienced web developer by trade."

To be fair she has put a lot of time and effort into this but she is directly linked to 'Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.' so her impartiality may be called into question. Another quote from her FAQ "Financially, this site will be funded via the Amazon affiliate links associated with each product. Product links on this page, and throughout the site, are affiliate links. This means that I, at no additional cost to you, earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase." All websites need money, that's not her fault and everyone needs to eat!

Things that are out of her control. In Canada pet food quality if pathetic, the industry is self regulated so the label might say chicken byproducts but there is no mention of antibiotics, growth hormones etc. All the data she collects is from labels. Maybe if we all nag our local governments we can change that but pet food is a multi billion dollar industry, buyer beware!

I encourage everyone to have a look at Catfood.com, I don't do enough of my own research and there is always more to learn. See for yourself.
Yes the majority of my posts are filled with juvenile humor but they're never downright nasty and I'm not being nasty here. I tried to be fair and I appreciate Stephanie's contribution. It is definitely NOT for me to judge. :)
 
This is in my profile Stephanie,
"I am not always a good communicator, fractured sentences, easily distracted. A chronic over-poster. I don't do it to annoy people and I'm working on that."
I would change that if I could remember my password.
The older I get the more I realize I don't know what I thought I knew and only knew what I wanted to know when I knew it.
You'll never meet another person who knows so very much about so little. :rolleyes:
 
looks like they have revamp the site, wasn't like that in sept when i didn't particularly find it user friendly.
the seach option for their food reviews will come in handy for quick dry matter carbs check on a particular food. it shows you it on search result page itself, like that part.
personally i will look but, don't pay much attention to their, or any other sites, 'best' food/item list, those can be bias results even if they say their list is unbiased for often it isn't behind the scene!
 
I took a couple of pot shots at info pages and the information on potential allergens is incomplete. For example, chicken is a common allergen as are eggs.

It's a well-meant site and some not inconsiderable thought and hard work has gone into it but its lack of technical thoroughness means that people less familiar with the nitty gritty of feline nutrition may be somewhat misguided if they base food selection for cats with special needs solely on the CatfoodDB information.

Another downside is that it only has guaranteed analysis values. Specialist lists like we have here are more valuable when making informed choices because they have as-fed analysis.


Mogs
.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for your feedback, the three of you!

I personally don't like the "rating" system ("best", "poor quality", etc) but it's on that site that I finally found something approaching numbers for the food I was giving Quintus. Indeed:

Sylvie said:
the seach option for their food reviews will come in handy for quick dry matter carbs check on a particular food. it shows you it on search result page itself, like that part.
Click to expand...

Lisa Pierson's list is great but it doesn't include dry food, so for those of us who for some reason or other do feed dry food, it doesn't get us very far.

Noah & me (GA) said:
Something else that's missing is a "Site Map" and especially "About Us" which doesn't say much for her claim to be an "experienced web developer by trade."
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say not having a site map is an indicator of poor website design -- not in 2017/8. She does have an About page. Regarding the affiliate links, well, as you say, money has to come from somewhere. Either sites are backed by companies who inject money into them, or they serve a marketing purpose (in the wide sense), like attracting business or raising one's professional profile, or you try to find a business model.

Critter Mom said:
Another downside is that it only has guaranteed analysis values. Specialist lists like we have here are more valuable when making informed choices because they have as-fed analysis.
Click to expand...

I agree, that's a pity. I'll tweet that to her!
 
No site is perfect. 20 years ago someone asked me what the net is good for. I said it was like a good reference library except that there's a lot of self published/non peer reviewed work and all the file cards are missing. Everything from my profile to the Bible is full of contradictions and "information" left to our own interpretation.
Stephanie, this was something else I said to you in Think Tank,
"It makes me bonkers when anyone cannot accept outside advice or look beyond their own ego." Sometimes a lack of coffee makes me bonkers.
 
Stephanie & Quintus said:
Regarding the affiliate links, well, as you say, money has to come from somewhere. Either sites are backed by companies who inject money into them, or they serve a marketing purpose (in the wide sense), like attracting business or raising one's professional profile, or you try to find a business model.
Click to expand...
Sites don't have to be all about business.

There are very reputable, highly-respected feline health sites I use and recommend to others (e.g. catinfo.org, Tanya's Site, IBDKitties.net, felineconstipation.org) who provide incredibly valuable, well-researched information and they're not wall-to-wall with "Buy Now!" buttons. Their sole raison d'etre is to help cats and their caregivers, not to bolster the bottom line. Use of relevant advertising links or providing an opportunity to donate can help with site operational costs; better than a hard sell, IMHO.

My two penn'orth. :)


Mogs
.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top