Just got back from my favorite family owned pet food store and ran into the cutest couple there shopping for kitty food. Their story touched my heart so I wanted to share...
They recently lost their 14 yr old seal point Siamese kitty Mushu to renal failure and were devastated. They truly believed Mushu's diet of dry food was to blame for the kidney disease. They are just now in the process of adopting a new 2 yr old feral Siamese kitty that they will name Tilo from a shelter and were getting all the things in place to bring her home. They were really on the fence about adopting a new kitty and the mama bean felt so guilty about getting a new kitty- like she was betraying Mushu.
I spotted the mama bean looking at and holding a bag of dry food and hubby had a can of weruva wet food in his hand. Wow... it was like a pivotal moment in making a decision on the new nutrition for their new kitty and I'm sorry, I just could not help myself and had to ask them if they knew dry food was not good to feed kitty. Then a whole 45 minute conversation on food ensued... I told them all about this website, catinfo.org, the pet safe auto feeder, carb counts in food, how to calculate calories based on their kitties weight, and what type of things to watch out for and avoid in kitty food (fruits, veggies, carrageenan, and other fillers, etc.). I even made a few recommendations on food choices based on my experience with foods (and you know we tried a lot of different stuff) but reminded them that ECID so they will have to figure out what works for their new Tilo. The great thing about my pet food store is that they will let you bring back food and exchange it or return it if you pet doesn't like it (even if they ate it all). I have definitely returned several brands of food already and opened bags of treats that my kitties didn't like.
They were so grateful for the info and asked me if I was a nutritionist to which I laughed loudly out loud. But really guys...that's a testament to you all and this wonderful site because I realized I have learned SO much from each and every one of you and I am so eternally grateful for all the love, care, guidance, support we have received from the members of this board. If I can even pass along one piece of info that helps someone else, I feel I am paying it forward and that means a lot to me.
We are still researching how to do the homemade raw. And after we get it down and perfect it and have a lot of good info and knowledge in this area, I want to offer to do a class/seminar at my pet food store and maybe some local vet offices so we can teach others about this. This is my goal.
@Taffysmama I am inviting you to do this with me if you are interested. First and most importantly, you have so much knowledge in this area and you live close to me. Let me know if you would be interested in participating in something like this in the future. Anyone else local that is interested is invited too. We can even tape a session and put it on youtube.