One the most common questions asked is, "What should I feed my pet?" The most important contribution a client can make to a cat's health and well being on a daily basis is diet. Remember the motto "you are what you eat". We are trained to assist you in choosing the proper diet for your healthy or sick animal companion. For your convenience, and your pet’s health and happiness, our hospital carries a wide selection of professional pet food and food supplements, including:

Medi-Cal Hills Prescription Diet

Feline nutrition is a very important topic in veterinary medicine today. In the past cats and dogs were fed similar diets, but it is now clear that cats have very unique nutritional needs. The main difference between dogs and cats, is that cats are strict carnivores, meaning they naturally consume only meat, whereas dogs are omnivores and consume both meat and plant materials. In their natural habitat, a cat's diet is high in protein, with moderate amounts of fat and minimal amounts of carbohydrate (starches and sugar). Cats have therefore adapted to utilize protein for most of their nutritional energy needs.

Many commercial diets are formulated with a mixture of animal and plant derived nutrients. This is especially true in dry foods since they require carbohydrates for the cooking process. While these dry food diets are convenient and easy to use, their high carbohydrate content contributes to many feline health problems such as obesity, hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver), inflammatory bowel disease and diabetes.

The natural diet of cats is meat based (eg, rodents, birds), high in protein and fat and low in carbohydrates. Cats have a metabolism that is uniquely adapted to utilize primarily protein and fat as energy sources and have a higher protein requirement in their diet than dogs. This high protein requirement comes from the fact that cats use protein for energy as well as for building body tissues such as muscle and hair. Unlike dogs, cats have a limited ability to use carbohydrates for energy.

Cats also need protein for their essential amino acids. Amino acids are the chemical building blocks of protein molecules. Cats require increased amounts of four specific amino acids in their diet: taurine, arginine, methionine and cysteine. These amino acids are essential in a cat's diet because unlike other animals, cats cannot synthesize them or conserve them within their bodies.

Signs of deficiency are specific to each amino acid. Taurine deficiency can result in blindness, inability to reproduce, and heart disease. Arginine deficiency is rare in cats since it is abundant in animal tissues, but symptoms can occur in extreme cases, which include nervous system abnormalities, vomiting and coma. Deficiencies in methionine and cysteine are also uncommon in cats consuming a normal diet. Symptoms of deficiency include poor growth in kittens, or poor hair coat in adult cats.

Carnitine is another amino acid that is considered to be conditionally essential in the cat. Cats can synthesize carnitine within their bodies but in limited amounts. Synthesis is also likely reduced in sick cats. Supplemental carnitine hastens recovery and improves survival rates in cats affected with hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver). Carnitine also increases lean muscle mass and enhances weight loss in obese cats.

Although a simple change in diet will not solve all the ills of affected cats, it is reasonable to believe that their lives are influenced by the foods they consume.

Dietary management (controlling what and how much you feed your cat) helps prevent under nourished kittens, poor growth, decreased resistance to infection, obesity, malnutrition, metabolic diseases and organ dysfunction, including bladder problems known as Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD). The world of cat food can be very confusing. We are able to assist you by advising which diet suits your cat the best, whether it is a wellness, therapeutic or a weight reduction diet. If you have any questions or concerns about your cat’s diet please feel free to call us and we will be happy to design an optimal nutritional plan for your feline companion.

Did you know that the number one disease in dogs and cats is obesity? Nearly 40% of all pets are medically obese. Obesity occurs when pets are at least 15% over their recommended body weight. On a 10 pound cat that can be as little as 1 1/2 pounds. That may not sound like much but on their small frame it is very significant. It would be like an adult human male gaining upwards of 30 pounds. Obesity is a common nutritional disease occurring in the cat. Feline obesity will increase with age and is especially a problem in sterilized cats. Most human and animal studies support the concept that obesity predisposes individuals to a number of diseases and shortens life. Obesity can also affect a cat's quality of life. Most people consider the overweight cat less healthy and less pleasing in appearance. An obese cat's general responsiveness and physical activity level often diminish. Thus, it is important that your cat be maintained at its optimum body weight. The best approach is to use a diet specifically designed to result in weight loss. These diets are available from veterinary offices and should only be fed under veterinarian's recommendations and supervision. A Veterinary supervised Weight Control Programme, a part of our Wellness Programmes, is available and you are encouraged to sign up for it. It is free. New cl

Now up and running, our club is for cats carrying around an extra few pounds they do not need. Obesity is the number one nutritional illness in North American pets and can easily be prevented. Obesity is health damaging. It increases the risk of diabetes, hypertension, neoplasia, joint-locomotor problems, circulatory diseases and many others. I am concerned about the number of pets we see who are overweight. What is so particularly interesting about this phenomenon is that it is manageable and preventable, just as it is in people. We at Killarney Cat Hospital emphasize preventive medicine. We are convinced, that by raising cat owner awareness can help detect potential disorders before they become major health threats. Our goal is to help maintain good health for your cat. We have implemented a Weight Loss Programme as part of our Wellness Programmes. Our Weight Loss Programme will help to avoid typical medical complications associated with obesity. Best of all, the Weight Loss Programme is free of charge. Your cat will not only be healthier, but happier when they get off the extra weight. Ne

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