Up until last night I "liked" a Facebook page, "And My Cat". I don't know why I ever subscribed to the feed because it was mostly full of people posting photos of their cats. I love cats, but the attitude of *some* people regarding their cats really irks me. (never been a fan of "cutesy", y'know?) Pets can be a child substitute, but they're still animals. (and so can be some children, but that's for another rant)
The post that made me "unlike" the page was when the creator of the page wrote that she had recently discovered that Amazon sold cat food and that she had signed up for Amazon Prime and scheduled regular deliveries of Fancy FeastTM. I've also thought of signing up for regular shipments, but of McCann's Oatmeal. Anyway....
I didn't think deeply about the post; that brand of cat food is OK, I suppose...it's a little too expensive for my budget and frankly, the Beej will eat it but seems to prefer the WalMart brand or even the discount store kind that's about 40% cheaper. However, when I visited the post again because I saw there had been 40+ responses, I got a little angry, then a LOT angry.
Most of the posts immediately following were thanking the page owner for the information, while others mentioned their own cat's preferences. Then came the self-righteous asshats, saying that the cat foods being mentioned were garbage, that THEY bought such and such brand. I took an hour or so to research the brands being touted, even pricing them through various online outlets.
All of the brands were outrageously expensive, costing from $30-40/case. Whoa! At first I was a little ashamed of the cheaper food I bought my cat and even more ashamed when I read some of the comments on the 'net about it being garbage. B eats it up, though, and I can't see any ill-effects from him eating the "garbage". I'm happy he deigns to eat it, being one of the more finicky pets I've ever owned. He prefers the pouch food to chicken or beef that I buy for myself at the supermarket deli.
Reading more about cat food, I perused an article about how dry food is bad for cats - how cats were genetically programmed to eat "wet" food and that's how they get the bulk of their water. Hmmmm....the Beej drinks quite a bit of water; in fact, all cats I've ever owned drank a lot of water. (I once noticed his water was a little dirty from food falling off his mouth into the bowl, so I changed it with fresh. He then wanted outside and went directly to a mud puddle in the driveway to drink) I also read about "no-no" foods for cats - grapes were one, which I found odd - and that milk wasn't good f/ cats, either, same for tuna.
THEN I read another few articles that said hard food was GOOD for cats and that - unless the cat has an obesity problem - owners should have hard food out f/ their cat all the time. That's what I do w/ a gravity feeder, plus feed a pouch or two of wet food daily. I also read that tuna isn't bad if fed in moderation. I feed it to the Beej on the weekends - "Sunday dinner", I joke to myself. I also will mix a bit in w/ the types of food that he doesn't like as well as others just so it won't be wasted.
What I found out was there is a LOT of contradictory information about cat food on the 'net. I really wasn't all that surprised, but one poster in the Facebook page said she had done her research and insinuated she was right and everyone else posting was wrong.
(And you probably know there are "facts" on the 'net that "prove" 9/11 was an inside job, the CIA killed Kennedy and that we really never landed on the moon)
Then came this guy that said "It's sad to see so many people in this thread that don't care about their cats."
It made me wish I could magically transport myself to where he was just so I could slap him. I cannot stand self-righteous people. It's OK to have strong opinions, but his statement crossed the line. I don't think it's abusing your pet to feed them a cheaper food. What's abuse is not feeding them at all, or keeping them tied up in the back yard, or kicking them when you're angry. My cat might eat cheap food, but he eats better than a large percentage of people in the world. He certainly eats more regularly than I do!
I just can't stand the jerkwads who feel the need to criticize others for something that - considering the massive misery in the world - is so trivial. We should gather all these holier-than-thou people together, then grind them up for pet food.
On second thought, probably not. I bet the Beej would turn up his nose at them.
November 3, 2011
Cat Food For Thought
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5 comments:
ugh, had a post all composed and it went poof! I should always remember to select all and copy before I try to publish.
What I sort of said in my first (vanishing) post was I tend to run across that kind of person in dog circles, cat circles and particularly horse circles. It wasn't until I had Colleen that I realized it was just as bad in mom circles.
I've never been shy about stating my preferences or sharing my own personal recommendations when it comes to my kid or my pet(s). Heck, one of my little hobbies is doing online restaurant reviews from my iphone on urbanspoon. But I'm never gonna get all angry if you don't agree with me, or insult you if you have an opposing opinion.
I think the web brings out all the tin horn general types who have a big need to be heard and an even bigger need to be seen as right all the time.
btw..our new cat Mannie gets dry food by the scoop and canned food am & pm. I used to use a gravity feeder for Gracie with the dry food but this new cat seems to pack on the weight a bit too easy so I am controlling his portions of dry for now.
Yeah, even though it's a rare occurrence, my blogger posts sometimes vanish so I've developed the habit - just like Groups - of copying before hitting "publish". Here lately the problem has been "Two instances of simultaneous editing". Oh well. Facebook sometimes eats posts, too.
You know me, I like to give my opinion and can be harsh in my replies to others, but these people were so smug in their opinions it just annoyed me to no end.
My cats have been "rescue" cats, meaning I've rescued them from a life of no one caring for them. I may not feed them the premium foods like some in that thread, but they're certainly not loved any less.
I'm sure the high-dollar foods are better for cats, but I researched their ingredients and they also have additives and fillers.
The Beej sure seems healthy; he gets around very well for his age and his coat is sleek and shiny. He's not fat at all, but muscular and solid as a rock.
Thanks f/ posting!
All of our cat and dogs were fed food that was not expensive when we were growing up and they all seemed to do okay. Of course, part of that may have been the homemade gravy Mother put on the top of the food. I'd be willing to eat dog food just to get some of her gravy!
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