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A month or so ago, a friend of my mom's met us for lunch and treated us to all the ailments which her cat is/has been going through. Also mentioned a very expensive operation last year (forget if it was stones, think she said the cat was female) and continued to tell us the cat is getting Steroid shots for whatever is ailing it now (I, honestly, couldn't keep track.) She told us the cat was still on the Royal Canin it's been on for I don't know how long (didn't ask.) I asked if she was aware of the number of recalls with this food and she said she had never heard of this food ever being involved in any recalls. I doubt she believed me.
Anyways, I gave her a ton of resources (Feeding Your Cat** Know the Basi) along with Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins' information and also the link to The Harvard Law Paper (which I've posted on here as well) and now her cat is lethargic and she now thinks it has IBS and even the vet is stumped, but diet NEVER is even considered as a possibility for all these problems.
This lady is Internet savvy (receive the Joke "Forwards" emails a lot) so I emailed her all the information promptly last month (no acknowledgment, of course) and yet she -- this cat -- continues on with these problems as of yesterday. It's on Steroids and something else (I forget what exactly she said) and is NOT improving, still on same diet.
I told her she can see Dr Michael Fox' syndicated column; google for him; Marty Goldstein and the Doctors mentioned above; check out catinfo.org which I wrote down before she left and I even sent the email. I also told her, if she does not believe me, she could call a zoo and ask what any feline requires to eat for good health.
I guess it's because I told her all this face-to-face (and not just as an anonymous source like via the Net) that I feel more angry towards her for just accepting the status-quo and letting this animal suffer. My mother even reinforced everything I said to her!! I want to flat-out say it's animal abuse at this point because the information has been presented to her, yet she apparently refuses to even consider that a strict carnivore should NOT be attempting to digest (yet GRIND with its teeth which are pointy hence all those DENTALS) cereal loaded with cheap fillers....which CAUSED all the pain in the first place!
I know I felt bad when I found out everything too late. After the guilt, I got angry towards all the people who had been lying, suppressing the truth. Now I find I am becoming angry with those I encounter face-to-face; hear their stories; give them all the info and still the same old predictable outcomes.
Is the convenience factor -- not wanting to change -- just throwing the stuff in the bowl -- a bigger factor here than I realize? People honestly seem to prefer paying all those $$$ in operations and Steroids than clicking on a link, going to the library or just calling a Zoo!
I just had to get this off my chest. Thanks for listening.
People don't CARE. All too many want cheap and/or convenient food to toss at their pets. Something needs to be done with the feed companies. Why are they allowed to sell food unsuitable for the animals aimed at?
Sadly this happens over and over... and there's not much we can do other then spay/abort moms to be and spay/ neuter the rest. Along with information presented.
Yes I'd say at that point it IS abuse... oh well you tried and thats all that counts.
But the cat really suffers from these issues, quite common cat health issues at that which apparently could be remedied (I've seen the proof), but just aren't.
(Only way I'd compare this with humans is if, say, parent let the child eat nothing but candy.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ketabcha
It sounds like a case of Munchausen by Proxy with abuse of a pet rather than a child.
With all the carp food being sold at grocery stores, pet stores, AND vets saying nothing OR recommending carp, it is no wonder people are so darn stubbon to not believe the facts.
I totally cringe when someone tells me they are feeding their cat "good" food...Iams, Science Diet, Fancy Feast, etc.
I too, or should I say my cat, had to learn the HARD way. When my male was hospitalized due to the "good" food I was feeding him, Wellness was recommended to us and why it was recommended. I then Googled for the facts myself.
I wouldn't knowingly feed my human kids food that would hospitalize them or make them sick... why do people do so with their furkids??!
Yes, a cat may live for a long time on dry free feeding or carpy wet food, but they are NOT thriving. We have 4 cats and NONE of them throw up anymore, they ALL have shiny beautiful coats, they are at a healthy weight, no skin problems, no dandruff, they are more spry, etc. HUGE HUGE difference.
give them all the info and still the same old predictable outcomes.
Ah, I can see you've never been involved in rescue work.
You're failing to appreciate one thing - one very important thing - and that's human nature. For many people, to heed advice (be it unsolicited or not) is to admit they were wrong in the first place, that they might not have done what is best for their animal. It's far, far easier to ignore what we don't like to hear; to leave it as some sort of mystery of veterinary medicine. Not to put too fine a point on it: if her vet can't diagnose the cause, why the heck should she listen to you, especially if you're sources/articles/cited experts point the finger of blame squarely back at her? Noooo - most don't go there, sorry. The majority of human beings prefer to ignore what might cause them squirm and feel awful should it be faced head on.
This is exactly why people involved with rescue get burned out - you can only beat your head against a wall for so long before you just give up. (That too is human nature.)
And this isn't limited to any one type of person - it spans every socio-economic divide I've ever come across. Try convincing a sheep farmer that his sheepdog really will still herd sheep if neutered... and the farmer just thinks you're lying, that you're trying to take away something that's "his" and he'll be damned if he's going to let you.
Look, at the end of the day you need to appreciate that you yourself cannot change what people think. All you can do is present them with the facts and perhaps to try to gently persuade. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But you also need the wisdom to know when to "write it off" as a loss because you just aren't going to get anywhere. Your effort and energies could be better used - turn the anger into something productive for cats (be it in general or more specific) rather than wasting it on deaf ears.
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food...Iams, Science Diet, Fancy Feast, etc. 
