Ollie tested. Vet approved.

As I mentioned in my Cat Food post, this sort of urinary tract problem is one of the reasons why cats can’t be vegan. Male cats (and, my vet says, long-haired male cats in particular) can develop a life-threatening urinary tract obstruction. It seems to be more about mineral balance than protein, but it’s why we’d never try to feed our cats a vegan diet.

Knowing this, I specifically chose a dry cat food that had a lot of high-quality protein (Newman’s Own). But my vet says that cats who are prone to Oliver’s condition should be on specially formulated food, preferably wet. The extra water is really important to flush out his digestive tract.

For all of you suddenly thinking of switching to wet food to prevent your cat from developing urinary tract problems, my vet said that for most cats she recommends dry food, because the friction cleans their teeth. Now that Oliver’s on wet food we’ll have to give him dental treats or try to brush his teeth.

So despite our best intentions, we’re off the humane cat food. I don’t know yet if there is a humane cat food for bladder health; right now I’m just waiting for Ollie to completely recover. But if I do find one, I’ll definitely ask my vet before switching—I want to make sure my cat’s health won’t suffer for my morals.

Isn't he adorable?

Now you might be thinking, “Isn’t this an environmental blog, not a pet blog?” I do admit to a ridiculous fascination with my cats, but keeping them indoors is actually an environmental issue. Domestic cats are unnatural predators for birds and small mammals whose populations may already be declining because of habitat loss. According to the American Bird Conservancy, “nationwide, cats kill hundreds of millions of birds, and more than a billion small mammals, such as rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks, each year.”

Feral cats are a major part of this problem (which is why we need more trap, neuter, return programs), but 65% of housecats are allowed outdoors. These pampered, healthy, well-fed cats have an unfair advantage over wild birds and their native predators. This is why the Audubon Society and the American Birds Conservancy strongly recommend keeping cats indoors.

But it’s not just me and the bird people who think cats should be kept inside. The Humane Society, the ASPCA, and vets recommend it, as well, for the well-being of the cats themselves. According to the ASPCA, the average indoor cat lives 10-12 years, while the average outdoor cat lives only 2 years.  Outside dangers include traffic, predators (dogs, foxes, hawks), diseases from other cats (rabies, FIV, feline leukemia), poisons (antifreeze, pesticides, herbicides, rat bait), parasites, cruel people…the list goes on and on.

People often worry that their cats’ quality of life will be reduced if they’re kept inside, but proper enrichment can make their lives very fulfilling. The important thing is to allow them to engage in their natural behaviors, like hunting, scratching, climbing, and hiding. The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Indoor Cat Initiative has lots of information on this—you should check it out.

The cat tree is a step in the right direction. One other thing that we do along these lines is hide Oliver’s food in his various toys and perches around the house. We began doing it to give Jasmine time to eat without him bothering her, but we’ve kept it up because he seems to like “hunting” for his food.

We love our cats and the birds who come to our feeder; by keeping the cats happy indoors we’re protecting them both.

Over on Berklee.net I interviewed Jonathan Feist about the chickens, ducks, and geese he’s raising, and it reminded me that I really want chickens. I don’t have a yard, so I have no place to put them right now. But if I had the space I’d definitely have city chickens. Maybe I’d even buy them a cute little Eglu to live in. (Or maybe not. It would probably get claustrophobic during our long winters.)

Jonathan and Debbie, named after his boss, Debbie Cavalier. Flattering? Photo by Roseanne Saalfield.

My parents have kept chickens forever, and growing up I could always count on there being eggs in the fridge. Of course, they actually have a farm with lots of space for chickens to roam. Even so, they have the tiniest ones possible: bantams. Bantams are adorable, lay eggs that are pretty big relative to their size, and are small enough to make a backyard coop seem roomy.

It’s just the next step in urban farming, as people look to eat as locally (and humanely) as possible. Most cities allow keeping hens at least, if not roosters. It’s illegal in Boston, but Cambridge allows it if they’re kept as pets (not for slaughter). Same with beehives. Now that’s a thought….

Of course, we probably have a few intermediate steps between growing basil and parsley on our porch and raising chickens, but I can dream, right?

I’ve never thought much about cat food. As a vegetarian, I feel bad feeding my cats meat, but I know that they actually must have it (unlike dogs). Contrary to popular belief, it’s not because of the taurine and other nutrients. While those are essential, synthetic versions and additives do exist—that’s what’s added to commercial cat foods (and Red Bull). The real issue is that they have a difficult time digesting vegetables and can develop urinary tract problems without enough meat in their diet. While some people claim that you can feed your cat a perfectly healthy vegan diet, I would be very worried about making mine sick. (Especially since Jasmine is already on vet-recommended cat food for kidney problems.)

Ollie tested. Brenda approved.

I’m looking for something that’s the best choice for Ollie’s health and my morals. But it’s very difficult figuring out what that is. There doesn’t seem to be much of a consensus, even for the basic question of wet vs. dry food. (I’m going to ask my vet, but for the moment I’ll stick with dry.) I did find out that most pet food you find in the supermarket is made primarily from meat by-products. That’s just a nice way of saying all the parts we won’t eat: “lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone, partially defatted low temperature fatty tissue, and stomachs and intestines freed of their contents.” Those aren’t very high-quality protein sources and aren’t as digestible for cats. And they come mostly from animals that are 4D: “dead, dying, diseased, or disabled” when they get to the slaughterhouse, and often abused (videos abound online). Their meat isn’t allowed to be served to humans for health reasons, so it gets put into pet food instead.

(Note: “chicken meal” in an ingredients list is actually okay—or better. It’s made from just flesh and skin, and it’s just 10% water. Regular meat is about 70% water. So as a primary ingredient, “meal” contains no by-products and means more protein.)

So I started by looking for cat food without any meat by-products in it. As a bonus, these generally have a higher protein content, too. There are actually quite a few of them, including some major brands that you’d be surprised by, like Purina Naturals. This is easy enough—just look at the label.

Then I started looking for how the animals slaughtered for the food are treated. There doesn’t seem to be any humane certification for pet food, so I take any such claims on packaging with a grain of salt. For that reason I’d like to go with a company that I trust at least a little, and Newman’s Own has a good track record. (They also fund things like the Hole in the Wall Camp for kids with serious illnesses that an elementary school friend of mine used to go to, so I’m kind of brand-loyal.)

Newman’s Own cat food is 32% protein, with organic chicken and chicken meal as the first two ingredients. Their cage-free chickens are raised by Bell & Evans. I think that’s a compromise that Oliver and I can both be happy with.

In the end, the brands that use higher-quality meat are definitely a lot pricier than the regular brands (three times more to switch from Kitten Chow to Newman’s Own), but I’m told the higher protein content should make Ollie more full, so he’ll eat less of it. (I’ll believe that when I see it; he’s a little scavenger.) And because it’s more easily digestible, that’s supposed to mean less poop for us to scoop. I’m really looking forward to that.

I’m also looking forward to not having to think about this again. That was a lot of research just for cat food!

Even Ollie likes it.

We tried a couple different kinds of “natural” cat litters and weren’t completely satisfied with any of them. Then I read this post on the Apartment Therapy blog. And they were right: World’s Best Cat Litter clumps but smells a little like a barn, while Nature’s Miracle smells like pine but doesn’t clump. Together, they’re perfect. (Maybe the companies should merge…) They’re both made of corn, which is a factory-farmed crop worrisome in its own right, but it’s definitely a step up from clay. And I think it’s the best option for us—at least until I teach my cats to use to use the toilet.