Why not to shop at PetSmart

I have my own reasons for not wanting to shop at PetSmart. I don't like the atmosphere of the place, and secondly I feel that they sell a lot of substandard food.

But PETA gives me another reason why not to shop at PetSmart: Their live animal sales leave room for a lot of abuse. Here's a video from an undercover PETA investigation documenting what actually goes on at PetSmart:


PetSmart's Big Suffering for Small Animals. Watch more
videos at PETA.org.

If you're willing to stop shopping at PetSmart until they agree to stop the abuse, check out this page for a fun way to spread the word!

Cod liver oil may help cure fatty liver disease

I saw an article online that suggests that cod liver oil may be an alternative to force feeding cats with fatty liver disease.

Basically, fatty liver disease happens because a fasting cat's liver isn't able to adequately process its fat stores. The liver gets bogged down with fat and stops functioning, which in turn causes nausea in the cat, which in turn prevents the cat from eating and reversing the problem.

The author of this article suggests that cod liver oil is appealing to cats and provides the fat they need to reverse feline hepatic lipidosis. But as the author notes, don't give this to your cat unless needed. It contains too much vitamin A and can cause overdoses in your cat if given to them regularly.

I'd also suggest checking with your vet, and maybe doing your own research on the benefits of cod liver oil in cats with fatty liver disease.

Do I need to cut dry cat food out of Cleo's diet?

I mentioned the other day that Cleo is eating dry cat food again. However, I'm wondering if I need to cut it out of her diet.

Back when all Cleo ate was dry cat food, she had chronically greasy fur on her back, right at the base of her tail. She also sometimes got bad mats there. Since she's been on just wet cat food for the past couple of months, starting when I thought she was getting feline hepatic lipidosis again, her fur has become softer and healthier, and has completely lost that greasy spot in the back.

Now that she is starting to eat a little dry food here and there, she is not only gaining weight again, but her fur is also getting greasy again. I am thinking of getting rid of her dry food entirely (although I'll keep my other cat, Prince, on his kitten chow).

Cleo started eating dry food again!

After two months of eating nothing but wet food, Cleo has started eating dry food again!

Cleo dropped a lot of weight in March, so at the beginning of April I was really concerned about it being a relapse of fatty liver disease. She had this condition, also known as feline hepatic lipidosis, back in the fall of 2005, and it nearly killed her. I had to force feed her for a month before she started eating on her own.

Since Cleo lost about 3 pounds in March, I was worried about the same thing happening all over again, so I started giving her wet food. I also had to force feed her a couple of times. Before long she was eating a normal amount of wet food again... but she still wouldn't touch her dry food.

I decided this was a perfect opportunity to control her weight a bit better, since Cleo has always been an over-eater, so I started giving her her daily requirement of calories in wet food. Wet food is better for cats, anyway. It was working marvelously until recently, when I noticed her dry food was disappearing again — and that it was being eaten too quickly to be my other cat, who has always been a picky eater.

I also weighed Cleo yesterday, and she is now 12 pounds — 2 pounds more than she was at the beginning of April. I guess it's good that she has her appetite back, but I'm disappointed she has started overeating again!