http://www.wbns10tv.com/?sec=home&story=sites/10tv/content/pool/200703/1765432341.html
just HAPPENED to have the link to the story of that woman in my clipboard when i read this.... i've stayed out of this one, because most people already know how i feel, and about my financial circumstances...... i agree with debbie, by and large. we all know of 20-year-old cats who have never eaten anything but grocery-store food who are healthy and fiesty their entire lives, after all. yes, it would be IDEAL if we could all afford to feed our furchildren the very finest food there is.... but first we'd all have to agree on what that was, an unlikely enough thing, and then we'd have to limit ourselves in the number that we helped.... i feed science diet to most of my cats. i feed science diet because i can get it at shelter prices; essentially, i can feed three to four times the number of special-needs and elderly kitties on it than i could on a different food. quantity vs quality? i don't think so, really, because being disabled, i'm home almost 24/7, so they get time and attention that they NEVER would--if they were even alive--anywhere else. would i feed them something else if i could easily? of course.... when all the rescue networking starts paying, that'll be one of the first things i'll do..... as it is, if someone needs a special diet, they get it--i made a homemade crf diet for one of my kids now. at this point in my life i'm lucky in that i CAN get not-the-worst-food-in-the-world at a price i can afford (i make LESS a month than debbie's grandmother does, significantly), that i can get all my meds at wholesale, and that my vets will let me make payment arrangements..... i'm not gonna feel guilt-tripped because i know i'm doing the best that i can, and that my cats are happy, spoiled little things. it DOES bother me, tho, knowing that other people will feel attacked or as if they're not good parents just because they can't afford designer everything for their furkids.... the ever-unbiased, MC On 3/15/07, Debbie <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
I have to disagree with some of the below. It is nice to want to feed your cats the very best, however circumstances beyond some peoples control make that impossible. Often times cats find people, people do not go out looking to adopt cats. There is a HUGE overpopulation of cats and in my opinion if someone is even the least bit kind enough to try to take care of them than they should not feel bad by not being able to supply top of the line food. My grandmother is 86 yrs. old, lives on only $800.00 a month, but she manages to feed more than 2 dozen ferals. Yes, they get Wal Mart brand catfood, but it's either that or death from starvation. We have 14 cats, 2 dogs all that would have been dead by now if we would not have taken them in. We love them, take care of them, and try to do the best we can – just like you would for children, but not everyone is blessed with unlimited funds and I think everyone should keep that in mind. People who do try (and there are quite a few people who are very poor and yet share a tremendous amount with their pets) should not be discouraged. Just today on the radio they reported about a woman who drowned over 600+ kittens, cats, puppies……..her reasoning was "she was trying to spare them suffering." I did not hear all the details but it very well could have been someone who was overwhelmed by the massive amount of unwanted and abandoned pets. Someone who was trying but emotionally and financially couldn't cope. -----Original Message----- *From:* [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] *Sent:* Thursday, March 15, 2007 4:33 PM *To:* [email protected] *Subject:* Re: any other catfood suggestions I'm of the very controversial opinion that no matter how many cats you have, there's no excuse to feed BAD food. If you can't afford to feed decent food, then you can't afford to have that many cats. Get less cats, not less expensive food. There isn't any excuse for anyone to ever feed a food that doesn't have meat as the first ingredient... if you can't afford to feed a meat-based diet, then you need to give up your cats to someone that can afford to take proper care of them. That being said... Healthwise is the "cheap" food I feed to my feral cats here. I would not consider anything cheaper than that (it does have corn, but it's pretty far down the ingredient list). My ferals are OBESE creatures, mind you - something you generally don't see, LOL! They live the life of luxury though, and lay around and sleep all day and night (except for food time). Here's the link to the website for Healthwise, and Natura (the company that makes it) is very good at getting it to most areas: http://naturapet.com/display.php?d=product-detail&[EMAIL PROTECTED] Phaewryn http://ucat.us/domesticcatlinks.html Special Needs Cat Resources -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.11/723 - Release Date: 3/15/2007 11:27 AM -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.11/723 - Release Date: 3/15/2007 11:27 AM
-- Spay & Neuter Your Neighbors! Maybe That'll Make The Difference.... MaryChristine AIM / YAHOO: TenHouseCats MSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ICQ: 289856892
