Low Carb Cat Update

(I initially discus low carb and cats on this post...http://wifezillasway.blogspot.com/2007/10/cats-are-going-low-carb-too.html ...This is an update.)

Since my cats, Cookie (18) and Xena (10) have joined me on my low carb journey, they have done quite well. Actually, better than I expected. After just 2 weeks Xena had lost 2 pounds. Cookie, while she didn't lose weight, had noticeable improvement in her coat. I was pretty excited about this.

Then today I did another weigh-in. Xena has lost another 4 pounds! Even Cookie has lost weight...she is down 2 pounds! So that means Xena has gone from 22 lbs down to 16 in about 4 weeks. Cookie, while she has never been fat has trimmed down a bit too - from 14lbs down to 12. Their activity level is great, their coats are GLOWING, and they really like their new food.

In addition to the Fancy Feast wet food flavors with no grains, I picked up a bag of Innova EVO dry food. The EVO cat & kitten food contains 50% protein, 22% fat, and only 7% carbs. I was a bit surprised to see POTATOES listed as one of the ingredients, but it is far enough down the list to not cause a huge problem. They are used to having a bowl of crunchies available at all times, and with this particular mix, they should continue to do well. Cost is an issue, though. With shipping the Innova EVO is about $3.65/pound. This is more than I spend on meat for the PEOPLE in my family! If it isn't $1.99/lb or less, I just don't buy it!

So my fat cat is losing weight at a pretty quick clip, my ancient cat is chugging along, but my purse is a bit lighter. At least with the higher quality food, they are eating less overall. And you know what that means! Less garbage in = less garbage OUT! Will the additional cost of cat food be made up by the reduced price of cat litter? Doubtful. But healthy cats will sure save money on vet bills. I should just quit complaining and consider it a wash.

I will look for more affordable alternatives on the dry food front and continue to feed them cornless, wheatless, barleyless, riceless and other garbage-free wet food. I just need to get a better magnifying glass so I can read those itty bitty nutrition labels on the cat food bags when I go shopping. My friend Carolyn says the type is so small because it only has to be large enough for the CATS to read. Too bad they never bothered do their home work or go through the trouble to get a driver's license so they can go to the pet food store themselves. I can fix the fat kitty problem, but it just may be too late to fix stupid kitty.