Speaker: We all know cats are finicky eaters, but you should be just as picky about what you are feeding your kitties. Wet or dry, chicken or beef, raw or cooked, what about vegetarian.
Concerned cat lovers have lined up for cat food advice. They are hungry for help from our experts, but first, they are going to have to complete a little taste test. Here is our first pet side cat owner of the day.
Speaker: What is better for them to eat? Is it better for them to have dry food or is it better for them to have breakfast?
Speaker: Well, I guess it is kind of how you like a Martini. The experts go both ways here. LA veterinarian, Kevin Schlanger, says, dry food is superior for healthy teeth and gums because chewing the kibble is like brushing your teeth. Plus he says, wet food has food more fat to make it wet and tasty which can mean too many calories if you are not careful with proportions. On the other hand, Russell Louie, a holistic pet care consultant, prefers a wet can food over dry kibble because he thinks dry kibble has contained too many carbohydrates.
Speaker: It tastes like chopped liver.
Speaker: Sophie would be eating a certain type of animal protein. Are there benefits to, let's say, beef versus chicken? I don't know.
Speaker: That's really a question. I always have a lot of trouble with those wedding buffets. Well, cats have happily and healthfully have been eating beef for years. Veterinarian, Brigit Ankone, says a diet heavier in chicken, duck, turkey, and rabbit is naturally easier for cats to digest because in the wild, cats would not be able to kill any of the large animals like cows. Can you imagine? It looks pretty good, there are like some potatoes in there.
Speaker: Oh God! Seriously? Yeah.
Speaker: That's good?
Speaker: I have been hearing a lot about raw foods lately and I don't really know much about them. Is it kind of expensive and I was wondering to learn a little about them.
Speakers: Some experts like Russell say raw food is the best for cats because it is closest to what nature intended but feeding raw food to a cat, who is used to kibble, can be tricky because she many not recognize that it's food. Also, she will need to gradually build the enzymes and the bacteria needed to digest it. On the other hand, Wendy Nan Rees, Pet Lifestyle Advisor and author of "The Natural Pet Food Cookbook" points out that most pets would rather see the food cooked because raw foods can contain harmful parasites and bacteria. So this is some raw food. Let me see what do you think of it.
Speaker: Good one.
Speaker: Should we say yeah for him in the back.
Speaker: I think he wants some.
Speaker: I was wondering can cats go vegetarian?
Speaker: If you ask Dr. Brigit cats are carnivores who can't drive on vegetarian diet because they need meat to make vital amino acid such as taurine. She says, if a vegetarian owner can't handle dealing with meat for their cat then get a bunny for crying out loud.
Speaker: Just one, right.
Speaker: Yeah, unless you really like it.
Speaker: I get that. It is crunchy. It is not too bad.
Speaker: Not too bad?
Speaker: I wouldn't eat it for breakfast but --
Speaker: Would you eat some more?
Speaker: No.
Speaker: Why should you be full? No, not full of cat food; full of cat food knowledge. Thanks to all our taste testers for trying open the can on the wealth of cat food knowledge and thanks also to our helpful experts and to My Pet Naturally here in Los Angeles for hosting our taste tests. Thanks for watching. Join us next time
Transcription by:
Scribe4you Transcription Services