In tough economic times, one of the first places people look to cut costs is pet health. The purpose of this article is to help you realize that cutting corners and buying prepackaged cat food is the worst thing you can do for your cat’s health and well-being—and your budget.
prevention, prevention, prevention
Most illnesses take a long time to develop to the point where your cat begins to show signs of illness. When he does, the vet bills can be extraordinarily expensive. ONLY through prevention can you greatly reduce the potential for life-threatening illnesses and consequently your vet bills. Unfortunately, and solely due to lack of knowledge, many cat owners are financially forced to put down their companion.
Can you afford to skip the annual exam?
A veterinary exam can only assess the health of your cat at the time of the exam, and the cat hides his illness as a defense mechanism. Chronic diseases and illness typically develop out of sight, deep in the gastrointestinal and immune systems, making them nearly impossible to detect, even with expensive tests. The best approach is to watch your cat for signs such as a change in energy or behavior.
When budgeting for a routine checkup, keep in mind that the actual cost includes hidden expenses such as; time away from work (average door-to-door 4 hours) and travel costs. Even if you get lucky and get a clean bill of health, you’re looking at $50-$100 just for the visit, plus all those hidden fees.
Better health through nutrition
The old saying “you are what you eat” is five times more applicable to your cat. Why? Because cats age five times faster than us! Chronic illnesses and diseases seem to appear suddenly, when in fact they develop slowly, below the surface.
During the 2007 pet food recall, prepackaged pet foods found themselves in the spotlight. This was really a good thing. While prepackaged cat foods today are considered safe, they are the equivalent of eating fast food for every meal.
If you haven’t seen it yet, the documentary “Super Size Me” is a must see! For those who haven’t; the filmmaker made a documentary of himself eating nothing but McDonalds food for 30 days straight. Before starting, he had a battery of tests by the doctors, who also monitored him at all times. Just two weeks into the experiment, his doctors urged him to stop immediately as his general health was rapidly deteriorating, and yet this is exactly what the vast majority of owners feed their cats on a daily, weekly, monthly basis. and annually. The connection between food and health can be ignored, but it cannot be denied!
By far the best way to safely stretch out the time between annual exams and minimize your cat’s risk of serious illness is to improve her diet.
The most effective diet includes human-grade meat, poultry, and fish, combined with daily supplements such as; High performance soil and oil based probiotic supplements or vital lipids for pets, which are essential for maintaining all aspects of your cat’s health: joints, skin, digestive system, immune system and all internal organs.
During the transition, you can avoid or minimize GI upset by mixing the old and new cat food in a 50/50 ratio for one week, then making the full switch to lightly cooked meats; then after a month, transition in the same way to a raw meat diet, again with daily supplements.
The bottom line
Cat health care on a budget is possible once you realize you can’t do it by cutting corners on dog food or supplements! Let’s do the math: the real cost of 3 vet visits a year (including the annual checkup) is hundreds of times more expensive than the difference in cost between pre-packaged cat food (which should only be given in times of emergency) and a better diet combined with a high-performance supplement program.
Spending more up front, for better cat food and proper supplements, will not only minimize vet bills; doing so will reward you with a happy, healthy cat that will live 5-7 years longer than if you didn’t.