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There is a lot of thought given to what parents want to feed their cats. If pet owners are vegan or vegetarian for example, this can create a moral dilemma for them, because if they no longer eat animal products, they may not want their cats to do so as well. As the animal’s veterinary team, it is the clinic’s duty to listen to clients and guide them toward a diet that they are comfortable with and that also provides their pet with all the nutrients they need. he needs.
Adronie Verbrugghe, DVM, PhD, DECVCN, delved deeper into why clients would feed alternative diets to their cats and understand client motivations in her talk “Navigating Alternative Cat Foods: Intersection Between Cat Needs & Client Preferences” at the American Association of Felines. Practitioners Conference in Memphis, Tennessee.1
Motivation
Owners want to control the ingredients in their pet’s food. If they are uncomfortable with mass production, big companies, preservatives or flavorings in foods on store shelves, they will look elsewhere or try homemade diets. Other motivators for alternative diets could be the client’s religion or own diet, and the desire for their pet to have the same diet. The motivation could also be as simple as wanting to include your cat in your diet because your pet is part of the family.
“Owners have many different motivations as to why they feed these types of foods. A lot of this has to do with the simple fact that they want to include their cats as members of their family. It’s part of their culture, (their cat is) their baby, and it’s all about that human-animal bond. Food is love and they want to (feed them) as well as possible,” Verbrugghe explained.
“But it all comes from that good place, where they really invest in the pets and are there and try to do their best. And sometimes it reflects religious beliefs, ethical concerns or personal identity, distrust, and conventional pet food manufacturing. (They may have) negative attitudes toward ingredients used in the pet food industry or toward food processing,” she continued.
Verbrugghe also told attendees that misinformation on the internet fuels concerns about regular pet feeding, leading them to want to adopt an alternative diet. It is important to remember that pet owners’ requests for dietary information come from a place of concern and care for their pet, requiring them to become increasingly invested in feeding their cat.
Raw meat diets
For pet owners who want their pets to eat what they consider to be a more natural diet, they will ask and explore raw meat diets. These diets can be homemade by customers, or they can use a commercial raw product ranging from grain and supplement blends to fully frozen foods. Compared to a traditional commercial diet, raw meat diets are believed to be minimally processed, contain fewer grains and carbohydrates. However, Verbrugghe informed participants that more research is needed on these diets.
“There isn’t a lot of hard evidence, and I agree we need more research. Perhaps there is an advantage. I’m not saying there isn’t any, I just think we need more research,” Verbrugghe said.
“What exists is the risk, the risk that the nutritional adequacy is not good. Nutritional deficiencies, nutrient excesses, and toxicities can certainly occur. Think of this cat without a central liver. Bones can damage (block) parts of the gastrointestinal tract and cause trauma. Again, a list of raw ingredients that could put these patients at risk.
For pet owners interested in this diet, veterinary teams should ensure they understand the risks of this diet. Homemade raw diets, and even some commercial diets, may not contain all the nutrients cats need. Verbrugghe also stressed to participants that these diets can pose a health risk to the entire household, as they could be contaminated with Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeraand other pathogens or parasites.
The veterinary team should also emphasize to clients the need to exercise extreme caution if following this diet in a home with an elderly person or child, suffering from immunosuppressive infections, undergoing chemotherapy or anti-inflammatory treatment. .
This advice may include recommending a thermally processed, homemade or commercial food, or the team may help clients choose or formulate a balanced raw meat diet and provide clients with advice to ensure that they they create such a safe raw meat diet. possible for the whole family.
In conclusion
It is important to keep the cat and its owner in mind when discussing alternative diets such as raw meat. Teams should discuss all diet options with the pet owner before developing a specific diet plan so the client feels comfortable, respected and heard. Verbrugghe cautioned that validating the owner’s concerns is not the same as agreeing with them and that teams can avoid any miscommunications by taking the time to hear and understand the owner’s dietary perspectives. owner. Communication and follow-up with clients are key to ensuring their pet is getting the nutrients they need.
“In these conversations about alternative diets, we really need to keep both the cat and the owner in mind. Dietary recommendations that work for patients who are more successful in complying and adhering to the diet, we often have to move away from the traditional let’s solve the problem (or) find the problem and solve it. We often need to adopt a much more client-centric and much more collaborative mindset, even if that’s not always the direction we want to take with our alternative plans. We want to follow our alternative direction, but I think we are all here to help pets as best we can,” concluded Verbrugghe.
Reference
Verbrugghe A. Navigating alternative cat foods: intersection between cat needs and customer preferences. Presented at: American Association of Feline Practitioners 2023 Annual Conference; Memphis, Tenn.; October 12-15, 2023.