AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to FacebookFacebookFacebookShare to TwitterTwitterTwitterShare to PinterestPinterestPinterestShare to MoreAddThisMore

Hi everybuddy! Harley and I are very lucky because we are very  healthy kitties. but did you know this was not always so?

When I was just THREE, I got bladder stones. I do not know exactly how those rocks got inside me, but I had to have surgery to get them out. here I was laying on one of my sleeping bags recovering from surgery. That time was No Fun!

Some of you might already know that Harley battled Eosinophilic Granuloma complex (EGC) for a long time, when he was younger. He used to get ulcers on his lips, swellings under his chin, and linear granulomas on the back of his thighs. poor Harley!

So how did we get healthy? first we started going to a holistic vet that taught our Mommeh about the value of nutrition. Cats are obligate carnivores, so it is crucial to have a meat-based diet.  We eliminated all dry kibble and started eating a raw food diet. We also changed from complimentary feeding to being fed a measured portion at two certain mealtimes a day. My favorite flavor is rabbit!

Our Mommeh weighs us on a baby scale every couple of months. Unexplained weight loss can be a sign of health issues, so keeping track of changes in our weight is important, especially now that I am eight years old.

Cats do not have a very high thirst drive, and we were created to get a lot of of our  water from the foods we eat. Canned or raw food has a much higher moisture content than dry cat food kibble, and a lot more closely mimics what cats would eat in the wild. Still, we always have a big bowl full of filtered, fresh water available and often I even sneak drinks of water from the sink.

Some other things we do to keep healthy:

Annual veterinary checkups including blood work to make sure everything is working right

We only eat natural, grain-free treats like freeze-dried chicken liver or freeze-dried shrimp

We get a squirt of Omega 3 fatty acids on our food every day

Because I have some stiffness in my hips and back legs, I am on a maintenance dose of Cosequin for cats

Regular tooth-brushing

Lots of playtime and love and kisses

What do you do to stay healthy?