Ask the Vet

ASK DR. SCHELLING

Dear Dr. Schelling,

Should we feed our cats Harpo and Zeppo wet or dry food? They’re each a year old and in good health.

– Kathleen in New Mexico

Dear Kathleen,

Wet food provides crucial moisture in cats’ diets. Cats in the wild derive the vast majority of their water from their prey, and the high moisture content of wet food closely matches that of cats’ prey. When on an all-dry food diet, cats’ thirst drives may not be adequate to ensure that they drink enough water to make up for what’s not in their food.

On the other hand, dry food is convenient and fits in well with typical work and school schedules. A good compromise for many households is a couple of wet food feedings for the cats each day, and the balance of the cats’ diet fulfilled by dry food.

This article explores more features of wet and dry food.

Click here to read the full article.

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DEAR FANCY,

That kneading motion that my cat Furby does when she’s super-relaxed and I’m petting her – it’s such a unique and fascinating behavior. So I “knead” to know why cats do this.

– John in British Columbia

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Dear John,

Kneading is “roughly” feline-speak for “Mommy, I love you.” (If you’re a human with whom your cat has a warm, trusting relationship, when your cat is kneading you, you’re “Mommy” whether you’re male or female.) This article explains kneading in more detail, and also has some tips so you can enjoy these bonding moments without being ever-so-tenderly shredded by your affectionate kitty’s extended claws.

Fancy

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Have a question for Fancy? Email her at: askfancy@mewsletter.com
ZANIES CORDED MICE: Being a cat, I love me some mice to play with. My humans prefer that I amuse myself with toy mice, not real mice. The Zanies Corded Mice fit the bill perfectly. These little guys can hide anywhere—under seat cushions (where I can pull them out), on the rim of a flower pot (where I can knock them off), and under the couch (in which case I notify my humans to fetch them). To make things even more fun, these mice have feather tales and they rattle when you shake them or swat them. Yes, they’re . . . zany.

WHISKER WIDE CAT BOWL: When you have super-sensitive whiskers like me, it can be irritating to always have your whiskers bumping into the sides of the food or water bowls. That’s not a problem with the Whisker-Wide cat Bowls. They provide plenty of room for my whiskers and me to chow down and drink up. They’re also stylish-looking and made from recycled glass, to reduce my carbon pawprint.

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Have a favorite product you want to review?
Send it to askfancy@mewsletter.com
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CAT FACT
Both humans and cats have identical regions in the brain responsible for emotion.
Zanies Corded Mice Whisker Wide Cat Bowl