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| A Word About Herbal and Alternative Remedies, Supplements, and Diets |
| I know a lot of people disagree with me on this one, but when asked about herbal supplements or all natural diets, my answer is simple: I don't do it. I refuse to risk my cat's health. Now, before you write me a nasty email, let me explain. You know how all the herb and other supplements need to be labelled that their claims aren't evaluated or proven? And they aren't regulated by the FDA? That's because they haven't been studied. There aren't guidelines as to their efficacy or purity. They can be dangerous to humans. And you want to give them to your cat? Add to that the fact that we're playing trial by error in figuring out what cats' metabolism can handle, and what it can't. And keep in mind anything you put on their fur will be ingested when they bathe. Only recently has it been discovered that both tea tree oil and pennyroyal oil are toxic to cats. One poor owner tried to help his cats' coats by putting this oil on their skin. He lost all three. Ephedra is also highly toxic - and in random tests done at herbal packaging sites, almost all results found ephedra in at least trace amounts in every single product whether it appeared as an ingredient or not. I'm not willing to take that risk. There are no antidotes for these products. I strongly believe that unless you are consulting with a vet-recommended, reputable herbalist for cats you should not tinker with these things. Also keep in mind that what's safe for dogs is not always safe for cats. Dogs are omnivores; they can subsist on a vegetarian diet if that matches your personal philosophy. Cats cannot be vegetarians - they are carnivores, and you will make them very sick if you do not feed them meat and meat products. I know, I'm all for not medicating unless it's necessary. And a fine example of why you shouldn't use home remedies is acetomenaphen - basically, Tylenol and any generic equivalent - because it will kill your cat. So will aspirin. Most aspirins contain acetomenaphen (am I spelling that right?). The only human medicine or herb or alternative diet that should be fed to a cat is one that has specifically been evaluated and approved by someone qualified to do so - and that is NOT a human consumer who shops at the organic store and has been vegan all their lives. That isn't enough training. Please - I know, it sounds judgmental. It's not meant to be. I have no problem with people who choose not to eat meat, or use animal products, or take Western medicine. That's your choice. You accept any consequences. But you're talking about accepting those consequences for your cat. And I can't imagine anything more painful than losing a loving animal companion because of something I undertook in an attempt to heal them. |