There’s a Happy Medium to Everything

Do right by your cat, not by what others suggest is the only way

Like many, my understanding of cats and humans grows every day that I own cats. My cats have taught me more about myself than anything on this planet. For example, I’ve concluded that my adorable grumpy cat has every reason to be grumpy when he is. When the circumstances are to his liking, he is an entirely different beast: lovable, engaged and relaxed.

I don’t mean to excuse myself for being a grump like him, all I mean to say is that I understand him. The more I’ve had these guys around me, the more I see things clearly and I understand things like not always being happy with one’s circumstances. Even worse, if you are an intelligent being and you cannot communicate to the humans in charge of you with words exactly what it is that you need, the frustration absolutely should make you grumpy.

I also see a few things clearly that rile-up so many of us cat lovers and I want to express an understanding of both sides of the coin. The more my cats shape my opinion, the more I see how accepting I am of the other viewpoint. Isn’t it time to re-examine a few things we hold as truths?

Cats vs. dogs

This argument is so ridiculous! Why anyone pits one pet lover against the other is crazy: go ahead and love one, the other, or both. There’s no comparison. They’re both incredible creatures. They both deserve awe and appreciation. The question of intelligence, loyalty, cunning, speed, agility, cuteness or companionship (or zillions of other amazing qualities of these animals) is immaterial. The fact of the matter is that anyone on either side of that debate should simply appreciate any other individual who is devoted to pets and who is making the world a better place by loving one. Love and let be.

Raw vs. canned

Everyone who knows me and my cats knows that I’m a proponent of raw fed cats (and dogs, but I write only about cats). They’re biologically predisposed to digest it better than any cooked meat…and they are not predisposed to digest anything but a protein-based diet. The fact of the matter is that many companies are creating extremely high quality canned foods now— they truly care and they truly are doing right by cats and dogs. And, if left to making food for their pets, cat owners risk not getting the right balance of nutrients in their homemade recipe.

Let’s also agree that we humans don’t treat ourselves to the most 100% perfect diet always, so who are we to say that only raw is the way to go? Coffee? cookies? wine? chips? While my overall diet is really healthy, it is hard to say it is 100% suited to my species. It suits me fine. I will always strive for better (and I’ll strive for perfect for my cats, if possible), but if we all fall short, we shouldn’t beat ourselves up if our pet’s diet falls short in some reasonable degree like that. Raw diet saved my IBD cat’s life and I’m a firm believer, no question. But do as healthy as you can with what you can do, like very quality canned, and it cannot be worse than how we nourish ourselves — life’s just imperfect.

The only thing I don’t agree with is a kibble diet. That’s as if I could agree to us humans eating a diet that consisted solely of potato chips. I don’t need to say more: the pet food industry has duped us all into thinking that what they pour into a bag of cat food is actually ok (even good) for their health. There’s plenty of good science behind that assertion, so I won’t go further. Raw vs. canned: do what works for you. Just don’t go for the bag.

Indoor vs. outdoor

Often times I see people shouting from the rooftops on social media that cats should be strictly indoors. Then some people on the other side chime in with what you strip away from a cat by keeping them indoors. The fact of the matter is that cats truly need to exercise their hunting instincts: they need to crouch under a plant or something and pounce, when the time is right, on a moving prey-like object. And that’s the core of it: if you can take the time out to recreate that essential aspect of their environment indoors, that’s as good as the outdoors, only safer. DO play with your cats for around a half an hour each day. But if you can safely allow them outdoors, that’s fantastic, too.

I have one outdoor cat and two who get monitored time outdoors (and all three have microchip-enabled access to a catio where they can safely watch the outdoors from some comfy perches). The outdoor one was an indoor condo cat in the city before moving to suburbia. I could always tell he wanted to roam outdoors. This would never happen in the city, but now having moved to a dead-end street (i.e. fewer cars) in very suburban area a few hours south of that concrete jungle, he is living his dream. When we got here, I went out into the yard with him (not with the others) for a fixed amount of time each day for months. I observed his behavior and gave him more and more leeway, like you give a child as he grows up. He comes in every night for dinner and is happy to crash for the night on a comfy bed. It took a two-way street of trust and time and wanting the best to make that happen.

Will I let my other two cats become outdoor cats? One maybe, the other no way: too skittish and she needs help constantly in deciding what is safe and what is not. Will I feed them canned food? I’d not have any problem with it and would resort to it if I didn’t have fantastic raw food available for them. Will I love a dog more than them? I doubt it, because I love them more than life itself (hard to top that!). But I can’t possibly say until the day I get my dream life of living with more animals around me — a life that both that those animals need and what I can afford to give them. Right now, we’re at capacity with our three cats and we all have a very comfortable co-existence. But I love a dog-lover as much as I love a cat-lover, period.

My hope is that people who love animals do so with their pet’s interest first and theirs second. None of those creatures deserve to be caught in the crossfire of two sides of humans doing the best they can for their pets. My hope is that pet lovers make very conscientious decisions that don’t cast judgment on their fellow pet-lovers.