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May I suggest that you switch your cats to one of the premium pet foods, the ones that use human-grade meats and ingredients that would be safe for you to eat? Granted, these foods cost more but when safety, flavor, and peace-of-mind are at issue, they're the way to go.

You won't find these foods at grocery stores and hardware stores. They are to be found at pet food specialty stores and, often, at upscale pet stores (I cannot remember finding them at one of the big pet store chains).

P.S. I did not have to worry when the initial reports came out, a call to the manufacturer of my dogs' food assured me that they don't deal with mass manufacturers and their quality controls are much too rigid for pets to be hurt by their products.

I've started switching our kitties off their lifelong combo of Science Diet kibble with a topping of 9-Lives or Sophisticat canned food. After reading more about feline nutrition, I'm no longer satisfied with the quality of ingredients in Science Diet. Indeed, it was once one of the premium products, and having used it for over 30 years, I hadn't read the label in a long time. I was appalled when I read one in the store today. Lots of byproducts and reprocessed fats. I suspect the formulation has been cheapened over the years, but in any case I'm committed to reducing the proportion of dry food my kitties consume. One of my previous kitties developed kidney problems, and perhaps diet was part of the reason.

Today I bought some Natural Balance kibble, as well as Natural Balance canned food. I tossed the remaining Science Diet kibble and washed out the plastic bin. This caught the attention of our two kitties, who watched and mooched. When I opened the bag of Natural Balance, I offered a few bits to each of our girls. The cautious (and thinner) one sniffed and walked away. Her sister pounced on the new kibble and hoovered it up like she hadn't eaten in a month.

For dinner I gave them the new kibble with a generous topping of canned food from Whole Foods (PetGuard). Callie nearly dove into the bowl in her eagerness. It's as though she's been waiting all her life for good food. Footie was suspicious of the new substances in her bowl. She carefully removed much of the kibble and placed it on the floor beside her bowl. She kept checking out her sister's bowl to figure out what she was eating with such gusto. Eventually she got with the program and tasted it. She ate more slowly, but eventually she cleared her bowl and even ate the kibble she'd previously moved onto the floor. I had to remove Callie bodily so that she wouldn't chase her sister away from her dinner! My girls always like to eat dinner, but I've never seen the enthusiasm Callie showed tonight. I'm happy to see it, but also sad to realize that she's been missing out on "real food" all these years. I'm looking forward to seeing whether their energy levels improve and whether Callie will stop tossing her cookies on our rugs!