Your cat's nutrition is important for a healthy & happy life. petMD experts help you to know what to feed your cat, how much food to feed, and the differences in cat foods, so your cat gets optimum nutrition.
Nutrition Nuggets is the newest offshoot of petMD's Cat Nutrition Center. Each week Dr. Coates will use her expertise and wisdom to blog about the intricacies of cat nutrition.
Fat cats have been in the news recently. First, there was the sad story of Meow, a 39 pound cat from New Mexico that died of lung failure before a weight loss program could save his life. Next came Skinny, a 41 pounder that is up for adoption in Texas.
All the media attention is good if it can help... READ MORE
Recommending nutritional supplements can be a tricky business for veterinarians. I concentrate on getting my clients to feed their cats a high quality, nutritionally balanced food that is made from natural ingredients. This takes care of the nutritional needs of the vast majority of cats, and I worry... READ MORE
Most of my posts here on Nutrition Nuggets have focused on the nutritional needs of cats and how to pick out the right food that will meet those needs. That’s important information, but it doesn’t do much good when a cat won’t eat no matter what is put in front of her.
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In response to my Can Cats be Vegetarians post from a couple of weeks ago, Ludmila Marshal commented that a study published in 2006 came to different conclusions than the one I referenced questioning the nutritional adequacy of vegan cat foods. The study Ms. Marshal is talking about is entitled "Evaluation... READ MORE
Did you catch some of the brouhaha last week over the results of a metastudy (i.e., a study of studies) that looked into the question of whether or not eating organic is better for people? I bring this up because I know that many owners who eat organic also choose to feed their cats in this way. So while... READ MORE
When owners are picking out foods for their cats, they often focus on the quantity rather than the quality of individual nutrients like protein. I think there is a simple reason for this — information about how much of something a cat should be eating or how much is included in a particular food... READ MORE
Here’s the deal. I’m a vegetarian for ethical, environmental, and health reasons. My dog’s a vegetarian because the only food that controls his inflammatory bowel disease has no animal-derived ingredients. My horse is a vegetarian because … he’s a horse. But my cat? She... READ MORE
Just one of the great things about living with cats is that they can be around for a looonngg time. One of my favorite patients was a crotchety old kitty named Rosie. She was 25 when she finally passed after a long and quite successful battle with chronic kidney disease.
Rosie had lived with her owners... READ MORE
You might have heard that domestic cats evolved from desert dwelling ancestors. It’s mentioned several times throughout the petMD nutrition center and MyBowl tool, particularly when a cat’s need for water is discussed. I thought it might be interesting to look into where this information... READ MORE
Although most of my clients are eager to have their cats spayed or neutered (and no wonder — have you ever tried to live with a tom cat or queen in heat?), an almost universal concern is that their cats will get fat after the surgery.
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... graduated with honors from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 1999. In the years since, she has practiced veterinary medicine in Virginia, Wyoming, and Colorado. She is the author of several books about veterinary medicine and animal care, including the Dictionary of Veterinary Terms, Vet-Speak Deciphered for the Non-Veterinarian .
Jennifer also writes short stories that focus on the strength and importance of the human-animal bond and freelance articles relating to a variety of animal care and veterinary topics. Dr. Coates lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with her husband, daughter, and pets.
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