Friday cat food blogging

Readers of this blog might wonder how I'm feeling in light of the ongoing pet food recalls. (Right? You've been wondering, haven't you? Because you remember, of course, that I'm obsessed with cat food.)

Yes, well. Every day seems to bring the recall of a new product, and I've had a few close calls (recall of a product I used to feed Casey, the allergy-prone cat, and recall of a product I feed Simon, the picky eater, but that I chose to stop feeding him when I saw the connection between the recall and an ingredient in that product).

Bitch PhD offers some excellent links for updated information, and also a recipe for making your own cat food.

I just can't bring myself to make cat food. I mean, it's a rare day that I make my own dinner from scratch. But these recalls are freaking me out. I'm trying to avoid feeding anything that has any of the ingredients that have come up contaminated (wheat gluten, rice protein concentrate, and, in South Africa, corn gluten). Trouble is, even some high quality foods have those ingredients. For example, since I've stopped feeding Casey the Venison & Green Pea that's been recalled, I've switched him to Prescription Diet Z/D. He's been thriving on it, I have to say, despite my initial aversion to feeding anything with something called "hydrolyzed chicken," "that eliminates animal intact proteins." (It also contains Ethoxyquin, a preservative that may be a carcinogen, although the FDA says it isn't.) But Rice Protein Concentrate is the first listed ingredient. Aargh! I do realize that they may have purchased it from a different manufacturer, but, still, I'm suspicious now of anything that anyone might want to spike with melamine, which apparently raises the protein levels but which brings on kidney failure.

So there's this Duck & Oatmeal food, but it also has chicken in it, which may be an allergan. It also has fruit, which a lot of the organic or "holistic" brands contain, but that may cause intestinal problems. So while it may not cause kidney failure (which is high on my list to be avoided), it may cause other problems for poor, sensitive Casey.

What's an obsessed person like me to do?

Don't know.

And why, dear reader, am I burdening you with this question? It's on my mind, that's all. And it's Friday. It seemed like something to do.

But--coming soon to this humble blog: posts on the bullishness of National Poetry Month and on the excellence of Daniel Anderson's talk & workshop last week. .