May Edition—From A Cat’s Perspective™
HIYA! SAVANNAH HERE!!
We are baaaacccckkk! I am here in Studio 1 &1/2 NYC with my stunning co-host Cathy Keisha, aka CK. And we are here to talk about breaking news over the international issue of free feeding cats. Because we are a bi-coastal TV News Network, with international affiliates, we will be addressing this important topic from multiple food source feeding experiences.
*CK nudges Savvy*
Savvy: “CK, what do you want?”
CK: “This is about FREE FOOD, not free feeding or whatever.”
Savvy: “CK, we talked about this earlier and I know free food is important to a former ghetto cat like you, but this isn’t the time or place to get into that, OK?”
CK: “Oh right, we did talk about this in the green room before the show. Go on; get on with your report.”
Savvy: *moving on* “So, back to the chat about the pro’s and con’s of “free feeding” cats. Speaking from an indoor cat’s perspective without any other fur family members, I would say that free feeding is possible.”
CK: *nudges Savvy—whispers in her ear—”you are not an only cat, remember?”
Savvy: *shocked* “You’re right CK, I am not. Bummer!”
Okey dokey, moving ahead. As long as the canned food and/or raw food the cats eat is only left down for no more than about an hour, safe to say the noms are gonna be OK. Cats know when wet food has been left to the elements for too long and usually will not nom on old, dried wet food.
Now free feeding kibble is another topic cuz that doesn’t really spoil, na’ mean? But it can become like “kitty cat chocolate, ice cream and pasta” meaning “carbs” which just like with humans, pushes any cat into over eating and unnecessary calorie intake.
Feeding cats for a weekend get away
And if you have a cat like The Kid Sage—aka TKS—you know they will never lift their head from that kibble bowl until the last kibble is inhaled. And there ya have it, one obese cat in the making.
Sadly, many humans believe that we cats are “low maintenance” companion animals and therefore they can take off for several days and just leave a mound of kibble and big bowl of H2O and we will be just fine. NOT SO! What if that water bowl gets knocked over during play time? What if the ants invade our over flowing kibble bowl? Not a pretty pic at all.
Free feeding cats needs to be carefully considered, especially when there are more than ONE cat in the household. Just sayin’—
Now let’s talk about free feeding community cats. My BFGF Cathy Keisha asked me two questions.
First question—“What if TW sees a kitteh standing on a corner holding out its paws with a sign saying “I’ll mouse for food?” Should TW donate or turn and walk away?
Just take me home with you and I will clean up your mousies
Great question CK, let me just say a couple of words. First, don’t leave food out for any community cat for longer than about thirty minutes or an hour at most. The humans who do not appreciate free feeding community cats are right to question the debris some community cat feeders leave behind.
Second question— “What the heck happens to their leftovers? She tries to come back and throw away the empty cans but can she do more? Do the cats get “cat baggies to go?”
No community cat gets a “take away” bag
Another fantabulous question CK. No, the community cats DON’T get a “Kitty bag to go”. But all the other wildlife in the area do and so do the ants, and other insects like flies, etc. Most anti-community cat feeding protesters have a real perspective. Many “free feeders” meaning those who are not part of a community cat rescue, aren’t doing those cats any favors by just dumping food and leaving it. The neighborhood doesn’t want the trashy look left behind.
That’s my wrap for our May 2016 edition of From A Cat’s Perspective™.
I invite all readers to hop over to my Face Book page and to CK’s Face Book page to continue this discussion in our “virtual green room”.
Savannah's Paw Tracks 