Question:
Our little stripey tiger cat Silka has some very exotic tastes, and we are wondering if we are hurting her by indulging her in some of them.She loves crab spice -- not the commercial kind but one made locally by one of our fishmongers. It's a very spicy, red-pepper variety, with large chips of sea salt. We cannot keep her away from it. If we have it out on the counter, she attempts to take the whole plastic bag away, so we have been giving her about 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon to lick on her mat. But we have to watch her closely, since she insists on lying down in it, rubbing her face in it and licking her paws.She also loves spicy pepperoni and spiced black-pepper jerky. Her favorite pet food is Alpo dog burgers or steak treats. She and her sister, Apache, both go crazy for the green tops of celery.We are not too worried about the celery, but what is your advice on the crab spice and pepperoni?.
M.H., Manteo, NC Jun 24, 2007
Answer:
Cats can be easily addicted little souls, some even craving cigarettes (especially the menthol variety).Let your cats enjoy a nibble of celery and whatever natural whole foods you have on hand. But all things in moderation.I strongly advise against giving your cat any crab or other spices because of the high salt and probable MSG content. Cats can suffer from high blood pressure and heart disease, just like humans (who are put on a low-salt diet). The sugar content of many spice mixes is also problematic.As for commercial cat (and dog) snacks and treats: Reading the package label can be confusing and misleading, so it's best to avoid these. No cat should be given dog food on a regular basis because the ingredient formulation probably does not provide adequate nutrition for felines, whose metabolism and nutritional requirements differ significantly from ours and our dogs.
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