As the New Year rings in, many people practice the time-honored tradition of writing a list of resolutions. Often, they include some type of weight loss and exercise plan, a return to a long-lost hobby, maybe getting involved in some meaningful charity work and simply trying to be a better person.
However, I don’t think a research group has ever conducted a study on the percentage of completion of these resolutions — or how quickly they are abandoned for other activities like binging on leftover holiday sweets, or reading books in front of a fire on a snowy, wintry weekend, or whiling away a few hours watching a funny movie on cable.
But there is one thing you can stick to — and that’s improving your cat’s nutrition this year. This is especially true if she has a health condition that can be better managed with a special diet. In this month’s issue, we explore the way that nutrition ties into better management of kidney disease — a health condition that unfortunately plagues a large percentage of cats, especially as they age.
If we keep in mind that the management of many diseases includes the likelihood of a higher quality of life, it becomes easier to make a transition that may not initially be met with great enthusiasm by our single-minded, sometimes finicky cats. However, a slow and gradual change from a preferred diet to a special diet can be accomplished and will often help slow the progression of the disease process. Sometimes, that’s the best we can achieve if a cure is not possible.
A recent study on the similarities between our precious house cats and big cats like leopards and African lions sparked a series of headlines like, “Is Your Cat Plotting to Kill You?” I know that headline writing is a delicate art and some need to be more sensational than others! But rest assured that there’s no need to build a cage for Tigerlily and Franklin just yet — you can read more about this interesting study in the “Short Takes” section of this month’s issue and draw your own conclusions.
Elizabeth Vesci
Executive Editor
