Why is this normal for pet snakes but not cats?

[@sandraflaming7299]

This was so interesting Jess! I think it's all about the pet food industry and MONEY. They gave the pet food companies the ability to define appropriate food for cats. Just for fun the other day, I searched for vet approved cat recipes and found that these were the least appropriate foods to feed your cat! That's why I'm so glad you've shared your raw food journey for Jericho with us!!! Avery and Dirk say hi, they love your beef and chicken recipe!!! ❤️

[@jesscaticles]

Awww hello Sandra, Avery, and Dirk! ♥️ it's interesting because whole prey is the most costly diet to feed lol you would think the pet food industry would jump on that. I'm so glad your babies like my recipe!! Love hearing about your journey (:

[@KittinPyro]

The answer is simple. Think about it. If they (meaning commercial food manufacturers) could get snakes to reliably eat processed foods like a kibble diet instead of whole prey, it would’ve been done. This is is because it HAS been done for those reptiles who will reliably consume processed foods. Gator kibble is already a thing. We would obviously like to believe that most reptiles owners would still feed a whole prey diet even with these on the market, or at least be supplementing with whole prey which is what is usually done with crocs and gators likely due to their shear size and the cost of feeding exclusively whole prey. Still, we have seen the effect with turtles where inexperienced individuals don’t know better to supplement and their pets suffer for that lack of knowledge and research.

[@edschulhof6303]

Another great video from The Voice. I watched it three times and made a new file for all of the information. Interesting that the AVMA does not use the term obligate carnivore. A search of their website says, “We are sorry, there are no results for that query or set of filters.” Jericho the scene stealer! As soon as I can find a local source for food, I will be switching Colbie and Panda to whole prey. Happy Sardine Sunday. Shalom!

[@jesscaticles]

Shalom! So interesting, right? I thought it was great that they both have articles for snakes and cats. It's like they wrote those just for me to make this video lol

[@LunatheDane]

Part of it could be the price since snakes don’t need to be fed every day unlike cats, it’s a lot cheaper to feed snakes whole prey. Also snakes would starve themselves if you didn’t give them species appropriate diets and cats will eat most things so then people think, oh if my cat eats it, it’s fine right? That’s what I think most of it is, along with just the overall kibble market and how it’s kind of convinced everyone of untrue things for years.

[@jesscaticles]

Oh yes absolutely. Plus there are more pet cats than pet snakes. But still very interesting to look at.

[@jerrywatson1958]

For me it was the expense of mice as frozen pet food. Petsmart wanted $5/tiny mouse. I have 3 cats and one mouse/cat is not going to be enough, twice a day. I just do raw meaty bones, rabbit, duck, chicken hearts and liver, beef tripe, goat and lamb chunks. I also add whole minnows and Salmon. But what do the labs feed the mice and rats we use to feed our pets? Is it gmo corn or treated with antibiotics?

[@nogames8982]

There are a lot of places that you can order in frozen rats, mice, and chicks. I do that for my snakes. Much much cheaper than Petsmart or Petco, etc. And you order in bulk. Usually comes in batches of 50 or 100. I order from big cheese rodent factory. But there are others out there. They are also much cheaper than a place like my pet carnivore. So look into it.

[@jesscaticles]

Expense and they prey's diet fed held me back for a while. I talked about this in another video. But basically, we either feed unnatural proteins to our cats (beef, chicken, goat, etc. - cats would not hunt these animals) but they are raised naturally (if we are sourcing from reputable farms)... or we feed natural proteins that our cats would hunt, but those prey are not raised in their natural environment (they are raised in a breeding facility). I chose the latter. But of course what you choose is up to you! By the way, I'm in no way knocking a homemade raw meaty bones diet. This is just my progression in Jericho's diet, moving to whole prey as the next step forward.

[@amandajackson668]

As a reptile owner I'm very cautious of where I source my rodents from and it's the same with my cats raw food.

[@jesscaticles]

Oh yes definitely! I would love to know where you buy if you are located in the US. I have heard that reptiles are very sensitive just like cats.

[@AethericEchoes]

For some insight, look at the way you interact with each. You don't pet your snake, or let your iguana sleep on the bed with you, or allow your alligator to run free in the house, much less outside. Snakes and reptiles are significantly more primal, more instinctual. Try to train one to use a litter box, or jump through a hoop. Try playing with it with a ball of string. In short, try getting it to change its diet. Cats are in a whole different class. Look into their eyes and you'll see the love they have for you. You know when they are sad, or lonely, or angry. Cats are flexible emotionally and socially, as well as physically. They can develop preferences. Give a cat a choice and most will select processed food over live food because it is easier to eat and has been formulated to appeal to their taste. Give one a choice of shreds or pate, and most prefer pate. Give them something saucy, and they tend to lick the sauce and leave the chunks. On a related note, get your cat food at the pet store or farm store, not the grocery store. READ THE LABEL. Get food that doesn't have grain or sugar. Cats don't process grain very well. And they don't even have the capacity to taste sweetness. It's criminal that these ingredients are in their food. They are there as a profit motive, not for their nutritional value.

[@jesscaticles]

Our interactions with pets do not change their biological and nutritional needs. I have covered how to read labels on this channel extensively. You will need some luck to find any processed food made without grain and any type of sugar (aka carbs).

[@AethericEchoes]

@@jesscaticles I didn't say that our interactions changed their behavior. I said that it provided insight into their behavior. In fact, I said pretty much the opposite as far as change, when I noted that you can't change the instinctual behavior of the more primitive animals. Even cats are extremely reluctant to change their natural temperament. But how they respond to us does provide a clue as to just what types of changes they may be willing to accept, whether reluctantly or enthusiastically. As far as grain-free and sugar-free foods are concerned, it is easily available. Luck is not required; only perseverance. That's why I advised shopping only at stores that specialize in pet care. Grocery stores and big box stores do carry sugar-free food, but rarely have grain-free. It's also easy to find if you shop online. I normally avoid suggesting brand names -- I prefer to let people do their own research -- but our little friends deserve only the best, so I'll give a few examples. Note that even the brands below offer lines both with and without questionable ingredients. * For canned food or packets, look for Nulo, Wellness, Tiki Cat, and Instinct. * For dry food, Blue Buffalo and Taste of the Wild both offer food that is free of grain, sugar, and artificial flavors. They have complete protein at a higher percentage than recommended values, and have fully balanced vitamins and other nutrients. They even contain probiotics.

[@edschulhof6303]

I know several people who own snakes. They pet them and the snakes seek out contact with the owner. My daughter had an iguana that I would often babysit. The iguana would roam around the house when someone was home. She would often crawl into my lap and let me scratch her head or chin. Just like my cats do. Anecdotal, but it does happen.

[@AethericEchoes]

@@edschulhof6303 Yes, I used to have an iguana that loved to have me pet the top of its head. And I remember watching a video of tribal people in Africa who are on very friendly terms with the local crocodiles (or maybe they were alligators). There are always exceptions. But on the whole, the illustration is accurate. Cats are in a world apart from reptiles, and live by a totally different set of standards.

[@edschulhof6303]

@@AethericEchoes Nulo, Wellness and Instinct have too high levels of calcium and phosphorus. Not good for kidney health. Tiki Cat is better, but is expensive for what it is. Jess is about homemade raw and whole prey diets. She stopped discussing commercial food over a year ago. Happy Purrsday!

[@n4_ku]

Because snake won't eat meat handed to them.

[@konekoko]

pretty sure it boils down to most people who may be considering a reptile or other exotic pet having even the lightest idea of what they will be feeding them, and unlike cat food, you most likely have to get the food from a specialized store. cats being such popular pets, regular grocery stores are full of unsuitable cat food, so a lot of people will never even have a second thought about feeding their cats kibble and mush, its what cats eat, right... my kitties eat whole mice as i was a snake owner before being a cat owner so for me it felt like a no brainer haha. i think cats should come with the same disclaimer that exotics pets do, if you dont want to feed a carnivore diet dont get a carnivore pet!

[@edschulhof6303]

Try telling that to the vegan feeders. They will insist that as long as plant protein and ingredients meet a cat's requirements, it is ok. Like talking to a sullen teenager! Happy Sardine Sunday!

[@markluxton3402]

My girl hunts and I encourage her. She shows off proudly her catches.

[@jesscaticles]

Awwww!!

[@tupchurch]

Well, duh. Cats are more valuable and deserve a better diet. Also, snakes are completely different digestive systems and they are fine with that kind of diet.

[@richerDiLefto]

There is *nothing* better for a cat than whole prey, which is exactly what a mouse is. They are obligate carnivores.

[@nogames8982]

I have pet snakes. And yes, I feed them frozen thawed mice and rats. My one dog will eat mice. My other one just won’t quite do it although he eats raw meaty bones. My cat won’t eat the mice either. But she eats raw meaty bones. I’ve been feeding Raw to my dogs and cats for over 20 years now. All the animals I’ve had have been transitioned as adults. Took two months to transition my cat to Raw. And if I pushed it harder, I’m sure I could get her to eat the mice too.

[@jesscaticles]

That's great though!! I'm glad you are sharing your experience with everyone here!

[@valvbl9022]

I just put for my cat outside sunflower seeds and different type of seeds for Chipmunk and squirse she having fun. She working like 15 to 30 minutes. She catch the prey and she eat it now. She wants outside every morning and afternoons. Just for food. To Hunt

[@edschulhof6303]

The cheapest, most efficient cat food there is, seeds and birdseed!

[@majenazprahy9909]

maybe because snakes will not eat anything else but the whole prey? while cats are quite happy with the processed cat food or meat or even human food? Also I think that it is the nature of the pet: most people see cats as their natural companions, so they may not be very happy petting and cuddling a cat who just ate a bloody mess of a mouse. You may call it hypocritical, but it is the way most people are made. Also cats came to live with people and found it pretty much comfortable, so they found a way of living suitable to both parties. You cannot say the same about snakes, reptiles or birds of prey. I think it is ok to provide the domestic cat a balanced "humanized" diet and if possible, let it enjoy hunting occassional mouse or fly or lizzard in the garden. Although I must say I am a bit worried about parasites, illnesses and even poisoning that can be transferred on them from the prey so I usually take the mice away from them as soon as they bring it. I grew up in a village with barn cats and unfortunatelly witnessed many a case of cats dying in pain after eating a poisoned mouse.

[@nogames8982]

Besides dogs, cats, snakes, I also have chickens, a tortoise, a Boxturtle, and a northern blue tongue skink. They have processed food for every single one of those species. It’s disgusting.

[@jesscaticles]

Right!! Kibble version of everything ):

[@NinaCohen-dl4hm]

Actually, some cats (exotics) prefer to hunt fish, and are adapted to it quite well. Love to swim, etc.

[@jesscaticles]

I created a video about feral cats (same species as our domesticated cats) and their natural diet all around the world. Fish was there, yes, but very small amounts. Of course in this video I am talking about our domestic cats and not exotics.

[@jaeshasway]

The answer is simple. Money. It’s not cost effective to feed cats animal prey vs feeding reptiles animal prey.

[@susanhanstock6879]

Why is most cat food, fish? I have never seen a cat standing by a river to catch fish! Let alone by the sea. So why do people, including fishermen always give cats fish?

[@majenazprahy9909]

why are many cats so crazy about fish? they come themselves to the port to wait for the boats and steal the fish from the buckets if they do not get it from the fishermen.

[@nogames8982]

Cats like fish. I don’t know why but they do. And a friend of mine had a cat that actually did swim out into the lake and catch fish. I would not of believed if if I had not seen it myself, but that cat love to go fishing. And she brought back some pretty big fish too. Also, it’s just the flavor that they use to make a cat eat dry or canned food. They gotta make it smelly and put a lot of flavoring on it so that it will be palatable to a cat.

[@juneszeider5280]

It’s all about the schmoney

[@richerDiLefto]

It’s also weird that we feed cats ruminant meat like beef. Huge cows aren’t small cats’ natural prey, small animals like mice are.

[@markluxton3402]

Bigger than mice. My current cat has eaten two rabbits,. One was the size of her. Took most of the day for her to eat it. Nothing bigger than that though.

[@imeaniguess.6963]

They’d eat it if they could. Cats eat anything, even other cats. The only difference is that this one is domesticated and therefore doesn’t have the same 0place in the food web as others.

[@ralphmarino2366]

OK, cats are far too domesticated for that, They will eat them of necessity (feral cats). If I plopped a dead mouse in front of cat at dinner time, he'd look at me like, "What!!! Now go get my dinner?" As far as quality food, I just get him canned food, he loves it, and it's easy, He absolutely won't eat kibble. My son tells me cereal is not good for cats, they're carnivorous. Why bother hunting when your meal is just delivered. There's always the toys, cat nip, and don't forget the red dot!!

[@venusc5709]

i think its dumb, like put yourself in the cats shoes we dont even have to go that far, meat lovers hate fake meat so based off of that alone why do you feed your cats and dogs that crap? the only reason i can understand is that money issues have happened (because we live in a society) but the fact we ever made this transition is terrible

[@carolledger8047]

Pet cats are supposed to hunt mice in and around your house. You aren't supposed to feed them live mice.

[@jesscaticles]

I don't have private outdoor access, and I do not feed live prey.