By Sharon Miller Bolander

For my entire life, I have lived with and around cats...and that's a long time considering the fact that I am on the older end of the Baby Boomers! In my earliest memories, cats played a special role in that I was born on a farm. My grandparents, with whom Dad and Mom lived for the first three years of my life, kept a dozen or more mousers. Some of the farm cats were tame and some were impossible to approach due to an apparent fear of people.

In reality, Grandma fed any and all cats that would come to her huge aluminum feeding pan. Table scraps were mixed with a large can of cheap cat food, bread, and milk. When she called, "Kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty, here kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty," cats came running from all over the farm and fields. Grandma knew and understood cat behavior well. She also loved all her cats and adopted any and all strays that were dropped off on our country road. I grew up understanding that mousers were supposed to earn their keep by catching and eating the mice in the barn and surrounding area. The "slop", as we called the aluminum pan of food for the cats, was offered only in the evening.

When I reached adulthood and was on my own, I soon found myself deep in the purebred show circuit. For quite a few years, my husband and I raised Cornish Rex, Siamese, and Colorpoint Shorthairs. We learned much about the necessity of proper diet for our pets that were 100% housecats. The only cats I have ever encountered, besides my grandma's farm cats, that would eat anything are the Cornish Rex cats. I even had a Cornish Rex who devoured acorn squash rinds I had inadvertently left on the countertop one night!

The best diet for our beloved pet cats is one comprised of high quality dry food as well as premium quality canned food. I'll mention no brands because there are a number of excellent ones on the market. Your pets will let you know which brands are best for them! I look at feeding the more expensive, higher quality foods as an investment in my cats' health and well-being. Feeding a diet consisting entirely of dry cat food can put extra weight on many cats due to the high carbohydrate content of dry food. Cats fed only canned food may develop excessive tarter, gum disease, and tooth decay. Cats fed only dry food will also tend to have drier, rougher feeling fur.

The two adopted, unknown parentage littermates that I now keep have coats soft as satin, eyes that sparkle, and energy that reflects their nutritionally complete diet. My best advice remains to feed a varied, premium diet of quality dry food with equally nutritious canned food. Never scrimp on something as vital as proper nutrition!

Sharon Miller Bolander is a regular reader of Arcamax Cats and Dogs. She lives in Flushing, Michigan