Is Your Cat Food Fishy?

The UK's Guardian ran a piece on sustainable fishing and your cat. The article highlights how sustainable it is to be feeding fish to pets when we don't even have enough fish to feed the human population. On a positive note, catfood brand Whiskas has pledged to source all of its fish from sustainable sources which will be fully implemented in Europe by the end of the year and globally by 2020.
Check out the article here.

Why Organic Food is Better for your Pooch and the Environment

Our dogs and cats too have a much worse impact on the environment than a pet budgie or guinea pig mainly due to their carnivourous diets. In a study published in New Scientist, a medium dog eats around 164kg of meat and 95 kg of cereals a year which equates to 43.3 square metres of land to produce 1kg of chicken a year. While some argue that pet food is made from the parts of animals that we don't eat, it is also important to note that the 'premium' ranges available use 'choice' cuts of meat and they are popular because owners want their pet to eat as well as they do.

 Robert Vale, one of the authors of  'Time to Eat the Dog?' explains that when buying pet food to opt for poultry and rabbit because they have less of an environmental impact than red meat or fish.

The fact is most of this commerical pet food has not been produced in an eco friendly way and has travelled across oceans to get to your door. Why not play chef for your pets and try to use organic veggies and meat. By eliminating the transportation and packaging of commercial petfood you'll  know exactly what is going into your pets meals and you will be doing the planet a big favour. If you haven't got time for homemade meals plenty of holistic pet stores stock local organic dinners and in Sydney, Sassy Treats delivers home cooked organic meals for your dog straight to your door. 

So why not go down the organic path? Minimally processed foods that exclude harsh pesticides, antibiotics and artificial ingredients and preservatives will result in a happier healthir pet and most likely reduce vet bills and extend quality of life.

Hemp and your Pet?

Apparantly hemp is now being served to pets for dinner all around the world. The use of hemp in the pet industry  has even been extended to bedding, leads and collars. Hemp product website Happy Planet now offers a range for pets due to an increased demand from consumers. CEO Thomas Cunliff supports the inclusion of hemp in animals’ diets due to its nutritional value and the limited impact that it has on the environment. Hemp crops require minimal water and no chemicals and are extremely hardy. When used for pet food the protein content is quite high making it a great substitute for meat. Cunliff says, ‘To make conventional pet foods, the grain is grown, then the grain is fed to cattle and chickens, then they are slaughtered and their by-products are processed into pet food. A lot of energy and waste goes into that.
The fibres of hemp are anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and highly durable making it great to use in collars, leads,beds and chew toys. Happy Planet is a Queensland company making it even more sustainable to source your pets products from instead of buying from overseas.