About a year and a half ago, I received a phone call from the owner of Omega-3 Brain Booster, which I recently mentioned in another post. He asked me if I remembered saying anything to anyone about pets and fish oil. I vaguely remembered, during a demo at a local health food store, telling a woman that cats and dogs need omega-3's as well.
My client was calling to tell me that he'd received an order for a case of his product and he'd called the customer to find out why she wanted such a quantity. It turns out, it was the woman I'd spoken to in the health food store, and she was so sold on what the fish oil had done for her cats and dogs, she was stocking up on more product.
When the owner asked the woman what kinds of changes she had seen, she listed the following: less dry skin, sleeping better, less anxiety, fewer compulsive behaviors such as gnawing, chewing, and scratching…acting younger and more energetic…and in the cats, no more hairballs.
Sound familiar?
All kinds of light bulbs went off for me, working with similar symptoms in polycystic ovary syndrome. It's not something that afflicts humans, or women who somehow have been cursed. It's something that happens when biochemistry gets out of balance, in any system in which that imbalance occurs.
I started looking around the animal shelter where I volunteer. These animals are largely strays, who have been living off of the streets, eating what they can find. They are anxious. Their skin is dry and flaky. They have stress-related issues with urine and bowel function.
And then I started looking at owners and their pets in pet stores. In friend's homes.
You can see it for yourself.
If you're feeding your pet table scraps, and those table scraps are the same kind of foods you know you should be minimizing in YOUR diet, chances are your pet is prone to the problems described by the woman above, not to mention diabetes and cancer. If you're not making time for leisure activities, running around, rarely home, chances are your pet is anxious and lonely and telling you about it by destroying property, or urinating on your furniture. Prozac is not the answer, together time is.
I used to describe some of my cats' behavior as needy. But I realized the only time they get that way is when I am stressed, preoccupied, and not really demonstrating the best of self-care behaviors. Now when they get that way I realize they're telling me something about myself that I need to listen to. I wonder sometimes if I'd kill myself by pushing myself too hard if I didn't have them to remind me about the importance of balance (and healthy treats!)
Before you put your dog on Prozac or assume your cat is destined to insulin shots, take a look at what the two of you can do together. Make some dietary changes. Spend time exercising together. Make time for snuggling and cuddling.
It will help both of you achieve health and a better quality of life.
My little Kinishba is sitting here as I write this, micromanaging the process. She's letting me know it is the end of the workday and I should log off and fix myself a balanced dinner. I think she's right. I'll be back in touch with you after an evening of the good life as my cats define it.