While the Internet is a source of an enormous amount of information, the reliability of much of that information is unclear, different sources often contradict one another, and much of what is online is just plain false. The dozens and dozens of websites that promote raw diets for cats and dogs are perfect examples. The sheer number of such sites, along with the certainty with which they proclaim the superiority of raw diets, could convince many to believe that what is written in these sites is correct. In reality, at this point in time, there is absolutely no scientifically valid evidence for the superiority of raw diets over high quality commercial diets, and there are definite reasons to be concerned about the safety of raw meat diets (both for your cats and for you). Pro raw diet websites almost universally consist of a mixture of speculation, misinterpretation or misrepresentation of technical information, incomplete information, and outright falsehoods. Not only are they virtually all run by "true believers" who never think to question the accuracy of their claims, they are generally run by people that lack the expertise required to be able to evaluate technical information. A very sad situation for anyone with an open mind, that wants to find out the truth about what is currently known about cat diets.
This site is intended to be very different from the myriad pet sites with an agenda that already litter the web. Our only "agenda" is to help cat owners who are genuinely interested in finding reliable, scientifically valid information about cat diets and other health issues. The purpose of the site is not to be prescriptive--i.e., to tell you what is best for you and your cat--rather it is to provide resources so the intelligent cat owner can study what is truly known, in order to arrive at rational choices for their cats. The primary types of information this site aims to provide are:
- Links to websites that have been judged to contain useful, largely factually correct information;
- Citations of relevant scientific publications (and links when available);
- Overviews of the current state of knowledge and summaries of cited research;
- Critiques of unscientific, unsupported claims that are commonly found on cat websites.
The site was born out of frustration. Being a scientist, I wanted to find reliable information to help make decisions about what was best for our Maine Coon cats--reliable in the sense of having a firm scientific foundation. The lack of this level of information on most cat websites led to me spending a great deal of time investigating existing feline research publications and other authoritative sources trying to sort out what has truly been established and what has not. This website is one outcome of that ongoing process, and I hope it can be of assistance to other cat owners that are also interested in the truth. I have used my training as a PhD research scientist to try to ensure that the information provided on this site is as accurate as possible. While the validity of every statement made on every link cannot be guaranteed, we have vetted all linked sites to the point that we feel confident in listing them. Nonetheless, because our goal is to have 100% correct and up-to-date information on this site, should you find statements or linked sites that you have evidence are incorrect or out-of-date, we encourage you to give us feedback. However, because of the vast amount of nonsense cluttering most cat websites, and the proven inability of most non-scientists to be able to distinguish fact from fiction, if you wish to be taken seriously, we ask that you provide scientifically valid evidence that contradicts the statements/links you object to on this site. This typically means citations of articles published in peer-reviewed scientific journals/conferences, or links to information on recognized authoritative websites like that of the US CDC or a published researcher in the field.
The site has just begun development, so keep checking back.
Comments or questions can be submitted here