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3 ways to help your cat prevent cancer nowI lost a feline soul mate to cancer, so I vowed to do everything I can to prevent that from ever happening again. I’ve taken a lot of care in selecting 3 key cancer-prevention tactics. I think if I had known these things long ago, my feline friend may have lived longer. Cancer is afflicting about 50% cats over age 10 now. That’s shocking to me. As is the fact that lymphoma has become more common in cats than in people. Plus, it’s been affecting younger cats lately too. In his book on animal healing, veterinarian Dr. Marty Goldstein acknowledges that he sees much more cancer now than he did years ago. No matter how old your cat is, it’s not too late or early to start any of these potentially life-saving actions: 1. PROPERLY INTRODUCE FISH OIL. I say “properly” here because I don’t want you to make my mistake, which was to put fish oil on my cat’s food only to have her reject it immediately. It turns out that you need to start by putting a tiny spot of oil on the side of her plate. As she gets used to the smell over a few days, she will then allow you to gradually add it to her food. Research says the essential fatty acids in fish oil prevent cancer. I like cod liver oil because it includes another key cancer-fighter that is lacking in indoor cats: Vitamin D3. However, I switch between anchovy/fish oil and cod liver oil, just to make sure the cats don’t get too much Vitamin A and D. This is especially important for older cats whose livers may be taxed already. I like Dr. Jean Hovre’s article on all the reasons fish oil (NOT flax oil) is important for your cat, and how to select the right kind. I am a fan of Iceland Pure’s cod liver oil, and Dr. Hovre recommends Nordic Natural’s brand. (She notes that some other brands add extra vitamin A & D to cod liver oil — too much!–so watch out for that. Stay with the natural amounts.) 2. PROVIDE CAT GRASS. Most cats are drawn to nibbling on grass–I think they instinctively know it’s good for them. The cancer-preventing aspects of grass are chlorophyll and B17. There have been impressive findings about chlorophyll’s anti-cancer properties. B17, while not researched as much, is reputed to have a fascinating ability to fight cancer. I first read about B17 (also known as laetrile) in an interesting and inspirational book called Outsmart Your Cancer by Tanya Harter Pierce. Give your cat wheat, oat, barley, and/or rye grass. Ideally organic. These grasses should not make your cat throw up, unless he needs to dislodge the occasional furball. I prefer wheat grass since it’s most often cited as having B17, although many sources just say “most grasses” have B17. TIP: Remember that there are many risks outside for cats, including lawn chemicals, so I think an ideal is to create a secure cat-fenced outdoor play area and a steady supply of cat grass indoors. 3. BE OVERLY PROTECTIVE AGAINST COMMON TOXINS–in smoke, insecticides, cleaning products, and yard sprays. We tend to assume that humans are more fragile around toxins than cats are. I think this is because we are told to put flea chemicals on cats and yet we aren’t supposed to touch these same chemicals! (“Gee, I guess my cat can handle these chemicals but I can’t.”) Sadly, it turns out that cats are actually MORE vulnerable to toxins than humans. It’s only recently come to light that cats are deficient in an enzyme called glucuronyl tranferases that is used to detoxify carcinogens and other toxins. Research has also shown that “cats living with secondhand smoke are three times more likely to develop lymphoma,” reports Dr. Jean Hovre. While I haven’t smoked cigarettes and I’ve avoided pesticides, herbicides, and unnatural household products, I did go through incense-burning phases. From what I’ve read, I now suspect any kind of smoke could be hazardous to a cat’s health. Another way to avoid pesticides is to choose organic cat food sources when possible, without grains. And, beware of chemicals that may be used in neighbor’s yards. The Toxics Action Center reports that “53% of TruGreen ChemLawn’s pesticide products include ingredients that are likely carcinogens.” Of course, we cannot control for all toxins all the time. But there’s no need to get overwhelmed. The fish oil and/or the cat grass can help our cat’s system deal with unintentional toxin exposures. Finally, let’s not be hard on ourselves for not being aware of all of this before. This is new information. We are now empowered to help our friends have longer, healthier lives with us. And that is something to be happy about. SOURCES •Cancer in Our Pets (pdf download) by Nicole Field, DVM Postscript: Some folks dismiss the new high cancer rates as a “side effect” of supposed longer lives, yet many of us remember cats and dogs living long and cancer-free. I cannot find a record of anyone tracking cat life span statistics over many decades, so I believe that even the “experts” are just guessing at past averages. There are records of cats living well into their 20s in the past–and many still do. There are even some old records of cats living into their 30s! I hope you’ll join me in the effort to move the feline life span in the longer direction by doing what we can to prevent cancer now. This article is from Natural Cat Care with the consent of Liz who authors the Natural Cat Care Blog (www.naturalcatcareblog.com), a blog about caring for our feline soul companions.
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