That's hysterical!

Katfever, cats are carnivores and do not need a lot of carbohydrates in their diet. Kibble is made of mostly carbs. Additionally, dry food is one of the main causes of urinary tract problems in cats. Cats need moisture in their diet, and since they tend to not drink a lot of water, the best way to give it to them is via canned food.
Many pet owners mistakenly believe that dry food is good for cat's teeth - unfortunately, the opposite is true. Most cats don’t chew their kibble long enough for any of the scraping action that is the theory behind this myth to kick in. Some pet food manufacturers offer a “dental diet” that is made up of larger than normal sized kibble to encourage chewing, but in my years at veterinary practices, I’ve seen many cats swallow even those larger size pieces whole. Additionally, dry food leaves a carbohydrate residue in the cat’s mouth that actually encourages growth of tartar and plaque.

That's pretty funny about your cats who fight you to get at the olives - I never heard about cats liking olives until I saw this post!

Ah, yes, the vegetarian's dilemma when it comes to feeding our pets. I can relate. I don't eat meat or poultry, and while I wish I didn't have to feed it to my cat, Ithe fact is that cats are obligate carnivores, and they need animal protein to thrive. I also recently started feeding Amber raw food, and initially, handling the raw was a real challenge for me.

Recent research is finding that dogs are genetically much closer to wolves than previously thought, and as such, will also do better with the diet of a true carnivore than that of an ominvore, as previously believed. I'd be careful to take too much of the meat out of your dog's diets.

I haven't heard anything about olives being harmful to cats, but then, this is the first time I've heard of a cat who actually ate them!

I love the Innova brand - I think it's a great diet. I also think that pets should get canned food (and in the case of cats, that they shouldn't get kibble at all). I wouldn't replace the canned food with veggies. The meat protein in the canned food is most likely higher and also less processed than in the kibble, so I wouldn't take that out of their diet. I do think giving veggies as treats is a great idea. A lot of dogs love canned green beans for some strange reason - it's a win win, they feel like they're getting a treat and you're not adding a lot of calories.

It sounds to me like your pets are dining very well :-) Sometimes, I feel like I'm putting far more thought into what I feed my cat than what I feed myself!

Daniela, I've found that unfortunately, a lot of vets don't get a lot of education when it comes to nutrition. What little nutrition education they do get in vet school is largely funded by major petfood manufacturers. I was fortunate that I worked with vets who were holistically oriented and very interested in how nutrition contributes to our pets' overall health (or rather, is one of the cornerstones!), so I not only learned a lot about nutrition, but I also became passionate about educating pet parents about what constitutes good nutrition. It's really no different than human nutrition: the more wholesome and less processed our pets' foods are, the better they are for them.

I disagree with your vet's comment that cats need dry food to keep their teeth clean. Unforutnately, a lot of vets still follow this recommendation, even though more and more feline vets are advising against feeding dry food. Dry food is not good for cats for many reasons, and it really does nothing to keep their teeth healthy. Most cats don't chew long enough for the scraping action that used to be the theory behind the "good for their teeth" statement to kick in. There are some so-called "dental diets" that have larger pieces of kibble, but most cats won't chew those long enough to achieve any kind of benefit (and the ingredient list on those diets is enough to make you cringe). In fact, the reverse can be true. Dry diets are high in carbohydrates, and the residue that ends up sticking to teeth and gums can actually cause tartar and plaque to develop rather than prevent it.

I love Bernadette's work - her websites are a feast for the senses!