Poached salmon, beef stew, country cookout…why do people buy “flavors” for their pets? I must admit, I have not lost sleep over this question. In fact it never even crossed my mind until a day ago when I saw the kitten cleaning herself after she had her dinner. Without getting in to too much detail, she was cleaning her kitty behind licking away with reckless abandon. Here is the stream of consciousness that followed: I wonder if she knows that tastes bad…do cats have taste buds…do they even care what they are eating…if she is content cleaning herself (and by content I mean not gagging) then why the heck do we think she prefers flavored food? Please tell me there aren’t human testers…END
I guess there area a couple angles to the answer.
1. Pets like a change from “butt” flavor
2. Flavors make us convince ourselves that we are not feeding our animals Flipper or Mr. Ed
3. It is just a come on by the pet food industry
While we all know the true answer is probably number 3, I would like to think it is really number 1 (which is kind of gross in itself). Next time you are scooping “Whitefish Delight” or “Turkey Meatloaf Dinner” into Fluffy or Bruiser’s bowl, take a moment to reflect but please don’t sample!!
