When Mythie came home, I wanted to do everything perfectly. Mythie – short for Myrtille (Blueberry) because of her blue coat, and "myth" for the quiet elegance of her breed – was my very first pet. Since I work in procurement, evaluating, comparing, and auditing value-for-money is my job. So, I applied myself almost obsessively.
I spent an entire week scrutinising the ingredients, reviews, and labels of over 40 brands.
The result? I missed the most important thing. I overlooked the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio – a nutritional parameter that is actually vital for the health of Russian Blues. Even worse: the brand I had painstakingly selected had a recent history of mass recalls in the States due to serious cases of paralysis, information that was impossible to find on standard comparison sites here in the UK.
This realisation hit me: the majority of online recommendations are either completely generic or indirectly sponsored by manufacturers. Nothing is truly based on the cat's objective needs, cross-referenced with strict FEDIAF standards.
To cut through this jungle and help me day-to-day, I started developing a small independent tool based on these reference standards, to calculate the optimal combination (especially the wet/dry mix) according to the cat's profile and the owner's actual budget.
The project is still at the prototype stage and I am looking for owners of healthy adult cats – the "top of the class" types when it comes to nutrition – to test the tool's logic and tell me what is missing.
If this approach resonates with you, I have put a page online to explain the project's philosophy and to sign up for the first tests: www.mythienutrilogic.com (it is completely free, I am just looking for some constructive feedback).
Have you also felt like you need a PhD in pet nutrition just to fill a food bowl? How do you manage your ratio calculations on a daily basis?
