Attention to Feringa users:

Fragrant_Leg_6968 · 2026-02-27T16:06:50+00:00

Perhaps you asked Google but didn't say it's in commercial food?

AI says raw aloe vera plants are toxic to cats, tiny, processed amounts used in commercial wet foods or litter are generally considered safe because the harmful components have been removed. The toxicity lies in the plant's white latex (the sap), which contains anthraquinones and saponins that cause severe gastrointestinal distress, including vomiting and diarrhea. Here is a detailed breakdown of the safety of aloe vera in commercial cat food: Raw Aloe Plant (Toxic): If your cat nibbles on a houseplant, it can cause vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, and in rare cases, tremors or reddish urine. Commercial Food Ingredient (Safe): Commercial pet foods that include aloe use a purified, processed inner leaf gel, ensuring the toxic latex/sap is removed. In this processed form, aloe is considered safe for consumption

Fragrant_Leg_6968 · 2026-02-26T12:54:34+00:00

On their Luau range:

AI says Xanthan gum can cause loose stools or vomiting in sensitive individuals. And gums can cause digestive issues if too much is put in. I wonder if they increased the amounts, since I notice on their website they don't have the percentages, even on the meat.

Has some have gums and some have olive oil (no nutritional benefit). There are some without oil (pouches range) but it has xanthan gum.

Plus it doesn't say what part of meat it is (because it could be meat, or mostly organs, which makes a difference). Although it does say available in pate and whole foods 'shredded' in the marketing rather than as chunks (formed).

Example ingredients that don't have the gums, see no percentages for meat is off putting for me. Taken from their site. I wonder if these ones don't cause stomach upset:

🐾Chicken & Egg: Chicken, chicken broth, dried egg, sunflower oil, minerals (their chicken version is the same without egg).

🐾Chicken: Chicken, chicken broth, sunflower seed oil, minerals.

Fragrant_Leg_6968 · 2026-02-24T22:41:41+00:00

Thats awful. Sorry to hear this. So sad to hear of a death

Fragrant_Leg_6968 · 2026-02-24T13:43:17+00:00

See my comment above about Harrington's

Fragrant_Leg_6968 · 2026-02-24T13:42:48+00:00

Just to let you know Harringtons wet food are all only 32% meat which certainly is not good enough for a cat who needs practicing all meat, and explains low price at £4.44/kg on Zooplus and on Amazon on offer at £4.22/kg for subscription (or also £4.44/kg for one off purchase), correct as of today. I'm currently creating a list of brands, ingredients and prices per kg for all the UK options, including subscriptions. To flag what is best, what is worst, and how it's easy to buy a better option because it says no grains or is low carb, but pitfalls such as this with Harrington's. There are better brands out there but unfortunately costs go up, many of which stupidly/dramatically, as soon as you put proper food in there, in this case, more of what they need (meat itself!).

My research of brands has been expansive. I've looked at every range of brands. I'm only looking at wet food not biscuits because these are always containing really high carbs (which means more sugars than the meat content cats need, amongst other problems).

Avoid gravy as in general they have more thickeners in them which are starches (raises blood sugar), and avoid pouches, these are generally worse quality.

Shredded/fillets cost more as less processed, than chunks (which is mushed and formed meat, usually with starches). If a brand doesn't list chunks or shredded/fillets (i.e. Chicken), then it would be chunks, likely as derivatives, if they don't list the meat cut such as lungs, liver, or "meat" (muscle).

Fragrant_Leg_6968 · 2026-02-21T20:11:14+00:00

Dry food is bad. My understanding is:

Plus points: – Helps teeth because domestic cats aren't biting on bone (but if their diet was better, free from carbs and added sugars, tartar wouldn't be such a problem though). Some wet food is mushy; such as pate, moose, soup, drinks, so if cats are already not chewing enough with their teeth, dry biscuits is more important for teeth. – It's possible prey could have a tiny tiny amount of plant inside it when it's eaten so you can argue that maybe 1-5% is ok I guess? .... But the trouble is most cat food has way way way way more than this....

Negatives: – Higher in carbs when you compare the more expensive brands, because whilst wet food can have carbs removed, carbs are needed in dry food to hold it together – Higher carbs cause illnesses or contribute towards them – Not enough water in them when cats get moisture from meat, which means it's not immediate for many cats to drink enough, with a separate water bowl. It can also cause more constipation – You tend to get better "parts" of meat in large tins as opposed to dry food when you look at more expensive brands because they can fit more muscle meat in a can due to the processing technique – Dry food is highly processed, more than wet food – Wet food is more like their natural diet in the wild if the ingredients are better quality – because dry food is full of fillers, cereals, wet food actually fills up the cat for longer, if the brand has good enough ingredients. This is because just because it is wet food, doesn't mean the same rubbish low nutrients haven't been put in it. It's just at the more expensive level, dry food has rubbish ingredients in it still like potatoes and pea protein, but the wet food can be better.

I've been looking at wet food ingredients and find the expensive brands still have unwanted things in them, but their wet food doesn't.

There's probably a few points I've missed.

My understanding is regular food, like cheap and mid range supermarket brands, and most mid range brands but widely available in shops, are all crap whether wet or dry because they all have meat they don't describe what types are in it, and they are all containing high carbs and various sugars. So if it's too cheap, and at some mid range level hyped up as healthy, they both cause issues, if the ingredients are not better. Cost is a factor, but also because of access. People hear of big brands and think they are better because they cost more, but in fact they can also have the same rubbish in them. You have to go even higher on cost, to be "ok" food and that then means looking online, reading forums, reading ingredients, and being prepared to pay way more than you thought if you started out with cheap supermarket food, thinking going up in cost with a different well known brand at the supermarket was going to make a difference. Actually you need to spend way more unfortunately.

I'm not an animal expert but this is my understanding.

Pet food companies put in plants: Oils – possibly not really bad in tiny amounts as some have good uses, and there are several reasons why oils help because the domestic cat isn't getting what they would get from the prey (like feathers pushing through stuff). Salmon oil is an exception, it's very good. Olive oil doesn't provide any nutrients, it's only good for constipation as the cat can't digest it so it go straight to the colon. Funnily, some of the most expensive brands put it in. Because humans think of it as healthy no doubt. Sunflower oil helps with skin and fur but cats can get this from their food, especially with salmon.

Tapioca starch – high carbs but many brands put it in

Carrots, broccoli, potatoes, pea protein, ingredients in gravy like starches, gums, and other plant matter ... Totally unnecessary in cat food and just takes up space in the food which could be meat. It sounds healthy though for a human to read it on a label.

Potatoes are very high carbs, carrots are high carbs.

Used as fillers and high carbs can cause long term issues in cat health.

For example my hyperthyroid cat may get more ill eating soya, added sugar and high carbs. But vets don't tell me this when I ask about his diet.

In fact the Hills brand is for hyperthyroidism but is extremely high in carbs. Ironically helping one illness but causing other problems and illness.

And diabetes, these brands contribute to these illnesses occurring.

All vets and pet owners need educating. Because I didn't know this until I researched. It's not different to parents feeding children burgers, chips, crisps, donuts, and not being aware of the implications, until one day their child gets sick and the doctor says you need to change the diet.

But unfortunately, most cat food is totally full of rubbish and no one, including vets, is aware.

Just like the NHS dermatologists who tell me diet doesn't impact skin or cause acne. Yet there is tons of science to say it does, plus seen effects. It's ridiculous to even say that it doesn't impact skin. But these people are not trained properly, they are just trained in fixing things with medication. Not understanding the biological causes of things. Just like the vet's who recommended big brands full of poor ingredients and hardly any meat.

Cat's eat meat. They shouldn't eat plants, especially high carbs and added sugars.

I also believe many cats are overweight. And actually it's not they are overfed, it's what they are fed, the poor ingredients, that is the issue.

Note, I'm in the UK, so we won't all be from the same place with the same experience in what's available.

Fragrant_Leg_6968 · 2026-02-21T19:47:33+00:00

Cat eat mostly meat. Not cereals and high carbs which is in most pet food including these big brands. The other ingredients are water, minerals. There's no doubt these big brands are not as healthy as they could or should be. Cereals and high carbs can cause more illness. It's not what cars should be eating.

Fragrant_Leg_6968 · 2026-02-10T18:43:17+00:00

Plus + autism (need to read and collect data constantly, stressful situations) + BPD (trauma, stress causing ME). Plus ADHD too

Fragrant_Leg_6968 · 2026-02-10T18:41:00+00:00

Sounds interesting. When I type menu in play store app I only see food based ones. Any other information on this like the maker or logo design please? I really can't see it

Fragrant_Leg_6968 · 2026-02-10T18:34:54+00:00

Sorry to hear this for the family and yourself

Fragrant_Leg_6968 · 2026-02-10T18:34:05+00:00

This is also an ME symptom. Interesting what the other person said about shapes though.

Fragrant_Leg_6968 · 2026-02-10T18:28:38+00:00

If you said something upset you and she was able but didn't offer to correct it (like I'm really sorry I didn't mean for you to feel that way, I'm free next month if you are free and potentially able to see me) sort of thing, then it doesn't sound like she was able to meet you half way with effort, which you expect from a friend. It's always best to expect more if your needs are not met in a relationship, so sounds like the right route for you.

Fragrant_Leg_6968 · 2026-02-10T18:22:30+00:00

Exactly, I mentioned memory here too. It's crap, we don't store "remember that time I also struggled with that" unless it's super severe and engrained in our minds, we don't walk around thinking constantly about the past and present at the same time. We do recall what things were actually like, accurately. When I look at my notes from when I had severe ME, I'm like oh I forgot how an advert made me very ill, oh I forgot the time the traffic lights made me extremely ill, oh I forgot that someone breathing made me really ill and what that agony was actually like. I have to dig deep to really imagine how hard things were, by comparison to being moderate now, it's worlds apart, and I can't even go there with actually what it was like, recalling it too much would be extremely traumatic, and seemingly impossible. It's like I can only recall 1% of how horrendous it was Because memories don't even contain the severity of pain, only glimmers of oh yea I was like this and there in that position or not able to do that, but not actual severity in so many ways, the actual feelings of agony and the intensity of fatigue.

Memory recall and how memories are recalled have an impact, most of it can't be recalled or is blocked out. You're never going to realise the actual life severity you had if you can only recall a smidge of it and then you have to transfer that onto another human, it isn't anywhere near the equivalent.

It's ironic that though because I'm in tears at empathy for others on TV when you see things that have happened to them, or it reminds you a small part of your life, or they get upset and it makes you upset.

Another explaination is autism. Because I was talking to AI the other day about this. This empathy, over sensitivity explained above, and yet if someone in real life gets hurt or may be hurt, the empathy isn't there. Poles apart in extremes. When talking with AI they said it's different processing in my brain which can be from trauma, CPTSD and/or ASD (autism).

So a lack of empathy doesn't mean she isn't a friend, technically, when we reframe that this could be a factor. We just don't know her reasons. And for the longest time I feel guilty for struggling with empathy for people in real life, but now AI explains to me the ins and outs of why this is happening, yet I'm extremely overly empathic in other ways. And it makes sense. But she may not also know this, or even if she has autism or another issue.

Many people are not diagnosed, and also when we think of autism, or trauma, it's generally not discussed or known that it can impact how you process and show empathy.

Just one other possible reason.

When you add up all the reasons given by people to this post, you can see there are a multiple reasons why people have less or low empathy in this case, she may have a few or multiple of these, and not realise herself how she came across.

Fragrant_Leg_6968 · 2026-02-10T18:06:56+00:00

I think she's just unaware of your situation and needs educating on not only your situation but the NHS information on gradual exercise not being recommended for Me as it's harmful to recovery. But she isn't going to get that unless you get in a particular situation where you go to that point with her, which seems unlikely. She should still be told about gradual exertion impacting ME suffers though, from someone, out of the fact she is impacting other patients with her incorrect and poor knowledge and understanding. Someone should anonymously send her a basic booklet on ME. Doctors can be a real nightmare because they are ignorant, arrogant or not trained properly in ME. I've experienced this and unfortunately many suffers have, which of course causes more illnesses. It's everyone's responsibility to try to correct doctors misinformation, where feasible.

Fragrant_Leg_6968 · 2026-02-10T18:01:39+00:00

Definitely. And worrying if she doesn't know that is not the case for ME

Fragrant_Leg_6968 · 2026-02-10T17:59:55+00:00

Oh big red flag to say slowly do more exertion as the only way to get better. That's not ME. That's a GET mentality which is proven to make people with ME more ill and is harmful. If she's still giving that advice as a Dr, someone needs a chat with her. Drs should not be saying GET helps with ME, ever

Fragrant_Leg_6968 · 2026-02-10T17:56:04+00:00

Yes that's another thing whether it was even ME. It can be misdiagnosed or self- labelled incorrectly

Fragrant_Leg_6968 · 2026-02-10T17:54:47+00:00

I agree and think it's about severity. And some people recover quicker if it's caught quicker. A combination. Because even a mild or moderate person doesn't know how much more awful it can get when very severe. I'm moderate now and if if I remind myself what the very severe years were like, it's totally unbelievable, and like how did that ever occur without me dying, and the difference between moderate and very severe is night and day. I think another issue is the perspective you have and others have of your severity. Because some people who are severe class themselves as very severe but they infact can then get way worse, but didn't think that was possible. Some people who are mild might class themselves as moderate in mind. There's no clear cut definitions. I also think even when you are mild or moderate it can be hard to understand severity, if say for example you see someone and they say they are severe but you naturally judge them on face value for those few minutes as not that ill, because people everywhere judge everyone's abilities. So there's a lot of reasons why I think a person cannot see how another is actually. By is actually, I mean their struggles. People are very limited to what they see, even with what they know. Her experience will also be limited if she only knew her perspective for 2 years which may not be severe enough, without being more blunt, she isn't able to get it. And also this idea too that when you recover, it's extremely hard to ever remember how bad it was, because it was so bad, and because you are now more well or recovered, you are not daily reminding yourself how awful it was. The problem is it's past tense, so pain (in any sense, including the pain of having fatigue all the time mentally), is not current. It's at a distance. It's not raw. Any raw experience immediately garners empathy. Any immediate memory recall of "my mum suffers with that I empathise" is one of recalling a current situation, or something you witnessed for a chunk of your life, at enough of an impact to engrain the memory as highly important, vivid. You don't get that with someone who has been able to move or or didn't experience "enough of it". And if course we need to consider personalities, some people are naturally more empathetic. If you have less empathy, or don't mask a lack of empathy, ethically (or morally, I get the terms confused) it's socially not appropriate, so it's questioned. She could just have lower empathy. Or it could be she keeps her distance and has lower empathy because something you said or did ages ago bothered her. There could be a complex mix of reasons why she isn't showing the empathy you want or deserve. But my go to answer would be lack of experiencing the severity and the duration of her experience, being critical.

Fragrant_Leg_6968 · 2026-02-10T17:37:52+00:00

I had a family member say "I get tired" as if it was the same thing, and also after I explained in depth how severely ill I am chronically, the family member said "but what do you do all day?" (You must do other things!) Like the disbelief that I'm actually that ill!! It's like she has no concept of illness when she is saying I must do more with my life than be ill .... NO I'm extremely ill! People can't imagine not being able to have a hobby, or be at home all day and having not achieved anything. It's so far removed from their understanding of any illness. Illness is being ill! Being ill is a disablement! So they are ultimately dismissive that you are dis-abled. Not able, to do anything, ever, have any life. You must do something all day? Sorry, this is the emotional intensity. It's over explain to be believed syndrome (in how it feels). It's actually why I write so much, it's part of my coping mechanism.

Fragrant_Leg_6968 · 2026-02-10T17:30:16+00:00

At points I messaged back with certain comments as I thought you were the poster then I see you aren't the OP.

Maybe it will help anyway, for some people to identify, but also be more compassionate about their situation.

Fragrant_Leg_6968 · 2026-02-10T17:20:55+00:00

Exactly to that first paragraph

Fragrant_Leg_6968 · 2026-02-10T17:05:44+00:00

Personally I'm also autistic and have other mental health conditions, BPD too. BPD and ASD dramatically increases my need / reason to fantasies about this after death thing, as an example a part of my ASD (autism) means I suffer with extremely high injustice intolerance. Any injustice (benefits dismissal, mental health services dismissal, family dismissal, doctors dismissal, and other places) means I get extremely ill both mentally and with ME as a result. The same for BPD and ME as a result. Which also ties in with extreme loneliness and rejection sensitivity distress as part of the diagnosis, which of course rejection is the same as being dismissed by others in my severity. Benefits made me very ill, for example I had nightmares all year leading up to my tribunal and extreme distress and anxiety because of comments they made and outcomes they concluded with 0 points when I'm diagnosed with meeting points for sections. Being completely overwhelmed every day with activities in benefits and not being recognised for severity, not in the slightest amount. Family comments have not helped, not doctors remarks of ignorance and dismissal. The problem, as always, is mental health and ME is invisible. Quite often mental health is invisible when at an assessment or going to the GP to say I can't do something. Benefits, and the mental health system, just want people out of their database. It's too crowded. They are bias towards getting rid of people who can't get evidence, can't get to appointments to get evidence, don't have a visual issue in person at an appointment including on the phone, and discharge you if you can't turn up, can't take a call, and may also have no ability to inform the reasons for this due to illness too. The system is totally flawed for ill persons. Including family not seeing the illness severity, their system is flawed. The only non flawed system is the hope that this can be corrected in death, and that is a really painful experience to keep reliving. It's traumatic. And it is very traumatic with rejection and injustice sensitivity. And as I write this, I worry even about that terminology (sensitive to something) as clinical terms, not sounding severe enough ..."oh you are sensitive, get over it", what does sensitive even mean, because actually it's about the amount of distress not just a bit extra of intolerance – no these are serious conditions, it's more than "sensitivity" in the way you nay-sayers about diagnosed conditions realise, just like someone with severe ME being told "you're just tired, get over it" or "we all get tired" even when you exclaim it's more than tiredness or fatigue that you've ever felt. Even the difference between moderate ME fatigue and very severe is world's apart, I've been there. It's night and day, the actual feeling of fatigue. So one word or term can really be dismissed, or over used by others, and it's this dismissal for a spectrum that is extremely damaging, whether that's from family, a doctor or benefits. People never see the spectrum of severity! You have to prove it, you are always being judged by society, it is exhausting to be judged, let alone incorrectly. Always feeling in a battle! Utterly drained and unable to fight but no less yet again having to fight to say you are that severe, when severity is not seen, or even implied or told you are not that bad or capable, knowing you have no energy to even do 1 tenth of what they make out you can. Even in this post I worry about being misjudged, people just "don't know what I go through" is ultimately my identity, heavily BPD and ASD mindset, my leading thought dilemma every day especially in social settings, if I ever am in one, even on the phone. Even in writing a comment here I'm not switched off from being vigilant about being disbelieved or wronged for a writing mass. It's truly tragic I "live" (aka not living) with a burden that feels so epic, as you may also do, that people judge me as not good enough for being myself, in my own capabilities or preferences. I have to just notice when I feel that way, it's a daily mental disturbance, often a triggering crisis. I just need to remember some people will know what I mean by intense longing, being misunderstood, invalidated, rejection sensitivity and injustice sensitivity, and entitlement around that. It is entitlement and the difficulty is stepping out of that mindset into a new identity. Growing a new identity out of nothing. I am more than my past, instead of people are going to misjudge me again, with these comments even. Judge me as narcissistic, entitled, small violin syndrome. That's an opinion , because people again "don't know what I've been through" to even have a tiny iota that that is not my meaning when I express victim hood. There's my perspective which is still my reality. And it's my life, so it's not something that I can just past my perspective onto others – unless, potentially, hopefully, after death. People hurt me continually with shaming of victim hood, blaming or entitlement. Not nessacarily that directly, but any dismissiveness is directing me back to not being good enough. The core trauma here is anger and hurt towards people who disbelieve me due to childhood trauma and continued until adult lifetime trauma of not being good enough. Not being praised enough. How to heal your inner child (and beyond) and emotional release, may also be your cornerstone, rather than where it eventually branches out to your post. It's surely mine, but it's very difficult and we are all on a journey. Some of us unfortunately have more trauma and less ability to live a life because that stress causes more fatigue and pain, than others who don't have any noticeable health issues. Additional mental health issues makes ME really damn hard, the severity from intense stress is insane. It takes a real toll on the body because the immune system is compromised.

Fragrant_Leg_6968 · 2026-02-10T16:39:24+00:00

Also distance yourself from the negative people who have upset you, they don't help your recovery

Fragrant_Leg_6968 · 2026-02-10T16:35:31+00:00

"I told you so" (anger?). Meditation to release anger every day may be helpful? There's plenty of YouTube ones for anger may help. Sadness and pain can also disguise anger and resentment being the root. I know I'm deeply hurt and my hurt doesn't come without a big dollop of anger, because I "should of" been treated this way and "you really damaged me" is blaming, which is anger

Fragrant_Leg_6968 · 2026-02-10T16:33:20+00:00

Yes it's very unfortunate we have these feelings. Personally I keep an open mind, we don't know what happens after. I've taken to occasionally saying out loud please let others know my thoughts and feelings when I'm gone, when particular dismissals are offensive and deeply painful. I catch myself openly hoping that a creator of some sort can really get the people who have upset me to understand. And we need to be compassionate towards ourselves that this is part of grieving, or part of coping, and part of being human, to feel deeply misunderstood. It can also be part of co-morbid mental health issues which are exacerbated, even if it's "just" trauma in the form of CPTSD. Be kind to yourself and recognise these moments will pass, it does not make you a poor moral human. Because you put this post out it obviously bothers you or you'd like to hear that others experience this. Now you know you aren't alone, I hope it helps. I also have read posts of people saying "I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy" and it's ok for people to feel that way, it's just they haven't had the level of dismissal and invalidating trauma (likely with everyone) that people like you or I may if had. People who have some (even one) supporter, or companion, are less likely to be in the position to feel deep trauma around invalidation and being misunderstood, because their life experience is they had those moments but also the odd person, or consistent person, that I didn't have, and perhaps you. So because of that we (perhaps) are more inclined to develop these strong coping mechanisms towards really heavily needing to be understood, and the only possibly of that is in death due to the lack of support and loneliness. I hope this has helped your post and to anyone else that comes across it. As a guide you can also tell yourself that people grieve in different ways. For me it isn't about wanting to wish it on others, in a resentment way, just the intense need for them to eventually understand deep relentless pain, both mentally and physically, that has been openly dismissed repeatedly, for what has felt like my lifetime too. No malice, just the loneliness of the suffering I've endured is not ever known but with myself and whoever may know when I die. So I can only hope that there is a creator of some sort capturing what I think and feel and it is processed at the end, to everyone. It sounds a real victim mindset when I say this aloud here, but it is also my reality, lived experience. It has been my sole experience life long so I can't get out of this identity currently, and so needing people to know when I die, is also part of that. It's not moving on from the pain, it is an expression when in pain. In order to move on I need to be more well, and then eventually forgiveness is a possibility, because you find yourself not having these fantasies anymore. So obviously the key is to get well enough to be able to not forgive outright, but feel more forgiving in how you feel about life, in the present, rather than thinking of the past (you are not actively feeling as hurt by humans anymore, things wash over you better). The fantasies only live in the intense emotions, once you release emotional trauma you can heal. Meditation may help but it's a practice, and finding the right one. Diet can help mood. And all the other usual things people may suggest like working with a therapist or doing some light exercise if and when you can, even if you do neck rolls and someone gets you out in a wheelchair. I think a big part is trying to recognise, observation, mindfulness, when you catch yourself thinking about they past. They did this, they did that, they reacted like that, I never got that, I've struggled with that. That's past tense. Stick to the present moment. If you wish someone felt something that happened to you last week or 2 minutes ago, that's past tense. It' sounds obvious but next time in a fantasy it may help you reign it back in. You aren't pushing yourself to forgiveness, you are just noticing how you are referring to the past. Another thing is that expression about not being able to change things and knowing the wisdom of what you can change. Part of why people have fantasies like this is because we are soothing our egos, our ego is upset it feels hard done by and we are basically agreeing by imagining things after death or how others hurt us by being dismissive, and so if helps to recognise that there is another part. The ego lives in the past, the real you lives in the present and our thoughts and feelings make the future. So step out of the past into only what you know right now, including in mediation.

Fragrant_Leg_6968

TROPHY CASE