Blog Dog Dan: WHAT'S MAJOR TOM THINKING ABOUT TODAY?

I’m thinking that I might be allergic to corn. There are nine ingredients that commonly cause allergies in cats, which usually develop as itchy dry skin or skin rashes, especially around the face or ears. If there are no fleas or ticks present, and your cat is spending long periods of time either licking or scratching at himself, cat food allergies could be the problem. I checked my bag of food, and the first four ingredients are chicken meal, corn gluten meal, ground rice, and wheat flour. I may be switching foods, but vets recommend testing a food for 12 weeks to see how your cat responds. (By the way, the picture of corn is a bar of soap (artfire.com $5.50).

The nine most common problems found in cat foods are:

Artificial coloring: Many inexpensive cat foods add artificial food coloring to their foods.
Corn products: Cornmeal and corn gluten meal are used as inexpensive fillers in cat foods.
Dairy products: Cats are frequently allergic to the lactose found in cow's milk. Some pet foods add dairy products like milk powder or cheese.
Eggs: Cat food companies use egg for added protein, but some cats have allergies to the egg yolks or whites.
Meat by-products: Meat by-products generally contain organs that humans do not eat, skin, and pieces like the tail or hoof.
Preservatives: Pet food companies use artificial preservatives to lengthen the shelf life of cat foods. Some experts believe artificial preservatives like BHA and BHT may be carcinogens and that they may cause cat food allergies.
Seafood: Like beef, seafood is another leading cause of feline allergies; try venison or duck.
Soy products: Soy is added to cat food for the protein benefit, but it's a plant and really unnecessary to a cat's health.
Wheat gluten: Like corn products, wheat gluten is used as a filler in many cat food brands. Cats are often allergic to wheat products.

She must not be allergic!

When Thomas Jefferson (my namesake and our third president) was unable to find corn while serving as a diplomat in Paris, he devoted his garden to a crop of corn. Despite his passion for French cooking, he ate a moderate amount of meat and loved foods like turnip greens, sweet potatoes, Virginia ham, and crab. His kitchen garden at Monticello (his home and plantation in Charlottesville, Virginia) contained a variety of vegetables. Jefferson's fondness for vegetables can be found in his garden books that contain thousands of entries detailing the many varieties that he grew for his own consumption – two of his favorites were peas and cucumbers. This is a picture of the garden at Monticello.

As the founder of the University of Virginia, Jefferson had a say in all aspects of the operations. He drew up the daily menu for the students, which was heavy on vegetables and fruits. Only the midday meal included a small portion of meat.

I bet Thomas Jefferson would have liked the Kelloggs and their famous Kellogg’s Corn Flakes! In 1894, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg was superintendent of a famous hospital and health spa in Battle Creek, Michigan. His younger brother, Will Keith Kellogg, was the business manager. The hospital stressed healthful living and kept its patients on a diet that eliminated caffeine, meat, alcohol, and tobacco. The brothers invented many foods that were made from grains, including a coffee substitute and a type of granola, which they forced through rollers and rolled into long sheets of dough. One day, after cooking some wheat, the men were called away. When they finally returned, the wheat had become stale. They decided to force the tempered grain through the rollers anyway.

Surprisingly, the grain did not come out in long sheets of dough. Instead each wheat berry was flattened and came out as a thin flake. The brothers baked the flakes and were delighted with their new invention. They realized they had discovered a new and delicious cereal, and Will Keith Kellogg eventually opened his own cereal business. It wasn’t until 1906 that Kellogg’s Corn Flakes were made available to the general public.

I just have to share this: At a 2004 campaign stop in Iowa, Bush stopped to talk with local corn farmers. After picking up a nearby cob, he promptly shucked it and proceeded to take a bite. The only thing was, it was still raw!

The corn bunting is a passerine bird (perching bird). The song of the male has a metallic sound, like jangling keys, which is given from a low bush, fence post, or telephone wire. It breeds across southern and central Europe, north Africa and Asia, across to Kazahkstan.