1. JJ, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Science diet, prescription diets, etc., all contain the same gunk as Ol' Roy. I know Iams, at least, uses zoo kill. Natura and some other pricey brands claim to use all human-grade ingredients in their foods, however. Be all that as it may, as you know, my cats are already on homemade, and the dogs will be on it exclusively as soon as I finish up their extremely fancy--and wholesome--kibble (which I only bought to tide me over while Bandit and I were recovering, anyway). I gave up on vaccinations a few years ago when my beloved Roger (dog) died as a result of them.
2. TL, my madder sister has read that book. She said it was great, and I believe her, despite her lunacy.
3. Re cats, hey, I love 'em, but if I had to choose one species over the other, I'd take dogs. I don't know what it is about cats that makes people go on and on about them the way they do. There are way more cute cat sites than cute dog sites, for example. I don't get it. Dogs are lovely, damn it!
Only a couple of months till the Puppy Bowl!