The Wild West of Pet Supplements: What Owners Need to Know

In this episode of "Pet Business Disruptors," host Clayton interviews Cat Henstridge, widely known as "Cat the Vet," a UK-based small animal veterinarian and vocal advocate for evidence-based medicine. They tackle the rapid spread of online misinformation, the extreme polarization of pet diets, and the lack of regulation in the pet supplement market. Key Takeaways Reclaiming "Holistic" Care: Cat argues that conventional vets inherently practice holistic medicine because they evaluate and treat the entire animal. She strongly opposes how alternative medicine advocates have co-opted the term to push treatments that lack scientific backing. Combating Online Misinformation: The loudest voices in the online pet space are often the least educated. Cat attributes this to the Dunning-Kruger effect, noting that these loud, unverified opinions actively push consumers away from safe, effective veterinary treatments. Strict Rules on Homeopathy: The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) regulates the UK veterinary profession. Cat highlights a rule introduced around 2017 that prevents UK vets from prescribing homeopathy without also providing conventional medicine to ensure the animal's welfare. Navigating Pet Food Polarization: The debate around pet diets is highly toxic and often driven by aggressive, misleading marketing rather than science. Cat advocates for feeding balanced diets, noting that she has no issue with traditional kibble and has sold more dry food than fresh food in her career. The Wild West of Supplements: The pet supplement market is poorly regulated and saturated with unsubstantiated claims. Cat stresses that veterinarians cannot easily verify the efficacy of many over-the-counter supplements, advising owners to rely only on trusted, science-backed brands that can prove their clinical value. Best Moments "Holistic means whole. It doesn't mean alternative, it means whole." "The loudest voices are quite frankly the least educated because as per the Dunning-Kruger effect... they don't know what they don't know." "I do not agree with anyone who dispenses homeopathics as a one and only solution." Guest Bio Cat Henstridge is a first-opinion small animal vet working in the UK, where she recently opened an independent clinic alongside her husband. Under her online moniker "Cat the Vet," she has built a substantial platform dedicated to animal welfare, correcting industry misinformation, and providing a grounded, science-based perspective for everyday pet owners. Follow Cat on linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cat-henstridge-a5a3a434/ HOST BIO Clayton has been the spearhead of many of the industry's changes and has introduced numerous new concepts to market with a trail of success behind him. He has worked in numerous countries within the pet industry, speaks four different languages and has established both import and export relationships on all continents (excluding Antarctica). As well as being COO of one of the UKs fastest growing insect technology companies, Clayton is a Pet industry consultant who has consulted for many household brands and delivers sales training to pet trade professionals. ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/clayton-payne-a6772244/⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@petbusinessdisruptors⁠⁠ https://www.youtube.com/@PetBusinessDisruptors⁠ This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/