Tiddles story

Pretty labels
aluminium pouches to the fore
its marketing gone bonkers
and that’s in every store
and who buys all this pet food
human beings do
it doesn’t matter what’s inside
the cans
its what’s on view
its what they say
its how they sell the stuff
that is the way
supermarket shelves stocked
full with such a fine array
pouches, boxes
sacks even
providing sustenance
but as to what the cans
contain,
for me an ambivalence

Just watch humans shopping
down the shelves they go
picking out what “Tiddles” likes
but “Tiddles,” she does know
that what she’s given
tastes al’right
but makes her weak, and she
prefers the chicken livers
or the remnants of mum’s tea
all these pretty pictures
that the corporates apply
from 1% to 4% of Turkey
isn’t high
the rest is called
derivatives
do you think that sounds
sublime
heads feet, guts
the cheapest sources
hardly worth a rhyme
restaurant grease
mill sweepings
dead zoo animals too
spoiled meats from
the superstore
you get the gist
do you

BHT and BHA
and chemicals galore
premium natural gourmet
names they hope will draw
you in
playing with your generosity
its all there on the tin
pet foods adding cereals
to me that is a sin
most are so hard to digest
they are the coarsest feeds
and simply not the best for “Tiddles”
or her special needs

pet food pays the exchequer
a fifth in VAT
on fresh meat or an alternative
its absolutely free
so “Tiddles” gets 100% meat
or fish, and she
will blossom better on that food
than the 1% we see
or the 4% for the rest
of it
where it comes from, we
really haven’t got a clue
its really hard to be
its derived from God knows where
unless each batch is analysed
nobody’s aware
accept of course your loved one’s
“Tiddles” she does know
how really unacceptable it is
and she needs to go
and eat a few big spiders
and a frog or bird or mouse
to supplement the cans she gets
from YOU yes at the house
and when she brings a mouse back
with its head torn off what she
is telling you in cat talk
is that the consistency
is better than the meaty chunks
you give her everyday
that help to well, reduce her years
whatever others say