It's not just human food that costs a bomb nowadays. Anyone with a dog or cat will be painfully aware of the bizarre cost of the mysterious pabulum we feed our carnivorous pets. But have you analysed exactly how crazy the cost is?The wobbly pouch of cat food in front of me explains that it contains 60g of crude protein per kilo. Now, much human-grade protein - beef steak, mince, hake or chicken breast, for example - contains anything from 250g to 350g of protein per kilo (sometimes more), so the cat pouch isn't a particularly high-protein food.What's truly bizarre is that said pouch - containing less than a quarter of the protein per kilo as human-grade premium meats - costs the same amount per kilo as these items. What? Why the hell am I not feeding my pets the human stuff then? Surely I could give them a whole lot less of it?Protein-wise, we're paying four times more for the bits of animal that humans don't want than for those we do. Not that there's anything less nutritious about these bits; the use of every organ, tendon, valve, eye and ear in pet food is right in step with the current nose-to-tail eating movement.But can't we do that without this sort of deranged price tag? And do my pets need the "various sugars" listed as ingredients on the pouch? Is that why our one cat looks like Garfield?I say this is a big fat scam. Drop these teeny pouches and get the butcher to chop up some topside or, better still, grisly bits (much cheaper). That way your pets will be svelte and you can have steak for dinner more often.Another scam, but this time an oilier one, is the story of canola oil. How the industrial version of this oil ever got a reputation as healthy for humans is a marvel of marketing. As with all other industrial seed oils, there is no benefit to your heart health here; quite the opposite, in fact. For a properly informed overview by a biochemist, search for The Great Con-ola by Sally Fallon.What to fry with, then? Do not despair. Ghee, or clarified butter (about which I've previously sung the praises), has the ability to go to high temperatures without burning, but is not toxic or unstable, as are seed oils. It's simple to make - just a matter of separating out the milk solids.Here's how: heat any quantity of butter in a pot on moderate-low heat until the solids rise, forming a pale yellow froth. When the froth stops bubbling, take it off the heat and let it cool until solid. Now scoop the solids off the top. Fry your breakfast eggs in this and you'll never use oil again...