shawallapea
Full Member
Posts: 108
Jun 28, 2014 21:28:33 GMT
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Post by shawallapea on Jun 28, 2016 14:41:51 GMT
So, my family and I just adopted a kitten (3 months) from our local humane society. He is adorable and as soon as I can get him to hold still for a picture I will post one lol. In the mean time I am looking for some thoughts on food. He was neutered yesterday (doing well) and I'll have an appointment for him with our regular vet sometime next week. The vet tech where his neuter was done told me to feed him wet food almost exclusively because it helps prevent urine crystals since male cats are even more prone. I've had several male cats in my life and never did that. Anyone heard of this and/or do you do this with your own cat? I of course will be asking our regular vet her recommendation but I also know the Refupeas are a great source of info on pretty much everything!
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Post by nlwilkins on Jun 28, 2016 14:45:16 GMT
I've been told this by our vet. He says to feed the cats only twice a day.
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Post by jesq on Jun 28, 2016 14:55:32 GMT
I have definitely heard that with regard to males. Our vet told us to switch our two female cats to wet food exclusively, because they were not drinking enough water (which is a common problem) and were getting dehydrated/constipated/bloated.
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mimima
Drama Llama
Stay Gold, Ponyboy
Posts: 5,019
Jun 25, 2014 19:25:50 GMT
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Post by mimima on Jun 28, 2016 15:25:33 GMT
We do a combo of wet and dry food per the vet recommendation.
Kittens are awesome, enjoy
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Post by krazykatlady on Jun 28, 2016 15:36:48 GMT
I specifically asked my vet about this when we got out most recent male cat. I was told as long as he drinks water regularly it really isn't necessary to feed them wet food. She also said, "ask 20 other vets and half will agree with me!"
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Post by Zee on Jun 28, 2016 15:38:03 GMT
Yes, I feed wet mainly since one of my old man cats developed a urinary blockage. Thankfully his resolved and it's not come back in 3 years on a wet food diet. He's a junk-food-junkie, though, and screams at us if we don't sprinkle a little dry food on top with his evening meal.
Lolol he accepts that breakfast won't get sprinkles, but don't try that with the evening meal!
It's a newer realization among vets that cats do much better without the carbs in dry food. They are obligate carnivores.
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Post by Skellinton on Jun 28, 2016 15:39:35 GMT
Our 5 cats always have dry food available and every night they get some wet food, which I add water too to make it more gravy like. We have ample water out at all times too and have one water fountain for them too. Only 3 use the fountain. So far, so good, knock on wood. I think there are benefits to both dry and wet food which is why we do both.
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Post by Skellinton on Jun 28, 2016 15:40:45 GMT
We also only use grain free food, both wet and dry.
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Post by grammadee on Jun 28, 2016 15:47:53 GMT
Isn't there dry food for uterine issues as well? That is what dd's dog is on for her diet.
Keep an eye on how much water he drinks. If he is drinking and peeing, he should be okay. Our farm cats are on Whiskas and the occasional side of mouse, with available water at all times. The last one lived to 17 years old. (The last year, HE got raw hamburger on--very LOUD--demand! Guess he knew he was a carnivore and if he couldn't hunt he still needed meat!
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 11, 2024 14:40:47 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2016 15:53:00 GMT
Dry food is available all day. And the huge bowl of water is fresh 2 a day.
They get half a can of food at night.
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Post by impearia on Jun 28, 2016 16:21:07 GMT
I always feed cats a mixture of wet and dry food, always grain free. An all wet diet is more expensive and not as good for their teeth and gums, although it can help prevent urinary blockages. Always provide plenty of fresh water and as high quality dry food as you can.
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momto4kiddos
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,151
Jun 26, 2014 11:45:15 GMT
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Post by momto4kiddos on Jun 28, 2016 17:12:43 GMT
Whatever he was eating when you got him is what he should be eating, you should at least be changing his food gradually if you change it. Abrupt changes can cause stomach upsets for him.
As far as dry vs wet, we had a cat that has had urinary blockages. Two within a couple weeks of each other (we were in the process of the gradual food change when #2 struck.) He was eating too much dry I believe at the time. He went on prescription food afterward and eats part of a can in the AM and then some dry is left out during the day. It's been probably 10+ years now and this works for him.
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Post by Zee on Jun 28, 2016 21:03:09 GMT
Isn't there dry food for uterine issues as well? That is what dd's dog is on for her diet. Keep an eye on how much water he drinks. If he is drinking and peeing, he should be okay. Our farm cats are on Whiskas and the occasional side of mouse, with available water at all times. The last one lived to 17 years old. (The last year, HE got raw hamburger on--very LOUD--demand! Guess he knew he was a carnivore and if he couldn't hunt he still needed meat! What uterine issues would a cat or dog have? Do you mean urinary? Normal cats fed plenty of water and wet food hopefully won't be as prone to kidney or urinary problems or diabetes.
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Post by grammadee on Jun 28, 2016 21:14:09 GMT
Isn't there dry food for uterine issues as well? That is what dd's dog is on for her diet. Keep an eye on how much water he drinks. If he is drinking and peeing, he should be okay. Our farm cats are on Whiskas and the occasional side of mouse, with available water at all times. The last one lived to 17 years old. (The last year, HE got raw hamburger on--very LOUD--demand! Guess he knew he was a carnivore and if he couldn't hunt he still needed meat! What uterine issues would a cat or dog have? Do you mean urinary? Normal cats fed plenty of water and wet food hopefully won't be as prone to kidney or urinary problems or diabetes. Sorry. I meant urinary. That was the issue dd's dog had and the vet prescribes a special dry food for her.
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Post by Zee on Jun 28, 2016 21:15:03 GMT
What uterine issues would a cat or dog have? Do you mean urinary? Normal cats fed plenty of water and wet food hopefully won't be as prone to kidney or urinary problems or diabetes. Sorry. I meant urinary. That was the issue dd's dog had and the vet prescribes a special dry food for her. Ok, just wanted to clarify!
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Post by Linda on Jun 28, 2016 23:18:11 GMT
our Oreo had a blockage when he was an older kitten - he's 14 now and it hasn't reoccured. He (and all the rest of our brood - 5 indoor, 2 outdoor - 6 male, 1 female - all fixed) eat a dry food designed for urinary health - it's available 24/7 as is fresh water. The 2 outdoor cats supplement their diets with wild food (we no longer have a mouse issue).
I'm sure I'll be slammed by someone because it's not a prescription/homemade/organic/ideal cat food but we feed Nine Lives Plus Care and have for 13 years now - it's not reccommended for kittens though so we used a kitten food at first for our younger cats and then transitioned them to this when they were old enough - that was a pain because we had to keep Oreo out of their food)
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ModChick
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True North Strong and Free
Posts: 5,062
Jun 26, 2014 23:57:06 GMT
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Post by ModChick on Jun 28, 2016 23:26:35 GMT
2 years ago we got two new kittens, both male, and my vet said the best way to prevent crystals was feeding a good quality of food regardless of wet or dry. We feed them dry food. We've always had male cats, never any issues and have always used high quality pet food sold at vet.
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Post by birukitty on Jun 29, 2016 0:12:11 GMT
The newest understanding is that cats do much better psychically on wet food throughout their lives. Their bodies are built to get some of their daily moisture needs from their food, and they psychically cannot and will not drink enough water to satisfy what they need for fluid every day without a wet diet. This is why so many cats end up with kidney disease and other related problems such as urinary problems. I learned this when I did a ton of research when my own cat came down with kidney disease. You also have to realize that vets only get a very, very small amount of teaching on animal nutrition in vet school-and that covers all animals, not just pet animals. So yes, an all wet diet is best for cats. Personally I ended up feeding my kidney diseased cat a raw diet because I was searching for a better food for him than the vet prescription diet Royal Canin in cans he was eating. It made Biru lose even more weight and he hated it. I did research on www.dogfoodadvisor.com (at that time it was the best one for pet foods, there wasn't a cat equivalent that intensive) and Royal Canin rated quite low-it tells you why. I searched and searched for a quality kidney based diet and couldn't find one. I ended up at www.felineinstincts.com. They sell an amazing powder that is full of human grade, organic ingredients that I add to raw ground turkey, water, and salmon oil to make a 100% nutritionally complete diet for my cat. Sadly Biru passed away two years later from a blood clot, not kidney disease. In fact, his kidney disease completely reversed itself. This company makes powder formulas for healthy cats too. I have a new 4 month old kitten myself and he loves it! It's really easy to make. Takes me about 15 minutes to make up a batch that lasts 4-5 days. I freeze it in mason jars in the freezer, take out a jar and put it in the fridge for 2 days. We feed Jesse 3-4 times a day. I figure it's like the food I feed myself and my family. If I feed Jesse very healthy food, chances are he'll have less health problems and grow up strong and healthy. Debbie in MD.
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Post by realm on Jun 29, 2016 0:56:09 GMT
I had two male kittens and was advised by the vet to feed them a mix of both. I generally fed them wet food in the am and left out dry food through the day.
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shawallapea
Full Member
Posts: 108
Jun 28, 2014 21:28:33 GMT
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Post by shawallapea on Jun 29, 2016 2:53:55 GMT
Thank you SO much for all the feed back! I will keep him status quo on his food (dry food out all day and several offerings of wet with h2o mixed in) until vet appointment for sure. If I change it will be gradual! He is using his litter box regularly in all regards. He was hanging out today with the dog and they already seem to have an understanding lol. Amazing how a 3 month old kitten can rule the house so well :-)
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Post by peasapie on Jun 29, 2016 3:11:18 GMT
We have had two male cats in the family who developed cystitis from eating only dried food. My son's cat was hospitalized from it and eventually had to have surgery -- $5,000 altogether to save this rescue cat. My cat also had a problem but responded to the wet food, so we now give him lots of wet food.
Cats don't drink water like dogs. They get a lot of their fluid from their food. Also, the male ureter (?) narrows at the tip of the penis so the least bit of swelling from crystals or irritation causes it to become swollen and the cat is unable to urinate-a potentially deadly situation. That's why wet food is preferable for male cats -- it keeps them hydrated and less likely to have crystals.
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Post by peasapie on Jun 29, 2016 3:13:41 GMT
The newest understanding is that cats do much better psychically on wet food throughout their lives. Their bodies are built to get some of their daily moisture needs from their food, and they psychically cannot and will not drink enough water to satisfy what they need for fluid every day without a wet diet. This is why so many cats end up with kidney disease and other related problems such as urinary problems. I learned this when I did a ton of research when my own cat came down with kidney disease. You also have to realize that vets only get a very, very small amount of teaching on animal nutrition in vet school-and that covers all animals, not just pet animals. So yes, an all wet diet is best for cats. Personally I ended up feeding my kidney diseased cat a raw diet because I was searching for a better food for him than the vet prescription diet Royal Canin in cans he was eating. It made Biru lose even more weight and he hated it. I did research on www.dogfoodadvisor.com (at that time it was the best one for pet foods, there wasn't a cat equivalent that intensive) and Royal Canin rated quite low-it tells you why. I searched and searched for a quality kidney based diet and couldn't find one. I ended up at www.felineinstincts.com. They sell an amazing powder that is full of human grade, organic ingredients that I add to raw ground turkey, water, and salmon oil to make a 100% nutritionally complete diet for my cat. Sadly Biru passed away two years later from a blood clot, not kidney disease. In fact, his kidney disease completely reversed itself. This company makes powder formulas for healthy cats too. I have a new 4 month old kitten myself and he loves it! It's really easy to make. Takes me about 15 minutes to make up a batch that lasts 4-5 days. I freeze it in mason jars in the freezer, take out a jar and put it in the fridge for 2 days. We feed Jesse 3-4 times a day. I figure it's like the food I feed myself and my family. If I feed Jesse very healthy food, chances are he'll have less health problems and grow up strong and healthy. Debbie in MD. Thanks for this great advice, Debbie. I'm sorry Biru passed away. I e been considering switching over to raw. Did you mix up a big batch and freeze some or make it every day?
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shawallapea
Full Member
Posts: 108
Jun 28, 2014 21:28:33 GMT
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Post by shawallapea on Jun 29, 2016 14:30:42 GMT
The newest understanding is that cats do much better psychically on wet food throughout their lives. Their bodies are built to get some of their daily moisture needs from their food, and they psychically cannot and will not drink enough water to satisfy what they need for fluid every day without a wet diet. This is why so many cats end up with kidney disease and other related problems such as urinary problems. I learned this when I did a ton of research when my own cat came down with kidney disease. You also have to realize that vets only get a very, very small amount of teaching on animal nutrition in vet school-and that covers all animals, not just pet animals. So yes, an all wet diet is best for cats. Personally I ended up feeding my kidney diseased cat a raw diet because I was searching for a better food for him than the vet prescription diet Royal Canin in cans he was eating. It made Biru lose even more weight and he hated it. I did research on www.dogfoodadvisor.com (at that time it was the best one for pet foods, there wasn't a cat equivalent that intensive) and Royal Canin rated quite low-it tells you why. I searched and searched for a quality kidney based diet and couldn't find one. I ended up at www.felineinstincts.com. They sell an amazing powder that is full of human grade, organic ingredients that I add to raw ground turkey, water, and salmon oil to make a 100% nutritionally complete diet for my cat. Sadly Biru passed away two years later from a blood clot, not kidney disease. In fact, his kidney disease completely reversed itself. This company makes powder formulas for healthy cats too. I have a new 4 month old kitten myself and he loves it! It's really easy to make. Takes me about 15 minutes to make up a batch that lasts 4-5 days. I freeze it in mason jars in the freezer, take out a jar and put it in the fridge for 2 days. We feed Jesse 3-4 times a day. I figure it's like the food I feed myself and my family. If I feed Jesse very healthy food, chances are he'll have less health problems and grow up strong and healthy. Debbie in MD. Debbie, I too appreciate this information. I'm definitely considering making his food and will check out the powder. I have a 9 year old golden retriever who has been fed excellent (and expensive!) food his entire life. He has been in extremely good health and even now acts like a puppy whenever the subject of food, play or affection is brought up! I completely agree that good food is the right way to go! Sorry too to hear about Biru. I lost my Jack cat about two years ago also and am so happy to have a new feline in the home.
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Deleted
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May 11, 2024 14:40:47 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2016 14:52:42 GMT
So, my family and I just adopted a kitten (3 months) from our local humane society. He is adorable and as soon as I can get him to hold still for a picture I will post one lol. In the mean time I am looking for some thoughts on food. He was neutered yesterday (doing well) and I'll have an appointment for him with our regular vet sometime next week. The vet tech where his neuter was done told me to feed him wet food almost exclusively because it helps prevent urine crystals since male cats are even more prone. I've had several male cats in my life and never did that. Anyone heard of this and/or do you do this with your own cat? I of course will be asking our regular vet her recommendation but I also know the Refupeas are a great source of info on pretty much everything! It is good advice. I had never heard of this and then I had a 10 year old male cat who got a blockage and I wish I had known this. You can still offer dry, but make sure he is eating lots of wet food.
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Post by birukitty on Jun 30, 2016 1:15:11 GMT
The newest understanding is that cats do much better psychically on wet food throughout their lives. Their bodies are built to get some of their daily moisture needs from their food, and they psychically cannot and will not drink enough water to satisfy what they need for fluid every day without a wet diet. This is why so many cats end up with kidney disease and other related problems such as urinary problems. I learned this when I did a ton of research when my own cat came down with kidney disease. You also have to realize that vets only get a very, very small amount of teaching on animal nutrition in vet school-and that covers all animals, not just pet animals. So yes, an all wet diet is best for cats. Personally I ended up feeding my kidney diseased cat a raw diet because I was searching for a better food for him than the vet prescription diet Royal Canin in cans he was eating. It made Biru lose even more weight and he hated it. I did research on www.dogfoodadvisor.com (at that time it was the best one for pet foods, there wasn't a cat equivalent that intensive) and Royal Canin rated quite low-it tells you why. I searched and searched for a quality kidney based diet and couldn't find one. I ended up at www.felineinstincts.com. They sell an amazing powder that is full of human grade, organic ingredients that I add to raw ground turkey, water, and salmon oil to make a 100% nutritionally complete diet for my cat. Sadly Biru passed away two years later from a blood clot, not kidney disease. In fact, his kidney disease completely reversed itself. This company makes powder formulas for healthy cats too. I have a new 4 month old kitten myself and he loves it! It's really easy to make. Takes me about 15 minutes to make up a batch that lasts 4-5 days. I freeze it in mason jars in the freezer, take out a jar and put it in the fridge for 2 days. We feed Jesse 3-4 times a day. I figure it's like the food I feed myself and my family. If I feed Jesse very healthy food, chances are he'll have less health problems and grow up strong and healthy. Debbie in MD. Thanks for this great advice, Debbie. I'm sorry Biru passed away. I e been considering switching over to raw. Did you mix up a big batch and freeze some or make it every day? Thanks for the condolences on Biru's passing. He passed away in December of 2014, so it's been awhile, but I still miss him. Having Jesse (our new kitten) is really helping. He brings a lot of joy and happiness back into the house. When I make the raw food with the powder from feline instincts I mix up a batch at a time. The usual recipe for cats calls for using 2 lbs of meat at a time. Right now that is what I am using for my new kitten. We fill up pint sized mason jars half way and put them in the freezer. He is 4 months old so he is supposed to eat 1/2 cup 3 times a day according to a chart printed on the brochure that comes with the food. It goes up according the the cat's age. We are only filling the jars half full at this point because you can keep a jar of food in the fridge for two days only. It takes me 15-20 minutes to make up a batch of food-not long at all. It would be much more of a bother to make it every day. This way we are only making it about once a week. Debbie in MD.
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Post by birukitty on Jun 30, 2016 1:27:24 GMT
The newest understanding is that cats do much better psychically on wet food throughout their lives. Their bodies are built to get some of their daily moisture needs from their food, and they psychically cannot and will not drink enough water to satisfy what they need for fluid every day without a wet diet. This is why so many cats end up with kidney disease and other related problems such as urinary problems. I learned this when I did a ton of research when my own cat came down with kidney disease. You also have to realize that vets only get a very, very small amount of teaching on animal nutrition in vet school-and that covers all animals, not just pet animals. So yes, an all wet diet is best for cats. Personally I ended up feeding my kidney diseased cat a raw diet because I was searching for a better food for him than the vet prescription diet Royal Canin in cans he was eating. It made Biru lose even more weight and he hated it. I did research on www.dogfoodadvisor.com (at that time it was the best one for pet foods, there wasn't a cat equivalent that intensive) and Royal Canin rated quite low-it tells you why. I searched and searched for a quality kidney based diet and couldn't find one. I ended up at www.felineinstincts.com. They sell an amazing powder that is full of human grade, organic ingredients that I add to raw ground turkey, water, and salmon oil to make a 100% nutritionally complete diet for my cat. Sadly Biru passed away two years later from a blood clot, not kidney disease. In fact, his kidney disease completely reversed itself. This company makes powder formulas for healthy cats too. I have a new 4 month old kitten myself and he loves it! It's really easy to make. Takes me about 15 minutes to make up a batch that lasts 4-5 days. I freeze it in mason jars in the freezer, take out a jar and put it in the fridge for 2 days. We feed Jesse 3-4 times a day. I figure it's like the food I feed myself and my family. If I feed Jesse very healthy food, chances are he'll have less health problems and grow up strong and healthy. Debbie in MD. Debbie, I too appreciate this information. I'm definitely considering making his food and will check out the powder. I have a 9 year old golden retriever who has been fed excellent (and expensive!) food his entire life. He has been in extremely good health and even now acts like a puppy whenever the subject of food, play or affection is brought up! I completely agree that good food is the right way to go! Sorry too to hear about Biru. I lost my Jack cat about two years ago also and am so happy to have a new feline in the home. Thanks for the condolences on Biru's passing. Like I said in the previous post, it's been since December of 2014, but I still miss him. And like you it is wonderful to have a new kitten back in our lives. We've been very happy with the powder formula from Feline Instincts. The one we used for Biru reversed his kidney disease and in a very short time he was acting like a kitten again running up and down the steps. His brother cat, James, was behaving the same way-they both reacted very favorably health wise to the food. Biru passed away at almost 17 years old would have been that upcoming April. James passed away at almost 18-he got stomach cancer in October of 2014. But they ate that diet for 2 years and the change in them was amazing. Healthy coats, sparkling eyes, and increased energy. When we brought Jesse home from the breeder (he's a Traditional Siamese like Biru was) he was eating dry food that the breeder had him on, it's made by Wellness called Core grain free. Once we made the raw food using the feline instincts powder and ground turkey we gave him a choice with two bowls of food-leaving out the dry food, and also offering the raw food. He tasted the raw food and ate everything that was in the bowl, never looking back. There were no tummy upsets at all. Debbie in MD.
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Post by peasapie on Jun 30, 2016 1:52:48 GMT
Thanks for this great advice, Debbie. I'm sorry Biru passed away. I e been considering switching over to raw. Did you mix up a big batch and freeze some or make it every day? Thanks for the condolences on Biru's passing. He passed away in December of 2014, so it's been awhile, but I still miss him. Having Jesse (our new kitten) is really helping. He brings a lot of joy and happiness back into the house. When I make the raw food with the powder from feline instincts I mix up a batch at a time. The usual recipe for cats calls for using 2 lbs of meat at a time. Right now that is what I am using for my new kitten. We fill up pint sized mason jars half way and put them in the freezer. He is 4 months old so he is supposed to eat 1/2 cup 3 times a day according to a chart printed on the brochure that comes with the food. It goes up according the the cat's age. We are only filling the jars half full at this point because you can keep a jar of food in the fridge for two days only. It takes me 15-20 minutes to make up a batch of food-not long at all. It would be much more of a bother to make it every day. This way we are only making it about once a week. Debbie in MD. Thanks so much!! SaveSave
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Post by paperaddictedpea on Jun 30, 2016 2:17:39 GMT
My cats get wet food morning and evening and also have access to dry food at all times. All of their food is grain-free. I'd prefer to feed them an all-wet diet, and one of my cats does eat wet food almost exclusively, but the other cat is super picky and doesn't like much wet food at all. Actually, she'd eat cheap crappy wet food if I let her - she just doesn't like the good quality stuff! I think it's better for her to eat good quality dry food rather than poor quality wet food and the vet agrees.
I'm definitely conscious of my cats' water intake. I bought a pet fountain and they like to drink from it. I also sneak some water into their wet food, and occasionally freeze some water in a small round container and then turn it out into a big bowl so that they can lick and play with it.
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Post by birukitty on Jun 30, 2016 21:10:32 GMT
My cats get wet food morning and evening and also have access to dry food at all times. All of their food is grain-free. I'd prefer to feed them an all-wet diet, and one of my cats does eat wet food almost exclusively, but the other cat is super picky and doesn't like much wet food at all. Actually, she'd eat cheap crappy wet food if I let her - she just doesn't like the good quality stuff! I think it's better for her to eat good quality dry food rather than poor quality wet food and the vet agrees. I'm definitely conscious of my cats' water intake. I bought a pet fountain and they like to drink from it. I also sneak some water into their wet food, and occasionally freeze some water in a small round container and then turn it out into a big bowl so that they can lick and play with it. First of all PaperaddictedPea I am not picking on you. I am just trying to educate all Peas. This is the thing. It doesn't matter how conscious we are, or what methods of water we provide for our cats, we simply cannot make them drink enough water for their daily needs. Their bodies are designed by nature to get some of their daily fluid needs from their food. Mice are nice and juicy, think of all of the blood within them. Of course cats out in the wild didn't eat only mice, they ate whatever they could find. Then we came along, and give them dry kibble. We've only been doing this for the past, what 80 years? But cats have been with us for centuries. And surviving quite well. This is also the thinking behind the raw food diets. Cats didn't stop and build a small campfire after they caught their mice and cook them did they? Nope, they ate them raw and consumed those juices (blood) just like they were. Cats (and dogs) have special bacteria in their mouths that counteract the bacteria in raw meat, so they don't get sick like we would. The point is current thinking now is the cats don't have to end up with kidney disease when they get older. Or urinary infections. The these are caused by a dry food diet because all of the dry food stresses the kidneys-which are stressed because of the lack of daily fluid intake the cat isn't getting. I never knew any of this until Biru came down with kidney disease at the age of 15. My vet told me to feed him prescription Royal Canin and hope for the best. He had stage 3 kidney disease. Biru got much worse-he was down to skin and bones on that food. By the way he said dry food or canned was fine but to do the fluid therapy which was hanging a pouch of saline solution up and inserting a needle under Biru's skin for a few minutes while the fluid drained into him. He hated it and I hated putting him through that. I hit the internet and did a ton of research for 3 solid weeks. That's when I learned about cat's needing wet food (why on earth would a vet say dry food was fine for a kidney diseased cat? Some of them just don't know) and that Royal Canin is rated one of the worst foods by dogfoodadvisor.com That is a great site by the way. It rates a ton of different pet foods and most importantly tells you why it got the rating it did. I learned a ton on that site. Now you don't have to feed your cat a raw food diet unless you want to-it is the healthiest but a lot of folks don't have the time. Canned cat food works almost as well and is far superior to dry food as far as wetness and fluid needs are concerned. I hope that helps. As far as choosing a canned food, a lot of the same brands of canned cat food have a canned or dry dog food, so you can look up the brand on the dogfoodadvisor list. It will at least tell you how the company rates as a pet food. Debbie in MD.
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Post by paperaddictedpea on Jun 30, 2016 22:46:10 GMT
birukitty , I don't think you're picking on me. I absolutely agree with much of what you've posted. As I said above, I would definitely prefer that my cats eat an all-wet diet (and one pretty much does) but one of my cats just isn't much of a wet food eater. I cannot tell you how many brands and flavors of wet foods I've purchased over the past six years, including some of the commercially available raw foods, many of which were thrown away because one cat or both wouldn't eat them. I've always researched their foods very carefully; researching the manufacturers, reading ingredient lists, checking for recalls, etc. I'm also fortunate to have a great locally-owned pet store with knowledgeable owners and they're a great source of advice. As far as preparing raw food for them, it would be another thing to add to an already full plate (I work 50-ish hours a week, am starting grad school, and also do quite a bit of volunteering) but I'd make the time if I was sure they'd eat it. Maybe I'll try making a batch some time and see how it goes, but for now the canned wet food is the best option. Ultimately, I think that we should educate ourselves as much as we can, and then use that knowledge to make the best choices possible for our own pets based on our own particular situation.
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