Canned Food Advice

[Winston]

I have been feeding both my 2 cats the Venison & GP for about a month maybe a bit longer ! They absolutely love it! I tried the Duck and GP & they ate some but they dont wat it all like they do with the other.

I have 2 questions (Sugarcatmom!) First off are they eating enough? I can only seem to get them to eat between 1/2 can to 3/4 each per day. A couple of good things I have noticed are their poops are solid not runny any more! (sorry for the detail!) and secondly I think they both have gained some weight! Yay!! I dont mind the weight gain because they are both small cats. Tabitha has been 6 lbs and Bomber has been 8 lbs all their lives! it never has ever changed! and they are both 12yrs young! So it wont hurt them to gain a bit!

They are still eating the dry but not nearly as much.

Secondly is it okay to just feed them the one flavor? I worry they will get sick of this and then I will be stuck...If anyone remembers I have tried just about every brand on the market til Sugarcatmom suggested this one and it has worked..

Cindy

[sugarcatmom]

Glad to hear they still like the food! As for how much to feed, if their weight is good and the don't act starving all the time, then it's probably just right. Very loosely (because every cat is different) the guideline is 20-30 calories per lb of ideal weight, per day. So at say, 6 lbs, that would be somewhere between 120-180 cal/day. A half can of NB venison is about 78 calories, so if they're making up the difference with some kibble nibbles, then it's all good.

I generally think it is better to provide a bit of variety, if possible, kind of like not putting all your eggs in one basket. My cat insists on having something different for every meal, but if yours really like eating the same thing (and lots of cats do prefer routine) then I wouldn't sweat it too much. Maybe offer something else now and then, if for no other reason than to reinforce their appreciation for their usual food.

Do your cats ever go for plain chicken meat or small pieces of steak, etc? If you can augment their diet with some fresh food (not more than 10-15% or you through off the nutrient balance), that would also be beneficial.

[Chris21711]

I tried the Venison and GP Winston, remember you mentioned it in one of L4H's threads, neither of them liked it much. I tried the Wellness grain free, 1 yes 1 no. What other brands are good ones that come with a bit of gravy, any ideas?

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by Chris21711

What other brands are good ones that come with a bit of gravy, any ideas?

Merrick tends to be more stew-like than pate, maybe something like that would go over better.

[clm]

You could try some of the natures variety instinct canned foods. My picky cats love the rabbit variety. I recently tried the Before Grains canned chicken as well and they love that one too. Slowly but surely mine are liking the better quality foods. They're are more and more of them out there than ever before so I keep buying a few cans of different ones every week for them to try.

Cindy

[Chris21711]

Originally Posted by sugarcatmom

Merrick tends to be more stew-like than pate, maybe something like that would go over better.

Originally Posted by clm

You could try some of the natures variety instinct canned foods. My picky cats love the rabbit variety. I recently tried the Before Grains canned chicken as well and they love that one too. Slowly but surely mine are liking the better quality foods. They're are more and more of them out there than ever before so I keep buying a few cans of different ones every week for them to try.

Cindy

Thanks, I will try both of them. I do mix water with their canned food. I also try different ones but I hate having to throw away their food because it has been sitting too long.

[Winston]

Well I thought I would update this thread since its been awhile!

Things are progressing very good with the soft food these days (knock on wood!) but previosuly I had tried almost every brand of food and the only one Tabitha would eat was the vension and green pea.....then she finally got sick of it and went on to just duck and green pea...and once again she must have got tired of it and would leave it. So lately what I have been doing is adding a new can to the mix each week to see what she will eat. WE have made progress..she will now eat:

Natures Balance Dick Van Pattens Brand ONLY!

Turkey and Giblets
Salmon
Tuna
Chicken and Liver
Venison & GP
Duck & GP

The trick for her seems to be giving it to her once a week and she will eat it but GOD FORBID you should give it to her twice in a row!

I am so very happy that I have made this change, their poops have also gone from being runny and bloody to harder formed poops! (yeah for poops!)

[Love4himies]

Giving the same flavour twice in a row to a cat . Winston that is not allowed to be done, haven't your read the cat slave laws?



So glad to hear she is doing well on it.

[Winston]

L4H I know! can you imagine ? they ate the venison for at least a month before they got sick of it...but they would snub anything else I left down..They must have got smart though cause they tried all those new flavors!