#31
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oh really? my vet recommend dry and wet as a treat.
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#32
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That's where a dog crate comes in handy.....have one cat always eat its meals in the dog crate (or another room). Problems sometimes arise for a cat that likes to eat only a little and then graze the rest of the day with one that'a a piggy who eats all its food at once and cleans up other cat's food as well! If that's the situation, you may have to just feed them their morning meals, and then remove any uneaten food if you have to go to work, give them an early evening meal, and a late evening "snack". You may have to adjust quantity of food with growth spurt with your 8 mo. kitten. You'll have to observe on weekends how much food they need to eat at one meal.
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"We humans are indeed fortunate if we happen to be chosen to be owned by a cat." -- Anonymous |
#33
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I know. It's unfortunate, isn't it? Please take a look at the site. It will amaze you.
__________________
Assumptions do nothing but make an ass out of u and me. We can stick our heads in the sand for only so long before it starts choking us. Face it folks. The pet population is bad ALL OVER THE WORLD! |
#34
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i would gladly switch him over. but my bf is the opposite and sees nothing wrong with dry food. we do have him on a very healthy one, very low ash and real meat as the ingredient, and not meal
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#35
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Could you tell us what food it is? Maybe your bf can read the site as well. As I said, it's an eye opener.
__________________
Assumptions do nothing but make an ass out of u and me. We can stick our heads in the sand for only so long before it starts choking us. Face it folks. The pet population is bad ALL OVER THE WORLD! |
#36
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it truly is though we cant afford to do a raw diet. we feed him authority. can we maybe feed him wet in the morning and night and just leave out a tiny bit of dry during the day?
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#37
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Quote:
i do feed my cats moist morning and night and some dry inbetween. i know dry food isn't good for them but they don't really much of it because i think they love the wet so much more. i'm hoping to get them off dry totally. i mean i think it works good for them but again there are a lot more people here with a lot more experience then me
__________________
Today is the Tomorrow you worried about Yesterday. Cats leave pawprints on our hearts forever Eclipse July 23th 2004 Serena July 23th 2004 Stormy April 20 2007 Zoey RIP March 2006-April 2 2007 |
#38
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how much wet do you give them? im new to wet food. i have always given my cats dry
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#39
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Quote:
While the optimal canned foods would be the grain/corn/by product free foods sometimes being on a budget means not being able to afford the best. So.......move to some of the others - The canned can even be some of the Fancy Feasts. Stay away from the ones with gravies as they cantain wheat gluten, the major cause of the last huge food recall. There are some not badly priced foods available. If you are feeding the best quality dry food then you are paying a big price for it so switching to canned you may find you are maybe saving some money. Check out pet food stores and see what they have available. There is a comment on that site - The worse canned food is still better than the best dry food out there. The thing is with dry cats never get enough water into their systems. They need to have their liquids/fluids with their food. Not beside it. Because of their nature they have a very low thirst drive. Unfortunately by the time you see a cat drinking water they are already on their way to being dehydrated. That is why a canned food diet is so important to them. The money you pay now for a good quality canned food means a lot less money spent at the vets in later years trying to fix the problems the dry food has caused.
__________________
Assumptions do nothing but make an ass out of u and me. We can stick our heads in the sand for only so long before it starts choking us. Face it folks. The pet population is bad ALL OVER THE WORLD! |
#40
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can i leave out a bit of dry during the day? he is so use to it. as well, how much wet do we give in a day to him? and can you recommend a good brand?
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#41
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Quote:
With two cats you will probably find one large can (12 oz or something) a day is more than enough. Of course with one being a kitten still he will eat more. Start off with half a can in the morning and see how it goes. It's not so much the amount as it is the amount of calories. That should be approx 25- 30 calories per pound per cat a day. It won't take long for you to figure out how much food your cat(s) require in a day.
__________________
Assumptions do nothing but make an ass out of u and me. We can stick our heads in the sand for only so long before it starts choking us. Face it folks. The pet population is bad ALL OVER THE WORLD! |
#42
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thank u so much
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#43
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This is a section of the site that tells you what to look for in a canned food. Maybe that will give you a starting point when you go looking for foods. http://www.catinfo.org/commercialcannedfoods.htm I think that's enough info for you to assimilate in one day. I know it's a lot to learn but once you know it it's golden.
__________________
Assumptions do nothing but make an ass out of u and me. We can stick our heads in the sand for only so long before it starts choking us. Face it folks. The pet population is bad ALL OVER THE WORLD! |
#44
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its alot to learn lol i just want to make sure i do the right thing
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#45
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Quote:
Please read that link that 14+ sent, it is full of wonderful info on cat nutrition. Kibble should only be an occasional treat for cats. They are carnivores and all their nutritional needs comes from meat. Your cat will be so much healthier with a good quality canned. I make my own homemade raw (use the recipe in the link above). It costs me about 50 cents for 5.5 oz of raw and $2.50-$3.00 for a can of quality canned (Nature's Variety Instinct). But not everybody is into making their own raw.
__________________
Cat maid to: Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 13 yrs) Jasper RIP (2001-2018) Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014) Puddles RIP (1996-2014) Snowball RIP (1991-2005) In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats.-English Proverb “While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions.” Stephen R. Covey |
#46
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I feed my cat both. no problems. You also have to remember that wet food sitting out is only good for an hour. after that it starts to grow bacteria on it and should be thrown out. Unless your cat eats everything in its bowl, it will go to waste.
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#47
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Where did you get this info NG? Raw food yes. Canned, . I have never had an issue leaving canned food out. Even with all my cats.
__________________
Assumptions do nothing but make an ass out of u and me. We can stick our heads in the sand for only so long before it starts choking us. Face it folks. The pet population is bad ALL OVER THE WORLD! |
#48
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Hi 14kitties: I mean canned. I was told this by my professors when I was in college for Vet tech a few years back...in my animal nutition class. After it has been out for a bit..it starts to turn more of a brownish colour..which is the bacteria growing on it.
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#49
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You have gotten a lot of great advice already,I just wanted to add,it's great you are considering the 4yr old kitty.
4 yrs is in no way old for a cat,who could live to be 20yrs old. I'd say at 4 he's more like a teenager in the cat-world and has a lot of living and playing to do. It will be heaven for him to finally have his own home.
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"The cruelest animal is the Human animal" 3 kitties,Rocky(r.i.p my boy),Chico,Vinnie |
#50
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Quote:
Some ways to keep canned "fresh": 1) add a tablespoon or 2 of water to prevent it from drying out as fast, 2) use a timed feeder with freezer gel-packs in it, 3) freeze canned food in an ice-cube tray and plop a couple frozen chunks into a dish to slowly thaw out over the course of the day, 4) and if you're home, just feed several small meals a day. Quote:
The "brownish colour" is just the meat oxidizing and a crust forming as it dries out. Even when bacteria does flourish (and if you think kibble is free of bacteria, think again), cats have digestive systems well suited to handling a higher bacteria load than us mere humans. It's short, so the food is in and out relatively quickly, limiting the ability of bacteria to colonize in the intestines. It's also more acidic, making it a pretty hostile environment for bacteria to set up shop. Having said that, some things are common sense - like don't leave wet food out for more than a day, and make sure you wash the dish with soap and water between every meal. And if your pet has a compromised immune system, be extra cautious.
__________________
"To close your eyes will not ease another's pain." ~ Chinese Proverb “We must not refuse to see with our eyes what they must endure with their bodies.” ~ Gretchen Wyler |
#51
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Quote:
__________________
There are only two rules at my house: House rule #1. Cats rule. House rule #2. See rule #1. http://nuriaandthegang.shutterfly.com/ |
#52
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2 are definitely better than 1..
As for the dry versus can, I do both. My Casper has had a very sensitive tummy since he was a kitten, he can't have canned. If he does, he pukes it up. And trust me, I have spent alot of money on tests. He does well on a good quality dry and drinks well. Winnie loves her canned. But I have to stand there till she is done so Casper doesn't get it. I made that mistake a few times. Casper ate a tiny bit that was left over, he puked right away. And with the hours/shifts I work, I will not let my cats starve. So dry is left out. The funny thing is, 2 co-workers have had to take their males in for crystals. Theses cats were raised on wet.
__________________
"A dog can express more with his tail in minutes than his owner can express with his tongue in hours." |
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