Not Sure What To Feed?

miraclecats

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Hi My friend told me Iams cat food was good so I got the indoor formula and am feeding them that. But, I see a lot of posts about wet food? One of my cats is under a year, so still a kitten and growing and the other the vet estimates at about a year and a half. is wet food needed? A combination? What is suggested? They are neutered males and big. Thanks.
 

abyeb

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Wet food is generally considered healthier for cats than dry because of the higher moisture content which helps keep cats hydrated, as well as making it less calorie dense, which helps prevent cats from overeating. Some people will schedule feed wet food (because you can’t leave it out all day), and then leave out dry food for grazing, which works well as long as your cats aren’t the scarf n’ barf type.
 

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Wet food is really good for cats because it gives them extra moisture and helps prevent urinary problems! I feed a combination, because that's what fits my budget, but a lot of people here feed all wet.
 
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miraclecats

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I tried the wet food but they both got real bad diarrhea so put back on dry. I fed Friskies canned. What food do you recommend?
 

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Keep trying brands and varieties to find what their palates and systems like :). I use wet (I leave it out all day with no troubles), dry and some frozen raw, where it's a rotation of brands I've pinned down that work. Good luck!
 

Lari

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I tried the wet food but they both got real bad diarrhea so put back on dry. I fed Friskies canned. What food do you recommend?
I mean, it's going to depend on the individual cat. Mine was on Purina Pro Plan Kitten dry and I'm not sure what wet when I got her, and I switched her over to Wellness Core (wet right away and dry slowly by mixing) because that's what my boyfriend's cat eats and I figured it would be best having them eat the same when we move in together. She's doing really well on it so far, but I can't promise it would be the same for yours.
 

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I heat up 1-2 teaspoons of wet food, add to it a good amount of cut-up boiled meat ( that I prep every few days ) and add some dry food for vitamins. It all mixes up & smells good even to me. The kitten loves it & never leaves anything in the bowl & it ends up being much cheaper than buying wet food all the time. However - yes, only feeding dry food is bad, & leaving it for grazing throughout the day is double the injury. Cats hunt, eat, groom, sleep. I think it's best to play with them, feed them & let them fend by themselves.

Also there was a time I had switched my kitten to only dry food & not only that probably was bad for his health, but his behavior was crazy! He would sleep very little ( odd for a kitten ) and run around fast & furious for hours! He wouldn't calm down, it was like when a person is on sugar high. Fortunately I got him off of it quite soon & he stopped being the Satan.
 

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I heat up 1-2 teaspoons of wet food, add to it a good amount of cut-up boiled meat ( that I prep every few days ) and add some dry food for vitamins. It all mixes up & smells good even to me. The kitten loves it & never leaves anything in the bowl & it ends up being much cheaper than buying wet food all the time. However - yes, only feeding dry food is bad, & leaving it for grazing throughout the day is double the injury. Cats hunt, eat, groom, sleep. I think it's best to play with them, feed them & let them fend by themselves.

Also there was a time I had switched my kitten to only dry food & not only that probably was bad for his health, but his behavior was crazy! He would sleep very little ( odd for a kitten ) and run around fast & furious for hours! He wouldn't calm down, it was like when a person is on sugar high. Fortunately I got him off of it quite soon & he stopped being the Satan.
Please be careful doing this. Adding dry food to the mix does not really help with the vitamin content. If you want to offer home cooked food as treats, it is not supposed to be more than 10% of a cat's diet. If you want boiled meat to be a meal, it needs to be supplemented with an actual vitamin mix.
 

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I tried the wet food but they both got real bad diarrhea so put back on dry. I fed Friskies canned. What food do you recommend?

Dr. Lisa Pierson (a vet nutrition specialist) warns that when transitioning from dry to wet food you can expect some temporary diarrhea because dry food is more 'binding.' Unless your cats were both allergic to the Friskies, they would have developed more normal stools in time.
 

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I encouraged my mom to give wet food to her cats, but she also stopped when they got diarrhea. I've always had a super bad opinion of wet food (it's bad food, cats get addicted, it makes them fat...), I've been wondering where that comes from because all the debate about moisture and ingredients makes total sense! Feeding dry and adding wet food in a smaller portion in the am and pm is a great idea. You need to find something your cat tolerates (but expect a transition period) and that keeps him healthy. From what I read, moisture is extremely important.
 

Tagrendy

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Please be careful doing this. Adding dry food to the mix does not really help with the vitamin content. If you want to offer home cooked food as treats, it is not supposed to be more than 10% of a cat's diet. If you want boiled meat to be a meal, it needs to be supplemented with an actual vitamin mix.
Ok, maybe I will get a multivitamin for cats & add some there. I don't understand though, isn't meat natural cat food? How do they survive in nature if it's vitamin deficient for them?
 

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Ok, maybe I will get a multivitamin for cats & add some there. I don't understand though, isn't meat natural cat food? How do they survive in nature if it's vitamin deficient for them?
Meat is a cats natural food. But in the wild they eat the whole animal that they catch. Meat, organs and bone, this is how they survive without a deficiency. A Mouse, or some such catch, is a complete and balanced meal.
 

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I adopted my 4 1/2 year old last October and started out with dry food because that is what the shelter had her on and, as my first cat/pet ever, I didn't know better. After researching canned vs. dry, I switched to the canned because it was recommended for weight control [lower in carbs, higher in protein]. She should weigh 10 pounds and came to me over 13 pounds. FYI: she'd clearly had canned before--unless cats are born knowing what a breaking vacuum seal means?

My concern is that, based upon the calories she should have a day, one can in the a.m. and one in the p.m. plus a few treats [only when I get home from work], leaves her a little short on calories. I had been putting a tiny amount--think teaspoon--in a wobbler feeder and trying to teach her to play with that to get the food.

But, she had dental surgery a few days ago and, as her appetite returns, wants more than the 2 cans. Unfortunately, I was told to only give wet food for a week for her mouth to heal. The only other soft food I have to give IS treats. Note: I have been off work this past week; when I return to work next week, I won't be home. I don't want her in the habit of expecting mid-day meals because I won't be here to do that.
 

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FYI: she'd clearly had canned before--unless cats are born knowing what a breaking vacuum seal means?
--Heh :yummy: :lovecat2: :runningcat:
So, the main thing in my opinion is that you want to be able to lightly feel her ribs but not see them, rather than going by the numbers quite so much. Also, as a thought, there are quite a few people including myself that don't have any problems of wet food going bad even when it's left out for the day. Other soft/liquid means of nutrition for you to consider would be plain 100% pumpkin, goat milk, sardines and/or mackerel, hard boiled or cooked whole egg (both white and yolk), homemade pedialyte, non-onion/non-garlic baby food. Also, down the road IMO some kibble in between times isn't necessarily a bad thing now that you have her on wet (lucky you, sounds like the transition was no big deal lol), and is actually better than too many treats. Bless your heart for being such a caring cat person!
 

duckpond

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I adopted my 4 1/2 year old last October and started out with dry food because that is what the shelter had her on and, as my first cat/pet ever, I didn't know better. After researching canned vs. dry, I switched to the canned because it was recommended for weight control [lower in carbs, higher in protein]. She should weigh 10 pounds and came to me over 13 pounds. FYI: she'd clearly had canned before--unless cats are born knowing what a breaking vacuum seal means?

My concern is that, based upon the calories she should have a day, one can in the a.m. and one in the p.m. plus a few treats [only when I get home from work], leaves her a little short on calories. I had been putting a tiny amount--think teaspoon--in a wobbler feeder and trying to teach her to play with that to get the food.

But, she had dental surgery a few days ago and, as her appetite returns, wants more than the 2 cans. Unfortunately, I was told to only give wet food for a week for her mouth to heal. The only other soft food I have to give IS treats. Note: I have been off work this past week; when I return to work next week, I won't be home. I don't want her in the habit of expecting mid-day meals because I won't be here to do that.
If feeding only wet for now and 2 cans is not enough, maybe a can before work, one when you get home, then another can right before bed time? I think its the total for the day that will matter, they don't have to be split into morning, noon, and evening. and once you can feed dry again you could feed the two cans of wet, then leave out the correct amount of dry to get the calorie count where it needs to be, if you plan to incorporate dry in her diet. I do feed wet and dry, but i know some only want to feed one or the other.
 

LAL

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I actually would prefer to not feed the dry at all. I just happen to have some left from before I switched. There is SO much in a bag of dry that it would be stale before I got done using it as a mini meal. I may try a 1/2 can at bedtime [mine], refrigerate the rest for the next evening--to end up feeding 2 1/2 cans a day. Since she prefers the salmon and tuna varieties of the canned and they are lower calorie count than the chicken, it won't hurt her to do 3 full cans a few days of the week--if it is all fishy. [Not going to go to fish varieties exclusively or that is all she'll eat. And, she is willing to eat the chicken or turkey , so she WILL keep eating it.]
 

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Sounds like a great plan. I have the same thing of not feeding a lot of kibble so a bag lasts a while, so I portion it into smaller zip bags, get as much air put of each bag as I can and those go into a tightly lidded bin. :sunshine:
 
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LAL

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Sounds like a great plan. I have the same thing of not feeding a lot of kibble so a bag lasts a while, so I portion it into smaller zip bags, get as much air put of each bag as I can and those go into a tightly lidded bin. :sunshine:
I love that idea! Also, do you think that kibble and dry treats [Friskies] would be ok in the freezer?
 

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I was debating that, --i think so. I have some of his treats in the fridge to extend their "shelf life" which seems to be working, the Big Guy eats them :)
 

duckpond

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I actually would prefer to not feed the dry at all. I just happen to have some left from before I switched. There is SO much in a bag of dry that it would be stale before I got done using it as a mini meal. I may try a 1/2 can at bedtime [mine], refrigerate the rest for the next evening--to end up feeding 2 1/2 cans a day. Since she prefers the salmon and tuna varieties of the canned and they are lower calorie count than the chicken, it won't hurt her to do 3 full cans a few days of the week--if it is all fishy. [Not going to go to fish varieties exclusively or that is all she'll eat. And, she is willing to eat the chicken or turkey , so she WILL keep eating it.]
a lot of people don't feed dry. But just so you know, as an option many of the brands, my favorite Dr. Elsey's included, do have the small 2 lb bags for sell as well. i buy those as treats, or to try a new food. so if you wanted a little dry around for occasions those might be an option, rather than a large bag that would go stale. But your plan with the canned food sounds good as well :)
 
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