I Need Help Convincing My Mom To Start Transitioning Our Cats To Canned Food

I have two cats, Milo
And Morc
Recently we have been having troubles with food for Milo. We’ve tried lots of different brands but haven’t had any luck. For example, some food would make him throw up about an hour after eating. Other food he doesn’t even like. So, I’ve been doing a little research and found that canned food is better than dry food (We only fed him dry food.) The thing is, we’ve tried canned food. But every time he eats it, or even just a tiny bit of chicken, he throws up.

I think this might be because he gets really exited over canned food and eats too fast. And there are ways around that problem, but I’m only twelve so my Mom buys all the food and she doesn’t agree that canned food would be a good change. Even if I tried to buy canned food with my own money, she wouldn’t trust me to feed it to them.

What I want is for people to reply on this thread and list the benefits of canned food verses dry food. So maybe I could convince her to buy canned food (This sounds stupid I know.) and our cats would be healthier and happier.

Thank you for reading. If you have any questions about our cats please ask.

Hi!
I don't know, but maybe this is a start?
How To Choose The Right Food For Your Cat

What Makes The Best Canned Cat Food?

18 Awesome Cat Feeding Tips By Thecatsite Staff Members

Hi. You are going to have to be careful with what you feed Milo given he seems to throw up a lot. He might end up needing foods for a cat with a sensitive digestive system.

However, with any food change made with any cat, it should be done gradually. In other words, don't stop giving dry and only feed canned. You could give them their normal dry but a slightly reduced amount, and add a small amount of canned to their food schedule.

I am not opposed to a canned food diet, but I am also not opposed to a dry and wet food diet. I know a lot of people think canned is better, but it is primarily because cats need a lot of hydration - which canned offers more than dry. And, some cats can get obese from dry because of the carb/calorie content.

If they drink well, are of normal weight, and don't have issues with urinary problems, a mix of both that works well for them isn't all that bad.

Whatever you do to change their food, do it gradually.

Hi there! Has Milo been to the vet about his vomiting? That would be the first thing I would recommend. It could be that he has a food intolerance to a certain ingredient that could appear in both wet food and dry food. There are other potential causes for vomiting in cats, such as intestinal parasites, so it’s best to get him checked out: Your Cat Throwing Up?

abyeb has given you some good advice. I agree that you should be speaking with a vet about your cat vomiting. One other thing to keep in mind is that there is a difference between vomiting (an active process with contractions) and regurgitation (when food just seems to "slip" out). Most cats who eat too fast regurgitate their food. Your vet will want to know if your cat is vomiting or regurgitating to help diagnose the issue.

You'll probably have better luck talking to a vet about your cat's specific diet needs vs telling your mom what a bunch of internet strangers told you. People can be very set in their ways, but hopefully a medical professional can offer you both some more options.

Not all foods are created equal, dry or wet. Cats can also be very sensitive to changes in their diet, which can lead to vomiting and/or diarrhea. What is most important is that your cat gets the nutrition he needs and what he will tolerate. Wet food tends to be better quality than most dry and has the added bonus of adding much needed water (cats sometimes don't drink enough and can be prone to urinary problems) but if he's healthy I wouldn't stress yourself over it too much. If you do try wet food I'd start with giving maybe just a 1/4 can at a time, kind of as a treat, and keep the dry food out to graze on.

Wile said:

abyeb has given you some good advice. I agree that you should be speaking with a vet about your cat vomiting. One other thing to keep in mind is that there is a difference between vomiting (an active process with contractions) and regurgitation (when food just seems to "slip" out). Most cats who eat too fast regurgitate their food. Your vet will want to know if your cat is vomiting or regurgitating to help diagnose the issue.

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To add onto this, my cat Sir was struggling with this 'regurgitation' issue and I thought he was just...puking after meals. If he ate too fast, he'd throw it all back up in his bowl or somewhere nearby. I talked to a vet and they recommended getting him an elevated dish because...well, he was basically eating upside down. It was terrible for his digestive system and esophagus. He had to bend too far to get to his food. I purchased a Necoichi bowl for him in October and he hasn't thrown up once since.

TobiDaDog said:

To add onto this, my cat Sir was struggling with this 'regurgitation' issue and I thought he was just...puking after meals. If he ate too fast, he'd throw it all back up in his bowl or somewhere nearby. I talked to a vet and they recommended getting him an elevated dish because...well, he was basically eating upside down. It was terrible for his digestive system and esophagus. He had to bend too far to get to his food. I purchased a Necoichi bowl for him in October and he hasn't thrown up once since.

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Interesting. Did you try other things first and how often did he throw up? I have a cat who throws up within 20 minutes of eating. We use a book. But he still throws up. But he has good weeks and bad weeks. The vet wants to put him on special food. But dont think it's the good. He has had s good week. Threw up Friday twice. But days before was good. Now 4 days later and hasn't puked :/

momof3b1g said:

Interesting. Did you try other things first and how often did he throw up? I have a cat who throws up within 20 minutes of eating. We use a book. But he still throws up. But he has good weeks and bad weeks. The vet wants to put him on special food. But dont think it's the good. He has had s good week. Threw up Friday twice. But days before was good. Now 4 days later and hasn't puked :/

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He would throw up every time he ate a 'full' meal. 3-5 oz had to be split up into very small portions and he was made to wait to finish it all. And if he scarfed too quickly he would throw up too.
We didn't try much more than portioning his meals. The elevated bowl solution was basically the first from our vet and that worked.

TobiDaDog said:

He would throw up every time he ate a 'full' meal. 3-5 oz had to be split up into very small portions and he was made to wait to finish it all. And if he scarfed too quickly he would throw up too.
We didn't try much more than portioning his meals. The elevated bowl solution was basically the first from our vet and that worked.

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That's interesting the bowl works. 3-5 ounces seems like a lot to eat at one time. 3 maybe. Mine eat smaller meals and I thought I was have trouble with one eating to much. But tried more this week and he is doing fine eating more then I usually give him.