We have two five-year-old boys, Andy and Ollie. We've had them since they were six-months-old. In the last couple weeks, Andy was acting a little weird about the litter box- going in and out repeatedly, somewhat frequently, pawing at the litter a lot. No other behavioral changes, eating & drinking seemed normal, and we didn't see anything concerning in the litter box.
After a few days of this, we decided to take Andy to the vet for a urine test. The vet found nothing to indicate crystals or an infection, but he did note a higher than normal red blood cell count, which he thinks could just be caused by some inflammation in his urinary tract and he recommended trying an all-wet diet for Andy for a few weeks, then re-testing.
We currently free-feed dry food (Wellness Grain-Free Indoor Formula, Chicken), which they both eat. We try to feed them Weruva wet food, usually the "Grandma's Chicken Soup" flavor- Andy loves it, but he'll eat anything. Ollie is super-picky about wet food. He'll usually eat the gravy, but ignores the solid parts. We discovered recently that he'll eat a little more solid if one of us stands there with him, so I guess he's a social eater.
We both work full-time during the day- my husband gives them a small portion of wet food in the morning (Andy finishes whatever Ollie leaves) and the dry food is out all day. They get another small portion of wet food when we get home. Andy is also a FAST eater, so is prone to throwing up after eating too quickly whether it's wet or dry. He probably throws up every other day, but it's within 15 minutes or so of eating, and it's usually undigested food (maybe some fur)- no blood, no bile.
So, our plan is to get a microchip feeder for the dry food so that only Ollie can get it. We'll go from two wet food servings to three for Andy, but we're not sure how much in terms of ounces if that's all he's getting. And we were thinking of trying one of those "minimal ingredient" wet foods just in case he does have a sensitive stomach and that's contributing to the puking. Also maybe one of those raised, slanted food bowls so he's eating in the ideal position. If we're doing this for his health and are going to be spending more money on food, I want to give it the best chance of success.
Any advice on amount of food? Andy is a lean and lanky 12lbs- the vet says he's the perfect weight for his frame. He's very energetic and food-motivated, so I think he burns a lot of calories, but like I said, he also eats quickly, so it's going to have to be broken up into small portions. When he was a kitten, we tried one of those silicone inserts in his bowl that's supposed to slow down their eating and he chewed through it
Any thoughts on type of food? Is it worth trying new food or should I not change a variable?
ETA: We thought he's been drinking enough water, but maybe he's not. We use a regular water bowl, but keep it across the room from the food- that increased water consumption for our previous cats. We tried a fountain with the previous cats, but once you've come home to find someone has vomited in the fountain and it's cycled through all day and you have to clean that out of every nook and cranny, you give up on the fountain
After a few days of this, we decided to take Andy to the vet for a urine test. The vet found nothing to indicate crystals or an infection, but he did note a higher than normal red blood cell count, which he thinks could just be caused by some inflammation in his urinary tract and he recommended trying an all-wet diet for Andy for a few weeks, then re-testing.
We currently free-feed dry food (Wellness Grain-Free Indoor Formula, Chicken), which they both eat. We try to feed them Weruva wet food, usually the "Grandma's Chicken Soup" flavor- Andy loves it, but he'll eat anything. Ollie is super-picky about wet food. He'll usually eat the gravy, but ignores the solid parts. We discovered recently that he'll eat a little more solid if one of us stands there with him, so I guess he's a social eater.
We both work full-time during the day- my husband gives them a small portion of wet food in the morning (Andy finishes whatever Ollie leaves) and the dry food is out all day. They get another small portion of wet food when we get home. Andy is also a FAST eater, so is prone to throwing up after eating too quickly whether it's wet or dry. He probably throws up every other day, but it's within 15 minutes or so of eating, and it's usually undigested food (maybe some fur)- no blood, no bile.
So, our plan is to get a microchip feeder for the dry food so that only Ollie can get it. We'll go from two wet food servings to three for Andy, but we're not sure how much in terms of ounces if that's all he's getting. And we were thinking of trying one of those "minimal ingredient" wet foods just in case he does have a sensitive stomach and that's contributing to the puking. Also maybe one of those raised, slanted food bowls so he's eating in the ideal position. If we're doing this for his health and are going to be spending more money on food, I want to give it the best chance of success.
Any advice on amount of food? Andy is a lean and lanky 12lbs- the vet says he's the perfect weight for his frame. He's very energetic and food-motivated, so I think he burns a lot of calories, but like I said, he also eats quickly, so it's going to have to be broken up into small portions. When he was a kitten, we tried one of those silicone inserts in his bowl that's supposed to slow down their eating and he chewed through it
Any thoughts on type of food? Is it worth trying new food or should I not change a variable?
ETA: We thought he's been drinking enough water, but maybe he's not. We use a regular water bowl, but keep it across the room from the food- that increased water consumption for our previous cats. We tried a fountain with the previous cats, but once you've come home to find someone has vomited in the fountain and it's cycled through all day and you have to clean that out of every nook and cranny, you give up on the fountain
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