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- Aug 7, 2006
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From a concerned roommate-of-a-cat-owner,
Not too long ago my roommate and his girlfriend brought in a stray cat: A pathetic creature seemingly not long for this world, they (actually, his girlfriend) were overwhelmed by its affability; unphased by its Feline Leukemia, broken leg, tragic malnourishment, mange, and eye and respiratory infection; indifferent towards our apartment complex's policy against cats. Without asking, they brought the cat home.
I gave it four weeks to live.
Against all odds, the cat has lived several months longer than was expected of it.
The pair dutifully saw to its eye and respiratory infection, sparing no expense for its medication and treatment. They saw to its neutering (I initially feared that that doing so might cause it to lose much of its zest and liveliness; I am very relieved to say it is just as playful and insane as it ever was ^_^). The girlfriend, whom had taken over absolute dominance over the cat's care, insisted that dry food was enough for a cat whose ribs were nearly piercing through; whose fur was peeling off whenever it cleaned itself. She also insisted that, even though the broken leg had healed wrong and needed to be broken and reset, it was much more important that it be declawed.
Needless to say, I ignored her "expertise" regarding the cat's diet, and started it on 9 Lives...the canned, meaty variety.
Nearly a month and a half later, and you could never tell that this cat was the Ethiopian refugee of household pets.
She's since learned her lesson, this girl: She still feeds the cat dry food, but has since added canned food to the mix. However, the two of us have come to a head regarding *which* canned food to feed it. I stick to the tried-and-true guns of 9 Lives; she insists that the tiny cans of Meijer-brand premium cat food -- the kind that resembles a greasy jello mold -- are the better brand. Her reasoning: She read on a web site that 9 Lives was the worst kind of food for cats; that it was all meat; that it was unhealthy for a cat with Feline Leukemia. (A shift from her original testimony that her vet told her that 9 Lives was a bad brand.)
Exposition concluded, I was wondering if anyone here could educate me on what food I should go with. Several sites I've visited have listed *neither* brand as being particularly good or bad for a cat. But I would like the advice of actual cat owners themselves, since some sites can have less than objective opinions on what brands to choose from.
I appreciate any advice or opinions anyone here could offer. While this is *not* my cat, I feel responsible for its well-being.
Thank you all very much.
The Chosen One
Oh, and a ps: When de-clawing a cat, should you remove both the front AND the back claws? It doesn't seem right to me, but I've been wrong before.
Not too long ago my roommate and his girlfriend brought in a stray cat: A pathetic creature seemingly not long for this world, they (actually, his girlfriend) were overwhelmed by its affability; unphased by its Feline Leukemia, broken leg, tragic malnourishment, mange, and eye and respiratory infection; indifferent towards our apartment complex's policy against cats. Without asking, they brought the cat home.
I gave it four weeks to live.
Against all odds, the cat has lived several months longer than was expected of it.
The pair dutifully saw to its eye and respiratory infection, sparing no expense for its medication and treatment. They saw to its neutering (I initially feared that that doing so might cause it to lose much of its zest and liveliness; I am very relieved to say it is just as playful and insane as it ever was ^_^). The girlfriend, whom had taken over absolute dominance over the cat's care, insisted that dry food was enough for a cat whose ribs were nearly piercing through; whose fur was peeling off whenever it cleaned itself. She also insisted that, even though the broken leg had healed wrong and needed to be broken and reset, it was much more important that it be declawed.
Needless to say, I ignored her "expertise" regarding the cat's diet, and started it on 9 Lives...the canned, meaty variety.
Nearly a month and a half later, and you could never tell that this cat was the Ethiopian refugee of household pets.
She's since learned her lesson, this girl: She still feeds the cat dry food, but has since added canned food to the mix. However, the two of us have come to a head regarding *which* canned food to feed it. I stick to the tried-and-true guns of 9 Lives; she insists that the tiny cans of Meijer-brand premium cat food -- the kind that resembles a greasy jello mold -- are the better brand. Her reasoning: She read on a web site that 9 Lives was the worst kind of food for cats; that it was all meat; that it was unhealthy for a cat with Feline Leukemia. (A shift from her original testimony that her vet told her that 9 Lives was a bad brand.)
Exposition concluded, I was wondering if anyone here could educate me on what food I should go with. Several sites I've visited have listed *neither* brand as being particularly good or bad for a cat. But I would like the advice of actual cat owners themselves, since some sites can have less than objective opinions on what brands to choose from.
I appreciate any advice or opinions anyone here could offer. While this is *not* my cat, I feel responsible for its well-being.
Thank you all very much.
The Chosen One
Oh, and a ps: When de-clawing a cat, should you remove both the front AND the back claws? It doesn't seem right to me, but I've been wrong before.