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I am sure he appreciates it very much. Dollar Tree and Walmart sell the larger 13oz cans of friskies food for $1. Can easily get two to three meals out of 1 can. You might try that?
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Cats And Cheap Dry Food.
- Thread starter Neo815
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Good idea. I always put extra. The cat is pretty skittish so I can't feed him directly. I hope he gets some of it because I know the Raccoon, Blue Jays and Squirrels do.
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I'd never feed dry food to any cat mine again. It's a kidney wrecker. Cats can survive on it but not thrive. Feeding strays and ferals is an act of kindness though so I think that's justifiable and hopefully they'll be able source water. I don't have a particularly high opinion of Purina personally. Premium price doesn't necessarily reflect premium quality but premium marketing.
I volunteer at a shelter with a man whose cat recently passed away at 19 years old, having been fed only Meow Mix its entire indoor cat life.
A fed cat is better than a dead cat, imo.
Ferals live "wild and free" but also don't tend to live for more than a few years, often taken down by predators, illness, starvation, poison, cars, etc. The main exception seems to be those getting help from people, living in managed colonies. And managed colonies are usually fed cheaper food! I'd imagine since ferals don't tend to live to be more than 10 (and that's if they're getting help), then it's probably not super likely to see any health impact from a cheaper diet. The kibble is also probably more of a supplement--I suspect most ferals do actually eat things they catch on their own. I wouldn't stress too much about it, since your help, regardless of specific food, is probably gonna have a huge impact on that cat's life.
Ferals live "wild and free" but also don't tend to live for more than a few years, often taken down by predators, illness, starvation, poison, cars, etc. The main exception seems to be those getting help from people, living in managed colonies. And managed colonies are usually fed cheaper food! I'd imagine since ferals don't tend to live to be more than 10 (and that's if they're getting help), then it's probably not super likely to see any health impact from a cheaper diet. The kibble is also probably more of a supplement--I suspect most ferals do actually eat things they catch on their own. I wouldn't stress too much about it, since your help, regardless of specific food, is probably gonna have a huge impact on that cat's life.
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Depends on where you live. My Mom had a feral living in the shed for over 10 years. In the warm months, the cat got Purina and in the Winter, Iams. The cat was probably 15 when he died. Mom was adamant on better quality food in the Winter. Most ferals here don't survive the first winter unless it's mild. I'm not really convinced that Iams is any better than Purina, but our cats get horribly stinky litter box with the current Purina, so I feed iams. However, a higher fat content is important for winter survival and iams had that.
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- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #27
No, they won't, not from being fed raw food.
As I understand it, and raw feeders here will weigh in, but cooking the raw meat slightly especially if purchased from a grocery store, is done to kill the surface bacteria. Here are a couple of articles on the subject;
Feeding Raw To Cats - Safety Concerns
Raw Feeding Cats: Calcium And Bones
Raw Food For Cats - Interview With Pet Nutritionist Dr. Martha Cline
Any food residue on your hands (raw meat or otherwise) may cause your cat to bite you by accident, but raw feeding does not increase aggression or anything like that.
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The only thing i would worry about with feeding the outside cat raw meat, is vitamins and minerals. If you want to feed Raw you will need to check out how to feed correctly, so that it is balanced and complete. I dont think raw food would make them more likely to bite than kibble would.
a complete and balanced cat food, even the cheaper ones will have the vitamin and mineral mix that a cat needs. Cats do need complete and balanced, not just raw, or lightly cooked meat.
a complete and balanced cat food, even the cheaper ones will have the vitamin and mineral mix that a cat needs. Cats do need complete and balanced, not just raw, or lightly cooked meat.
As far as them biting more, that shouldn't be an issue. BUT raw meat is not sufficient nutrition, and aside from a *small* piece as a treat, would be dangerous to feed on it's own. Personally, I'm not big on raw feeding, but as long as it's properly balanced, it is an option. However, that's probably a lot of work to put into feeding a feral cat that is probably hunting on its own and really just needs supplementary help from people.
I mean, if it's something you're really into, a feral cat is probably quite content to eat whole prey. You can buy feeder mice or chicks (pre-killed) and feed them whole (or chopped up if you can stomach it), which is certainly more balanced than just the meat you get at the grocery store. Quite a bit less room for error.
A dear friend who lives far away (in another country, in fact) has taken to feeding a feral colony of about thirty cats and also getting them de-sexed and vaccinated. It is an act of generous kindness of the first degree as she can barely afford it. She gets dry food donated and also buys it in large bags and it is not the expensive kind. Her colony is thriving and everyone is looking so much better. In such situation commercial dry cat food is far superior to starving and being malnourished and also the conflicts and injuries cats may inflict on each other when there's deprivation. My friends feral colony is remarkably peaceable and until you try to get close to the cats (and they skedaddle) you'd think these are clean decently fed lovely looking felines.
What I am trying to say is BLESS YOU for taking care of a feral, and I am pretty sure any food you give them is of enormous help.
My home cats get very good quality food, but DH had cats many years ago that lived beautiful long & healthy lives on inexpensive dry cat food. He doesn't understand my fussing (especially since $ is tight) and is convinced any food is fine. Feeding a cat that doesn't even enter the house or allows petting is very generous.
What I am trying to say is BLESS YOU for taking care of a feral, and I am pretty sure any food you give them is of enormous help.
My home cats get very good quality food, but DH had cats many years ago that lived beautiful long & healthy lives on inexpensive dry cat food. He doesn't understand my fussing (especially since $ is tight) and is convinced any food is fine. Feeding a cat that doesn't even enter the house or allows petting is very generous.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #33
The cat has a kitten with her. It is still on mother's milk. I have kitten dry food for it. But when I feed its mother adult cat food, it starts to eat with her.
Is adult cat food safe for kittens? I can't touch them or separate because they are both skittish.
Can a kitten eat cat treats? I gave it a few and the kitten ate enthusiastically.
Is adult cat food safe for kittens? I can't touch them or separate because they are both skittish.
Can a kitten eat cat treats? I gave it a few and the kitten ate enthusiastically.
About the treats, I'd say a couple/few but that maybe would be about it, only every few days or so. Are you working on taming the kitten?
About the cat food, can you find an All Life Stages variety? ...or... heck, just do this, mix the kitten dry food with the adult cat food since you already have that on hand.
About the cat food, can you find an All Life Stages variety? ...or... heck, just do this, mix the kitten dry food with the adult cat food since you already have that on hand.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #35
