Couple of questions

[sunlion]

I have a few questions on assorted topics, so I'm not sure where to put them, I figure this is the best bet.

Sparky is our kitten, he's about 5 and a half months old and hasn't been neutered yet, just for reference. Blackie is a neutered 4-year-old male.

I have never noticed any of my cats having eyelashes, but Sparky seems to have some rather long ones. Did I just miss this on others, or is it unusual?

Often when I pet Sparky, he rolls onto his back to get his belly rubbed, and I notice he has an erection. I've never noticed that with any of my other boys before. Is this because he's an adolescent?

And a food question: I have been feeding the boys grocery store cat food (9 Lives, Friskies) and while I know it's not optimum, at the moment it's a money issue. They seem to have a preference for the chunks in gravy kinds rather than the ground kind. Does this mean they aren't getting enough water? Sparky also doesn't seem to be growing as quickly as I would have expected, is that because of the cat food? Should I switch back to kitten food (which he doesn't eat, he eats out of Blackie's dish and Blackie eats the kitten food) or is it just a plateau, or maybe he just isn't going to be very big?

Thanks for your answers!

 

[Anne]

I think the eyelashes are not a problem as long as they are not inverted or anything like that.

As for the erection... well, that's the first I heard of

I know that dogs can get that when they're excited but I never heard of a cat that is like that. Maybe someone else will have a clue

As for the food, I think it's probably a preference to a specific flavor. By the way, canned food is a lot more expensive than dry food (you pay a lot of money for something that is at least 80% water). Dry food is also healthier for the teeth. You may want to reconsider switching to a quality dry cat food. The more expensive types are richer in nutrients and the cats usually eat less of them. They may actually be cheaper than what you're feeding now.

BTW, I'm moving this to the health and nutrition forum - I think that most of these (fascinating) issues belong there.

 

[sunlion]

Actually we leave dry food out for them all the time, and the wet food is mostly to keep them out of our plates during dinner. I usually split a can between them, and they get very excited about it. If they don't get it, they will follow me into the kitchen all evening and cry. So I was thinking maybe it's more of a water issue, because they have plenty of dry food if they are hungry. Though I suppose they could just be spoiled little fuzz boys

 

[vjoy]

Danielle has dry food out all the time. She eats it, but I give her a little wet food at night and in the morrning. She meows at me to give her the wet food. She does drink plenty of water, so I think with her is is more of a yummy treat.