Friskies

[dn-wake]

Hey guys, I've been feeding my kitten 1 whole can of wet food daily *split into two portions for day and night* along with leaving out dry food during the day for it to munch on. Is this a good idea? Also, is Friskies a good brand of wet food?

 

[laureen227]

schedule-wise, that's fine. there are better foods available than Friskies, tho.

 

[dn-wake]

What brand do you reccomend for my kitten?

 

[laureen227]

that's something you'll have to decide... but these threads/articles may help!
what food do you use & why?
the essentials of kitten nutrition
what do i need to know about feeding my cat?
cat nutrition - a recap
choosing the right food for your cat
HTH!

 

[dn-wake]

Half of the time, I feed my cat with cold food directly from the fridge. I tried once to microwave the food a bit to heat it up but my cat refused to eat it. Is feeding my cat cold food really unhealthy?

 

[sharky]

Originally Posted by dN-WaKE

Half of the time, I feed my cat with cold food directly from the fridge. I tried once to microwave the food a bit to heat it up but my cat refused to eat it. Is feeding my cat cold food really unhealthy?

it is highly debatable ... IMO adding a bit of warm water to bring food to room temp is best ...

 

[laureen227]

many cats will regurgitate cold food. it's easy to warm up - either microwave briefly, stir throroughly; or add hot water [adds extra fluids, too!] & stir.

 

[dn-wake]

My cat seems perfectly fine after eating the cold food. In fact, it seems the same as if I fed it fresh food directly from a just opened can. Should I continue this routine or is it highly recommended that I stop doing this?

 

[cloud_shade]

My boys never have a problem with the cold food either. I used to go through a big routine of adding hot water to warm it and mixing carefully, but my boys have decided that they'd rather have the food *NOW* than wait for me to warm it for them.

 

[mer636]

my boys don't mind cold food either they are circling around me when I open the can so I don't think they would want to wait for me to warm it up!

 

[maxcat08]

I know that cat nutrition is a well researched field now, and alot has changed in even the last 5-10 years...and it reminded me of my parent's cat Portia who lived to a great old age of 17 with nary a health problem ever. In fact, she had to be pts...due to developing cat dementia.

She was a field cat and starving and feeding 4 kittens when my parents persuaded her to come in from the cold. She was never a friendly cat..but enjoyed a few pats once in a while.

My parents fed her canned Nine Lives Tuna & Cheese bits and a pouch of Tender Vittles every single day that they had her. I took her over at age 12 when my Dad retired and they started travelling. I fed her the same Tuna & Cheese bits and a pouch of Tender Vittles at each meal.

She passed away 15 years ago, at the age of 17....and maybe pet food was made better..ie fewer fillers...when she was alive...from 1976 to 1993......than it is now.

A healthier cat my Vet couldn't find....and today....her food would be considered....'crap' to say the least.....LOL Perhaps she had excellent genetics and could tolerate the food..who knows.....

One just never knows.....

 

[dn-wake]

Originally Posted by MAXCAT08

I know that cat nutrition is a well researched field now, and alot has changed in even the last 5-10 years...and it reminded me of my parent's cat Portia who lived to a great old age of 17 with nary a health problem ever. In fact, she had to be pts...due to developing cat dementia.

She was a field cat and starving and feeding 4 kittens when my parents persuaded her to come in from the cold. She was never a friendly cat..but enjoyed a few pats once in a while.

My parents fed her canned Nine Lives Tuna & Cheese bits and a pouch of Tender Vittles every single day that they had her. I took her over at age 12 when my Dad retired and they started travelling. I fed her the same Tuna & Cheese bits and a pouch of Tender Vittles at each meal.

She passed away 15 years ago, at the age of 17....and maybe pet food was made better..ie fewer fillers...when she was alive...from 1976 to 1993......than it is now.

A healthier cat my Vet couldn't find....and today....her food would be considered....'crap' to say the least.....LOL Perhaps she had excellent genetics and could tolerate the food..who knows.....

One just never knows.....

Wow that is a really touching story. Thanks for sharing it.

 

[laureen227]

i think it's possible the supermarket foods were better then... but w/o an old can/bag/pouch to view, we'll never know!
but there have been many cats who lived to a ripe old age on 'junk food'. heck, George Burns lived a long, long time - he smoked & drank - & who knows what his diet was like?

 

[wendyr]

Yeah, you can never fully understand why some cats (or humans) for that matter can live a full, healthy life on a not-so-good diet! My husband's family cats were all fed a diet of Whiskas wet food and Go Cat! dry and the last just died in March. At the age of 19! He never had any health problems whatsoever - not even in the last stages of his life. His mother had a few problems, but she died at 17, so the vet said they were related to old age. All my husband's cats lived to at least 16. Oh, and they never had a problem with cold wet food either, so if your cat is fine with it, just keep doing it. I know Spike and Rosie wouldn't have waited for us to heat the food up - the day before Spike died (we just happened to be staying with the in-laws when this happened - in town for a wedding), I got his food out of the fridge and he hopped straight up on the counter, purring and kneading away, sticking his head in the can waiting for it to be poured out.

That being said, with our cats, I am very aware of what we are feeding them. But, I was raised by a dietician, so nutrition - both animal and human - is something that I am very interested in and something that is ingrained in me.

 

[moggiegirl]

I think part of the explanation for the cats living a long life is that they were fed a diet largely made up of wet food. Some people will disagree with me but even the cheapest canned is better for a cat than the most premium dry food because of the high moisture content and low carbohydrate. The cat is eating a diet largely made up of meat, even meat by-products, but little to no plant fillers and getting lots of moisture (although I have to say the tender vittles are the worst), This prevents diabetis, UTIs and other health problems associated with obesity. Also in the past cats got quite a bit more exercise than they do today and there may have been fewer outdoor dangers. I'm all for keeping cats indoors but many are getting fat from free feeding from a bowl of kibble all day and doing very little physically.

If your cat is fine eating the canned food cold then don't worry about it. I let the refrigerated food sit on the counter with the lid on it for about an hour before serving. That also brings it to room temp.

 

[maxiecat03]

....and yet....all three of my sister's cats had to be pts last year. Two of them were 19 yrs and one was 20 yrs. Their little hearts just wouldn't stop. She only fed them dry food..easier, neater, cleaner...according to her. But all three cats were outdoor cats so I think that they caught their own 'wet' food....

They never got overweight and got lots of exercise until their final few years.

We are on our fourth kitten now.....All my cats are indoor only, all vaccinations and Vet visits, neutered/spayed....and have been fed Vet recommended food..but not necessarily Hill's.....and yet...Wayne died at 8 1/2 of cancer (Vet thinks lymphoma settled in his kidneys)......Phoebe is still going strong at 12 yrs old, Max died inexplicitly at 5 yrs 1 month.....and now we have Samson...15 weeks old (today

).....I wish I had the magic bullet for long cat life. They are both being fed Wellness wet and dry...kitty and weight control. I'm trying other premium brands as well for variety....

I still wonder if Max went into renal failure after being on Hill's T/D dry food only for a year....it was recommended for both of them after Phoebe had a dental cleaning. Or it might have been his heart....the Vet just doesn't know.

I did warn my new Vet...I will be obsessive and persistent with both my cats now..re: if I think that there is a problem....then don't stop till one if found or prove that nothing is wrong. She's fine with that

I'm doing my best at home with the food and weight management...I want both of them around for 20 years, if not longer....

I love all the information that I have found on this site and am so glad that everyone's stories are shared....to love a pet is to love life itself!!

 

[dn-wake]

I've heard that dry food is not good for cats. Right now I feed my kitten one whole can of wet food (split into two meals) along with keeping dry food out for it to eat whenever its hungry. Should I remove the dry food completely since that may be too much food?

 

[littleraven7726]

Originally Posted by dN-WaKE

I've heard that dry food is not good for cats. Right now I feed my kitten one whole can of wet food (split into two meals) along with keeping dry food out for it to eat whenever its hungry. Should I remove the dry food completely since that may be too much food?

I would leave the dry food out. Your kitten is still growing and will need the extra nutrition.

I don't think Friskies is a "bad" wet food, but it's not the best either. If you read the labels you can get flavors that are better than others (fewer by-products). One of my cats will only eat Purina and Meow Mix for wet foods, so I buy him the best flavors I can.

If money isn't an issue you could try some of the "better" brands. I actually had to run to the specialty pet store today and get my other cat some California Natural and Wellness. He's bored of Nabu's Purina canned food.

If you are on a budget Petsmart carries "Authority" brand that is pretty good. Unfortunately our Petsmart was out of Stimpy's favorite flavor today.

 

[moggiegirl]

Originally Posted by dN-WaKE

I've heard that dry food is not good for cats. Right now I feed my kitten one whole can of wet food (split into two meals) along with keeping dry food out for it to eat whenever its hungry. Should I remove the dry food completely since that may be too much food?

IMHO I think if you're not home enough to feed your kittens and kittens need to eat more often than adults then you can still leave out some dry but I would highly reccommend that once they're mature enough to eat twice a day, phase the dry food out and feed meals of canned morning and night and that's it.

 

[wendyr]

RE: Dry food out

It all depends on your cat. Only you know your cat. Personally, based on OUR cats, we are doing one scheduled wet feeding (at night) with dry kibble left out for them to eat as they choose. We are in the process of ordering higher quality wet food, and when we get that, I will feed them two wet meals a day, but still keep the dry out. We will see how this goes as far as their weight and then adjust as necessary, but we will always leave the dry food out, to be honest. It is the way my husband always raised his cats and it works for us. If you worry about your cats weight then you might want to eliminate the dry OR put out a very fixed amount of dry, but it all depends on your cat, really. A lot of cats (not all, but a lot) are quite good at regulating how much they eat as to not overeat.