How to make the transition from kitten to adult go more smoothly

[archerbaby]

Hi,

I just posted my first post in the New Cats forum introducing our kitty, Archer.  Well, he's almost a year old now & we've been trying to transition him from kitten to adult food.  He's an indoor only cat & since we've had him has been on the Indoor formula Nutro Natural Choice dry & wet kitten food.  Now that he's nearly an adult (he was born sometime in February according to our vet's age estimate...so I say his birthdate was Feb 14 of course

) we're trying to transition him to the Adult indoor formulas of the Nutro Natural Choice dry & wet. 

Sorry in advance, this is going to be kind of long because I want to put as much info as possible so I can get some good tips

We haven't had too much trouble with the dry as long as I put the adult in the dish first & kind of mix it in good with the kitten.  He didn't seem to quite understand why the pieces were bigger at first.  I think he may have thought I'd given him a dish of treats at first because of the pieces being larger

.  Anyway, so we're doing the slow transition for the dry with putting less & less of the kitten & more of the adult each time.  As I said, not too much trouble now with the dry.

The problem is with the wet.  He really only likes the pate style of the canned food & doesn't really care for the chunk style.  The problem is that the Nutro Natural Choice adult seems to only come in the huge cans & in only one flavor of the adult style pate.  There seems to be way more of the chunk options than the pate for adult, whereas for kitten it was the other way around.  I like to give him a variety of flavors & he seems to like this too.  I'd noticed in the past, with the kitten food, that if you gave him the same flavor every day he'd get to the point that he'd turn his nose up at it & just not eat it.  Another concern that I have is that the texture of the adult canned food seems "tougher" somehow than the kitten.  It's hard to describe but the kitten food really seemed to be softer than the adult style & he doesn't seem to like it as much.  I guess I could try to add a little bit of water to it to soften it up, or maybe put it in the microwave for a few seconds?  We really like the Nutro brand & would like to stick with it, but if necessary I guess we could switch to something else, or have something else just for added variety.

Anyway, we've been doing the same with the canned as the dry food slowly putting more of the adult down than the kitten at feeding time & sometimes he'll only eat the kitten & ignore the adult, especially if the adult is the chunk kind.  And I can't mix them together because I've tried that & he wanted nothing to do with it.  Now I give it to him on a plate & put each of the "flavors" on each side of the plate, kind of like you'd have to do with a picky child who doesn't want his food touching.  Once I started doing it this way I had better success & now he'll eat the adult & the kitten food about 50% of the time.

I can't leave the food out for a long period of time because we're in Hawaii, so between it being hot if we don't have the AC on & the ants that seem to be a constant problem on this island it just can't be left down for more than an hour.  This means he can't just come back to it later if he wants it.  This is part of the reason he's still getting dry food as well.  The ants are still a problem with the dry, but not nearly as bad as with the wet, so the dry can be left out to make sure he's getting enough to eat.  His water is also changed at least twice a day.

I guess I just want to know what else I can be doing to make the transition easier on him.  He doesn't seem to be stressed at all about it, but I don't want it to get to that point so I think I need help now.  So any help will be much appreciated!

And if you read that whole novel of a post, Thank You!

 

[tammyp]

Hi ArcherBaby

It sounds like you have a few strategies that are working for you.  We use the 'variety plate' as something that works better than 'disguise mixing' too.  Also, hand feeding works a treat - it's a love fest! - but that's for raw meat (too icky with tinned food I'm thinking!).  

Cats can get quite attached to what they eat, (and yes, they do like variety too - seems like an opposite thing to say, but you get it!) so any transition can be 'non-instantaneous'.  Just keep at it, and like with a child, keep offering the new thing until it is no longer new and is accepted.

Since you are doing the work anyway, my tip is to put in a few safe-guards/habits that will set up a more flexible future.  

First is to set up feeding times - so many reasons why.  One is that it helps to transition to new foods as they know THIS is dinnertime and they will be hungry and also expectant and deriving emotional benefit from the love ritual surrounding food (it follows play - and this bonds you even more).  Two is that it can help settle them even more - cats are creatures of habit, so when a routine is all going smoothly, they are soothed by this; build in a natural rhythm of PLAY first (10-15mins depending on type of cat...ours needs 30mins min!) then eat, and then their natural rhythm is to groom and sleep.  Working with natural rhythms makes for a contented cat.  Three is so you can feed them wet food without it spoiling (especially in our types of climates) as dinnertime will mean they are ready and will eat in one sitting (or maybe 2 but within an acceptable time). So start at  4 times a day if appropriate, reduce to 3 (eg, breakfast, dinner when you get home from work, supper before bed).  Cats generally do better healthwise with many small meals, rather than fewer feasts (one thing it helps apparently is urinary tract health).

Ok, the next thing, build in lots of food variety.  Here's why:

1.  Minimises the impact of poisons/contamination if you use many brands/types.  There is sadly a huge history (and current recalls) of contamination of pet foods and of pet foods being inadequate in nutrition - leading to pet death.  So if you have loads of variety, rather than just one type, you will be less effected should this circumstance arise.

2.Ensures you won't be faced with food-refusal should the one brand be recalled/be unavailable and the cat won't eat anything else

3 Builds flexibility into what is considered food for those times where you again need to transition/use something new.  For example, a vet stay; you decide to upgrade the food; you need to feed something for medical benefit

As I said, I wrote this simply because you are currently doing the work - why not build in a few extras?

If you are looking for some more transition/food tempting tips, there are quite a lot in the raw forum (specific to transition to raw, but could be used for your situation?).  On that note, the other thing that struck a chord was the refusal of 'chunks' in the tinned food.  Happened with us too - but only tinned chunks.  Chunks of real meat are relished and always have been.  I've come to realise that our cats are clever; in my reading I learned that these tinned chunks are actually not food that their bodies can access - they are made from plant proteins and gums, not meat.  Maybe your kitty would like some real meat chunks as part of their diet?

Best wishes!

 

[korina]

Seriously, transition from what to what?

Just mix them, then as it runs out, the transition is over.

Kitten formulas I believe are made for humans, not cats, yes the calorie and fat count is a little higher (should be higher for kittens), but these companies are not stupid.

That extra dollar per bag they get from kitten customers adds up for their bottom line.

I will vouch for Royal Canin Babycat formula, the kibble is so tiny and soft.

Now personally, I would recommend highly as would everyone else will to transition off of dry to wet food.

Dry food, cheap or expensive is dangerous (uti's and gingivitis for example) and in my opinion, cruel (not to say anyone who feeds is).

I always tell folks "would you like your food to be a hard biscuit with meat baked into it, covered in preservatives, that when eaten makes you constantly thirsty."

Now on the flipside it is better than the cat not eating, and feeding her Nutro or Diamond brand is better than friskies.

You can feed your cat a quality wet for 1$ a day.

Its a good investment for your buddy that hopefully is with you the next 20 years.

PS: If you stay with dry, a strategy I always used when feeding dry is to mix brands. First it prevents addiction, second it mitigates risk, you have to trust the company is putting the protein and vitamin and mineral additives properly.

Even when I fed Nutro, I would mix their classic with their ultra line.

 

[archerbaby]

Hi tammyp,

Thank you for your great advice!

Originally Posted by tammyp  

It sounds like you have a few strategies that are working for you.  We use the 'variety plate' as something that works better than 'disguise mixing' too.  Also, hand feeding works a treat - it's a love fest! - but that's for raw meat (too icky with tinned food I'm thinking!).  

Oh I can only imagine the mess he'd make if I tried to hand feed him the canned food  I had to give him some of that paste probiotic stuff after we brought him home & the only way he'd eat it was if I squeezed it into my hand first & then he'd lick it off.  Oh my what a mess he made!  But you're right about it being a love fest!  It was such a bonding time for us & I think we both loved it

As for raw, I'm still a bit too nervous to try that.  Maybe someday, but right now I'll have to stick with more conventional foods.  I may start trying the wing tips for treats & to keep his teeth healthy, but first I have to convince myself & my hubby that it'll be okay for him.  It's so hard to convince yourself that raw feeding is okay when you grown up hearing all about the horrible bacteria in raw meat!

First is to set up feeding times - so many reasons why.  One is that it helps to transition to new foods as they know THIS is dinnertime and they will be hungry and also expectant and deriving emotional benefit from the love ritual surrounding food (it follows play - and this bonds you even more).  Two is that it can help settle them even more - cats are creatures of habit, so when a routine is all going smoothly, they are soothed by this; build in a natural rhythm of PLAY first (10-15mins depending on type of cat...ours needs 30mins min!) then eat, and then their natural rhythm is to groom and sleep.  Working with natural rhythms makes for a contented cat.  Three is so you can feed them wet food without it spoiling (especially in our types of climates) as dinnertime will mean they are ready and will eat in one sitting (or maybe 2 but within an acceptable time). So start at  4 times a day if appropriate, reduce to 3 (eg, breakfast, dinner when you get home from work, supper before bed).  Cats generally do better healthwise with many small meals, rather than fewer feasts (one thing it helps apparently is urinary tract health).

He does have set feeding times, but to be honest it does vary a bit, though never more than 15-30 minutes unless I have to work late or something.  This doesn't happen often though now because I just started new hours at work & I only work part-time a few days a week right now.  And since I'm able to be home more now I'm thinking it might be the right time to try to get him on all wet food if possible. 

Right now he gets fed 4 times a day.  He gets the wet in the morning at about 5 AM (my husband's in the Army, so he has to get up for PT, which of course wakes me up & then kitty gets breakfast.  I just know I'm going to regret doing this once he gets out of the Army & we don't have to get up so early anymore!

).  When I get up at about 9 AM I try to get in a good play session.  Then he gets fed a small amount of dry at about 11 AM.  His litter box gets cleaned & then we play.  He gets fed his dinner of wet food at about 5:30 PM.  After we've had our dinner we play again.  And then some dry again at about 11:30 PM before bedtime, his litterbox gets cleaned again, and we try to get a good play session in again before bedtime.

Of course we play throughout the day too when I'm home all day, but these are the times I try to stick to.  But I never really thought about the fact that I should play with him before he eats.  I've always done it afterwards, but your explanation makes a lot of sense with working with his natural rhythm of play, eat, groom, sleep!  I will definitely be trying this!  Well no promises about his 5 AM breakfast feeding

).

Ok, the next thing, build in lots of food variety.  

Building in food variety also makes sense after reading your reasons.  I think this is definitely something that we need to start doing.  I guess I'll have to research to decide which other brands I'm comfortable giving him. 

As I said, I wrote this simply because you are currently doing the work - why not build in a few extras?

You are quite right about this & now that I'm able to be home more I'll have the extra time to build in the extras that will help him to be an even happier & healthier kitty!  And really that's all anyone can want

On that note, the other thing that struck a chord was the refusal of 'chunks' in the tinned food.  Happened with us too - but only tinned chunks.  Chunks of real meat are relished and always have been.  I've come to realise that our cats are clever; in my reading I learned that these tinned chunks are actually not food that their bodies can access - they are made from plant proteins and gums, not meat.  Maybe your kitty would like some real meat chunks as part of their diet?

Eww, I didn't realize that the chunks are made from such junk!  I guess since I'm not ready to do the raw feeding I could try the cooked option that some people have mentioned.  I'll have to read up on it some more to find out about that, but if I do it I think right now it would be just for treats.  I really need to learn more about it before I'd try it for a whole diet because I don't want him to miss out on the nutrients that he needs.

Thanks again for all of your help!  Looks like I have quite a bit more reading & research to do

 

[archerbaby]

Thank you for taking the time to respond.  I really do appreciate that you've taken the time to share your opinion.

I have to disagree that kitten food is just made for the company to make more money though.  The kitten food costs no more than the adult food & it does have the extra fats & calories as you mentioned which is important for their development.  If kitten food was such a waste then why would the breeders & people who foster kittens & pregnant cats always tell you to be sure to feed the pregnant momma the kitten food & then the kittens it when they're old enough?

I also disagree that there's no real transition involved.  Everything I've read & have been told is that it's better for their digestive systems & also helps with them not rejecting the new food if you do a transition.  I don't want my kitty to have an upset tummy just because I don't feel like taking the time to slowly transition him, so I'll stick with this way.  If just mixing them has worked for you without problems & that's the way that you prefer to do it, then that's wonderful for you

I do plan to try to transition him to all wet food.  Though I think you saying that it's cruel to feed dry is a bit harsh.  I'm sure you didn't mean it that way, but it sounds a bit like that just reading it.  (I've found that sometimes things can sound a lot worse when you read them online or in a text than if someone speaks face to face with you & says the same thing.  The nonverbal cues from facial expression, and the nuance of what you say is lost). 

As I mentioned, part of the problem/reason he was still getting some dry is because of the climate here & the ant problem that seems to be on this whole island.  Now that I'm working less hours & I can be home more I'll hopefully be able to switch him to all wet & just have the dry for special treats.

On a side note, we had a cat when I was growing up & she lived to be 19 years and was on a dry diet her whole life.  She only got the wet as a special treat.  But I do tend to agree, now after reading more & being more informed, that wet is better than dry.

Again, thank you for your opinions

 

[tammyp]

Hey ArcherBaby, you're very welcome - we do all we can for our fur-kids!

I think it's a great idea you trying some chicken boney type stuff for teeth health.  Aim for 2-3 times.  Chicken necks are good - just chop into small pieces, wing tips are good (our Kato doesn't like those tho), and chicken ribs are a big hit.  And rest assured that it's safe to feed; buy human grade meat as fresh and close to the kill-date as you can, then freeze for 3 days.  The freezing kills any bacteria and any parasites.  (There is somewhere in the raw section a link to a vet who deals with the 'safety' of raw meat, and this is what she said to do).  And aside from this, cats have awesome digestive systems that are quite acidic and thus deal with more bacteria than a human system can (I'd get off the dry though, or any carbohydrates in the wet, as this will make the digestive system more alkaline- having said that, don't let it stop you.  It can be a longer term aim; before we knew about the evils of dry, Kato had a year of 'kitten' dry, 'kitten' wet, and 2-3 times a week, chicken necks and he did just fine.  The full transition to raw is far better tho and we can see what those chemical changes in the digestive system do for his health).  And if you are considering raw, and you can't quite get through the fear thing yet, there are commercial raw products that should remove that fear (of course, not sure what is available in Hawaii; there's really not much good stuff available in Australia).

Your meal times sound good - very similar to us, including the variability in timing by anything up to an hour.  It can be a bugger getting in the variety - we've gone back a step to 1 can a day in our raw programme, and I'm finding it so hard to find 'good' products!

Best wishes!!

 

[archerbaby]

Hi tammyp, thanks for the tips on the boney stuff for his oral health.  I'm a bit concerned about making sure it's as close to the kill-date as possible though.  I'm really not sure how "local" the meat is that we can get here.  I know it seems like there are lots of wild chickens roaming all over around here, but I don't know if there are any actual chicken farms here.  It seems like most meat & produce is imported from California & even from other countries like Costa Rica for produce!  It really makes no sense for the produce like pineapples & bananas since they grow these by the boat load here!  But that's another issue  I'll look in to finding out about where the meat comes from & about how fresh it truly is (probably something we should be doing for ourselves anyway!)

And I'll look in to the commercial raw options around here.  I doubt I'll try to make that switch fully yet though.  My husband is in the military, so we're only stationed here temporarily.  We should be leaving here sometime around the end of the year, so I need to make sure any option I choose is one that I can stick with once we move & get to our next place.

Thanks again for the help.  I'm sure I'll have more questions along the way for everyone
 

 

[vball91]

I just started feeding raw, and I honestly don't worry about how close to kill date the meat is. I don't know how I would know that unless I bought at a local place which I don't. I just buy meat from the regular grocery store before the sell by date expires and freeze for at least 3 days per recommendation here. I haven't had a problem so far.

 

[just mike]

Hi ArcherBaby! Glad to see you here! Transitioning can be difficult with some kittens. The Nutro Natural Choice line is about to undergo a big change in formulas so you will be in for a very pleasant surprise later this month when the new merchandise hits the shelves.

All of my cats get Nutro Max Cat and Nutro Natural Choice wet. But, I also buy several other brands to give them different flavors and textures. There is nothing wrong with trying different brands of wet food while maintaining Nutro as their primary brand.

As for kibble. Kibble digests differently in the system and needs to be transitioned over slowly. At least a week, preferably 2 weeks.

Feeding on a schedule is advisable. Mine get 2 wet meals per day and I give them a small amount of kibble 3 times daily in between the major, wet feedings. Their ratio is 90% wet to 10% dry daily.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

 

[archerbaby]

Hi NutroMike,

I was actually hoping you'd see this thread & respond since I saw in a different post that you work for Nutro as a nutrition specialist, so yeah

!

Thanks for the information about the formula change.  I hope it's not too big of a change though   I'm also assuming that it won't be showing up here within the next month because I'm in Hawaii & it always seems to take a bit extra time for the "new thing" to show up here...well, unless you're talking about technology like new computers

We've given him the Nutro Max cat once when our Petco ran out of the Natural & he didn't seem to care for it.  But then again, it may be because it was such a sudden change.  So it may be something that we can try again later for him.

The funny part is that he's taken to the kibble faster than the wet, but I'm still doing the slow transition so that he doesn't end up with any digestive issues.  But it's nice that I don't have to fight him on that at least.  Right now the bigger problem is with the wet which makes up the bulk of his diet & that's why it's so worrisome for me.  I know he'll be fine & he'll take to it eventually, but right now he is fighting it somewhat.  And like I'd said to tammyp one problem is that there don't seem to be a lot of flavors of the pate style of the adult & it's mostly chunk style which he definitely doesn't like.  Do you know if with this new formula that's coming out if there will be more pate style flavors available?  I hope so.  If not, I think that the Max cat kind did have more available, so I guess that's always an option.  And I'll just do some more research and try to figure out what other brands I like & feel comfortable trying him on for variety.
 

In the meantime I'll just keep doing what we've been doing & try to implement some of the other great tips that people here have given me to make sure he's a happy & healthy boy

Thanks again!

 

[flintmccullough]

Kittens-have-very-sensative-little-systems.Thats-why-pet-parents-take-2-weeks,some-need-longer,to-switch-from-kitten-food-to-adult-food.Kitten-food-is-higher-in-calories-and-protein,and-its-"richer"-per-say,for-their-growing-bodies,and-why-queens-are-fed-kitten-food,they-need-the-extra,per-say,as-nursing-kittens-take-alot-from-her.

The-general-ballpark-is-the-first-week-you-gradually-decrease-the-kitten-food,at-the-end-of-the-first-week,you-should-be-at-a-50/50-ratio.The-second-week,you-gradually-increase-the-adult-food.If-the-kitten-experiences-digestive-upset,diarea-and/or-throwing-up,you-are-switching-to-fast,and-you-stay-at-the-ratio-you-are-at,until-it-clears-up.You-should-also-consult-with-your-vet-to-see-if-he/she-feels-the-kitten-should-come-in-for-an-x-ray,and-possibly-be-put-on-Metronidazole.

Some-kittens-do-fine-on-the-2-week-transistion.I-have-one-that-needed-3-weeks.They-are-individuals,just-as-people-are,kittens-are-not-one-size-fits-all,LOL.You-can-switch-to-adult-food-at-7/8-months,depends-on-the-kitten,and-what-your-vet-feels-is-right-for-that-kitten.You-should-also-follow-the-same-transistion,when-switching-brands,as-they-are-all-different,and-can-upset-the-digestive-system.Some-cats-have-sensative-digestive-systems,just-as-people-do.

Wet-is-better-than-dry,but-some-kitties-just-don't-like-wet,I-had-one.He-would-not,eat-wet,at-all,period,lol.The-reason-wet-is-better,is-because-it-gives-them-more-moisture/fluid-intake,to-keep-them-hydrated-and-flushed-out.The-ideal-is-to-mix-wet-with-water,so-its-real-soupy.This-is-imperative,for-those-that-have-crystal-or-UTI-kitties.Which-I-have-2.

I-sched-feed,they-eat-in-their-carriers.Kittens-are-fed-3-times-a-day,adults-are-fed-twice-a-day.You-control-how-much-they-eat,and-adjust-up-or-down,as-needed,or-recommend-by-your-vet,and-its-a-good-way-to-see-if-one-is-not-eating.

You-want-to-avoid-grains,by-products-and-glutens.

Grains-are-corn,maize,wheat,corn-flour,wheat-flour,any-flour-is-grains,anything-that-says,corn/gluten/flour.

Grains-and-glutens-cause-tummy-upset-and-IBD-issues.

by-products-and-by-products-meal,are-the-left-over-anything,from-the-animal,including-euthanized-cats/dogs-and-their-collors,restaurant-waste,4D's.

Here-is-a-good-site-to-read.

http://catinfo.org/

I-feed-Blue-Wilderness,its-by-Blue-Buffalo.Hope-this-helps,cool-to-talk-to-someone-who-lives-in-HI,lol.

 

[archerbaby]

Hi FlintMcCullough,

Well hi from HI

.  We were stationed in Alaska before this, so it's definitely a huge change!

Thanks for the explanations about how long to work on the transition & things to look out for so I know I'm doing it right.  Archer is getting a bit better with his wet food transition now.  I just don't even try to give him the chunks anymore & that has helped.  He's still not too thrilled with the adult pate right now, but he will eat it.  I think it's just going to be a slow process, but that's ok too.  I've started to microwave it for about 10 seconds & that seems to make it more appealing to him, so I'll continue with that.  I haven't started adding extra water to it yet, but I may start doing that to try to make it a more soupy consistency to see if he likes that better.  He gets his wet food on a plate with the kitten on one side & the adult on the other & he always eats the kitten side first.  Then if he's really hungry he'll go ahead & eat the adult.  If he's not too hungry he'll leave it for about 15-20 minutes before going back & eating it & some days he just won't eat it at all. 

He's an only kitty, so I don't need to worry about separating him for eating to make sure he's getting enough.  At least that's easier

Thanks again for your help

 

[just mike]

Hi NutroMike,
I was actually hoping you'd see this thread & respond since I saw in a different post that you work for Nutro as a nutrition specialist, so yeah !

Thanks for the information about the formula change.  I hope it's not too big of a change though   I'm also assuming that it won't be showing up here within the next month because I'm in Hawaii & it always seems to take a bit extra time for the "new thing" to show up here...well, unless you're talking about technology like new computers

We've given him the Nutro Max cat once when our Petco ran out of the Natural & he didn't seem to care for it.  But then again, it may be because it was such a sudden change.  So it may be something that we can try again later for him.

The funny part is that he's taken to the kibble faster than the wet, but I'm still doing the slow transition so that he doesn't end up with any digestive issues.  But it's nice that I don't have to fight him on that at least.  Right now the bigger problem is with the wet which makes up the bulk of his diet & that's why it's so worrisome for me.  I know he'll be fine & he'll take to it eventually, but right now he is fighting it somewhat.  And like I'd said to tammyp one problem is that there don't seem to be a lot of flavors of the pate style of the adult & it's mostly chunk style which he definitely doesn't like.  Do you know if with this new formula that's coming out if there will be more pate style flavors available?  I hope so.  If not, I think that the Max cat kind did have more available, so I guess that's always an option.  And I'll just do some more research and try to figure out what other brands I like & feel comfortable trying him on for variety.

 
In the meantime I'll just keep doing what we've been doing & try to implement some of the other great tips that people here have given me to make sure he's a happy & healthy boy

Thanks again!

Hi ArcherBaby You are doing good. Slowly try to get him off the kibble as much as possible. Kibble is carb and calorie dense so the wet is far better of a diet. I'm not sure what the new texture of the new line is going to be ie: chunks/gravy, pate' etc. I'll know more towards the end of this month. Some of the other premiums my cats will not touch. Others they really like. They're on a Simply Nourish kick for dinner this week. Outside of the premiums they will also eat Fancy Feast classics but only for maybe one meal then they refuse it LOL! Our furbabies sure have us trained :lol3:

 

[korina]

Archer, I think you took my post the complete wrong way.

I guess I saw it more throught the lens of adult cats, and the lens of bengal cats.

I currently have two 6month old kittens, as well as an 11 year white bengal, and my brothers 11 year tabby that i have cared for.

My experience with bengals versus my limited experience with tabbies is that bengals are hungrier, I could be wrong but how can you explain my older girl consuming a can in one sitting, or be free fed and no gain an ounce of bad fat.

Now as to my general take on transitioning dry food, in my house when dry is fed we always try to keep it in a mix.  We would pour two different brands into a large plastic container with a lid.  Depending on where the food falls is what drives the blend.  So on one day the blend might be 60/40 for brand A and B, or 50/50, etc.

Keeping that mind, our cats and dogs who eat dry are always transitioning.

Toss in wet food for dinner and the variety is multiplied.

This is how both my 11 year olds ate their entire lives till I cut out dry.

For my old lady Bengal, after leaving dry, her diet developed into a non stop rotation of 5 brands, with several varieties each.

So on day 1 NV Chicken, Day 2 Merrick Thanksgiving, Day 3 NV lamb, Day 4 Chicken Soup can, day 5 NV Lamb, day 6 Wellness pouches.

Now that is my cat, not others.

I Did not force her this variety, she conditioned me by rejected food she was "sick of".

Now as to my comment about dry food being cruel, thats just my senstive side    After seeing a friends cats pass stones and almost die, to my girl with a very acidic bladder (get urine tests!)  to my brother's cat who is addicted to dry (still eats) and is obsessed with water to a fault because she is so thirsty.

I appologize if my dramatics offended you, I am only trying to help.

UTI can be prevented by a moist diet coupled with urine tests every other year.

UTI is one of the few diseases we have a fighting chance at preventing.

As to my comment about kitten food, if you reread my post, concede that kitten food is more dense, and some brands make small kibble that is soft (Royal Canin).    Now I havent poured over the numbers in years, but keep in mind the "top end" dry foods do not have kitten forumula (wellness is the only one i can think of), and many others have done comparisons of say the nutrition in Nutro Kitten versus Orijen adult.

That said, my 11 year old girl had kitten dry in her dry mix (years ago) and today when I buy her canned "chicken soup for cat lovers soul" I get the kitten variety.

Bengals have a rediculous high metabolism.

Also, so you know I do feed raw, wanted to for a long time.

I was lucky that my breeder had the little guys on 50% raw, 50% canned wet diet.

If you are handy in the kitchen (I am not), a freezer and a 150$ gridner will do you fine.

Another tip for raw, to keep your kitty interested in the meantime,  get him chicken wings or drumsticks, make incisions with scissors and hope he bites on.

 

[korina]

Oh and one more thing, another reason I would implore you to switch the wet only diet.

Aside from all the health benefits, you will find it much more effective to condition the kitty with wet food.

Im not going to write all the techniques and benefits of conditioning through food, if you want pm me and i can give you tip.

Good luck!

oh and here is my baby stella eating a drumstick

 

[archerbaby]

Korina,

Sorry, I just saw that you posted again here.  Thanks for explaining more about why you feel the way that you do, especially about the dry food.  I know sometimes things can come out wrong, or be read & interpreted wrong on the internet, and I probably did take the comment in a way that you didn't intend.  So thank you for writing back to clear it up

.  After reading your situations that you've experienced with a dry food diet I think I'd feel the same way!

Your Stella is absolutely adorable

  She's really looking like she's enjoying that drumstick!   It seems like quite a task for her to tackle since it's almost as big as she is  I gave Archer a wingtip a couple of weeks ago, but he really didn't seem interested in it.  It was like he didn't know what to do with it.  He sniffed it & bit it once or twice & then walked away like he could've cared less.  I guess I'll try again sometime, and hopefully next time he's more interested.

 

[archerbaby]

Hi ArcherBaby

You are doing good. Slowly try to get him off the kibble as much as possible. Kibble is carb and calorie dense so the wet is far better of a diet. I'm not sure what the new texture of the new line is going to be ie: chunks/gravy, pate' etc. I'll know more towards the end of this month. Some of the other premiums my cats will not touch. Others they really like. They're on a Simply Nourish kick for dinner this week. Outside of the premiums they will also eat Fancy Feast classics but only for maybe one meal then they refuse it LOL! Our furbabies sure have us trained

Hi NutroMike, Sorry I didn't reply before, I just saw that you'd posted this & I haven't been on in awhile.  Archer is fully transitioned from kitten to adult food now & is doing great  We did end up mixing some other brands in there just for variety.  Right now he's absolutely loving the Blue Wilderness (I think that's what it's called) Duck flavor.  Here in Hawaii we still haven't gotten the new line of the Nutro adult food (though I did receive an email from Nutro saying that it should be out by this month...I guess it'll just take a little while longer to get here). 

I know what you mean about them having us trained though!  My husband says that the kitty eats better than we do!

  Oh and Fancy Feast is one that he refuses outright.  It's funny because the cat I had as a kid also refused Fancy Feast, but my brother's cat liked it and now it's the same thing...my cat refuses it and his cat adores it!  Silly kitties

. 

And don't worry about the dry food...he really only gets that as a little snack at night after our night time play session & a much smaller amount than before.  Maybe someday he'll be on a wet food only diet, but I think this is working for him right now.

Thanks again for your help!

 

[just mike]

Hi NutroMike, Sorry I didn't reply before, I just saw that you'd posted this & I haven't been on in awhile.  Archer is fully transitioned from kitten to adult food now & is doing great  We did end up mixing some other brands in there just for variety.  Right now he's absolutely loving the Blue Wilderness (I think that's what it's called) Duck flavor.  Here in Hawaii we still haven't gotten the new line of the Nutro adult food (though I did receive an email from Nutro saying that it should be out by this month...I guess it'll just take a little while longer to get here). 

I know what you mean about them having us trained though!  My husband says that the kitty eats better than we do! :lol3:   Oh and Fancy Feast is one that he refuses outright.  It's funny because the cat I had as a kid also refused Fancy Feast, but my brother's cat liked it and now it's the same thing...my cat refuses it and his cat adores it!  Silly kitties :rolleyes2 . 

And don't worry about the dry food...he really only gets that as a little snack at night after our night time play session & a much smaller amount than before.  Maybe someday he'll be on a wet food only diet, but I think this is working for him right now.

Thanks again for your help!

I'm glad Archer is doing so well! The new line of Nutro should be there soon. Mine love the wet grain free but will not touch the grain free kibble as of yet. I keep trying but their diet contains so little kibble I'm not going to get upset if they don't go for it. Thanks for checking back :lol3: