Keeping Kitty Healthy

[Kitcat2017]

Hi guys!

I need help and suggestion on a good diet for my Kit Cat.

-He’s 11 months old now, currently eating Buffalo Blue and we are thinking to transitioning into adult Science Diet food. Is there a different brand that you might recommend for him?
-He only eats dry food! I don’t know how can I make him eat wet food. I have tried taking his dry food away and only have wet food available and he’s so stubborn he’d rather starve for 20 hours than eat wet food! Do you have any suggestion for me on how I can make him eat wet food sometimes?
-IF I’m unable to have him switch to dry food, what else can I give him additionally to maintain a healthy diet for him?
-Is dry food dangerous or unhealthy for cats in the long run?
- I give him about 10 treats a day. Is that too much?
-He’s a VERY finicky eater and won’t even eat any kind of human food unless it’s dry and it’s shaped like a Purina Dental Life treat. Is that a good treat? Does it really help with their oral health?
-He also doesn’t eat much, he never did. He would rarely finish half a cup of dry Buffalo Blue a day. Is that normal? Is it okay for me to give him cooked dry meat (meatball, bacon), crackers and other stuff sometimes to maintain minimum calorie intake?
-I currently give him Miralax once a day. Is it okay? Could Miralax get him sick if he’s taking it all the time? I use a syringe to give it to him and he absolutely hates it. Can he get sick from being forced eat/drink like this?
-Should I give him fish oil or anything else on the side considering he only eats dry food?

I’m super worried of him getting arthritis or megacolon or diabetes.. I know I can’t think like that but I just want to make sure I am doing everything I can to give him a long, healthy life.

Thank you all.

 

[MissMolly08]

Science diet is generally not recommended here. It is very expensive for not so great quality.
If you have a tight budget, Purina One grain free is one of the best super market options. If you can afford more, Wellness Core and Orijen are also highly recommended dry food options.
As far as getting kitty to eat wet... have you tried using a topper? You can crumble some of the preferred dry food or treats on top of the wet to entice him to try it.
Half a cup of Blue Buffalo dry actually sounds like plenty. Your cat is just about an adult so probably close to finished growing if not so already. The general rule for adult cats is about 20 calories per lb of body weight... this means a 10lb cat needs about 200 calories a day. Check the back of the Blue Buffalo bag and it should list kcal/cup. Many dry foods are extremely calorie dense, anywhere from 200-500 kcal/cup. If the food you are feeding is closer to the 500 end of that, then less than half a cup is perfect.
As far as the miralax...was the prescribed or just a preventative? I personally would not be giving any medication that I was not directed to give.

 

[maggiedemi]

See if he'll eat wet food on top of his dry food. Take 1/8 cup of dry food and put it on a plate, then take 1/8 cup of wet food and drop it on top of the dry food. That's the way my picky cats like it. I do that 3 times a day. I have those same Purina Dental treats. I don't know if they really do anything for the teeth, but I'll finish out the bag and see. I think 5 to 10 treats per day is okay, I wouldn't go over that. You might try hairball paste or treats every other day instead of the miralax, that way you wouldn't have to syringe it. Can the miralax be mixed into food?

 

[LTS3]

Why are you giving Miralax? Miralax should only be given per the vet's advice if your cat is constantly constipated. It should not be used as a preventative.

Here are tips on how to do a diet change: Transitioning Your Cat From Kibble To A New Type Of Food (canned, Raw, Or Homemade)

What brands of canned foods have you tried? Have you tried different textures? Some cats prefer textured food to pate food.

Dry food can be unhealthy if fed long term. Some brands are so high carb and junk filled that a cat may develop health issues such as obesity and diabetes. Catinfo.org goes into detail about dry food and proper nutrition.

Treats are ok in moderation, no more than 10% of the diet. 10 treats daily isn't too bad. But cats don't need treats daily. I'd stick with giving treats no more than a few times a week. Freeze dried meat treats such as PureBites are healthier options to big name brands like Temptations. A little plain cooked chicken is also a healthy treat.

Is it okay for me to give him cooked dry meat (meatball, bacon), crackers and other stuff sometimes to maintain minimum calorie intake?

Raw or plain cooked meat are fine as treats less than10% of the diet. Never give meat that has added stuff to it like spices, flavorings, preservatives, broths, etc. If you plan to make it a bigger part of the diet, you need to properly supplement it.

Crackers and other people food are not good for cats.

There are nutritional supplements like Nutri-Cal sold in pet stores if you feel your cat needs some extra calories. Ask the vet before you give any supplement. The vet may have other suggestions on how to ensure your cat is getting plenty of calories just from the cat food.

 

[duckpond]

I also wanted to ask why the Miralax? I'm not sure that's a good thing to do? It could also be part of the problem with him not wanting to eat much. To much fiber.

Im not a big fan of Blue, but i like them better than Science diet. Cats need a high protein, medium fat, low carb diet. Science diet, wet and dry is very high carb. I feed my guys some dry, Dr. Elseys chicken formula, very low carb.
Wet food is the best, but mine are hit and miss with it too. I keep Dr. Elseys out at all times, and i feed 2 wet meals per day, if someone doesn't eat the wet today i dont worry so much, because they have the dry. I buy different brands of wet, trying to read up on each one and keep with the high protein, medium fat, and low carb rule. I buy the smaller cans, and try different flavors, and textures. some like pate, some shreds, some the minced or chunks. Weruva, tiki cat after dark, against the grain, Nutro, Rawz, fancy feast, and the shreds in Friskies are a fav around my house right now...subject to change

I check the carbs quick and easy on wet foods with Cat Food Nutrition Calculator | Elizabeth C Scheyder and i check CatFoodDB - Cat Food Reviews to help you find the best cat food for your cat to see if she has reviewed a food i am interested in.

 

[Kitcat2017]

Thank you guys! I'm very thankful for your questions and suggestions.

The reason I had been giving him miralax is because long story short, not too long ago we had a $4000 medical bill.. which might have been due to the incompetency of the vet/vets. My cat had constipation and decreased appetite and from then on it just snowballed. 8 enemas, 12 x-rays and 3 night stay at the emergency later he's finally home and is doing a lot better. The emergency vet told me to give me miralax for 7 days twice a day. But assumed maybe if I continue to give it to him once a day after the 7 day period it might help? As of last friday I have stopped giving it to him. But the problem is he doesn't drink a lot of water and his dry food doesn't help the situation... that is why i thought i could use miralax as a preventative... if that's an issue, can I simply give him water with syringe? is that okay?

He had issues with UTIs previously so that's one of my concerns. How can we or what can we do to prevent UTIs. I have heard male cats have more UTI issue than females - is that correct? How would i know if he is building up a UTI?

In terms of food, i'm a bit lost because one of the vets said blue is literally the best food out there and science diet is junk food while the other one said blue is the worst and i need to switch to science diet asap. Keeping his constipation scare, UTI, lack of interest in wet food, what would you recommend i try? Blue, purina one, wellness, science diet and dr. elseys keep popping up in my research but it all says they're all good in their on ways. i want to get the best that's out there for him. i dropped out my grad school class to pay his last medical bill and i don't want his health to get to a point where i need to move out of the house because i didn't select the right food for him... i love this kid.

I'm going to meticulously read the link you provided about transitioning to wet food and see what we can do. Thank you again for your help my cat and i appreciate your time and responses.

 

[duckpond]

Wet food is the best if a cat has a problem with UTI. I would not give Miralax unless the vet says to, and definitely not to a cat that doesn't drink much, or is eating dry, i think that would cause a bigger problem. too much fiber, not enough moisture. If you have a petco nearby you might try Tiki cat, after dark. lots of liquid in the can, my boys love to lap it up. Some say too much liquid for the amount of food in the can, but when you are trying to get a cat to drink its the best i have found. Then i put out some Elseys dry for the rest of the calories they need, but which ever dry you prefer would work. or a few more meals of wet.

If he will not eat wet, Dr. Elseys is my dry food of choice. Its expensive, but high calorie, and high protein, a little goes a long way. In my opinion it is the "cleanest" dry food out right now. it will tell you on the bag how much to feed for his weight. I am not such a fan of their wet food Best of luck which ever food you pick.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Do you have a water fountain?
Have you tried goat milk?
Purina dental are ok, not sure they do much for the teeth. You could look at the ingredients of vetriscience perio plus.
If you can lightly feel his ribs with a thin layer of fat over them, then he's ok for weight.
Instead of the miralax or a syringe of water, try pouch foods, those have more gravy, also there are lickable treats available.
Also, try tempting him with these on wet food; tuna, tuna juice, baby food with no garlic or onion, adding broth that has no salt, garlic or onion.
You could try adding some water or broth to the wet food, just don't leave it sitting out due to bacteria originally in the kibble.
Oh , if they only knew what lengths some of us go through for them. Don't stress, your cat will pick up on that. Declare your self a no stress zone

 

[Kitcat2017]

I do have a water fountain and he couldn't care less about it! This kid is so picky. He'd only drink from his bowl.

I hid some wet food underneath his dry food and he straight up rejected it! I'm worried that he's not getting enough nutrition..

 

[Furballsmom]

If you can lightly feel his ribs with a thin layer of fat over them, then he's ok for weight

try pouch foods, those have more gravy, also there are lickable treats available. Also, try tempting him with these on wet food; tuna, tuna juice, baby food with no garlic or onion, adding broth that has no salt, garlic or onion.

Or some goat milk - good luck!