Need An Opinion Please!

[Mike89]

Where there is the super healthy stuff from the vet or science diet (which my guys wouldn't touch.) One of my cats currently has a chicken allergy so he gets
Taste of the Wild Canyon River Grain-Free Dry Cat Food,
Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Venison & Green Pea Formula Grain-Free Canned Cat Food ,
Instinct by Nature's Variety Grain-Free Beef Formula Canned Cat Food

I would add that my choices are limited by excluding chicken. They put chicken meal in everything! Try reading your cat's labels on their wet food. The pouches tend to be what they say they are but many of fancy feast's wet food includes chicken/chicken meal (even their beef/tuna flavors.) Before my cat's allergies they got Science Diet, then Eukanuba followed by Purina for a year because I couldn't find Ekanuba in my PetCo. Personally I would say Science Diet or ask your vet what they recommend. I order their food off Chewy now but my vet's office also sells Taste of the Wild (in a few flavors.)

Well I think Fancy Feast is great for my cat. I'm a very small/limited budget, so I have to factor that into my decisions on what I get my cat. I will definitely ask my vet what she recommends IF she doesn't agree with what I'm giving my cat. But I don't think she will disagree.

 

[danteshuman]

Like I said I have to buy special dry food because of my cat's allergies. I will say this though, they eat less of the Taste of the Wild, then they did when they ate purina dry food (like 1/3-1/2 less.) My cats eat mostly dry food. I keep trying to get them to eat more but they are good with 1 pouch or half a can between them. I mainly feed them wet food for variety.

 

[tabbytom]

Thanks for your advice! Starting today I am gonna get into the routine of having scheduled meals for my cat, and only feeding her wet food for said meals. I'll try only giving her dry food as a treat/snack before bedtime. I think that will work best for her and I, in my opinion. Also, what I've started today doing with leaving the wet food out is create a one-hour timer. So at the end of the timer, if there's still some wet food left in her dish then I put it in the fridge. She seemed to eat it all today, so that's good news! Do you think an hour is long enough to leave her wet food out or should it be shorter duration?

It's good that she finished all her wet food at one sitting. Just experiment with the amount for each feed and that will give you the rough estimate of how much she eats at one sitting and at how many times a day. Just juggle the amount of you are feeding 3 times a day so that in between she don't go hungry.

By leaving it out for an hour may give her the impression of free feeding. Best is to finish all with the right amount at one sitting. Also do warm up the food if you take it out of the fridge. Makes sure it's just warm and not piping hot and with no pockets of cold food in between.

 

[kittensx4]

Yeah that's very true, thanks so much! It's wonderful people like yourself here on the forums that have made it so much easier to draw a conclusion and make a decision on what to do and what to get for my cat. That means so much to me and my cat! Also, I was told that getting a water fountain would be a good investment for my cat. This is the only model at Wal-Mart currently, but it's like $50. Could you take a look and tell me as best as you can if it would be a good model to get? https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/catit-fresh-and-clear-stainless-steel-top-fountain/6000196222710

I think a fountain would be a great idea. I would be sure you go with stainless steel or ceramic as cats can sometimes have a reaction to plastic, which I found out the hard way! All my dishes and fountains are stainless steel or ceramic. I have 5 cats and 3 fountains throughout the house. They really enjoy them. Their favorite is the stainless steel drinkwell 360. And it is pretty easy to clean. As far as wet, I don't think the fancy feast classics are a bad choice and it sounds like your new feeding schedule is good. I am fond of tigers (i have 2) and what a beauty you have there! Good luck and I am glad you two found eachother.

 

[Mike89]

I think a fountain would be a great idea. I would be sure you go with stainless steel or ceramic as cats can sometimes have a reaction to plastic, which I found out the hard way! All my dishes and fountains are stainless steel or ceramic. I have 5 cats and 3 fountains throughout the house. They really enjoy them. Their favorite is the stainless steel drinkwell 360. And it is pretty easy to clean. As far as wet, I don't think the fancy feast classics are a bad choice and it sounds like your new feeding schedule is good. I am fond of tigers (i have 2) and what a beauty you have there! Good luck and I am glad you two found eachother.

Yeah that water fountain I linked in the comment you responded to is the only one at Wal-Mart currently, but it's $50. =/ And from what I've been seeing online, ceramic water fountains are so very expensive. And the one you mentioned (the Drinkwell 360 stainless steel fountain) is like $100 here in Canada. When it comes to her wet food, she doesn't seem to eat a full 3oz can. Is that strange? Also, I've been slowly transitioning her to the ACTR1UM Holistic Adult Cat Food and plan on giving her at least 1/4 cup of that new dry food daily. Awwww! Thanks for saying my cat is beautiful! I appreciate that!

 

[Mike89]

It's good that she finished all her wet food at one sitting. Just experiment with the amount for each feed and that will give you the rough estimate of how much she eats at one sitting and at how many times a day. Just juggle the amount of you are feeding 3 times a day so that in between she don't go hungry.

By leaving it out for an hour may give her the impression of free feeding. Best is to finish all with the right amount at one sitting. Also do warm up the food if you take it out of the fridge. Makes sure it's just warm and not piping hot and with no pockets of cold food in between.

Well for the time being until I get used to how much exactly she eats in one sitting, leaving it out for one hour is all that I can do for now. It's gonna take time to get into a proper routine.

 

[kittensx4]

Yeah that water fountain I linked in the comment you responded to is the only one at Wal-Mart currently, but it's $50. =/ And from what I've been seeing online, ceramic water fountains are so very expensive. And the one you mentioned (the Drinkwell 360 stainless steel fountain) is like $100 here in Canada. When it comes to her wet food, she doesn't seem to eat a full 3oz can. Is that strange? Also, I've been slowly transitioning her to the ACTR1UM Holistic Adult Cat Food and plan on giving her at least 1/4 cup of that new dry food daily. Awwww! Thanks for saying my cat is beautiful! I appreciate that!

The one you linked from walmart has a stainless steel bowl/top so I bet that would be just fine. Fountains are great because encouraging a cat to drink is important. I don't think it's unusual about the amounts she is eating. None of my five would ever eat 3oz in one sitting. All cats are so different. Mine eat 2oz each wet for breakfast and the same for dinner. They have about 1/8 - 1/4 cup dry each as well. And trust me, nobody is starving here . I think you are doing wonderfully for her and figuring out her appetite will come quickly I'm sure.

 

[MizLizzie]

I am new here, but I just want to say you have a breathtakingly beautiful cat! You have received good advice about feeding, and while I have not regularly fed Fancy Feast, I know many people who do and have had cats live long and healthy on it. If that is what your budget allows for, I think it is an excellent choice. In my 40 years of cat ownership, I have found dry food is problematic.
I have owned several of the CatIt fountains, and they are amongst the easiest to maintain. Our current fountain is a plastic model that cost $25 on Amazon and is working well so far, but some cats will develop chin acne if they have contact with a lot of plastic. Stainless or ceramic is ideal, but I like the multilevel watering stations on my current model. We have four cats, and everyone of them prefers to drink from a different level.
One thing I did not see anyone warn you about is, as a first time cat owner, that you not to leave her play strings unattended. Some cats have a tendency to eat string and ribbon, especially the curling Christmas ribbon, and it can damage their intestines badly. So string play is great, but leaving strings unsupervised is dangerous.
We live in the southern US, and so we do give heartworm treatment to our cats except for two or three months in the winter because they have a screened porch that a mosquito can occasionally enter, and unlike flea bites, a heart worm infected mosquito can be very dangerous. We do not flea treat our cats to limit their chemical exposure. In 25 years of doing this, we have had only one flea outbreak. So I think you have to weigh the frustration of dealing with fleas against the risk of systemic insecticide. The choice will be different for everyone. I hope you have many wonderful years with your lovely girl. Thank you for adopting her and giving her a good life.

 

[danteshuman]

I had a fountain that broke after many years. It was a pain to clean. I have thought about getting a new one but easy to clean is high on my list (along with plastic free.) One of my cats drinks out of the bathroom faucet, the other one drinks from a small bowel on the bathroom counter I refill every time I wash my hands. Plus they have an extra water bowl by their food, that gets rinsed out/refilled daily.

If your cat is indoors only it may not need flea medication. In my case because we have a yard (with 2 fences connected to backyards with dogs) I treat my cats with monthly flea medication and a couple of years ago sprinkled our entire backyard with a multi bug killer that kills fleas. (In my case though again cat with allergies I'm not 100% sure if he is allergic to fleas or plastic. So to be safe I have eliminated both.) I never lived in a mosquito prone area. I would rather treat for heart worms then be sorry through.

I tie all ribbons and strings with multiple knots to their cat toys and remove them as soon as they start look worn. I also avoid tinsel on my Christmas trees and make sure my cats can't get into things like floss.

 

[Mike89]

I am new here, but I just want to say you have a breathtakingly beautiful cat! You have received good advice about feeding, and while I have not regularly fed Fancy Feast, I know many people who do and have had cats live long and healthy on it. If that is what your budget allows for, I think it is an excellent choice. In my 40 years of cat ownership, I have found dry food is problematic.
I have owned several of the CatIt fountains, and they are amongst the easiest to maintain. Our current fountain is a plastic model that cost $25 on Amazon and is working well so far, but some cats will develop chin acne if they have contact with a lot of plastic. Stainless or ceramic is ideal, but I like the multilevel watering stations on my current model. We have four cats, and everyone of them prefers to drink from a different level.
One thing I did not see anyone warn you about is, as a first time cat owner, that you not to leave her play strings unattended. Some cats have a tendency to eat string and ribbon, especially the curling Christmas ribbon, and it can damage their intestines badly. So string play is great, but leaving strings unsupervised is dangerous.
We live in the southern US, and so we do give heartworm treatment to our cats except for two or three months in the winter because they have a screened porch that a mosquito can occasionally enter, and unlike flea bites, a heart worm infected mosquito can be very dangerous. We do not flea treat our cats to limit their chemical exposure. In 25 years of doing this, we have had only one flea outbreak. So I think you have to weigh the frustration of dealing with fleas against the risk of systemic insecticide. The choice will be different for everyone. I hope you have many wonderful years with your lovely girl. Thank you for adopting her and giving her a good life.

I don't leave strings unsupervised. When I'm done using them, I put them in a container where the cat can't get at it.

And what did you mean by, "I think you have to weigh the frustration of dealing with fleas against the risk of systemic insecticide."?

 

[kittensx4]

I don't leave strings unsupervised. When I'm done using them, I put them in a container where the cat can't get at it.

And what did you mean by, "I think you have to weigh the frustration of dealing with fleas against the risk of systemic insecticide."?

I don't want to speak for anyone else but I think what she meant was you have to out weigh whether or not you would want to use a flea preventative or have the possibility of a flea infestation and have that to deal with. I personally opt to use revolution. It's a monthly topical, however we have always applied every 6 weeks and have used it this way for 5 years without incident. Do they like it? NO. It has a strong alcohol smell that they hate but after about a half hour after the application they all come around and don't hold a grudge. It's a personal choice that you can research and discuss with your vet. I choose it on my indoor cats because I don't want to risk an infestation as it is harder to deal with with cats since you can't go spraying raid all over around them or bomb with them in the house. Again, it's a choice for you to make. Do what makes you feel comfortable

 

[Mike89]

I don't want to speak for anyone else but I think what she meant was you have to out weigh whether or not you would want to use a flea preventative or have the possibility of a flea infestation and have that to deal with. I personally opt to use revolution. It's a monthly topical, however we have always applied every 6 weeks and have used it this way for 5 years without incident. Do they like it? NO. It has a strong alcohol smell that they hate but after about a half hour after the application they all come around and don't hold a grudge. It's a personal choice that you can research and discuss with your vet. I choose it on my indoor cats because I don't want to risk an infestation as it is harder to deal with with cats since you can't go spraying raid all over around them or bomb with them in the house. Again, it's a choice for you to make. Do what makes you feel comfortable

Wait, what? Why wouldn't I be okay with giving my cat flea & tick treatments? I don't believe I've made any reference to flea & tick treatments. Of course I'd want to do that for my cat. I want the best for her.

And unfortunately, Revolution or Frontline for cats doesn't seem to be available here in Canada.

 

[kittensx4]

Wait, what? Why wouldn't I be okay with giving my cat flea & tick treatments? I don't believe I've made any reference to flea & tick treatments. Of course I'd want to do that for my cat. I want the best for her.

And unfortunately, Revolution or Frontline for cats doesn't seem to be available here in Canada.

I'm with ya Mike89. I use flea preventative too. Some people prefer not to. I was just responding to the post from MizLizzie that you questioned...And what did you mean by, "I think you have to weigh the frustration of dealing with fleas against the risk of systemic insecticide."?

 

[Mike89]

I'm with ya Mike89. I use flea preventative too. Some people prefer not to. I was just responding to the post from MizLizzie that you questioned...And what did you mean by, "I think you have to weigh the frustration of dealing with fleas against the risk of systemic insecticide."?

Yes I get what you're saying, but I never even said anything about flea & tick to that other person so that's why I'm confused as to why people are randomly telling me it.

And I'm not sure what to use as a flea & tick treatment because Revolution and Frontline aren't available in Canada, apparently. =/

 

[kittensx4]

Yes I get what you're saying, but I never even said anything about flea & tick to that other person so that's why I'm confused as to why people are randomly telling me it.

You just made me crack up! I know you never mentioned it so I don't know why someone brought it up? I was just trying to make sense out of the comment about it. No worries. Too bad about the revolution. What is available to you?

 

[kittensx4]

Yes I get what you're saying, but I never even said anything about flea & tick to that other person so that's why I'm confused as to why people are randomly telling me it.

And I'm not sure what to use as a flea & tick treatment because Revolution and Frontline aren't available in Canada, apparently. =/

And for people randomly telling you things...welcome to an online forum I have no doubt the intention was good.

 

[maggiedemi]

Yeah, since you are a first time cat owner, I think they were just trying to list off things for you to remember like flea medication, de-worming, watch out for strings and recliners, that type of thing. We're all pretty friendly here, I'm sure they didn't mean any offense.

 

[kittensx4]

Yeah, since you are a first time cat owner, I think they were just trying to list off things for you to remember like flea medication, de-worming, watch out for strings and recliners, that type of thing. We're all pretty friendly here, I'm sure they didn't mean any offense.

But don't sweat it Mike89, you're doing great and it is obvious how much you love your cat. It's awesome!!!

 

[Mike89]

You just made me crack up! I know you never mentioned it so I don't know why someone brought it up? I was just trying to make sense out of the comment about it. No worries. Too bad about the revolution. What is available to you?

Well at Wal-Mart here there's something called Hartz UltraGuard flea & tick treatment (powder or spray.) I'll link both of them to you.

https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/hartz-ultraguard-flea-tick-powder-for-cats-115-g/6000027386555

https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/hartz-ultraguard-flea-tick-spray-for-cats-296-ml/6000027386550

 

[Mike89]

But don't sweat it Mike89, you're doing great and it is obvious how much you love your cat. It's awesome!!!

Thanks very much for your kind words.