Rotating Dry Food

[CAtman85]

Hi! Do you stick to one brand/flavor of dry food or give them a variety? He has been on Life's Abundance GF since he was a kitten and although he seems to like it, i noticed that he can have trouble chewing the kibble since it's a bigger size compared to other brands.

I was given Fromm Grain Free samples by my local petshop and the kibbles were the perfect size for him. He instantly loved it and so far I haven't seen any issues such as upset stomach or diarrhea.

I was also looking at their nutritional info and both seem to be similar - just giving Life's Abundance a slight edge. L.A is chicken and turkey based while Fromm has variety of flavors like duck, surf and turf, beef etc.

What are your thoughts on this? Anybody have positive/negative experience with Fromm?

Thank you

 

[sabrinah]

I've never tried Fromm, but I like to feed a variety of flavors and brands. It helps keep her from becoming too picky.

 

[gitabooks]

There are different beliefs on switching foods or sticking with what works, and I've seen more than one. I work for a cat rescue that changes food brands/flavors fairly regularly, especially since many of the cats are older and tend to need to be on food that helps them medically (kidneys, allergies, etc). The shelter I volunteer at uses one brand of dry food (unless there is a medical or age related issue) because then they can easily eliminate diet as being the cause of any health issues.
My kitty stays on the same brand of dry food (I don't think she would like many others) but I get her as large a variety of wet food as I can. Not only does this keep her happy with a variety (like in nature) but if one brand should stop making food she will eat another.

If they haven't had a variety, however, their stomach may not be adapted to it. In order to digest ingredients in the food they need the right gut bacteria, so introduce new foods slowly. If they eat a variety of foods on a regular basis this shouldn't cause a problem.

 

[CAtman85]

thank you sabrinah & gitabooks .

I had the exact thoughts on giving him a variety. I don't want to be in a situation where if the only brand he eats goes into recall or out of business and be forced to feed him something else that he's not used to.

Besides dry food, he also eats wet can food everyday. Half in the morning and 1/2 in the evening. And yes he does prefer wet over dry. Can be costly but it rather have a healthy happy feline than a sick one

 

[Neo_23]

If you're not worried about cost and want to rotate foods then I would recommend just feeding all wet. It's easier on the stomach for rotation and it's also healthier overall because your cat gets more moisture and fewer carbs. Dry food is really not healthy for cats.

 

[CAtman85]

An all wet diet is a great idea but work gets in the way So we free feed him his dry food.

 

[MissMolly08]

An all wet diet is a great idea but work gets in the way So we free feed him his dry food.

I feed an all wet diet and though I don't work, my cat only gets fed twice a day. There are plenty of posters here that feed before work and after work.

 

[Neo_23]

Yeah, you can leave wet food out, or if you're uncomfortable with it there are ways to do it like freezing it before you put it out, using an automatic feeder, or a frostybowlz.

 

[gitabooks]

My cat doesn't get free fed just because the dogs would eat her food. Because I am home so often she gets wet food multiple times a day and every now and again a little hand full of dry for variety. She tends to be slower eating the dry food and the dogs get to it (Since she is special needs she isn't good at climbing so I can't put it up anywhere). If you have a thin cat free-feeding dry and offering wet is a good idea. If your cat is a good weight then even if you offer dry food it doesn't have to be all day long. I would research it a bit if you are interested. In the end it will be your decision as to what works best for your individual kitty.

 

[CAtman85]

Yeah, you can leave wet food out, or if you're uncomfortable with it there are ways to do it like freezing it before you put it out, using an automatic feeder, or a frostybowlz.

thanks! will check out frostybowlz

 

[duckpond]

I also feed a variety of wet foods, 2x per day. But i do leave out a bowl of Dr. Elseys dry food all the time. I use to switch dry foods around, but most of them are high carb, so i stick to Elseys now. But i dont see any down side to rotating wet or dry if you want, just be prepared to donate some, as my cats at least, will not eat everything i bring home. Shelter and friends get donations

 

[jen]

There is no reason for them to have dry food available to them all day long. I work a few days a week and my cats only get fed at 7:30 am and 6:30 pm.

 

[gitabooks]

There is no reason for them to have dry food available to them all day long. I work a few days a week and my cats only get fed at 7:30 am and 6:30 pm.

In many situations it isn't necessary. However, I do work for a rescue where some of the cats have trouble holding their weight due to old age and eat tiny bits of food throughout the day to avoid an upset stomach. Especially as they get older it can help to let them eat at their leisure. The only downside is if you have multiple cats, some may eat it all for themselves. : )