Vet Says Corn Is Good?dry Or Canned

[el60]

Hello We just recently got a cat four years old from the Humane three days ago. He is shedding like crazy of course as he is new..

He was on Royal Canin dry. We took him to the vet for rabies shot and the vet tells us that Royal Canin is the best food for him and that corn is good for him?. It is full of corn and fillers.

He loves canned and eats little of the dry. We did get him a dry with no grain and just meat etc but he doesnt love it either. Called Crave.

We are happy to give him wet only but does it have everything he needs like taurine in it.

Thanks . We have not had a cat for years and now developed allergies and wondering if it is the food coming out of him that is bothering us.

 

[lisahe]

Canned! You're lucky your cat has a preference for canned food -- the animal protein and water content are more appropriate for carnivoristic cats than corn. Our vet's the opposite of yours: she recommends wet food only, with lots of meat and low carbs. As long as the canned food you're feeding is labeled as a complete food (or not labeled with a phrase like "for supplemental feeding only) it should have plenty of taurine and all the nutrients your cat needs.

Some people report that their cats' coats look better after they switch them to canned food/higher protein/etc. So fingers crossed that that might work for you, too. And maybe that would mean less dander to bother your allergies? I hope so!

What is your cat's name, by the way?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!

If he's super stressed you could try some low volume music - it's great for helping to calm cats, classical harp music, or there's an app Relax My Cat

You can look on the cans, in the ingredient list and double-check that there's taurine in the food.

I agree, I would give him what he likes, a wet food only diet is fine. If you wanted, you could try Natures Variety Instinct Raw Boost kibble, and there are a lot of wet foods that come in pouches.

Try adding some fish oil and a raw egg yolk (the egg white must always be cooked) to his diet. There are fish oils sold for pets but I give my boy some human dietary supplement fish oil.

Also, brush him as much as you can. A couple of tools that work are the furminator and the zoom groom. Bless your heart for adopting!!

 

[el60]

Wow thanks for replies so quickly. His name when we got him is Gabriel and we have not chosen another name yet. Want to get to know him better.

I will look at the labels on the cans to make sure they are ok and will let him have that. I guess I can leave out some of the grain free dry food for him to in separate dish.

He wont eat the Royal Canin dry from the small bag they gave us.

We were not impressed with the vet and he was in and out in very little time. We are looking at another vet next time.

 

[LTS3]

Corn and other grains like rice are not good for cats They are cheap fillers and not digestible. Catinfo.org has details on proper nutrition for cats.

It's ok to disagree with the vet about food if a pediatrician told a parent to feed a child ice cream and fast food and junk food, instead of known healthy foods like fruits and veggies and balanced meals, would the parent do it? Most likely not.

If the cat won't eat the dry, then feed canned Canned foods are much better for cats anyways. Just limit seafood to occasional meals. Make sure the food is a complete diet not a "supplement" or "complement" food (aka treat). Read the teeny tiny print on the label for the AAFCO statement.

 

[el60]

Hi I just gave him half a can of canned and he went for it so fast and now it is gone.. Funny before he started to eat he looked at me and gave a little meow like a thankyou. The can says it meets the AAFCO so guess it is ok. It is only Presidents Choice but will look into a higher quality if he is going to eat it all the time.

Just not sure how much in a day to feed him . A whole can or two cans?? He is not fat and had been quite sick at the Humane for a while as he was a stray. They told us at one point they had nearly put him down.

Thanks so much for your support.

 

[el60]

Also thanks for the advice on brushing and fish oil etc and egg yolk. This info helps a lot.

 

[Kieka]

As to the how much, take his weight in pounds, times 20 and that will give you a starting point for calories per day. Most cans will say kcal (whichbis calories) per can. Tweny calories per pound is a midpoint that is good for most indoor only cats. If he still seems hungry you can try a little more each day and just mointor weight to ensure he doesn't gain.

 

[KarenKat]

I think the general guideline is 20-25 kcal per pound, depending on activity level. I feed my 10 lb Olive only wet food (the little porker would eat all the dry food at once and get chunky). She eats about 210 kcal per day, which is about one 5.5 oz can of pate or one and a half cans of stew or morsels.

Also, idk if her coat is so soft and shiny because of the wet food or her thorough grooming techniques but it is luscious.

 

[Ladewyn]

Dry or canned really doesn't matter as long as it's complete! It should say that it meets AAFCO requirements for adult maintenance (assuming he doesn't need to lose weight)

For your allergies, I doubt it's the food unless you are allergic to one of the ingredients. Cats are actually a super common allergen for a lot of people (I'm one of them). For myself, when I first got my cat, I was an absolute snotty puffed up mess. This pretty much happens with every pet I own since I'm allergic to most animals (except cows and rats, a great combo). After a couple weeks though I'm good, my body becomes desensitized and my reactions are pretty minimal (although I occasionally need to take Reactine). This may be the case with you as well! The allergen that people react to is a protein that all cats produce, and some cats are genetically disposed to having less of this protein. I'm not aware of this changing with diet, but if it does, I have no clue what in the diet could affect the production of the allergen; you'd have to find that info before switching foods. Honestly, though, you probably don't need to worry, if you're like me you'll be good after a couple weeks Just stock up on antihistamines

 

[MargoLane]

I think about vets like this: they are diagnosticians, and many of them are excellent at that job. They diagnose and treat symptoms and are general practitioners, just like your GP. They aren't nutritionists. Unfortunately, its not common to have access to a whole range of specialists for animals, so vets have to do the best they can in all areas of care. I take my vets advice into consideration when it comes to diet, but in the end, I make the choice I feel is right. Cats are obligate carnivores; in nature, they only eat meat. So I do my best to feed the most meat based diet I can. And for me, that doesn't include foods that are mostly made of corn, soy, rice, pea protein, etc. Welcome to the insane world of cat food!

 

[el60]

I think about vets like this: they are diagnosticians, and many of them are excellent at that job. They diagnose and treat symptoms and are general practitioners, just like your GP. They aren't nutritionists. Unfortunately, its not common to have access to a whole range of specialists for animals, so vets have to do the best they can in all areas of care. I take my vets advice into consideration when it comes to diet, but in the end, I make the choice I feel is right. Cats are obligate carnivores; in nature, they only eat meat. So I do my best to feed the most meat based diet I can. And for me, that doesn't include foods that are mostly made of corn, soy, rice, pea protein, etc. Welcome to the insane world of cat food!

 

[el60]

Thanks again everyone for all the help and advice. We are feeding him one can a day so far. He weighs 8 pounds.The shelter said he is roughly four years old and the vet said he could be as old as seven. He is not an active boy. He sleeps a LOT. We had bought him a bunch of toys which he doesnt bother with but likes his scratch post and to be petted . A friendly guy.:-)

As for our allergies I actually am not feeling as bad as I did first couple of days. My hubby either had terrible allergies or a bad cold but the jury out on that one because colds and allergies are similar with similar symptoms.