Do you have cats? How old? What do you feed them? Did they pet food scare

[snagglepuss]

several years ago make you change brands?

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. I had 2 16 + yos. Am now down to 1. I switched her from large cans to the little Fancy Feast ones.

she also gets kibble for grazing on during the day.

As for the big scare, we were lucky and weren't using any of those brands of food.

[snagglepuss]

4. I'm so sorry your little friend didn't make it. What a painful loss. There must have been

a tremendous bond after 16 years.

When I was in in my early 20s I had a cat but given my schedule and the fact that he spent most of the time outside, we didn't spend much time together so I never knew how absolutely remarkable cats are. Within the last year my mom got a cat so I have had an opportunity to discover facets of cats I never knew about and now I am utterly smitten.

When I had a cat I simply fed him kibble and now thanks to google I was horrified to learn that a diet of kibble isn't recommended. So despite protestations from my sister who thinks kibble only is fine, my mom feeds Mishka canned and kibble on the side. Finding out that your long lived kitties have had the same regime is good to hear.

[GreenPartyVoter]

22. Actually, mine lived on kibble for

more than a decade. (Before there was google to tell me differently lol) Just a huge box that I let them graze out of, mostly because we left it down for them one summer when we went on vacation and it became habit after that.

They got rather plump, though, and we had started to think we'd need to do something about it when the hyperthyroidism kicked in and took care of the weight before we could.

This is my remembrance post for Pretzel: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x9562505 His sister Pickles is in one of the pictures as well. :)

[Gormy Cuss]

34. One of the reasons diets that are mostly kibble can be problematic is weight.

Young, active cats generally don't get plump on kibble only but older or more sedentary cats may bulk up if they are allowed to free feed. If they're fed measured amounts each day based on their ideal weights it's less likely.

This thinking is different from the way most of us raised cats and something I learned only after my neighbor's cat had problems. Over the course of a year he went from a hulking 20 lbs to 15 lbs just by
getting measured quantities of kibble.

Now Pickles is a very old kitty and prolly PREFERS her canned food nowadays, with kibble on the side.
:hi:

[Arkansas Granny]

42. I've always used kibble and never had a weight problem. However,

my cats have always been indoor/outdoor cats and maybe they get more exercise than indoor cats. At any rate, I've never had a weight problem with any of my cats.

[Gormy Cuss]

44. It isn't that kibble-only make all cats fat, it's that fat cats are more likely to be kibble-only

eaters -- free feeding kibble eaters, to be precise. Same idea as humans eating sugar -- it's no problem for most humans, but for those with diabetes it IS.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Three. They are 7, 4 and 2.

They've always eaten Wellness or similar brands, so no food scares.

[snagglepuss]

6. Wellness seems like a very good product. Do they get kibble or canned?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

7. Canned.

One of the beasties has a tendency towards feline urinary syndrome, so it's important that he gets plenty of liquids. I mostly feed the canned because of the water content, and I have two drinking fountains for them. Once in awhile I'll get some Wellness dry food for them to munch on (they really like it). It doesn't have corn in it, which is a good thing.

[Kali]

3. two

old Mamakitty is around 12, I guess and Freddy is 3 or so. They've been getting Innova for about the past 9 months but I like Wellness better (stuck in a stupid coupon situation and I'm too tight to walk away from it, they will be getting about 4 more bags before I can switch back)

I used to cook for Mamakitty and that is when her coat, eyes, and ears are in the best shape, but she hates the texture or something and won't eat like she should, plus it is kind of a hassle. When I am broke and can't get to the big city I have to give them Iams, but it barely keeps her from having all the crappy symptoms that shitty food causes her (she must have been the runt of her litter). Freddy seems ok with anything - he was a barn cat before something attacked him and he came to the yard and weaseled his way into the house. He also hunts more than her. She used to get a lot of mice but she mostly loafs around now.

I've tried some others but the Wellness seems the best for her.

[snagglepuss]

5. I'm trying to convince my mom who just got a kitten about a year ago to feed

him Wellness but she balking at the price. Currently she is feeding him Whiskas canned food and Purina kibble.

Do see a marked difference when your cats get crappy chow?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

8. You will be surprised at how much nicer their fur looks

after a few months on high-quality food. The cheap stuff has a lot of corn and filler; the good stuff has more meat and other protein. The other bad thing about cheap cat food with corn in it is that corn contains sugar and makes cats more susceptible to diabetes. I had a diabetic cat once and I don't want that to happen again.

[snagglepuss]

10. I'm convinced but perhaps I could convince her if I suggested that she try

Wellness for a few months to see for herself. Whiskas canned chicken only has chicken by-products which is a step up from food with grain but having read what goes into stuff like Whiskas I feel that buying it is throwing away money.

I've tried to offset the lack of real meat in Whiskas by buying freeze dried chicken for treats.

[Kali]

14. only with Mamakitty

she LOVES crappy food - the corn, I guess - she will try to steal dog food, but it makes her hack every time. On shitty food she gets a rough coat and what appears as ear mites and allergies - lots of itching, swollen conjunctiva, and just a poor general condition.

You might research the veterinary costs of treating the symptoms of poor nutrition compared to the cost of better feed and present your findings to your mom. Usually the extra annual cost of feed is much cheaper than a trip or two the vet.

[snagglepuss]

16. Good idea. Thanks. nt

[GoCubsGo]

9. Two, 9.5 and 16.5 years old

Right now, the younger one gets Blue Buffalo Spa Select Weight Management dry. Sometimes I'll switch to By Nature Weight control just for some variety. The older one gets a variety of canned foods, as his kidneys are failing, and he needs to get his fluids every way he can. Before that, he also ate Spa Select. Was feeding him the Mature formula. They have been doing well on this brand, as they have been eating it for many years, including during the pet food scare, as it wasn't part of the problem. I chose this brand because it had no corn, wheat or soy in it. No wheat, so no wheat gluten, which was what was poisoning all of those animals.

[Arugula Latte]

11. Two males, ages 7 and 13, and one female, age 18 (!)

They'd been getting a mix of wet and dry food, but I finally just made them go cold turkey on the dry food and cut it out altogether. my 7-year-old had been getting fat and unhealthy on it. Since being forced to eat wet food only he's lost weight and become much healthier looking, with a shinier coat and more energy. I had been feeding high-quality dry food, too. Never again.

[snagglepuss]

17. I was wondering about high quality dry food so it's interesting that you're

not impressed with even hi quality dry food.

[Arugula Latte]

33. Yeah, I finally came to that conclusion.

He'd been on some supposedly lower-fat, lower-calorie stuff, but I guess it's still just too many carbs for a kitty, or at least that particular kitty. The other two were never as enamored with dry food as my chub boy, and they never got fat.

[madinmaryland]

12. Three. 7, 5, and 4.

A combination of wet and dry food.

[Flaxbee]

13. Six.

Ivan (the sole male, a big tuxedo), Novi (aka MommaKitty), Clarisse, Bimbo, Silver and MinPie ...

Clarisse is about 14, the others are all between 5 and 7 years old. My beloved Tommycat died over a year ago at age 17.


I feed them both kibble and moist - a blend of both is usually best for a cat's diet. And I feed the absolute best I can afford, which is usually something like this:

Dry:
1 25 lb bag of Costco Kirkland dry cat food (chicken is the first ingredient)
1-2 10 lb bags of Purina One dry (whichever ones have turkey or chicken as the first ingredient)
1-2 5-10 lb bags of Natural Balance or Wellness or California Natural or Indigo Moon or other super-high-quality dry

I'll blend all of these into a big container and they get some every day.


Moist:
Morning, I split one 3oz Fancy Feast can for them (yes - one can for six cats - most of them just lick about a teaspoon full and are done)
Evening, I split about 2/3 of a can of a very high quality moist 5oz can, like Wellness or Natural Balance

I'm trying to wean them off the a.m. Fancy Feast.

I used to feed them Friskies moist, but since I have switched to the higher quality moist (Fancy Feast isn't great, but it's better than Friskies), if I try to give them Friskies or Meow Mix or other cheaper moist, they'll gobble it down like it's a Big Mac and then puke it back up within about a half hour. It is not good food.


The better quality food, the healthier your cat will be, the less food it will take to fill your cat up (so the food actually lasts longer if you can do portion control), and the less litterbox waste there will be.

If your mom will just be careful the amount of moist she feeds your cat, feeding the cat more expensive food like Wellness or Natural Balance (not quite as pricey as Wellness), in the long run she'll probably spend less... because it has far fewer fillers and lasts longer -

Though, with budgets being tight all around, it isn't easy to spend that kind of money. Which is why I mix what I feed - some medium quality, some really high quality. If I had more disposable income, I'd buy only Wellness and Natural Balance and possibly Innova, Royal Canin, etc.

[snagglepuss]

18. If your cats have lived to 17 you've been a good BigMama.

I got kind of freaked out when I read that if cats aren't fed the absolute highest quality food they won't live more than 10 years which is really upsetting.

[GoCubsGo]

25. That's not quite true.

My sister's cat was raised on cheap stuff, like Happy Cat, Alley Cat, and the kitty crack known as Tender Vittles. He was addicted to the latter, along with any other brand that had those soft bits in them. He lived to 16. Longevity has as much to do with whether or not they're allowed to go outdoors, and whether or not they get regular veterinary care, as it is what they're fed. But, feeding a good -quality food certainly does help keep them around longer, and with a better quality of life, most likely.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

15. she's is about 10. i give her wellness, traders joes cat food, bff or b.g

she mostly gets wellness or Tj's though

[bobmorr1]

19. Weruva

http://www.weruva.com/

This is a very high quality canned food. Max gets 2 cans per day. He's more athletic, jumping, running and playing more than ever. Human food for cats. All from a small company who really cares about cats.

[applegrove]

20. I feed them expensive pet store catfood because they were throwing up to much with

the grocery store brand. The brand varies. Seems the pet store keeps getting in new brands all the time.

[Withywindle]

21. One

Madimi, about 5 years old, tortoiseshell terrorist.



For dry, I feed her Nutro Max Cat (sssshhhhh) Weight Control (sssshhhh - she's a little pudgy). It's a little pricey, but I find that because it's more nutritious than the cheap brands, she eats less of it, so it lasts longer.

I have tried and tried and tried to get her to eat good quality canned food like Wellness or Halo, but she simply.will.not. She gives me a dirty look, like, "wtf is this shit" and then she tries to bury it like it's a turd in the litter box. So it's Fancy Feast for the wet stuff.

[GoCubsGo]

24. LOL!

I have gotten that "WTF is this shit?" look so many times, it isn't funny. Especially from my dearly departed Queen of the House. I can still see that look on her face, and she's been gone 5 years. But, even my Old Man, who, until he got sick, would eat just about everything you put in front of him. Except Halo. He didn't care for it, granted he might have in his younger, healthier days. He pukes up Wellness.

[emilyg]

23. I have 8 - ranging

from young to 16 years. Always fed them Friskies canned and Fancy Feast as a treat. Dry Friskies available to them all day long.

[LaurenG]

26. I have two 14 year olds

They started out in 96 on Science Diet and stayed on that until recently. I tried feeding them Wellness and a couple of others for a while but they didn't like it so now they eat Iam's Healthy Naturals/Salmon dry and the small Science Diet canned food.

These cats have never liked anything except turkey or fish and turkey is not their favorite.

[Heidi]

27. One 10-year-old cat, The Wiley and Excellent Boy Cat Named Ginger.

He eats Royal Canin Exigent dry cat food, and Almo Nature original (98 percent human-grade fish, chicken and/or beef and 2 percent rice).

When Ginger was much younger, he had a very bad case of colitis, and on the advice of his vet, we changed his diet from grocery store cat food to Royal Canin and Almo Nature. No more colitis.

Ginger's dry food wasn't on the recall lists and his wet food contains real rice, not rice gluten.

:hi:

[Pacifist Patriot]

28. Two neutered kitties who turned 3 on November 22, 2010.

I'm not sure what we feed them since my husband buys the cat food when it's his turn at the grocery store. I think we got our cats right after the pet food scare if I recall correctly. How long ago was that?

[AngryOldDem]

29. Our kitteh's been on the same diet since we got her.

We have a tortie, and we think she has to be at least 5 -- we don't know exactly because she was a "street cat" that was hanging around where I used to work.

Pepper eats Meow Mix Indoor Formula, which is what she's been on since we got her. That's all she'll eat. She doesn't like moist food at all.

[LuckyTheDog]

30. Whoa, wait... you're supposed to feed them?

That explains a lot.

[Bertha Venation]

31. Oh, what a question!

We have eleven, ranging in age from 2 1/2 to who-knows-how-old-Daddy-is. We have two whose birthdate we'll never forget: 9/11/01.

We free-feed them two kinds of kibble, and they split four 5.5 oz cans between them once a day.

The pet food scare didn't make us change brands.

[begin_within]

32. 1, 10, the dry food from Costco, no. A picture:

10 years old, eats only the dry food sold in the large bags at Costco, the pet food scare did scare me, but I did not change brands.

[LynneSin]

35. I've been feeding my cats the dry food you can get at Trader Joe's - they love it

:D

[DainBramaged]

36. My oldest kitteh will be 14 in 2011 and ALL they ever get is Purina Indoor dry cat food

have fed my dogs and cats since the 80's ONLY Purina, and my oldest dog lived to be nearly 17 and my oldest cat nearly 20.



And I miss them all.

[myrna minx]

37. I have a wonderful 13 or 14 year old rescue kitty who dines on Wellness wet.

I had fed him Hill's dry w/d, as prescribed by my vet, but after a few years he began exhibiting signs of diabetes. I took him off of the dry stuff (which is made of corn, grains and other filler) and started him in the Wellness high protein wet food and his symptoms vanished. He's healthier, , he lost his "spare tire", his coat is beautiful and he's much happier. I swear by Wellness. :hi:

[Rochester]

38. Three kitties, 6, 5, and 2

[Arkansas Granny]

39. My kitty is a 9 yo spayed female. She eats Purina cat chow and thrives on it.

Her weight is perfect, her coat is shiny and she has great energy. I've fed Purina cat chow for over 40 years and have never had a problem with it. It was not on the list during the pet food scare, so I didn't change.

[charlie and algernon]

40. one cat, 7 yrs old

She's hooked on the Science Hill light dry food. She gets a quarter cup of food twice a day, on orders from the vet to help her lose some weight. She won't touch any other food, I think she's addicted to it, LOL! In fact the roommate's cat likes the Science Hill light food too, so I have to fight that cat to keep her from stealing all my cat's food.

[ceile]

41. 3- ages 14, 12 and 1 1/2

14 yo eats Felidae
12 yo eats Hill's WD for his diabetes
youngest eats whatever strikes her fancy that day

[progressivejazz]

43. 1 two year old sweetheart.

Mainly she eats Blue Wilderness Duck dry cat food, but is also partial to lentil soup, home made spaghetti sauce, and small amounts of smoked gouda cheese. She's healthy as anything.

[Blue_In_AK]

45. I have one cat.

I think she's about 16 now, the last cat standing of the four that I used to have. She eats Meow Mix out of her bowl and the juice off the canned dogfood out of the dog's bowl. The dog also eats the Meow Mix. They both have species identity issues.

[Moondog]

46. Unintentional duplicate.

I have no clue how this happened.

~ ~

[Moondog]

47. Yes.

Have one that is about 2 1/2 years old, a Maine Coon rescue that I got as a wee kitten well after a lady cat that accompanied me through nearly seventeen years of life, with all that this implies, was poisoned, and died, after eating that Chinese shit. She died, convulsing, in my arms. She deserved far, far better.

For a long time, I thought I would never have a pet again.

Anyway, I was prevailed upon and convinced to take in this rescue; and yes, I no longer use the same food, same treats, or anything that I used to use.