Cat people

SpartanCat · June 2012

I know petco does for sure. I don't shop at petsmart because they don't carry the Nature's Variety. Nature's Variety I have found to be the best so far but my boys are still picky about it. It's the most expensive and was a complete accident that I switched them to it : ( I had them on the BG which they would eat but didn't seem excited about it so I grabbed a couple flavors of Nature's Variety rabbit and... venison I think? and they loved it. Completely stopped touching the BG. (boo!) Once beau and I live together and I can get them on a more regular feeding schedule, I want to stop feeding them dry and get them on a raw/canned diet. Someday!

If you buy a couple cans and your cat likes them, you can order in bulk online and save some money. I wouldn't do that until you know she likes it though. I have a petco nearby so it's actually not that much cheaper for me but it's an idea.

EDIT I think they carry Wellness, you could look into them. I don't know much about that brand

hoffse · June 2012

OK great, thanks for the tips! There's a petco not too far away, so I'll check them out and see if that will make her happy. She just looked at her food and then looked at me, meowed loudly, and walked away. So I don't think it's up to her standards, lol...

mari0225 · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_cat-people-3?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:6e1da740-f557-4542-9f32-c25ebe5693d1Post:f1633b6e-1104-47ba-9af0-e789467469ce">Re: Cat people</a>:
[QUOTE]OK great, thanks for the tips! There's a petco not too far away, so I'll check them out and see if that will make her happy. She just looked at her food and then looked at me, meowed loudly, and walked away. So I don't think it's up to her standards, lol...
Posted by hoffse[/QUOTE]

I'm sure you will find something she likes, Dakota is extremely picky whereas Sweetie will eat ANYTHING. Just be careful changing their food around may cause an upset tummy.

SpartanCat · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_cat-people-3?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:6e1da740-f557-4542-9f32-c25ebe5693d1Post:21902e4e-1e0d-405e-b63f-9f64e50a9e61">Re: Cat people</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Cat people : I'm sure you will find something she likes, Dakota is extremely picky whereas Sweetie will eat ANYTHING. Just be careful changing their food around may cause an upset tummy.
Posted by mari0225[/QUOTE]

<div>Lol mine are the same way. Mr. Picky and Catpig</div><div>Yes, Mari hit the nail on the head. Do not switch her food around a bunch. Food switches should be done gradually over the course of a week or two or you can end up with a mess.</div>

StefffiC · June 2012

Fancy Feast is a decent quality grain free food. I like Taste of the Wild, it smells good enough for me to eat. Wellness and Evo are also good foods.

If she continues being stressed some kitty prozac may be in order - I have a delicate flower that won't eat or makes herself sick from stress and she's been on it twice since I've owned her.

Your kitty is beautiful! I love cats and share the house with 7.

StefffiC · June 2012

You can also add half to an entire cup of baking soda to your box and it will reduce the smell.

SpartanCat · June 2012

Please don't feed Fancy Feast.

"Meat by products" --meaning all the gross stuff they can't put in human grade food like talons, beaks, hoofs, etc-- is one of the first five ingredients in at least one of the flavors. This is not a good source of protein.

rlavach · June 2012

I don't believe Petsmart carries those two brands the OP bolded, but I know they carry Wellness, which is what I give my cats.

aurianna · June 2012

OMG!! Kitty overload! Both Lady and the Triplets are sooooo cute. I've always been partial to medium and longhair cats (just adopted a medium hair all-black cat this winter.

)

Everyone is giving great advice. We used to take my Himalayan with us to my grandparents' house when we'd go for a weekend. She'd almost never eat the whole time (we started leaving her at home after that). But she'd be fine when she got home.

So a day or two is never a big deal. If she is drinking and using her litter box regularly (but not too often) probably fine. The first few days we had little Purrberry, she'd only eat if I sat next to her and watched her while she did it.

Major warning signs to look for when a cat isn't eating are:
Is she also not drinking?
Is she vomitting?
Is she not using her litter box at all
Or is she using it all the time but nothing seems to be happening
Does she cry in the litter box

Things like that are indicative of a blockage or maybe kidney problems. But the fact that she's drinking and affectionate means it's probably all good.

Stinky food smells... the problem is they usually like it the stinkier it is.
Dry food is better for a cat's teeth.
Wet food is better for a cat's kidneys.
We try to give our kitties wet at least once a week... even though it reeks.

Have fun with your new baby. She is soooooo cute!!

adfoster77 · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_cat-people-3?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:6e1da740-f557-4542-9f32-c25ebe5693d1Post:730940d3-25c9-42c2-a3a7-e02b03e16e7d">Re: Cat people</a>:
[QUOTE]OK we'll try Iams - any suggestions on wet food that won't smell? We're in a small apartment. Pic coming right up:
Posted by hoffse[/QUOTE]

She looks like a real sweetie :)

I know that there is a type of "kitten milk" you can buy from Pet Shops. It's not 100% milk like the stuff we can buy in a grocery store. It has some vitamins etc that is used for kittens that are undernourished. I think they find it pretty irresistable. Here's one by Nutrience, called <em>Milk Replacer for kittens.</em> I think they find it pretty tasty; it may give you peace of mind just to know that your kitty is at least getting something
.
Best of luck!

SpartanCat · June 2012

Dry food isn't really better for a cats teeth. Most pieces are so small they don't do much chewing. Also saying it cleans teeth is like saying potato chips clean your teeth. If you want to strenghten your cats teeth, research raw and feed them bone in.

StefffiC · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_cat-people-3?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:6e1da740-f557-4542-9f32-c25ebe5693d1Post:c0bdc56c-0d0b-4054-a0f9-5783969f96fe">Re: Cat people</a>:
[QUOTE]Please don't feed Fancy Feast. "Meat by products" --meaning all the gross stuff they can't put in human grade food like talons, beaks, hoofs, etc-- is one of the first five ingredients in at least one of the flavors. This is not a good source of protein.
Posted by SpartanCat[/QUOTE]

Really? I'll mark that off the list of acceptable canned foods we can buy. I was told it was grain free and high quality by the vet.

We usually feed Taste of the Wild to our crew dry (15 - 25%) and wet (85 - 75%) and I wet down most of their dry food. I have a cat with urinary issues and one toothless cat.

mtbentley · June 2012

She is beautiful! PPs have given great advice. The only thing I can think to add is that I have read that some cats are very picky about where their food bowl is located, espcially if it is too close to the litter box they won't eat. I haven't seen this first hand since we keep the food and litter box in different areas, so I'm not sure how true it is. Something to consider though.

SpartanCat · June 2012

Grain free is good but you still need to keep an eye on the sources of proteins. You should try to avoid any kind of meal or by product and fish. Cats love fish but it's actually really bad for them. I'll see if I can hunt down the link but there's more info on littlebigcat.com

SpartanCat · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_cat-people-3?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:6e1da740-f557-4542-9f32-c25ebe5693d1Post:b26bb034-56df-4fab-972c-85b17a6e699e">Re: Cat people</a>:
[QUOTE]She is beautiful! PPs have given great advice. The only thing I can think to add is that I have read that some cats are very picky about where their food bowl is located, espcially if it is too close to the litter box they won't eat. I haven't seen this first hand since we keep the food and litter box in different areas, so I'm not sure how true it is. Something to consider though.
Posted by mtbentley[/QUOTE]

<div>very true, good point.</div>

mari0225 · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_cat-people-3?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:6e1da740-f557-4542-9f32-c25ebe5693d1Post:b26bb034-56df-4fab-972c-85b17a6e699e">Re: Cat people</a>:
[QUOTE]She is beautiful! PPs have given great advice. The only thing I can think to add is that I have read that some cats are very picky about where their food bowl is located, espcially if it is too close to the litter box they won't eat. I haven't seen this first hand since we keep the food and litter box in different areas, so I'm not sure how true it is. Something to consider though.
Posted by mtbentley[/QUOTE]

Very true, granted my cats are not like that but I have heard of others being that way, which makes since. I wouldn't want to eat my lunch in the bathroom.

J&K10910 · June 2012

If my vet told me fancy feast was high quality I'd be finding a new vet. Another vote for Wellness. Our picky diva loves the packets. Apparently picky cats prefer packets to cans. Also, I know you're eager to get her to eat, but if you switch foods, do it slowly.

StefffiC · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_cat-people-3?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:6e1da740-f557-4542-9f32-c25ebe5693d1Post:2de76453-32bd-4f25-9d8c-7f73109b9b90">Re:Cat people</a>:
[QUOTE]If my vet told me fancy feast was high quality I'd be finding a new vet. Another vote for Wellness. Our picky diva loves the packets. Apparently picky cats prefer packets to cans. Also, I know you're eager to get her to eat, but if you switch foods, do it slowly.
Posted by J&K10910[/QUOTE]

Considering the area we're in and the type of client the vet normally sees... :( It's a pretty rural farming community with low spay/neuter percentages and a 'cats/dogs are disposable' mentality. I was already feeding high quality feeds when I met them - 4Life and Blue Buffalo and switched to Taste of the Wild when Leo had his urinary issues and we went canned.

As it is, we're changing vets because we're moving next month. The healthy cats are going to try out the vet near our house so I can see if I like him on their annuals and the three old special needs kitties are going to my old vet near my parents.

SpartanCat · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_cat-people-3?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:6e1da740-f557-4542-9f32-c25ebe5693d1Post:fdeca495-b0be-41bd-8d61-194b84b388b1">Re: Cat people</a>:
[QUOTE]I'd also shy away from Fancy Feast. Most vets aren't going to recommend any foods that are really good for your pets because most of the time they get kick backs from companies like Purina, Fancy Feast, Whiskas, etc. This website is awesome for rating cat foods by quality and price. <a href="http://www.petfoodratings.net/cattable.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.petfoodratings.net/cattable.html</a>
Posted by lovethebeach16[/QUOTE]

<div>THIS!!! that's why I get sad when people take their vets' words as absolute law-- not talking about anyone here. I'm on a cat forum too and every other health posts says my vet said this and when the advice they get differs, they just ignore it and go with their vet anyway. Vets don't know everything, you need to do your own research, too.</div>

StefffiC · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_cat-people-3?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:6e1da740-f557-4542-9f32-c25ebe5693d1Post:fdeca495-b0be-41bd-8d61-194b84b388b1">Re: Cat people</a>:
[QUOTE]I'd also shy away from Fancy Feast. Most vets aren't going to recommend any foods that are really good for your pets because most of the time they get kick backs from companies like Purina, Fancy Feast, Whiskas, etc. This website is awesome for rating cat foods by quality and price. <a href="http://www.petfoodratings.net/cattable.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.petfoodratings.net/cattable.html</a>
Posted by lovethebeach16[/QUOTE]

That's a good link!

Thanks!

We feed Taste of the Wild canned/dry now and all our cats love it.

ajowens23 · June 2012

just give her some time. after i adopted mine it took them a while to want to eat. my vet told us to give them a little bit of whole cream as it increases their appetites

ajowens23 · June 2012

just give her some time. after i adopted mine it took them a while to want to eat. my vet told us to give them a little bit of whole cream as it increases their appetites

TurtlesAllTheWayDown · June 2012

HOLD UP. Not eating is a HUGE deal. Cats can quickly develop something called hepadic lipidosis (fatty liver disease). Basically, their bodies don't process fat stores well in times of famine, and it overwhelms their liver. So they need to eat something. This can develop in as little as 1-2 days. So saying "she'll eat when she's hungry" is the WRONG advice for cats. (I had a cat who developed this in about 36 hours. We had no idea why he stopped eating, and with 3 cats in the house, by the time we realized something was wrong, it was really bad. He was on a feeding tube for 5 weeks.)

I know it's a crap food, but most cats will eat fancy feast. There's a reason it's nicknamed "kitty crack."

If she's not eating AT ALL, you can try assist-feeding her. I have to do this with one of my cats to get him to eat enough calories. Mix some pate-style wet food with a little water, suck it up with a syringe, and shoot it into the side of her mouth, 2-3 milliliters at a time. This was, she at least gets something. I can get 100 calories into my car (he needs around 200 a day) by doing 2, 20 milliliter syringes of wet food twice a day (he eats the rest of the calories on his own to maintain his weight).

If she's eating a few bites, but not a lot, you can let it go for a little while.

Katred08 · June 2012

I'd second the recommendation for Wellness food. It's high quality, and both of my cats seem to like all the flavors except the beef one. We feed regular Wellness wet food, and the grain-free type of dry food.

Also, it's my understanding that there's nothing wrong with "chicken meal"...it just means there's a higher percentage of actual meat/protein in the food. When it's just "chicken" on the label there is more water in it because it hasn't been cooked prior to the processing of the cat food (if I'm understanding the definitions correctly) The yucky stuff (beaks, talons, etc) comes in when you see "by-products" on the label. Chicken by-products are sketchy, but chicken meal is basically just dehydrated chicken.

hoffse · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_cat-people-3?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:6e1da740-f557-4542-9f32-c25ebe5693d1Post:05c90f47-4526-49a7-b079-e0de0de2b2ea">Re: Cat people</a>:
[QUOTE]HOLD UP. Not eating is a HUGE deal. Cats can quickly develop something called hepadic lipidosis (fatty liver disease). Basically, their bodies don't process fat stores well in times of famine, and it overwhelms their liver. So they need to eat something. This can develop in as little as 1-2 days. So saying "she'll eat when she's hungry" is the WRONG advice for cats. (I had a cat who developed this in about 36 hours. We had no idea why he stopped eating, and with 3 cats in the house, by the time we realized something was wrong, it was really bad. He was on a feeding tube for 5 weeks.) I know it's a crap food, but most cats will eat fancy feast. There's a reason it's nicknamed "kitty crack." If she's not eating AT ALL, you can try assist-feeding her. I have to do this with one of my cats to get him to eat enough calories. Mix some pate-style wet food with a little water, suck it up with a syringe, and shoot it into the side of her mouth, 2-3 milliliters at a time. This was, she at least gets something. I can get 100 calories into my car (he needs around 200 a day) by doing 2, 20 milliliter syringes of wet food twice a day (he eats the rest of the calories on his own to maintain his weight). If she's eating a few bites, but not a lot, you can let it go for a little while.
Posted by msmerymac[/QUOTE]

<div>Thanks for this info - we'll monitor her carefully. We're going to get some wet food this afternoon to see if she'll take it. We did see her eat at the pet store yesterday afternoon so it hasn't been a full day yet. But I'll keep an eye on her.</div>

TurtlesAllTheWayDown · June 2012

Let us know how it goes!

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