How and What do you feed Your cats? - Page 2

I agree about commercial pet food. I was recommended by my cousin to switch to Innova. I looked up on the website and found that there are no artificial fillers or by-products in it. I was a sworn Iams user until I compared. What shock!! My cousin's office mate is a holistic all natural type of gal, so when she told my cousin about Innova, she switched and called me up. It's not easy to find, and you will only get it at private pet stores, not the chain ones. It's been worth it, because without all the other stuff, they eat less of it, and poop less, too.

My vet just recommended that I take my cats off of wet completely and only the dry. Because they are indoor cats, they don't need as much, and it's better for their teeth, no tartar build-up and no dental appointments. I only have 6 cans of wet to go, then it's only dry from now on.

The only place we can get it is 40 miles away, in a feed-and-livestock store. I think the site has a store locator too, for anyone who's interested:
http://www.naturapet.com

I am in the process of switching my cats from Iams(Lamb and Rice flavor) to Eukanba(Lamb and Rice flavor) The cats seem to like the Eukanba...it was recommended to me as a better prem. food I have three cats and I feed in the morning after I get up..(8:30am) 3/4 a cup in one bowl...They share very well..Then a 3/4 cup when I get home (around 5:00pm) Every few days I serve them a 6oz. can of wet Iams food...the can of food is divided into three seprate bowls. Their stools don't smell and they don't seem to need to move their bowls as often as before.

DebbieA and the Kids...Tai-Tai, Zoe, And Baby

I feed my kitten (now 5 months) Nutro kitten, I put 3/4 of a small bowl out for nibbling all day long, he usually doesn't finish that in a day, but I also give him a spoon full of wet food about five. Nutro suggests 75% dry 25% wet. I also give him pounch treats, a couple of them in the moring before I leave for work and maybe a couple at night.

Oh boy, I hate to tell you all what we feed Sammy. First off he always had dry food out, but that is often supplimented with chunk light tuna (packed in spring water only), Sam won't touch it if it's packed in oil, served with a side of Redi-Whip Whipped Cream. He loves it, and he's a spoiled little brat. I just hope we're not clogging his arteries. And no, he's not fat, he's actually sleek......with a little bit of a pouch.

Gypsy

Well my two cats love Purina One in the salmon flavor. I have tried a couple of other brands when the store was out of stock but they didn't seem to like those as much as Purina. I also give them a half a can of canned cat food a piece about once a week as a treat. Our vet really preached against giving wet food because cat's don't drink water as much when eating wet food. I feel however that once a week as a reward is okay though. The "kids" come running when they hear the sound of the lid popping off. I usually leave their dry food out freely also.

We feed a dry blend of Royal Canin, Nutro, Iams and Eukanuba. As we are a breeding cattery our kitties are used to eating all the major premium brands and transitions are much easier for them when new foods are not involved. The dry mix is available 24/7. Once a day or every other day we feed a wet food in the morning as a treat, as they only get 1 or 2 tablespoons each. For that we will feed Friskies, Dr. Ballards, Iams or Nutro. To the batch we add 1 tablespoon each of V.A.L. Syrup, Dream Coat and Kitty Bloom, mixing it all together before portioning it out. For our queens with litters we feed them the dry mix but for wet we feed kitten food with a teaspoon of plain yogurt or cottage cheese per 6oz. can to add the extra calcium needed for the kittens as well as mom. If some of the kittens are reluctant to eat the wet we make Glop, which none have ever turned their nose up about. The nursing queens and kittens get the wet twice a day, morning and early evening. We also put a bowl of dry kitten food down 24/7 once the kittens start to take to the wet food, and the extra stuff in it is good for mom, too.

I feed only the super premium foods, Wellness & Felidae, to my 3 boys. I used to free feed & had 2 overweight cats & 2 cats that threw up most every day, sometimes a couple times a day.

Now I feed them at approximately 6- noon- 5- & 9, I just put 3 bowls down & let them eat til they walk away, I have been doing this for about 2 months now & the overweight boys are looking much better & I have had no incidences of cats throwing up, This alone has made it worth while.

The downside?? At 5:30 every morning I have 3 cats walking all over me wanting me to get up & feed them, LOL!

VBG, I know the routine well! Walking down the hallway to feed the purrballs is an adventure in itself with a dozen cats and kittens weaving in and out between my feet as I try to avoid stepping on them. Sleeping in on the weekend is an impossibility as the yowling and headbumps begin at about 5:00. It's nice to know there are others in the same situation. GGG

Pete

LOL!! I only have 3, but yes its impossible to walk to where I feed them, I'm always tripping over a cat or 3, & their little watches need adjusting, they always think they should be fed about a hour to 1/2 before its actually time.

I feed mine in the hallway also, But, the bathroom is at the end of the hallway, So everythime I go into the bathroom I have 3 cats running around me.

Yup, I've decided that I will never get to sleep in again, I cannot close the bedroom door, as we all know how loud cats can be when they howl! LOL!!

My one male cat developed FUS and the Vet said it was because all I gave him was dry food so I started giving him half a can of wet along with half a can to my younger cat. I leave dry down 24/7. But it sounds like alot of you are strictly feeding with dry. I guess it's a relative question.

I free feed my kitties Purina Cat Chow Indoor Formula. They eat about half a cup of food a piece everyday, unless my Siamese is in heat, and she will then eat about 3/4 of a cup. Much to the dislike of the other kitty. (The siamese isn't spayed because we plan on breeding) I've never really given either of them wet food, so I don't think they know what they might be missing. Whisker Lickins are treats- but the Siamese hates treats so the other kitty eats hers too.

JC is a very picky eater, and prefers dry to canned food. He gets half a day's ration of dry food (30 grams) every morning, and I have three different brands open at any one time. The dry food I give him is: Felidae, Solid Gold, Nutro, Almo Holistic, Eukanuba, and Science Diet. Very occasionally Iams or Purina One (I buy a small bag about once a year). He gets a small can (generally 3 ounces/ 85 g.) of canned food in the evening: Innova, Almo Nature, Miamor Feine Filets, Solid Gold, Prarie (larger can), and California Natural. He's allowed four small treats every evening, but often those "treats" consist of kibble. He also gets Whiskas cat milk, because he's addicted to it and raises a ruckus when he doesn't get it.
Janie is the first pet we've had that prefers dry food, but I'm uncomfortable about feeding it to him exclusively, because I fear urinary tract problems. The variety is at his insistence, and he's never had trouble with tummy upset.

My cats share 1/3 cup of Royal Canin in the morning. In the evening they share about 3/4 can of 6 oz wet food. (Natural Balence or a mixture of Innova and Natural Balence).

I like the Royal Canin because I can get it for older cats. Both of my cats have lost a lot of teeth. They don't have trouble chewing it though.

Summer gets free fed Natural Balance dry (just switched from Nutro Natural Choice) and gets 1 - 2 tsps of Nutro or Fancy Feast canned at night, but not every night. I used to split this up and give her some in the morning too, but she would wake us up VERY early (I never woke up and gave her any)....since I gradually switched to this schedule, the middle of the night alarm clock has been gone!

Rosie is on Purina Natural balance dry kibbles, with a little bit Hi-Life wet food.

Sophie is on Hills Science Plan for kittens dry kibbles.

i feed socks whiskers kitten food, he manages about 2 pouches a day

don't count on the 'net store locators - I've found stores much closer to home that DO carry the foods that are not listed on the website. Just "let your fingers do the walking," pick up your yellow pages and call the store to ask if they carry X-Brand. Call any pet store, feed store or ranch/livestock supply store you can think of.

I've done some reading on the foods, and there's a lot of good information on other pet boards, but the guideline remains pretty much the same: look at the first three to four ingredients. Ideally, the food should have meat (NOT meat by-product) listed as the first ingredient, and no corn, rice, flour, or meal in those first four. This pretty much rules out all grocery-store brands. I was in a PetsMart the other day and there was a vendor there giving out coupons for the latest Science Diet formula. While she was giving her spiel about how much better it was for your pet, I was looking over the ingredient list. I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing in her face - the FIRST ingredient was Brewer's rice!!!!!

As far as affordability goes, they really are pretty much the same, feeding for feeding. The better the ingredients, the less you'll need to feed per day, so a 5 lb bag of premium food would probably last just as long as an8-10 lb bag of store-bought at the same price. I didn't believe this until I got Bella - I bought a small bag of Chicken Soup for the Cat-Lover's Soul, and according to the feeding guide on the bag, I was only supposed to give my petite little girl 1/4-cup a DAY!! I thought surely I should give her more, but I followed the directions, and guess what - on that 1/4-cup a day my girl GAINED weight (she needed to).

There are never-ending debates on some boards about what is the "Best" food out there, but the two key things are 1) what goes into it (quality ingredients), and 2) will your cat eat it? Beyond that, I really think there's no difference