switching to wet only, a few Q's....

liza24

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I was wondering, is it smarter to feed wet only, and if so, how much should be fed daily per cat?

the males average about 15lbs, the females, 10lbs. i also have the 6 week old kittens i have for a few more weeks too. there is 5 of them.
 

beandip

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I think wet-only is a good idea. I switched mine to wet only earlier this year...February, I think. I wish I had done it a long time ago. The benefits have been great.

How much per day...that really varies, depending on their weights vs. what they should weigh, their activity levels, and the quality of the food.

As far as the little kittens go, I've never had a problem letting them eat as much as they want...at that age, I'd say 4 times a day. I can't remember how much that might add up to. It's been awhile.

My adult cats eat twice a day. I was doing 3x a day, but in this heat they lost interest in "lunch" so we've switched to 2 meals a day. I think I will stick with that when it cools off, if they'll tolerate it. My cats average just under a can per day (5oz). My biggest cat is 11.5lbs, he's 9 and his activity level is not very high although it's better than it used to be. He lost 2lbs since making the switch, and he's become more active after losing the weight.

If you have a lot of cats, the 12/13oz cans can save quite a bit of money per serving.
 

icklemiss21

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The bigger cans can definitely save you money.

Like Beandip said, you can't really say how much they should be getting without knowing their activity level and the type of food. Some foods are more nutritious per oz and you need to feed less and others less so and you need to feed more.

We spoke to our vet about calorie & nutrition requirements at our last visit as they were all getting bigger despite the fact they were losing on the food before but had gotten less active too and we have guidelines on how much protein / taurine etc etc they should be getting from a set amount of calories.

Generally (and this certainly doesn't go for all foods) the cheaper it is the more fillers it has and the more you need to feed to meet the nutritional requirements of your cat. BUT if you feed to meet nutritional requirements, your cat could be getting too many calories for the day, so it is important to choose a food that suits their needs.

ETA: plus you need to find one they will eat as we all know they can be finicky
 

mschauer

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Originally Posted by beandip

I think wet-only is a good idea. I switched mine to wet only earlier this year...February, I think. I wish I had done it a long time ago. The benefits have been great.
Just curious, what benfits have you seen?

Medora
 

sharky

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I cant say for Beandip but

wet only ...

better coats

fewer hairballs ( than evan hairball dry)

fewer vet visits

with wet and raw

my CRF( RB) girls numbers fell and stayed for about 2 yrs ( 2 yrs after dignoisis ) till her last hooray...

My Dogs liver issues were almost not caught since she DID NOT loss a bit of hair and her hair is soft and shiny( she is pre cushings) ... she eats raw and homade (which to me is like the high end canned)

coats are magnificiant


teeth are cleaner

breathe is better

energy levals rival youngsters ... Kandie(RB) was 18 and could keep up with my semi feral Zoey who is 3

Conventional vets think there is nothing wrong since the animals conditions are so good that they look a third of their yrs...

that is my personal experience
 

mcat

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I have fed wet only for a number of years. It has cut way down on the urinary tract problems and those who were overweight slimmed down. Everyone seems to gobble up the food. We feed high quality food. I find that the expense is worth it as there are less vet trips which are more expensive. Our cats eat PetGuard Venison & Rice and Chicken & Wheat Germ. All flavors of Wellness except the very fishy ones because no one likes those. Natural Balance in Salmon as well as Chicken. We used to feed Merrick, but I had to mash it up as it comes with big pieces that no one liked.

Wet food has a lot of water in it, so even if they don't drink a lot, they are still getting water.

I feed meals -- half a 5.5 oz can (or 6 oz depending on the brand) per cat in the morning and the same in the evening. Kittens should eat as much as they want as often as they want. They are growing like weeds.
 

diego

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I'd just like to say, that I never feed wet to my cats unless its to get them to swallow a tablet or some other form of meds.
I used to always use Natures Recipe but that is no longer available, so I use Science Diet, its so much more economical. But of course you need to ensure the cat has plenty of water. Its a lot better for their teeth too, if you only use wet, you will notice they will get teeth problems fast. I would recommend you give dry to them at least 2 - 3 times a week, if you feel the need to switch to wet.


I'm interested to see other ideas.
 

beandip

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Originally Posted by mschauer

Just curious, what benfits have you seen?

Medora
The biggest one was Beandip's urinary/bladder issues. Once they started in 2005, he was at the vet with an "episode" (crystals, infection, inflammation, blockage, etc) every 6 weeks, like clockwork. At the time, he was eating prescription (urinary formula) dry food. He's been problem-free since making the switch. I've also been able to slowly eliminate the meds he was on for those issues.

Momma and Leopold used to vomit fairly often, regardless of the dry food offered. Leopold's vomiting problem is gone and Momma's is significantly better. She gets the occasional hairball but it's much better now.

Leopold and Paisley lost some weight that they needed to. Leopold is 9 and is more active than he's been in years, thanks to the weight loss. Paisley's progress is slower, but it's coming along.

Junior and Pixel actually gained weight, filled out nicely. They needed to.

Paisley no longer gets constipated.

They all have nicer coats now...no dandruff, etc.

I'm confident that the long term benefits for their kidneys and overall health will be evident later on. I'm sure there's a lot more...that's all that's coming to me off the top of my head this morning.
 

diego

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Sorry I just need to check, (a lot more people posted before I finished typing)
when you all say wet, you are talking about regular canned jellymeat right?

Neko and Diego are my first cats in about 7 years, so I haven't exactly kept up with the debate on which is better, but it was always dry that was recommended for a number of reasons. Now it sounds like wet has made a come back.
 

sharky

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WET has been proven to aid in UTI health and YES dental health .... Dry food is like cereal very convient yet not very good as a staple diet
 

beandip

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Originally Posted by DIEGO

I'd just like to say, that I never feed wet to my cats unless its to get them to swallow a tablet or some other form of meds.
I used to always use Natures Recipe but that is no longer available, so I use Science Diet, its so much more economical. But of course you need to ensure the cat has plenty of water. Its a lot better for their teeth too, if you only use wet, you will notice they will get teeth problems fast. I would recommend you give dry to them at least 2 - 3 times a week, if you feel the need to switch to wet.


I'm interested to see other ideas.
Diego, a lot of people still believe the dry food/clean teeth theory and a lot of vets still preach it...but it's not true. Dry food basically "shatters" when they crunch it. There is no scrubbing that takes place. And just like when we eat crackers or cereal, a lot of it gets stuck on and between their teeth. Dry food is loaded with carbs (average 40%) which is completely unnatural for a cat, not to mention that carbs (sugar) cause tooth decay! Meat flavored cereal is not what mother nature intended for a cat.

Moisture is a key item for good health. A cat is not "programmed" to seek water until they are already partially dehydrated. A chronically dehydrated cat isn't a healthy one. Many, many older cats have failing kidneys. I believe that a lot of that has to do with a lifetime of dry food.

A cat that eats dry food and drinks frequently still gets far less water than a cat that eats only wet food who never takes a drink.

There are some good articles and info on the subject here

www.catinfo.org

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.ph...needcannedfood

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.ph...talcareforcats

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.ph...=show&item=016
 

designvhl

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I think that usually vets try to steer you away from the wet food...and I think MOST people use dry because it can be more economical and convenient...I've thought about switching my cats over to an all wet too...however Charlie barely eats the wet when I put it in front of him, he def. prefers the dry food. Not sure how easy it would be for me to help him make the switch...esp. since I free feed the dry (both cats graze)....HOWEVER VEGAS gets her daily portions - 1/4 can in the am, and another 1/4 at night....and sometimes a little more when Charlie comes begging for some wet (or steals from Vegas) - happens once in a while and depends on what it is. IF I decide to switch Vegas to an all wet food diet, but charlie stays on the dry - will Vegas most likely eat LESS dry if I give her more wet? She was "diagnosed" w/ IBD and just got off her meds....she was vomiting daily, and so far its been good...but between her wet food meals, she totally gorges herself on the dry...always seems hungry! She's vomited twice since being off the meds....and i hope it was just due to gorging. Any thoughts appreciated, as I'd like to try the transition, though I am not sure if Charlie will take...as sometimes wet food upsets his tummy...but if it helps w/ less hairballs and improves their overall health, I am so 100% for it - Esp. w/ Vegas having the IBD!!
 

whiskerynature

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So, what's a good game plan for transitioning from dry to all-wet? Munchie likes wet, but Doc only laps up the gravy. He'll skip a day if no dry is offered
. So, so many wasted servings of wet food with that guy!
(He'll even pick out the dry if we do a half-half bowl with dry sprinkled on wet ... and then mope around
)

P.S. I'm anticipating many a hunger-striker, but how many days (countless hours of meowing
) will it take to switch over to all wet? (Hopefully, then on to some Nature's Variety raw, too
)
 

beandip

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I don't have personal experience with IBD, although my vet suspected that could be Momma's issue...just due to the (previous) frequency of her vomiting. We never looked into it further, as she's much better now.

I do think it would be extremely beneficial for Vegas to eat only wet food. How old is she? Is she at a good weight? The gorging can be worrisome...it's good to know if they have a good reason to want to gorge. Some cats just do that when they can, like my Paisley.

I think I have read that a lot of IBD cats do best with grain free wet food (or raw). My cats are very happy with Wellness and By Nature (cans), for a couple that are grain free. They like EVO too. Momma is slightly addicted to the NB Venison/Pea cans. That's another one with no grains.

With Charlie, I think my suggestion would be to switch to meals for both cats. Even if Charlie still gets dry food at his meals, that would be the first step in trying to get him to eat wet IMO. I had to do that for some of mine. Once I stopped free feeding, everyones enthusiasm for wet went up quite a bit. Plus, with meals you can be sure of what and how much Vegas is eating, in the interest of controlling her vomiting issues.

Some of my cats were very stubborn about switching to wet. They really tried my patience for awhile, but I was determined. Now they know that those little kibbles are just the occasional treat. Two of them actually have very little interest in the dry "treats" now at all. They gobble up their wet food. Beandip was my toughest case. It turned out that he wasn't totally opposed to "wet" food, he just prefers raw over canned. He does dive into a plate of canned now, though...if I'm too slow getting his food ready.
 

beandip

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Originally Posted by whiskerynature

So, what's a good game plan for transitioning from dry to all-wet? Munchie likes wet, but Doc only laps up the gravy. He'll skip a day if no dry is offered
. So, so many wasted servings of wet food with that guy!
(He'll even pick out the dry if we do a half-half bowl with dry sprinkled on wet ... and then mope around
)

P.S. I'm anticipating many a hunger-striker, but how many days (countless hours of meowing
) will it take to switch over to all wet? (Hopefully, then on to some Nature's Variety raw, too
)
I should let others speak. LOL But anyway...

You probably told me, but I forgot. Is their dry served in meals, or free-fed?

I wouldn't starve them (and I know you wouldn't either.
) ...None of mine skipped more than 2 meals (at the time I was doing 3 a day)...so if breakfast and lunch flopped, they did eat dinner.
 

diego

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Originally Posted by beandip

Diego, a lot of people still believe the dry food/clean teeth theory and a lot of vets still preach it...but it's not true. Dry food basically "shatters" when they crunch it. There is no scrubbing that takes place. And just like when we eat crackers or cereal, a lot of it gets stuck on and between their teeth. Dry food is loaded with carbs (average 40%) which is completely unnatural for a cat, not to mention that carbs (sugar) cause tooth decay! Meat flavored cereal is not what mother nature intended for a cat.

Moisture is a key item for good health. A cat is not "programmed" to seek water until they are already partially dehydrated. A chronically dehydrated cat isn't a healthy one. Many, many older cats have failing kidneys. I believe that a lot of that has to do with a lifetime of dry food.

A cat that eats dry food and drinks frequently still gets far less water than a cat that eats only wet food who never takes a drink.

There are some good articles and info on the subject here

www.catinfo.org

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.ph...needcannedfood

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.ph...talcareforcats

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.ph...=show&item=016
Thanks will check them out after I've had some sleep. Forums are very addictive and deprive me of sleep
 
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liza24

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well, i have gotten so far on MOSTLY wet. a serving in the am, 2 cups of dry free fed to everyone during the day, and a seriving of wet at night. seem to be working. then once the dry is gone, it will be all wet.

i am using right now the Meow Mix Market Select cups, and they love it.
 

designvhl

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Great suggestions for sure! So you think I should just boom take away the dry food immediately? Or is there a way to ease into this? I'm so afraid they are going to starve if I just take away the dry! What if I feed them the wrong amount? NOt enuf, too much? Should I just mix the dry w/ the wet for Charlie? I think he may end up picking out the dry too..or not eating it at all...if he doesn't eat it, what am I to do? Let him starve? Or just give him a few kibbles? Not sure where to start! Vegas will be easy to transition...she'll be happy to get on an all wet food diet...one of the only times she purrrs is when she's happily eating her wet food. She IS hungry a lot but I really think she just LOVES TO EAT! I'm worried about Charlie getting the runs from the wet. I've been reading a bit about people trying the grain free...haven't been able to find it locally...so i guess I should order it online...for U.S. customers, any suggestions on where to buy online? I have been wanting to try the wet food your suggested for some time now. Both cats would benefit....just not sure how easy it will be for charlie to take this....I guess I should just save the dry food for when i go out of town? Even tho my mom comes over to feed/care for the cats....i would still feel better about not leaving them to starve, lol!

Vegas is just about 8 years old....Charlie is 4 yrs....and still growing! I can't remember their weights but both are healthy.....i think Vegas was 11 lbs last I brought her to the vet...but that was when she was vomiting and skinny...she is probably at her normal 13 lbs now....Charlie I am not sure probably between 11-14 lbs himself...both my cats are pretty big! For suggested servings, should I just follow what the can says? What do you think?
 
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liza24

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i am doing to gradually. I leave out 2 cups free fed of the dry, AFTER i give them there wet in the am. whatever they didnt eat of the dry during the day gets tossed when i go to bed. i feed them wet in the am, and before i go to bed, and free fed 2 cups dry during the day till the dry is gone, then once it is, wet only.
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by DesignVHL

Great suggestions for sure! So you think I should just boom take away the dry food immediately? Or is there a way to ease into this? I'm so afraid they are going to starve if I just take away the dry! What if I feed them the wrong amount? NOt enuf, too much? Should I just mix the dry w/ the wet for Charlie? I think he may end up picking out the dry too..or not eating it at all...if he doesn't eat it, what am I to do? Let him starve? Or just give him a few kibbles? Not sure where to start! Vegas will be easy to transition...she'll be happy to get on an all wet food diet...one of the only times she purrrs is when she's happily eating her wet food. She IS hungry a lot but I really think she just LOVES TO EAT! I'm worried about Charlie getting the runs from the wet. I've been reading a bit about people trying the grain free...haven't been able to find it locally...so i guess I should order it online...for U.S. customers, any suggestions on where to buy online? I have been wanting to try the wet food your suggested for some time now. Both cats would benefit....just not sure how easy it will be for charlie to take this....I guess I should just save the dry food for when i go out of town? Even tho my mom comes over to feed/care for the cats....i would still feel better about not leaving them to starve, lol!

Vegas is just about 8 years old....Charlie is 4 yrs....and still growing! I can't remember their weights but both are healthy.....i think Vegas was 11 lbs last I brought her to the vet...but that was when she was vomiting and skinny...she is probably at her normal 13 lbs now....Charlie I am not sure probably between 11-14 lbs himself...both my cats are pretty big! For suggested servings, should I just follow what the can says? What do you think?
portions vary but general rules are 1/2 oz to 1oz per lb of wt ... I would nt remove all dry unless they refuse to eat the wet ( after you have tried many flavors of different brands)
 
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