I was thinking that myself, but seeing as they're on different continents.... "Smudge" is the perfect name for your cat!
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24/7 feeding vs specific meal times?
- Thread starter swngdancir
- Start Date
Okay...so how about this?
Each morning before going to work I put a 1/2 cup of food in Willie's dish. He digs through that all day until the next morning when jsut a few crumbs remain. I'm still measuring his food he just nibbles all day long. I don't just fill the bowl up to the top each time. So he really has no way of overeating, except when I decide to feed him some canned food as a treat.
Is it just that free feeding always keeps his degestive system working that is bad? I don't know...is it even bad? It's like the hard food issue versus the canned food...which is really better? Whatever way I still treasure my cat like he's gold. I've only had in for one month...but he was born on Jan 22. I adopted him from the humane society when he was 9 weeks old and so little.
Each morning before going to work I put a 1/2 cup of food in Willie's dish. He digs through that all day until the next morning when jsut a few crumbs remain. I'm still measuring his food he just nibbles all day long. I don't just fill the bowl up to the top each time. So he really has no way of overeating, except when I decide to feed him some canned food as a treat.
Is it just that free feeding always keeps his degestive system working that is bad? I don't know...is it even bad? It's like the hard food issue versus the canned food...which is really better? Whatever way I still treasure my cat like he's gold. I've only had in for one month...but he was born on Jan 22. I adopted him from the humane society when he was 9 weeks old and so little.
Hi I used to do that when it was just Piper (well I put half dwon in the morning and left it there, then half down at night, adn both times there was a little food left), and as long as you catch him eating during the day and not all at once, and there is always some food left in the morning, that is just fine.
if he later starts to want to eat more that his portion, then stop free feeding, measure and give it in two meals.
I was just at the vet yesturday for Roxy booster, we talked about feeding since I now have 3 cats, and he was telling me all fixed cats need to be watched with what they eat, overweight cats are the biggest underlying health problems, especially with age...
I also asked because Roxy is getting spayed in 2 weeks, and people told me her behavior will change ie. calm down) and she will gain weight..........he said she is at perfect size and should stay that way, so to not give her more food than her recomended protion...and watch her carefully and give her lots of exercise once she is healed!
if he later starts to want to eat more that his portion, then stop free feeding, measure and give it in two meals.
I was just at the vet yesturday for Roxy booster, we talked about feeding since I now have 3 cats, and he was telling me all fixed cats need to be watched with what they eat, overweight cats are the biggest underlying health problems, especially with age...
I also asked because Roxy is getting spayed in 2 weeks, and people told me her behavior will change ie. calm down) and she will gain weight..........he said she is at perfect size and should stay that way, so to not give her more food than her recomended protion...and watch her carefully and give her lots of exercise once she is healed!
I think it depends on the cat and where they are..If they are outside and u have alot (I have 10)then I think it's ok to leave food out (not toooooo much or you'll be feeding area wildlife too). They are active enough outside to exercise the extra pounds away that a inside cat would normally get from too much food. They will still catch mice and other kittie delicacies. As for an inside cat it depends on how active the cat is and how much you feel u can handle the constant meowing. If you already leave food out and don't want to anymore, then u can switch to however many times you want...BUT first you need to VERY slowly cut back. The slower the better because u will have less meowing. They are less likely to notice (and beg for more food)if they don't notice that u are cutting back. GOOD LUCK and have fun!!!
i free feed my kitties dry food, and then in the morning i feed them wet food for breakfast
i was just wondering , i don't know if you guys have these brands over there in the states, i feed my cats Whiskers brand and Friskies brand dry food, these are just cat biscuits you can buy in the supermarket, do they have a poor nutritional content..ie. should i not be feeding my cats these?
i was just wondering , i don't know if you guys have these brands over there in the states, i feed my cats Whiskers brand and Friskies brand dry food, these are just cat biscuits you can buy in the supermarket, do they have a poor nutritional content..ie. should i not be feeding my cats these?
Iceangel: We have both Wiskas and Frisky's here in the states. And they are pretty much at the bottom of the chain as far as cat foods go. I would definetly recomend a change, but that's up to you.
Foods I would recommend...
Solid Gold
Natural Balance
Wellness
Felidae
There are numorous other ones you can find in petstores or buy online, if you find one you like that you have access to, just ask and I will personally give you the run down of that food, as I'm sure several other people here will too!
If you are limited to grocery stores only, then you might want to consider...
Fancy Feast (canned only).
Maxximum Nutrition (Sold at Walmart)
Purina ONE
Foods I would recommend...
Solid Gold
Natural Balance
Wellness
Felidae
There are numorous other ones you can find in petstores or buy online, if you find one you like that you have access to, just ask and I will personally give you the run down of that food, as I'm sure several other people here will too!
If you are limited to grocery stores only, then you might want to consider...
Fancy Feast (canned only).
Maxximum Nutrition (Sold at Walmart)
Purina ONE
okay thanks, well some of those i don't think i can get here, i can get fancy feast though, and maybe purina..
what do you think of foods like whiskers advanced? do they have better nutritional content? how about iams?
i don't think i can afford anything too expensive!
i'm thinking about changing but it won't be for another few months cuz i just entered this compitition where if u buy 6kgs of friskies you get a free cat tunnel, so they have to finish that first!
what do you think of foods like whiskers advanced? do they have better nutritional content? how about iams?
i don't think i can afford anything too expensive!
i'm thinking about changing but it won't be for another few months cuz i just entered this compitition where if u buy 6kgs of friskies you get a free cat tunnel, so they have to finish that first!
IceAngel: I'm going to send you a PM when I get home from work in reguards to Iam's and why I feel you should never buy their products.
Are you talking about Wiska's or Whiskers food? We have Wiska's here in the states! But not Whiskers.
Perhaps if you could look at the back of the bag, and type up the list of the first 6 or so ingredients, and tell me the protient and fiber content, I could advise better.
I can not tell you what foods are good over there, as I have never been over there.
Are you talking about Wiska's or Whiskers food? We have Wiska's here in the states! But not Whiskers.
Perhaps if you could look at the back of the bag, and type up the list of the first 6 or so ingredients, and tell me the protient and fiber content, I could advise better.
I can not tell you what foods are good over there, as I have never been over there.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #29
Please include me on that PM regarding Iams. Thanks!
Iceangel & Swingdancir: Check your PM's
in aus, we have a supermarket cat food called Whiskers, its in a purple box,but i'm guessing its not very good cuz its like a competitor to friskies. i was looking at the friskies cat food i'm feeding my kitties and its like , multi coloured! green, red, and yellow!!
...whats crude protien, and fats?is it bad?
i was reading the box for friskies and it mentions 'by products' like 3 times in the ingrediants... so thats a bit dodgey
thanks for the PMs i don't think i will be buying iams anymore (when i got charli, the petstore was recommending me feed her iams)
i'm going to check into whiskers advanced because apparently, though its made by whiskers , its suposed to be better quality ( and more expensive too!) and purina cuz i can get it at the supermarket and its cheaper than whiskers advanced i think..(?)
...whats crude protien, and fats?is it bad?
i was reading the box for friskies and it mentions 'by products' like 3 times in the ingrediants... so thats a bit dodgey
thanks for the PMs i don't think i will be buying iams anymore (when i got charli, the petstore was recommending me feed her iams)
i'm going to check into whiskers advanced because apparently, though its made by whiskers , its suposed to be better quality ( and more expensive too!) and purina cuz i can get it at the supermarket and its cheaper than whiskers advanced i think..(?)
This is some information I could have used awhile ago as well. I feed my cats Nutro Natural Choice dry food and have been trying to feed them some wet food, but there's the problem. I have two kitties both have been taken to the vet recently to be checked out and both came back with a clean bill of health. But every once in awhile when I try to give them wet food one of them gets sick from it. I am thinking that its Mischief because Niko turns her nose on the stuff and will only lick the gravy.
The newest kitten Isis is eating both dry and wet food with no problem. Her breeder fed her rice and chicken home cooked once a day too, so I am wondering if I should try that as well.
The newest kitten Isis is eating both dry and wet food with no problem. Her breeder fed her rice and chicken home cooked once a day too, so I am wondering if I should try that as well.
I feed my cats Morning & Night , Raw Food and They have Big Plates of dry food left with them all day everyday
Could someone send me the info on Iams. I used to use that, but I recently switched to Nutro Natural Choice for Kittens...and sometimes wet wellness or innova or natural choice since I have a kitten. When my kitty is 10 months or 12 months I'll feed him wellness or Innova, but for now I have 18 pounds on Nutro NC to use and he loves it...and it's a good food. But he gobbles the wellness and innova wet food like there is not tomorrow, but he also does that with cucumbers. My sister-in-law feeds her cat Iams and I'm trying to get her to switch so I need some help....
I recently received a second email from Iams regarding their research on live animals. Just in case you're interested:
Thema: Hello from Cindy at Iams
Datum: 01.05.2003 15:50:41 Westeuropäische Normalzeit
Von: [email protected]
Internet-eMail: (Details)
Dear Pet Lover:
We are sending you this message in response to your earlier concern regarding Iams nutritional studies. Since you expressed a great concern regarding this situation, we wanted to bring you up to date with the most current information.
On March 25, we learned that nutritional studies being conducted for us at an independent facility in the U.S. may have violated our company's strict research policy. On March 26, we completed an unannounced visit of the facility to review procedures and ensure the well-being of dogs and cats at the site.
On March 27, we concluded that the facility did not meet our strict standards regarding air temperature, ventilation, resting beds, and socialization (even though the facility recently passed U.S. government inspections). We made the decision to end all research at the facility.
In addition, we worked with the facility to relocate Fifi, Maisy, Mickey, and the 16 other dogs to an Iams animal care center. We have an established program for socialization and employee adoption that will give these dogs the opportunity for a successful transition to a family.
On April 10, we met with PETA to look over the facts and to share our plan for the review of our contract research facilities.
We have now completed comprehensive reviews of all external facilities involved in dog and cat nutritional studies for Iams. This was a major effort which included Iams researchers, P&G veterinarians, non-technical Iams employees who served as the "eyes and ears" of our consumers, and where possible, independent
animal welfare experts.
All of the facilities reviewed comply with government regulations, and the health of the dogs and cats is not at risk. However, we've decided to consolidate our nutritional studies at fewer contract facilities, and we will focus more on the implementation of our high standards for dog and cat care.
Also, we are establishing an Independent Animal Care Advisory Board which will be in place and active by July 15. Its role will be to:
1. Actively review external facility compliance with the Iams research
policy.
2. Participate in random unannounced inspections of external sites.
3. Critically evaluate our research policy and bring new ideas to enhance animal well being.
4. Evaluate our animal care program to ensure the health and well being of dogs and cats. This evaluation will include site visits to Iams facilities.
If you would like to read about our research policy in more detail, it is posted on our website at:
http://www.iams.com/en_US/jhtmls/faq...randcode=I&loc
aleid=en_US&pagetypeid=FQ
<http://www.iams.com/en_US/jhtmls/faq...id=167&brandco
de=I&localeid=en_US&pagetypeid=FQ> (or go to www.iamsco.com
<http://www.iamsco.com/> and access this document through the horizontal navigation bar by clicking onto News/Stories.)
We want to advance scientific understanding of how nutrition can help dogs and cats to live long, healthy lives. We only conduct research with dogs and cats that is equivalent to nutritional or medical studies acceptable on people. We are deeply committed to dog and cat well being, and our research policy reflects that commitment.
If you do NOT want to receive further updates, please reply back to us so we can remove your e-mail address from our list. Thank you again for your initial concern. We appreciate the opportunity to communicate the status of this situation.
Sincerely,
Cindy Achor
Group Manager
Iams Consumer Care
Thema: Hello from Cindy at Iams
Datum: 01.05.2003 15:50:41 Westeuropäische Normalzeit
Von: [email protected]
Internet-eMail: (Details)
Dear Pet Lover:
We are sending you this message in response to your earlier concern regarding Iams nutritional studies. Since you expressed a great concern regarding this situation, we wanted to bring you up to date with the most current information.
On March 25, we learned that nutritional studies being conducted for us at an independent facility in the U.S. may have violated our company's strict research policy. On March 26, we completed an unannounced visit of the facility to review procedures and ensure the well-being of dogs and cats at the site.
On March 27, we concluded that the facility did not meet our strict standards regarding air temperature, ventilation, resting beds, and socialization (even though the facility recently passed U.S. government inspections). We made the decision to end all research at the facility.
In addition, we worked with the facility to relocate Fifi, Maisy, Mickey, and the 16 other dogs to an Iams animal care center. We have an established program for socialization and employee adoption that will give these dogs the opportunity for a successful transition to a family.
On April 10, we met with PETA to look over the facts and to share our plan for the review of our contract research facilities.
We have now completed comprehensive reviews of all external facilities involved in dog and cat nutritional studies for Iams. This was a major effort which included Iams researchers, P&G veterinarians, non-technical Iams employees who served as the "eyes and ears" of our consumers, and where possible, independent
animal welfare experts.
All of the facilities reviewed comply with government regulations, and the health of the dogs and cats is not at risk. However, we've decided to consolidate our nutritional studies at fewer contract facilities, and we will focus more on the implementation of our high standards for dog and cat care.
Also, we are establishing an Independent Animal Care Advisory Board which will be in place and active by July 15. Its role will be to:
1. Actively review external facility compliance with the Iams research
policy.
2. Participate in random unannounced inspections of external sites.
3. Critically evaluate our research policy and bring new ideas to enhance animal well being.
4. Evaluate our animal care program to ensure the health and well being of dogs and cats. This evaluation will include site visits to Iams facilities.
If you would like to read about our research policy in more detail, it is posted on our website at:
http://www.iams.com/en_US/jhtmls/faq...randcode=I&loc
aleid=en_US&pagetypeid=FQ
<http://www.iams.com/en_US/jhtmls/faq...id=167&brandco
de=I&localeid=en_US&pagetypeid=FQ> (or go to www.iamsco.com
<http://www.iamsco.com/> and access this document through the horizontal navigation bar by clicking onto News/Stories.)
We want to advance scientific understanding of how nutrition can help dogs and cats to live long, healthy lives. We only conduct research with dogs and cats that is equivalent to nutritional or medical studies acceptable on people. We are deeply committed to dog and cat well being, and our research policy reflects that commitment.
If you do NOT want to receive further updates, please reply back to us so we can remove your e-mail address from our list. Thank you again for your initial concern. We appreciate the opportunity to communicate the status of this situation.
Sincerely,
Cindy Achor
Group Manager
Iams Consumer Care
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #36
I hope they are truly doing what they claim in that email. The comment of "We only conduct research with dogs and cats that is equivalent to nutritional or medical studies acceptable on people." just made my skin crawl as I thought about their failure to take action regarding the de-barking.
thanks, i was wondering about it cuz the word 'crude' doesn't sound very appitaizing!
well anyways i'm switching my cats to purina now cuz its better than friskies and its within my budget!
purina is okay to feed the cats right..? better than friskies at least...
well anyways i'm switching my cats to purina now cuz its better than friskies and its within my budget!
Yes, Purina Cat Chow is slightly better then Frisky's, Frisky's starts with a corn product, while Purina starts with a Poultry By-Product Meal... not the best in the world. They aren't exactly eating fresh chicken there... but you get the jist.
Now if you could afford to feed Purina ONE, or Maxximum Nutrition (Sold in Walmart in a silver bag). Then that would be even better! They are a bit cheaper then others, but better then Purina and Frisky's.
Good luck!
Now if you could afford to feed Purina ONE, or Maxximum Nutrition (Sold in Walmart in a silver bag). Then that would be even better! They are a bit cheaper then others, but better then Purina and Frisky's.
Good luck!
I just had a look at the Advance ingredients: The "chicken & rice" has 20% chicken meal and 14% rice, while "fish & rice" has rice listed first, followed by chicken meal. I'm sure it's better than the regular "Whiskas" dry food, but there are better foods out there. One thing to keep in mind - the better the food, the smaller the quantities fed, so ultimately even a "super premium" food isn't much more expensive than the stuff you get at the supermarket. You will also use less litter.
