So many questions!

orangeishcat · May 22, 2011

All right, here's the story. Peanut gets absolutely frantic about food- if he even THINKS we're going to forget to feed him he becomes a leg twining, yowling, darting to cut you off before his food dish little maniac. He has very nearly caused me to fall down the stairs a couple times because he's begging so hard for food- and it's nowhere near feeding time!

I'm thinking I might supplement some wet food, as I've heard this tends to last longer in little kitty bellies...

1. Peanut cannot free-feed- he'd be a basketball with feet within days. He gets fed at 7AM, noon, and around 9PM. Should I give him wet food at these specific times, or does his routine need to change?

2. He does have some special needs regarding mobility. I asked my vet about that and he said food wouldn't really have an impact on him in that regard, so... I'd like to get him a weight-management wet food. Does anyone use a specific brand they like for controlling overweight-tending kitties?

3. I'm thinking I might feed him a mix of wet and dry, so what do you recommend as far as portions go?

4. AND FINALLY-- this might be the silliest question in the history of questions-- can you store canned food that's been opened in the fridge with a lid on it? I know a lot of cats get really picky as to what kind they like, so if Peanut turns his nose up at one for a few days, will it last in the fridge without going bad?

Thanks in advance!!

bastetservant · May 22, 2011

My overweight guy likes Natural Balance Reduced Calorie Formula.

For one cat I'd buy the 3 oz. cans, so you won't have to keep leftovers too long. I store it for up to 2 days in the fridge with one of those plastic covers made to fit the cans. I try to remember to take it out ahead of time to let it warm to room temperature. But if I do that,or not, I mix about a tablespoon of warm water in it to increase his fluid intake. He always eats this right up, but he only gets the canned food once a day, and only 1 oz. of it.

Robin

furryfriends50 · May 22, 2011

How much? IMO, feed as much wet food as your cat will eat, and as little dry food as possible.

What food? "Wieght Management" foods add more plants, which means more carbs, and that is why cats tend to get overwieght in the first place. How about something like the 95% meat canned foods (EVO, Nature's Variety Instinct, Before Grain) which is going to be very low carb and high protein, which is what you want.

http://catinfo.org/?link=felineobesity may be something worthwhile to read as well.

sweetpea24 · May 23, 2011

I would start with 1/4 can of wet and 1/8 cup of dry if you are feeding three times per day. The can is the 5.5 oz can. As for what dry food, I would just decrease the amount. Or you can put kibbles on each step of the stairs or hide them so he has to exercise to get his food. Or use one of those treat balls.

I put the leftover canned food in a glass container with an airtight lid. I dont like keeping the food in the cans becausr they ixidize and also release other chemicals. I can store little guy's food for two days.but schweppie won't eat it if it's been stored more than 12 hours.

minka · May 23, 2011

1. That routine is perfect, you should give him wet at those times.

2. Is his mobility caused by weight or something else? If weight, then food will absolutely have an impact on his mobility. Don't bother with weight-management food however, they basically increase the amount of carbs to make the cat feel full (in theory) but the problem is that it also adds a ton more calories to the food.

3. For a wet/dry diet, I recommend 75% wet, 25% dry.

4. Yes, they make special lids for canned cat food that allow it to stay in the fridge for up to 2-3 days and in the freezer for much longer. The Only problem is that a lot of cats Won't eat it after it's been open for a while. My cat is very picky about how long it's been since the food was 'fresh out of the can.'

Or basically what furryfriends50 said.

orangeishcat · May 27, 2011

Originally Posted by Minka

1. That routine is perfect, you should give him wet at those times.

2. Is his mobility caused by weight or something else? If weight, then food will absolutely have an impact on his mobility. Don't bother with weight-management food however, they basically increase the amount of carbs to make the cat feel full (in theory) but the problem is that it also adds a ton more calories to the food.

From a source that I trust:

3. For a wet/dry diet, I recommend 75% wet, 25% dry.

4. Yes, they make special lids for canned cat food that allow it to stay in the fridge for up to 2-3 days and in the freezer for much longer. The Only problem is that a lot of cats Won't eat it after it's been open for a while. My cat is very picky about how long it's been since the food was 'fresh out of the can.'

Or basically what furryfriends50 said.

Thanks so much for the info!! To answer your question, no, the mobility issues have nothing to do with his weight- they would persist if he weight 50lbs or 5lbs, unfortunately. It doesn't seem to hinder him TOO too much, but... well, have you ever seen a cat who can't jump at all?

He tries so hard, poor guy, but when he bounces off the couch cushions it's all I can do to keep from laughing, because you know he's all like "I totally meant to do that" as he sits down and licks his coat.

parsleysage · May 27, 2011

Originally Posted by orangeishcat

He tries so hard, poor guy, but when he bounces off the couch cushions it's all I can do to keep from laughing, because you know he's all like "I totally meant to do that" as he sits down and licks his coat.

What a sweetheart.

Mine do the same, although they're just kittens & too short to scale the couch! lol!

mnjulz · May 27, 2011

Hi Orangeishcat - I don't see what kind of food and how much food you are feeding your cat a day. Four times a day is a good plan but how much are you feeding him each time and what kind? Not all foods are created equal. Maybe he's acting very hungry because he is very hungry.

minka · May 30, 2011

Originally Posted by MNJULZ

Hi Orangeishcat - I don't see what kind of food and how much food you are feeding your cat a day. Four times a day is a good plan but how much are you feeding him each time and what kind? Not all foods are created equal. Maybe he's acting very hungry because he is very hungry.

That's true. If he is eating a low quality, low protein, high carb food, then it is absolutely possible he is feeling starved of protein.
That could also affect his mobility as more protein would help build muscles and such.

orangeishcat · May 31, 2011

Well, we had our first test with canned food yesterday! DH was dead set against spending a lot of money on it, so when I asked him to please get some he came home with Fancy Feast.

I checked the ingredients and the first three are real meats (different fishes), so I figured why not, we may as well start cheap and see if he'll eat it.

What a silly question.

He not only ate it, he licked the bowl clean and pushed it all across the bathroom floor to make SURE he got it all! This morning he wasn't begging for food or anything, either- he was content to be fed when DH got up.

It seems this experiment is going to be a success!

orangeishcat · May 31, 2011

Originally Posted by Minka

That's true. If he is eating a low quality, low protein, high carb food, then it is absolutely possible he is feeling starved of protein.
That could also affect his mobility as more protein would help build muscles and such.

I completely missed this- to answer the question, he's on Science Diet weight management as recommended by our vet. He gets around 1/8 a cup 3 times per day, and now I'm giving him half of one of those cans of food instead at breakfast and dinner, and letting him have the kibble for lunch.

I also got him a treat ball, and wow, that was a big hit once he figured out what it was!

He just seems so much more content- it's incredible.

minka · May 31, 2011

Originally Posted by orangeishcat

I completely missed this- to answer the question, he's on Science Diet weight management as recommended by our vet. He gets around 1/8 a cup 3 times per day, and now I'm giving him half of one of those cans of food instead at breakfast and dinner, and letting him have the kibble for lunch.

I also got him a treat ball, and wow, that was a big hit once he figured out what it was!

He just seems so much more content- it's incredible.

Ick, look at the ingredients on the side of the food, I think you will be surprised...
For weight management I don't recommend feeding any dry, but for what you are paying for Hills you can get a much better food.

Wait. Are you feeding the r/d prescription food or Science Diet? There is a difference.

I'm glad he is feeling full and happy now though.

bastetservant · May 31, 2011

Please be careful of advice you get on the Internet, no matter how well meaning. It is not a good idea that you disregard the recommendations of a qualified veterinarian - if you have confidence in the vet's training, experience, and intentions. They are the professional medical practitioners who have seen your pet. No one here has. If you do not have confidence in the vet you have been seeing, then maybe a second opinion is something to consider.

Robin

just mike · Jun 1, 2011

Originally Posted by orangeishcat

All right, here's the story. Peanut gets absolutely frantic about food- if he even THINKS we're going to forget to feed him he becomes a leg twining, yowling, darting to cut you off before his food dish little maniac. He has very nearly caused me to fall down the stairs a couple times because he's begging so hard for food- and it's nowhere near feeding time!

I'm thinking I might supplement some wet food, as I've heard this tends to last longer in little kitty bellies...

1. Peanut cannot free-feed- he'd be a basketball with feet within days. He gets fed at 7AM, noon, and around 9PM. Should I give him wet food at these specific times, or does his routine need to change?

2. He does have some special needs regarding mobility. I asked my vet about that and he said food wouldn't really have an impact on him in that regard, so... I'd like to get him a weight-management wet food. Does anyone use a specific brand they like for controlling overweight-tending kitties?

3. I'm thinking I might feed him a mix of wet and dry, so what do you recommend as far as portions go?

4. AND FINALLY-- this might be the silliest question in the history of questions-- can you store canned food that's been opened in the fridge with a lid on it? I know a lot of cats get really picky as to what kind they like, so if Peanut turns his nose up at one for a few days, will it last in the fridge without going bad?

Thanks in advance!!

Your routine is really good and I would feed the wet at those times. For dry and wet you might try Nutro Natural Choice Healthy Weight dry and canned to see what he does with it. I would feed more wet than dry but that's me. Watch the weight management wet though. Any weight management wet may contain more carbs which you are trying to avoid. I would probably go to about 70% wet to 30% dry and if storage is a problem, buy the small 3oz cans so you don't have to store it too long.

I always use the 3oz cans because it is convenient for me and I don't have to store anything in the fridge.

Yes, they make lids for canned food. I would not store canned food in the fridge for more than a couple of days.

orangeishcat · Jun 2, 2011

Aaah why do I keep missing this thread?!

He isn't on r/d- just the normal Science Diet weight management food. My vet's office has always sold it for as long as I can remember, and if my vet trusts it- I trust it.

I just wish it weren't so expensive.

Peanut didn't get his wet food yesterday and he's been begging like a fiend for the past hour or so... I'm going to call today and find out exactly how much the vet wants him to be fed of the wet food.

minka · Jun 2, 2011

The problem is that vet's just do not get the training they need in nutrition. They just don't. And what little they get is from Hills/Royal Canin.

And if you want to assume that they do know what they are talking about, just look at the ingredients for yourself (I'm assuming it's this one http://www.petfooddirect.com/Product...a-Dry-Cat-Food):
Brewers Rice, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Powdered Cellulose, Ground Whole Grain Corn, Chicken Liver Flavor (aka, not real liver), Animal Fat, Soybean Mill Run, Calcium Sulfate, Choline Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Iodized Salt, vitamins.

Would you eat this if your doctor recommended it?

Also this:

Originally Posted by NutroMike

Watch the weight management wet though. Any weight management wet may contain more carbs which you are trying to avoid.

Look how many carb sources versus meat sources are in that food.

orangeishcat · Jun 2, 2011

Originally Posted by Minka

The problem is that vet's just do not get the training they need in nutrition. They just don't. And what little they get is from Hills/Royal Canin.

And if you want to assume that they do know what they are talking about, just look at the ingredients for yourself (I'm assuming it's this one http://www.petfooddirect.com/Product...a-Dry-Cat-Food):
Brewers Rice, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Powdered Cellulose, Ground Whole Grain Corn, Chicken Liver Flavor (aka, not real liver), Animal Fat, Soybean Mill Run, Calcium Sulfate, Choline Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Iodized Salt, vitamins.

Would you eat this if your doctor recommended it?

Also this:

Look how many carb sources versus meat sources are in that food.

I wouldn't, no. ... ah, this is so difficult- I've known my vet since I was around eight years old, so- twenty years. He's been nothing but wonderful to me and my family, and he's always taken excellent care of our pets and now my pets too that I am on my own. I know vets have to sell food just like hair-care places sell shampoo and such... would he really do something that's bad for Peanut? I can't imagine he doesn't KNOW what the ingredients are.

When I can talk again, I'm going to give him a call and ask a few more questions... for now my voice is absolutely gone and every time I try to talk I get one of those nasty throat-shredding coughs.

minka · Jun 2, 2011

Originally Posted by orangeishcat

I wouldn't, no. ... ah, this is so difficult- I've known my vet since I was around eight years old, so- twenty years. He's been nothing but wonderful to me and my family, and he's always taken excellent care of our pets and now my pets too that I am on my own. I know vets have to sell food just like hair-care places sell shampoo and such... would he really do something that's bad for Peanut? I can't imagine he doesn't KNOW what the ingredients are.

When I can talk again, I'm going to give him a call and ask a few more questions... for now my voice is absolutely gone and every time I try to talk I get one of those nasty throat-shredding coughs.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure your vet is a wonderful one. I'm sure he knows how to spay and neuter, treat infections, suture up wounds, etc.
But for the same reason that you would go to a nutritionist for your nutrition related questions, you have to do your own research in nutrition or go to a cat nutrionist to get proper nutrition advice.

Others may argue with me left and right about this, but from what I've read (even from vets themselves) is that they receive very little training in nutrition and what they do receive is from Hills and Royal Canin themselves. Here is an article that I think you will find very helpful: http://www.rawfed.com/myths/vets.html

nerdrock · Jun 2, 2011

Originally Posted by orangeishcat

I wouldn't, no. ... ah, this is so difficult- I've known my vet since I was around eight years old, so- twenty years. He's been nothing but wonderful to me and my family, and he's always taken excellent care of our pets and now my pets too that I am on my own. I know vets have to sell food just like hair-care places sell shampoo and such... would he really do something that's bad for Peanut? I can't imagine he doesn't KNOW what the ingredients are.

When I can talk again, I'm going to give him a call and ask a few more questions... for now my voice is absolutely gone and every time I try to talk I get one of those nasty throat-shredding coughs.

I don't think it's something that most vets do intentionally, it's just that they're preaching what they were taught... unfortunately, they were taught by Hills/Purina/RC.

Think of it this way - would you take nutrition advice from a nutritionist who's course was sponsored by Christie? I doubt it (even though it would be fun to eat cookies all the time and still be healthy). It's the same thing with pet food.

As an example - vets are still saying that low protein diets are essential for dogs with kidney problems. The original study for this theory was done on rodents! Rodents have a completely different digestive system and different nutritional needs than dogs, so of course a rodent's kidneys are going to start to shut down when it's fed only meat. There have been studies done since that disprove this theory and actually prove the exact opposite, but because the original study is still being taught, it's considered fact.

Think of your pet as a wild animal, what would he be eating in the wild? For both cats and dogs, it's carcasses with the only plant matter they eat being from the stomach of the carcass and perhaps a bit of grass here and there. Animal proteins are far easier than plant proteins for our pets to process, carbs also tend to "stick" to the intestines and what not as well.

I would suggest talking to your vet and seeing if he will support you switching the food for a short period of time, it may help.

just mike · Jun 3, 2011

Originally Posted by bastetservant

Please be careful of advice you get on the Internet, no matter how well meaning. It is not a good idea that you disregard the recommendations of a qualified veterinarian - if you have confidence in the vet's training, experience, and intentions. They are the professional medical practitioners who have seen your pet. No one here has. If you do not have confidence in the vet you have been seeing, then maybe a second opinion is something to consider.

Robin

Totally agreed Robin. If you think your vet is qualified, knows your animals and you trust him/her; do not listen to the armchair experts. Nothing can replace the advice you will be getting from a qualified, licensed professional. And yes, a second opinion can be very useful if you don't think your current vet has given you the best advice.

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