Need help with my indoor kitten

Hello from Portugal

This is my absolute first post here.

I have a beautiful male persian kitten 5 month old (I'll post a photo later when I get home). Bought him when was 2 month old.

Why persian? Because, I heard, its one of the best to live indoors, in an apartment.

At that time (2 month old), he was already eating Royal Canin Kitten.

When he got 4 months old, the Vet said it was time to change its food to Royal Canin Junior.

BTW, it is impressive how the vet comunity here "worship" Royal Canin. It seems that ALL Vet Clinics here in Portugal are filled with posters advertising "Royal Canin", and large shelves with its products. What an agressive marketing!!! No chance for other food producers.

All vets say "Royal Canin" is the best pet food money can buy! Yes, it is extremely overpriced, but if you don't buy it, you should feel guilty for not feeding your pet with the only good food. And, in the future, your cat might get health problems, problems with the fur, etc.

Guess what. I investigated and found that Royal Canin, after all, is an "average" quality food. (according to this review: http://www.petfoodratings.net/cattable.html).

So I bought a Top Quality, grain free food: "Orijen" (bought it online, not available in Portugal). The second best part: half the price I would pay for Royal Canin.

When I said to my vet that I was feeding my cat a better food than "Royal Canin", it was pure heresy to her ears 

Right after the food change, my cat scared me. He was pooping stinky!!!! So stinky, it was overwhelming. Then, one day, he made diarrhea.

I wrote an email to Orijen, and they promptly replied, saying it is normal due to the new food properties (grain free), and within some days it would get better. It did! Everything is normal now.

However... My cat is full of energy now! And it is a concern for me, because, as I said, he lives indoors, im my apartment... and I don't want him to suffer with this "limitation".

Today, in his playful mood, he did what he knows he shouldn't do: Quickly jumped to the kitchen table, threw a glass cup on the floor (broke it), and ran away from me.

I couldn't catch him. He was provoking / playing with me!

I think this behaviour is more visible now, with the new food. Does this makes sense?

Am I feeding my cat the best food, considering the "indoor" context?

Or, everythings normal? Is this just a discipline issue?

I always had indoor cats, when lived with my parents. My parents didn't have the same concern I have with their food (always bought the chapest)... they were not persians, and were more quiet. Shouldn't it be the opposite?

Thanks!

If your feeding your cat a total grain free food you have to make sure the protien levels arent to high it can cause uranary problems try suplementing with wet food or mix the food your using with a food that has oats or rice, wheat and corn are can cause alergys and skin problems but rice and oats are good gains to balance the ph levels in your cat. A small meal of wet food morning and night might also help a total  grain feed diet for cats is not a good idea their are some benifits to feeding rice and or oats. To much protien causes high magnesium which inturn causes ph imbalance you need a low ash diet for cats. or a ph balanced diet especialy for male cats.

No, I don't believe food has anything to do wih behavioral problems. Although when you eat a healthy diet you feel better so you have more energy. But it would certainly be sad to deliberately feed your cat a worse diet so he would have less energy! He's just a naughty teenager . Play with him more, get a fishing pole toy, maybe a laser pointer, etc.

I believe all cats should get at least half wet food (canned food or cooked or raw meat), especially males. Cats don't have much of a thirst drive so cats who eat all dry are frequently chronically dehydrated, and this can lead to kidney and urinary problems. Even a lower-quality canned food will still get the necessary moisture into him. Check out www.catinfo.org for more on this subject.

I don't have any personal experience with Orijen. But judging by the ingredients, it looks very good (for a kibble anyway).

Thank you for the feedback!

Yes, I know it's NOT natural to feed a cat with dry food. Its just convenient for us.

I give him canned food 2x a week (in the weekends) - is that enough?

During the week days, I give him the dry food.

My cat drinks a lot of water (in comparison to the previous cats, in my parents house).

"[color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]Play with him more, get a fishing pole toy, maybe a laser pointer, etc.[/color]"

Yes, I already bought 1 playground, 2 fishing poles and a lot of other balls, toys, etc. It doesn't help. The cat does play with them, but will ALWAYS play with things he KNOWS he shouldn't as well (taking down the plants, scatter the soil, etc.).

Why do I say he knows: Because he runs away from me. I feel like he is challenging me.

That's #2 question: how do I prevent this behaviour?

#3: Do you usually trim your cats claws?

Thanks 

This is not a "behavior problem", this the the activity of a normal healthy 5 month old kitten! Kittens are made up of boundless energy. And will jump and climb and knowck things down and break things.

That is what kittens do.

He is more lively now because 1) he is used to his new home and 2) he is eating a better food.

You have to play with him as much as possible every day, to help him expend energy. Keep a box of toys you can throw for him to chase down. Get some string on a stick type toys for him to chase and leap high after (always put string toys away when not in use, for safety) Get him a cat tree of some kind for climbing and scratching.

Orijen is very fish heavy so is not really a good food for a male cat. It is not the protein content that is bad, it is the FISH and the fact that it is DRY food.

I recommend you get him on a canned diet.

Almost forgot: Welcome to TCS!

PS I recommend you get rid of the house plants, or make sure they are not toxic to cats. Many house plants are toxic to cats. If he is digging in the dirt of the pots, cover the dirt with attractive stones.

Orijen is very fish heavy so is not really a good food for a male cat. It is not the protein content that is bad, it is the FISH and the fact that it is DRY food.

I read a bad comment about Orijen 6fish. The one I bought has mainly chicken and turkey meat (has fish but in much lesser quantity). The manufacturer claims that the chosen ingredients are top quality and biologically apropriate (based on what they would eat in the wild).

However, I'll give him more canned food for now. I'll study the options/brands available.

PS I recommend you get rid of the house plants, or make sure they are not toxic to cats. Many house plants are toxic to cats. If he is digging in the dirt of the pots, cover the dirt with attractive stones.

These plants are not toxic. They are edible pepper plants that I grow as an hobby. I am desperately trying to make plants and cat coexist peacefully. Not an easy task.

I already covered the dirt with stones. It was worse! When I got home, I had my plants overturned and the floor full of stones. Stones make my cat (even more) crazy 

He's not crazy, he's a kitten.

This is what kittens do. Play with him more, and make sure he has his own cat tree to climb on. Put it in front of a window and put a bird feeder outside for Cat TV. And keep the plants out of reach until he's grown up.

Fish is a problem because of the bone content,and the potential for allergy (fish contains histamines). Even the "chicken" variety has fish. Too much fish. Why is Orijen so focused on fish? There has to be a reason, such as it is cheap for them to get.

Cats, including and especially Persians, should be on a wet diet. No fish. To help keep his kidneys and urinary tract healthy, feed him a canned diet, no fish.

Here's some good info to help.

http://catinfo.org/

http://catinfo.org/?link=urinarytracthealth

Do you have a cat tree for your kitty?

Indoor cats can be very happy if they have places to climb so the size of the apartment is not really an issue, it's the height. If they have places to climb (particularly an active kitten) that may help with his energy. And toys like "da bird" or other interactive toys (laser pointer etc) are great for them to burn off some energy.

I'd recommend switching to all wet food diet if you can and get rid of kibble all together.

I used to have a cat that ate all kibble and suffered some health problems as a result (before I knew better). My current cat is a little over a year old and eats only grain free wet food and a little raw. His fur and health is great. If you do use kibble, try to keep it under 20 percent of their daily diet. 

Please do post some pics of your new kitten, we'd love to see him

Oh and as far as the stinky poop goes, when I first got my cat at 5 months old, he had been a feral and eating whatever. I put him on higher quality wet foods and for the first couple of weeks he was a bit stinky (he'd fart for one thing!) but as his system got used to the foods, that cleared up.

Good luck!

I like to compare the male urinary tract to that of a roller coaster. By that I mean that the tract has many twists and turns, unlike the tract of a female that is fairly straight. That "roller coaster" thing makes it easier for crystals to build up, which can lead to infection or other blocking issues. So although you say your cat drinks more than the average, I'd recommend going to wet food to make sure your kitty is getting all the moisture it needs to "clear out" the urinary tract. Not that that's the only benefit to more moisture, but isn't that enough? Your cat won't enjoy the discomfort, sickness, and treatment, and I doubt you'd like the vet bill.

And I second, third... whatever the idea of playing with him more. We're not saying you don't play with him, but kittens do have an endless amount of energy. So the fishing pole thing (which you can do while sitting down and whipping that thing around while your kitten chases it) is a great idea, and getting towers for him to jump around on are great ideas. Not to mention that cats are very territorial, and having those towers gives it it's own space... something to call it's own, which will help with any other possible behavioral issues down the road.

I really enjoy the show on Animal Planet called My Cat From Hell. Not sure you can get that in Portugal, but it's worth checking out if you can. Maybe that guy is as full of it as other "experts" on television, but he makes sense.
 

And to answer your other question...yes, I usually trim my cat's nails. You'd be surprised how much of a difference it makes. And I was very surprised at how easy it was.

JaVo2004 said:

Thank you for the feedback!

Yes, I know it's NOT natural to feed a cat with dry food. Its just convenient for us.

I give him canned food 2x a week (in the weekends) - is that enough?

During the week days, I give him the dry food.

My cat drinks a lot of water (in comparison to the previous cats, in my parents house).

"[color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]Play with him more, get a fishing pole toy, maybe a laser pointer, etc.[/color]"

Yes, I already bought 1 playground, 2 fishing poles and a lot of other balls, toys, etc. It doesn't help. The cat does play with them, but will ALWAYS play with things he KNOWS he shouldn't as well (taking down the plants, scatter the soil, etc.).

Why do I say he knows: Because he runs away from me. I feel like he is challenging me.

That's #2 question: how do I prevent this behaviour?

#3: Do you usually trim your cats claws?

Thanks 

Click to expand...

From what I've read so far it does not seem dietary to me.  Diet would most likely not affect behavioral issues, at least what you have described.  Sounds like normal, naughty cat fun to me.  I have 4 cats.  The male cat owns me lock, stock and barrel.  I can carry him around like a sack of flour over my shoulder and he's happy as a clam.  The 3 females are different.  All are loving and want attention but it is forbidden to pick them up.  I think maybe you are humanizing the kitty too much.  While they are intelligent, they do not have the reasoning abilities of human beings.  Your cat is probably reacting to your body language, possibly your voice etc. but not the bad deed.   You might want to post this in the behavior forum and see who responds with what advice.  There are a lot of opportunities to learn cat behavior and implement techniques from the folks over in that forum.

Hello my friends, here are some photos of my kitten. He is 5 months old now.



I'd like to thank you all for you comments. To be honest I am now scared of causing urinary problems because of the dry food. Thank you for letting me know that. I am now feeding him 50% premium dry food + 50% regular canned food from supermarket. It is hard to find good quality canned food and I heard dry food is good for the teeth.

What do you think?

Thanks!

This cat is so adorable!!!!!!  Just sayin'...

JaVo2004 said:

Hello my friends, here are some photos of my kitten. He is 5 months old now.

ffb7ug.jpg

• javo2004
• Sep 6, 2012

v2sb3b.jpg

• javo2004
• Sep 6, 2012

I'd like to thank you all for you comments. To be honest I am now scared of causing urinary problems because of the dry food. Thank you for letting me know that. I am now feeding him 50% premium dry food + 50% regular canned food from supermarket. It is hard to find good quality canned food and I heard dry food is good for the teeth.
What do you think?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

First of all, he is ADORABLE!! :love:

Second, dry food is not actually good for the cat's teeth. It does nothing at all to clean them. What you can do for his teeth is to give him a raw bone from your cooking every once in a while. Some people like to feed chicken wings or wing parts to their cats every week or so. Make sure you do NOT cook the bone before you give it to him; this is extremely dangerous, as a cooked bone can splinter in his mouth and throat.

As long as he's getting some wet, I'd say he'll be fine. :nod:

Such a beautiful cat! I totally want him! and I agree with the post just above me regarding the chicken wings. Some raw food in general is great (if you can't do all raw, you can do under 15 percent of his diet with raw). It's  healthy for them.

This is what happened when I gave my cat, Magnus, a piece of boneless raw chicken when he was about 8 months old:

Dry food doesn't clean teeth. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, good about feeding a cat dry food. Your boy is beautiful.

JaVo2004 said:

v2sb3b.jpg

• javo2004
• Sep 6, 2012

I'd like to thank you all for you comments. To be honest I am now scared of causing urinary problems because of the dry food. Thank you for letting me know that. I am now feeding him 50% premium dry food + 50% regular canned food from supermarket. It is hard to find good quality canned food and I heard dry food is good for the teeth.

What do you think?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

What a beautiful kitty!    Kibble is a calorie/carb dense food.  If you're feeding a premium nutrient dense kibble at 50% and 50% wet you should be okay.   You will be a lot better off if the kitty drinks plenty of water.  Cats natural intake of water is through it's food/prey so they are geared to go up to the water bowl for a drink like a dog is.  On an all kibble diet, many, many cats do very well on it.  Others can develop urinary problems, obesity which can lead to other issues like diabetes etc.  The cats that are most prone to urinary issues are the cats on an all kibble diet that do not water.   Since kibble is calorie and carb dense, cats tend to overeat kibble when offered all day long ie. free feeding. 

Some kibble *may* have some possible dental benefit but that would depend upon what the kibble is actually treated with.  Since cats tend to crack their kibble instead of chewing I'm rather skeptical about it.  That said, I have gotten my cats from a 75wet/25dry ration to a 90wet/10kibble ration.  The kibble feedings are timed between the 2 main meals of the day which are their wet meals.  All four of my cats have been healthy except my older cat but her issues stem from injuries she sustained as a kitten.  None of them have had dental issues or needed dental cleaning.  

I have given them a raw chicken wing now and then to see if they would do anything with it.  They just sniff it and walk away from it.  I think the bones would be an excellent way to help keep their teeth healthy but mine just don't want anything to do with it 

Welcome JaVo!! Great on you for doing your research!!
Switching him to having more canned food is a great idea, especially for male cats.
Don't be worried that your cat is full of energy, it means you are seeing the results that a better food can bring to your cat! He's feeling better than he ever has before!

Have you taught/scolded him to not get on the kitchen table before or is this his first time up there? If it's his first time up there then he doesn't know any better and you will have to teach him. :nod:
Double sided sticky tape, tin foil, or lint roller sheets are some great ways to deter him from jumping up on the table when you are gone. Clapping/making a sharp noise and rushing towards him is a good way to scare him off when you are home. No water bottles or bonking him on the nose please.
Plants can be protected by placing rocks over the dirt.
Glasses and breakables just need to be put away until he is older and not full of so much energy.
Claws can be clipped once a week to help them from snagging furniture and your skin.

And if you are still wondering, yes everthing is normal.


P.s. - saw his photos and he is a cutie!!!

I just have to say that your kitten is soooooo perfectly cute! I LOVE blue cats. Mine are both blue and I really have a preference for the color so I just love your kitten.