that makes sense to me..and also explains the article I found about how cats on high fibre diets end up coming to this(the vet that did the study) overweight. I'm seriously considering finding the lowest calorie food I can....just so he can eat more of it and keep him in his daily limit. matt's a former stray, and has known hunger. He doesn't like waiting even a an hour from the time he wants to eat until the time i put his food down,no matter that I feed him 5x daily. i tried cutting him back to3xdaily, and he went insane....broke open the dry food box(one of the big ones you buy for dog food) and fed himself.....begged all day, and was underfoot any time I went in the kitchen.I can tell from his behavior that he was not always a stray....he's too good with the family, and too easy going to have been feral. this boy was a child's kitten who somehow ended up on the street!
Aw hon, I felt the exact same way before I switched to raw. I was hesitant for several months before I actually did it. :lol3: I feed my cats Nature's Variety raw, and although expensive, I have seen a remarkable change in my kitties and they seem to be much healthier. It is the exact same convenience as feeding canned food, except you make sure it is stored safely in the freezer.
The only thing I really dislike about NV raw is the bone content, it can make some kitties constipated but I personally have never experienced this with my cats, so I wouldn't worry. NV raw also contains 5% vegetables and fruits, which is completely useless to cats but they don't seem to do any harm to my kitties, since the majority of the food is real, raw meat. It is ultimately up to you, but if you would like to add fibre to your kitty's diet while still feeding canned or dry, I recommend giving him a tablespoon full of pumpkin at each meal.
When i get round t buying a new freezer, i may look into that....right not I only have the one on top of my fridge(which holds the family's food for about a week) but i will see if he likes pumpkin for a treat anyway....and it'll give him something yummy to lap up with his supperAw hon, I felt the exact same way before I switched to raw. I was hesitant for several months before I actually did it.I feed my cats Nature's Variety raw, and although expensive, I have seen a remarkable change in my kitties and they seem to be much healthier. It is the exact same convenience as feeding canned food, except you make sure it is stored safely in the freezer.The only thing I really dislike about NV raw is the bone content, it can make some kitties constipated but I personally have never experienced this with my cats, so I wouldn't worry. NV raw also contains 5% vegetables and fruits, which is completely useless to cats but they don't seem to do any harm to my kitties, since the majority of the food is real, raw meat. It is ultimately up to you, but if you would like to add fibre to your kitty's diet while still feeding canned or dry, I recommend giving him a tablespoon full of pumpkin at each meal.
I've noticed that Matt likes turkey leftovers, but won't eat chicken once it cools. and he's filled better if i have a soup n and mix the broth into his food to warm it up. i keep his canned food in measured containers in the fridge, and usually mix in warm water, but if there's a soup in the crock pot ?I use the broth.......not sure what it does for his calorie intake, but he ends up eating less dry food those days, so maybe it evens out?? the dry is sort of his back up food, since it's heavier and fills him where the wet doesn't. I sprinkle a few pieces on top of each meal, and give it to him if he really fusses, but if we get through the day with some left-greatWeightloss will come a lot easier without any dry at all.You could bake plain chicken or turkey, keep it in the fridge and give him a little with his meals. My cats love it and I know it isn't full of fillers like corn or wheat gluten. Just give him a liitle, less than 25% of his total food. Otherwise you would need to add specific vitamins and minerals. If you want to make it easy there is a canned chicken cat food called Tiki cat that is mostly chicken with vitamins added. This is one of my favorites. It is very expensive though! Merrick's Cowboy Cookou cannedt is low carb. Nature's variety instinct canned and Merrick BG 95% canned are good choices.There is a chart by Lisa Pierson that shows the protein,carbs, fat and calories of popular cat food. If you search this forum it should come up. Somebody on here posted it I think. This can help you choose. For cats it's important to keep carbs as low as possible. They have no use for them in their diet . I hope you find things that Matt likes.
his daily ration is about4.5oz wet and 1/4 cup dry with the dry being cut back if he gets meat tidbits from dinnerI think the vegetables and fruit is for vitamines that meat don't haveAw hon, I felt the exact same way before I switched to raw. I was hesitant for several months before I actually did it.I feed my cats Nature's Variety raw, and although expensive, I have seen a remarkable change in my kitties and they seem to be much healthier. It is the exact same convenience as feeding canned food, except you make sure it is stored safely in the freezer.The only thing I really dislike about NV raw is the bone content, it can make some kitties constipated but I personally have never experienced this with my cats, so I wouldn't worry. NV raw also contains 5% vegetables and fruits, which is completely useless to cats but they don't seem to do any harm to my kitties, since the majority of the food is real, raw meat. It is ultimately up to you, but if you would like to add fibre to your kitty's diet while still feeding canned or dry, I recommend giving him a tablespoon full of pumpkin at each meal.
i didn't know about the carrots peas and broccoli the sites i looked at never mentioned thous and i heard boiling was the best hmm i really didn't knowCarrots are not a good source of vitamin A for cats, they lack the digestive enzyme necessary to convert the beta carotene into Vitamin A. Same thing with any vegetable and vitamin A. Cats need it preformed in their diet. Check the ingredient list on ANY commercial canned or kibble, no matter the ingredients and you'll find Vitamin A. Peas are not very digestable to cats and can cause gastric upset. Some cats like green beans. But broccoli isn't recommended, because of the mineral content - it can contribute to a problem with crystals in the bladder.
Pumpkin is really the only safe form of vegetable fiber for a cat that's easy to provide at home.
Also, boiling is one of the worst ways to prepare cooked meat for a cat - it retains the least amount of nutrition this way (for people too). Better just to roast it or even lightly sear it.
Matt's Mom - can you afford Weruva? Some of the Weruva have very basic ingredients - I think I fed the Paw Lickin' Chicken? But all of them are low calorie! I think the Soulistic line of foods is similar (and they are manufactured by Weruva) but less expensive.
I am already paying 3.29/can for his Wellness, so Weruva shouldn't be an issue. I bought it once but I can't remember where.....maybe Petsmart? an interesting thing about carrots....Matt will push them out of his food if he sees them. I noticed this when I fed him one of those human-grade foods that look like stew.Carrots are not a good source of vitamin A for cats, they lack the digestive enzyme necessary to convert the beta carotene into Vitamin A. Same thing with any vegetable and vitamin A. Cats need it preformed in their diet. Check the ingredient list on ANY commercial canned or kibble, no matter the ingredients and you'll find Vitamin A. Peas are not very digestable to cats and can cause gastric upset. Some cats like green beans. But broccoli isn't recommended, because of the mineral content - it can contribute to a problem with crystals in the bladder.
Pumpkin is really the only safe form of vegetable fiber for a cat that's easy to provide at home.
Also, boiling is one of the worst ways to prepare cooked meat for a cat - it retains the least amount of nutrition this way (for people too). Better just to roast it or even lightly sear it.
Matt's Mom - can you afford Weruva? Some of the Weruva have very basic ingredients - I think I fed the Paw Lickin' Chicken? But all of them are low calorie! I think the Soulistic line of foods is similar (and they are manufactured by Weruva) but less expensive.
If you're using pet food websites (the info they provide for why they use the ingredients they do), then that's why. Those things work for dogs, but not cats.
I look up cat versions not dog and that was about 6 or 8 mos ago maybe i need to research it againIf you're using pet food websites (the info they provide for why they use the ingredients they do), then that's why. Those things work for dogs, but not cats.
And yes, if you're going to feed cooked meat, slow cooking is one of the better options.
Oh that's right! I forgot Weruva is so high in carbs!
Amen to that!! LOL!...
Best not to get information about nutrition from pet food companies.
High in carbs may not be so good for Matt's pudgy tummy lol. I've been fighting to bring him back in line with his ideal weight of 12lbs. He was up to 14, but I have him at about 13 nowIf you're using pet food websites (the info they provide for why they use the ingredients they do), then that's why. Those things work for dogs, but not cats.
And yes, if you're going to feed cooked meat, slow cooking is one of the better options.
Oh that's right! I forgot Weruva is so high in carbs!
I like that Wellness comes in people-type cans, because when I open the can I just dump it on a plate and slice it in 3 for his daily allotments I am starting to wonder if the kibble is the root of his dry stools, and maybe feeding 1/3 can from a 5.5oz tin of friskies with his wellness might be better than the kibble. This weight-loss stuff has oats in the top 4 ingredients and I'm not thrilled with that. The other food I bought from Wholesome blend was Fresh deboned Salmon, and other meats before you got into other ingredients, so I stayed with the name without checking the bag, thinking I could expect roughly the same type of ingredients. He only gets about 1/4 cup a day, but I still wonder if it's wasted calories....If I pull the kibble I need about 100calories to take it's place
