Switching to wet food diet, and wellness grain free

lucylittlekitty

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So I have been feeding my two cats (1 year and 7mo) grain free dry food and wet food 50/50. After reading more about it I have thought about switching to wet food only (maybe a dry food as a snack now and then) but I'm unsure if this is better for them or not, I also don't know how much I should feed them a day and when. They are 9.6lbs and 10.2lbs as of today. I was also wondering if I need to phase out the dry food for only wet or if I can just switch since they are already 50% wet food.

My other question is about Wellness Grain Gree wet food. My friend found a sale and knew I did the grain free thing with my cats so she bought me 25 cans of it. It is the Turkey and Salmon flavor. I was wondering what opinions you all had on this food. It looks pretty good to me, but I am unsure of what to look for in a good food.
 

ritz

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I would phase out the dry food entirely.

Although the 7 month old is still growing/kitten, if he weighs 10.2 pounds, well, that's a lot for a 7 month old. 

Grain free is good--but keep in mind it's not so much cat's don't need grain (they don't), they don't need carbohydrates; sweet potato is a carbohydrate.

Carb content is around 3.1%, not horrible, 2% is better.

Basically, you're looking for real meat/protein in the first two or three ingredients. 

Interestingly, Whitefish is the 2nd ingredient; Salmon is the fourth ingredient.  I'd try not to feed too much fish, especially if your cats are male.  Fish can cause UTIs in the long term.  Keep on feeding them this flavor if you want, but balance it with non-fish wet food.  (And as you're already doing, read the ingredients.  You'd be surprised how many 'turkey', 'beef' cat food contains fish.
 

alecat10

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My Maine Coons eat grain free. I am a strong supporter of wet food and made the transition, however I ran into difficulties when my female got a pretty significant anal gland infection. I suspect from the very low fiber content in wet food 1% vs. dry food 7%. Fiber is needed to express their glands!!  I now feed them a balance of wet and dry. I mix warm water and dry food,which releases the flavors. It's like a cereal for cats. They love it, and are getting the best of both worlds. My female has an allergy to fish, as it makes her scratch wildly! It's very difficult to find fish free food, even when you buy "chicken" flavor!! Fish is in almost every brand.As for the dry food, they eat Blue Freedom Chicken, (freedom stands for grainfree)  and it has no fish!! For the wet food, they eat Wellness minced chicken or turkey, and there is no fish! As Ritz stated, fish is not good for males as they are suseptable to UTI. I don't give my cats any fish whatsoever, because of the toxicity! To add extra fiber, I give them canned pumpkin every week, they love it! Be sure it's pure pumpkin, and not pie filing! The extra fiber also helps to move the hairballs through the digestive system...as we have these difficulties as well!  For treats with no fish, and healthy ingredients, I give them "Pet Naturals, of Vermont" which I think are about the best treats on the market. Most of their treats are for theraputic purposes! Hairballs, Lysene, Daily best etc..My cats have never looked so healthy!!
 
 
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lucylittlekitty

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My 7 month old is 9lbs, it's big for his age, but its not fat, he's just a large boy, he's almost as big as my 1 year old. Ironically his name is Little Kitty

I have not had any UTI problems yet, I have them both on a supplement for UTI health, and they both drink a ton of water. I usually stay away from fish because the risk of toxicity, but I'm wondering if having a little bit is ok? It's my females favorite.

For treats I have used pure bites chicken. It's only ingredient is chicken breast that's freeze dried. It's a big hit with my guys.

I have not had any hair ball problems yet, not a single hair all actually. Knock on wood!
 

itsezrawr

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I've always found it's good to do a mix. Wet Food helps prevents bladder infections in male cats. Maybe give them a quarter of a can everyday just to keep a bit in their diet and keep 2/3 of a cup in their food bowls all day. Wet food can be expensive depending on where you buy it from a bag of Wellness in Sudbury Ontario is 14.99 but in Orangeville it's 29.99 for the same size bag. 

As for Wellness I had my cats on it for months but when I moved it got too expensive. It's a good diet to have them on because it's got natural products instead of by products, no empty calories at all like Whiskas and other popular cat food brands. It really nutritional so i would highly recommend it. 

If it's too expensive or you are unsure, simply read the ingredients and if it says By Products anywhere on the label put it back on the shelf. The brand I have my cats on now is Special Kitty, it's cheaper has no by products on the ingredients list and is a fraction of the cost. Even cheaper than whiskas. :)
 

alecat10

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Cats originated in the Desert, and have a very low thirst drive! Their thirst signal, is not strong enough to  support the amount of moisture they need. This is why a diet of dry kibble alone is not sufficient! It's the worst possible food choice for a cat! So it's important to ensure they get the moisture they need via their diet. Many cats die of kidney disease in their later years. this is usually a result of a constant state of dehydration!

Start reading labels and educate yourself about quality ingredients!I I avoid Corn, wheat, Gluten, by products, and in some cases Meal If it's a high quality food, meal is often times acceptable. Grains are not a species appropriate food source for cats The other good food marker I look for is "human grade".  If human grade foods like Weruva, or Wellness cannot be afforded, Natural Balance is a good middle of the road food. These foods cannot be purchased at the grocery store, but from a pet sore like Pet Valu.

I have learned a great deal from Dr. Karen Becker's newsletter online. Although, she is 100% against dry kibble and a strong supporter of raw, I am still feeding some kibble! She is a Holistic Vet in Chicago!  I pretty much feel, she is the Holy Grail of pet health!  As for fish products, I would not feed them fish more than twice a week. I don't feed fish at all!

Hairballs are an on going problem at my house, so the higher fiber content in dry food is necessary. My cats have very long hair, despite grooming them every day! I still have issues! They had Giardia as kittens and I am sure damage was done to their digestive system which is not effecient at pushing the hairballs through! My male almost died from hairball blockage!! I have to be very diligent in this regard and thank goodness he loves pumpkin! Happy label reading :-)
 
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lucylittlekitty

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My male had Geardia as a kitten as well, but he is short hair.

I've not given them any food with grain or by products in it for almost 6 months now.
 

alecat10

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My cats had never even been outside, and they ended up with Giardia!!! It's a tricky parasite, in that it's VERY difficult to find them in stool samples! As well, you have to request a special stool sample, they don't look for it in a regular stool sample! Panacur is the medication that finally worked. Metronidazole, which is the gold standard treatment, is only successful 67% of the time! It didn't knock it out even after 2 rounds! The last time I went back to the Vet still complaining of the symptoms, she treated my cats pre-emtively, with another round of Panacur despite test results being negative! Their symptoms finally disappeared!  It took about 10 months from start to finish...and they were just kittens! It took me a long time to build their health back up! Every time I see my dog drinking from a lake or a stream I cringe!!!
 
 
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lucylittlekitty

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Mine got it from my roommates pet turtle. He was 6 weeks old and trying to swat at the turtle and fell into the tank. It took me about 2 months to get him back to full health. At one point I was forcing him water with a medicine dropper just to avoid have to do an IV. He's fine now and didn't have any complications. I don't live with the roommate with the turtle anymore and won't ever own one while I have cats!
 
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