kibble? can? both?

louiseg

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ok guys....it's me again!

we seem to have fixed the pooping on the carpet problem...but now we have another. the same 4 month old kitten...cleo....seems to like "playing" in the litter box for untold amounts of time! why is this??

also we have been told that we should feed the cats (and dog) a premium quality kibble only...and not give any canned food? everyone seems to have a different opinion. i have always fed me other animals a mixture of both kibble and can...but i've never had cats so don't know if their stomach's are different?!

i have also noticed that cleo's poop has been pretty ummmm runny....for lack of a better word. she has only been eating the premium quality kitten kibble for the last week or so?! isn't that supposed to constipate them??

I'M STUCK....PLEASE HELP!
 

Willowy

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Hmm, some cats just like playing in the litter :dk:. If you don't like it, try to distract her with other toys and lots of interactive playtime.

Actually, canned food is best for cats, as they simply don't have the instinct to drink enough to keep themselves properly hydrated. Check out www.catinfo.org for more on this. (of course there are a million different opinions, so you have to decide what you believe. But this does make sense to me since cats are desert animals)
 

harleydiva

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Here is another great information source about feeding:   www.felinenutrition.org

Many believe that kibble is really bad.  This is based on the fact that kibble is loaded with carbohydrates (and other fillers), which your cat can't use well, and doesn't need.  Dry foods frequently have more contaminants than wet food.....the majority of the recalls are for dry food (and there have been quite a few recently).  Most cats don't drink enough to compensate for the dry food, which can lead to UTIs.  Diabetes can also be a problem with the heavy carbs.    
 

Anne

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I believe the consensus today leans towards canned only, or at least mainly. The quality of the food is very important too, of course, but assuming we're talking the same brand/quality, canned is better. Many of our member feed raw food, whether homemade or commercial, so that's an option you can look into by visiting our Raw Feeding Forum.

I'm moving the thread to the Nutrition Forum. 
 
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louiseg

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I dont know if this makes a difference but in in australia.... and i have been told many times by different people (including my vet) that a good quality dry food is the best as can can be quite fatty and watery?! We are using purina pro plus kitten dry food??
The thing is i have been giving cleo only dry food for the past few days....took her to the vet today and he said to give her cooked chicken breast for a few days and then start introducing the other food back in to see if that makes a difference....what is the consensous on this??
She is otherwise happy, playing etc.
She is also a medium haired tabby (that may have some ragdoll in her) and we notice that she has been getting poop on the fur surrounding her back passage. we gave her a bath and clipped some of the fur but should we really be doing this? As far as the clipping i mean?!
I need help :-(
 

ldg

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Hun, maybe you missed the link that Willowy posted. This beginner's guide to feline nutrition is written by a vet. http://www.catinfo.org

Cats are not"just" carnivores, they are obligate carnivores. Their bodies are not designed to eat or utilize nutrition from grain. Please read the label on that Purina food.

Dry food, no matter where in the world you are located, is about 10% water. Cats are descended from desert animals, and have very little thirst drive.

The link explains both issues very well. But a cat eating a dry food will always be under digestive stress, and over time it will take a toll on her organs. Cats can survive on dry food and grains, but they thrive on a moist diet of meat-based protein.
 
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ldg

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Here's a link to the food: http://www.proplan.com/dry-cat-food/kitten-chicken-rice-formula/

And this is the list of ingredients (excluding the list of supplements):

Chicken, brewers rice, corn gluten meal, chicken by-product meal, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), soybean meal, dried egg product, poultry by-product meal, soy protein isolate, fish meal, wheat flour, animal liver flavor...

The first ingredient is chicken, but this is very misleading. Chicken is about 70% water. So the bulk of the protein in the food comes from the dry ingredients - which is everything else. The first on the list of dry protein is Brewer's Rice; next is corn gluten meal. So rice and corn comprise the bulk of the protein in this food.

Everything in bold is not beneficial to your cat's long term health.
 

mewlittle

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Pandora and GiGI<SISTERS thinks the cat box is a play pin -_-

and I don't like the feeding kibble only think I feed both wet and dry all no grain
 
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