New cat owner and food questions

Hi all !! I have NEVER owned cats before and just let my family convince me to get 2 approx 12 week old kittens. We should be getting them Wed.(they gotta see the shelter vet for their alterations). My question is(about food at any rate ) Must you feed BOTH wet and dry food or can I feed dry exclusively?

The additional info yall will need.... the kittens are 1 each boy and girl. They will be INDOOR ONLY cats, I dislike the "neighborhood" cat idea. I intend to allow them to keep their claws unless I must remove to make us a better family(massive property loss or injuries to kids).

The lady at the shelter said we needed to mix the wet and dry mostly to keep the boy from getting urinary calculi(blockage of the urethra). My hope was to feed dry only, but if I must mix I will. 

Thanks in advance for the help I am sure I will have more questions later.

Hi there and welcome to TCS! 

I think you will find this recent thread very useful:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/262836/feeding-only-dry-food

lol I actually have just started reading it.

Feeding 100 percent dry is probably one of the worst things you can do for your cats health. Cats are obligate carnivores who digest meat the best. As desert creatures they also need to get most of their moisture from food and cats who only eat dry are chronically dehydrated. As the shelter mentioned urinary issues are very common in cats now, especially those fed a dry diet. Here is a great website written by a vet on feline nutrition, I really urge you to read it (www.catinfo.org). Here is another great article also written by a vet on why dry food is not the best (http://www.littlebigcat.com/nutrition/why-dry-food-is-bad-for-cats-and-dogs/).

You will want to in the very least feed 50 percent wet but 100 percent wet is much healthier. 

tooth health issues from wet only? I dont have the patience to brush critter teeth so what kind of biscut etc can I use?

Not true (http://www.thecatsite.com/t/263102/vets-that-say-kibble-is-good-for-cats-teeth) and (http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/does-dry-food-clean-the-teeth/). Feeding raw meaty bones is a great way to help keep their teeth clean.

Franksmom said:

Not true (http://www.thecatsite.com/t/263102/vets-that-say-kibble-is-good-for-cats-teeth) and (http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/does-dry-food-clean-the-teeth/). Feeding raw meaty bones is a great way to help keep their teeth clean.

Click to expand...

Like a stock bone? and can cats eat chicken bones? Dogs really shouldnt, but can cats do it?

Cats are healthier eating mostly wet food.Vets used to say to feed dry because they thought dry food kept teeth cleaner. They have found dry food particles stick in between teeth so wet food is better because it is closer to what a cat would eat in nature. Cats are highly specialized animals. feed a good quality grain free food. Cats who eat the cheaper grain foods have more health problems. I feed Natural Balance Grain Free Duck and Green Pea wet in the morning and night and a little dry during the day. Mix a little warm water into the wet so the cat gets plenty of fluid. Enjoy your cats! Note- good food seems to cost more but in reality it doesn't cats eat far more of the cheap food in order to get the nutrition they need. The natural Balance can be fed to both kittens and adult cats.

ThanatosPa said:

I intend to allow them to keep their claws unless I must remove to make us a better family(massive property loss or injuries to kids)..

Click to expand...

Declawing is a horrible and inhumane practice. It is essentially the equivalent to amputating your fingers down to the first joint.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/why-cats-should-not-be-declawed

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/declawing-more-than-just-a-manicure

Please learn the facts about declawing before you adopt these cats.

If you do the proper research you will find that there are many things you can do to keep them from damaging furniture, most cats can be taught to use scratching posts, make sure you have these before you bring the kittens into your home.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/problem-scratching-and-how-to-stop-it

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/cat-behavior-for-beginners

You should also be able to teach your children how to be gentle with the cats so not to provoke them. Generally a cat will choose to run away before they will choose to fight back, so it's usually the human's fault they get scratched. Besides your children will survive a cat scratch.

I just re-read your post and you mention you may declaw in certain circumstances. I urge you to read this article on what declawing actually is and what is does to cats (http://www.littlebigcat.com.php5-16.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/?p=200). Here are some more good articles from the site (http://www.thecatsite.com/a/why-cats-should-not-be-declawed) and (http://www.thecatsite.com/a/a-personal-look-at-declawing). Cats who are declawed are much more likely to have behavioural problems including litter box avoidance and biting. They will also have to live with a lifetime of pain. 

Here is a great video by Jackson Galaxy on the topic:



You need to properly train them not to destroy your furniture or play with their claws. Get plenty of scratching posts including a cat tree. Also buy some double sided tape to put on your furniture if they try to scratch it. If they scratch the furniture or if they try to scratch you in play re-direct them with a toy (wand toys are great for this). Never let kittens play with your hands or feet this will only teach them it is ok to scratch. I have two cats and neither of them scratch my couch or me. 

If a problem does arise there is no need to declaw. They now have a product on the market called soft paws which a vet or groomer can put on and they last a month. Soft paws prevent cats from doing damage. Here is a news story on them:



Good luck with your kitties and feel free to ask any more questions we are here to help!

Cat Dad said:

Declawing is a horrible and inhumane practice. It is essentially the equivalent to amputating your fingers down to the first joint.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/why-cats-should-not-be-declawed

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/declawing-more-than-just-a-manicure

Please learn the facts about declawing before you adopt these cats.

If you do the proper research you will find that there are many things you can do to keep them from damaging furniture, most cats can be taught to use scratching posts, make sure you have these before you bring the kittens into your home.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/problem-scratching-and-how-to-stop-it

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/cat-behavior-for-beginners

You should also be able to teach your children how to be gentle with the cats so not to provoke them. Generally a cat will choose to run away before they will choose to fight back, so it's usually the human's fault they get scratched. Besides your children will survive a cat scratch.

Click to expand...

I have never done a procedure to ANY of my animals that was horrible or cruel. we run a small farm so I do most of the vet care and am VERY aware of animal comfort. Declawing is an issue that I am aware is a hotbutton topic so I am a bit sorry I even said it. Trust that my intent is to make sure my cats have the BEST possible life that can be provided. If that means my couch take a hit so be it. Right now I am concerned that they get the best nutrition possible. Then dental health(waiting for a mod to release a comment since I am new)

Cat Dad said:

Declawing is a horrible and inhumane practice. It is essentially the equivalent to amputating your fingers down to the first joint.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/why-cats-should-not-be-declawed

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/declawing-more-than-just-a-manicure

Please learn the facts about declawing before you adopt these cats.

If you do the proper research you will find that there are many things you can do to keep them from damaging furniture, most cats can be taught to use scratching posts, make sure you have these before you bring the kittens into your home.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/problem-scratching-and-how-to-stop-it

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/cat-behavior-for-beginners

You should also be able to teach your children how to be gentle with the cats so not to provoke them. Generally a cat will choose to run away before they will choose to fight back, so it's usually the human's fault they get scratched. Besides your children will survive a cat scratch.

Click to expand...

You beat me to it! Great post!

I also wanted to add one of the things kids do to cats to make them scratch is hold them like babies on their back. Some cats get overstimulated so you also want to teach your children to concentrate on petting the head area. Here is a video on how to pet a cat:



 A lot of cats do not have these issues I have a birman and a ragdoll and they are bred to be super docile and will go limp in your arms and pretty much let you do anything to them. Your kittens may be more like that but it is good to be prepared if they are cats who can get overstimulated and bite or scratch. Again aggressive behaviour is easily corrected and is not a reason to declaw. 

I asked about food for dental health (in addition to, not replacing, brushing) in this thread:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/261064/food-for-dental-health

The consensus seemed to be to feed chicken wing pieces (wingette and tip), but later I got worried about bones, so I haven't done it yet.  Just make sure you watch them carefully when they are eating.

And the video I referenced in that thread was NOT from Dr. Pierson's site, but the Cornell University, and it's here:  http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/pet-owners/cat-teeth/Entire-Video

Hope that helps!