Meeting the Needs of Two Cats

nymarie

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I have two very sweet cats with two different health issues. Nym is a fluffy black cat and Snow White is a chubby white cat. Nym has trouble with hair balls. I have been bathing and brushing her since she was a kitten, but I noticed that certain foods clear up her hair balls altogether. Snow White was rescued last year, and I very quickly discovered that she has a sensitive tummy. I can't find a food that satisfies both girls, and I can't really separate them. Purina indoor upset Snow's tummy, Friskies indoor brought Nym's hair balls back, and neither of them liked the Meow Mix. Any suggestions? I want both of my girls healthy again.
 

cprcheetah

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I would recommend separating them.  I have 5 kitties they are all separated at feeding times (fed 3x a day). 
 
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nymarie

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My issue with that was when I tried to do it before to control the weight of the male that I lost, Nym couldn't seem to figure out that the food wouldn't be out all day. She would eat a few bites and walk away, no matter how long I tried to teach her. My other issue is that there are a couple of days a week where I go from one job to the other and I just have enough time to feed, check water, and scoop the litter box. It's kinda the reason I took in Snow. So Nym wouldn't be alone on my long days.
 

tiliqua

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Can you afford better food?  Tummy issues can usually be linked to certain proteins or (often) grains and fillers in cheaper foods.  Can you try grain free food?  Or better yet, a wet food?  If you can switch them to grain free canned food it would likely help all of those issues, but you need to figure out what is upsetting Snow.  What proteins are you feeding?  Chicken or beef?  Can you link her upset stomach to one protein?  Or might it be some grains?
 
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nymarie

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I will definitely try to figure out what it is that is bothering Snow. Is wet food better than dry food in general? And is it okay to leave it out? Because Nym, as sweet as she is, is not the brightest crayon in the box, and she will probably eat like she usually does, coming back every few hours.
 

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Yes, wet food is better than dry food in general. Among the cheaper brands, pate-type foods are better than chunks or shreds.

If you must feed some dry, look for one with meat as the first ingredient and no artificial coloring (purple kibbles = bad :lol3:). I've found that the coloring makes a lot of cats sick.
 
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nymarie

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Oh, I can afford a little better than what I was trying, as long add it works. I can't afford anything really expensive, hence the two jobs.
 

peaches08

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Have you considered raw or home-cooked? I have a cat that can gain weight on air, all 3 have IBS (diarrhea with certain foods), hairball issues, and as a nursing student I have to put food out and run.

Most of the hairball issues are taken care of with egg yolks. All 3 cats' diarrhea was gone in 24 hours of starting raw. Because I make it, I control the fat content without adding a bunch of carbs. Pre-portioning and feeding them in the same places allows for each to get their food.

A few hours of grinding/portioning/cleaning a month is all it takes.
 
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nymarie

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Thanks much for those suggestions. One more question. Are there wet foods that can help with hair balls? Because I know that the fiber in Purina was the perfect amount to keep Nym from having one once a week.
 

Willowy

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My cats have had fewer hairballs after I switched to canned. But one thing that's also important for hairballs is to not leave food out all the time, as emptying the stomach is what helps move the fur along.
 
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nymarie

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Cool, I will definitely be switching to wet cat food next. Thanks. Speaking of, I just arrived home and it smells like old cat farts in here. Awesome.
 

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if i was you i would try a no grain diet

brands that i find to help both

natures variety instinct

solid gold

diamond naturels

4health indoor <good for hair balls not sure of sensitive stomachs

and other brands that i heard was good

natures variety instinct LID <good for cats with sensitive stomachs and might be good for hair balls

i seen where natures balance <i think its called has a senitive stomach ,lid and hair ball one but i cant remember if its in one or not

and i also seen blue buffalo have sensitive stomach ,lid and hair ball one not sure if they have it in one or not

or you can try mixing sensitive stomach with hair ball one by 50/50

and cat food that contains grains and red 40 or any other food coloring upset cats stomach's were they puke

i hope that helped
 
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