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catmum22

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I feed my cats about 1/2 cup to 1 cup whiskas biscuits each to my cats a day they weight 4.5kg to 5kg each. They don't seem overweight but have abit of saggy weight in Lowe stomach which to me I think is just from being desexed cause that's the area of the weight, there still active cats but would consider them lazy Bullet point questions

1) Is whiskas indoor/ furball good for cats?
2) Are my cats overweight?
3) How much should they be fed a day?
4) Is there a reasonable priced biscuits I should feed them instead?

P.s researching doesn't help I get confused when looking at articles of how much to feed cats is usually in how many pounds a cat is and reading every box of cat biscuits doesn't appeal to me but I want the best I can provide to my girls they give me a reason to live each day and that is to care for them
 

laralove

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That "saggy weight" is their primordial pouch, which is completely normal. They're also average weight for cats (about 4.5kg), so that's good.

Dry food isn't good for cats, though. It was created for human convenience and is typically packed full of grains, which cats don't need. It also dehydrates them, which leads to a myriad of health issues as they get older. I recommend switching to a grain-free wet food. Or at least a combination of grain-free wet and grain-free dry. The grain-free part is really important.  
 
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catmum22

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Ok what about meat bi products and cereals are they bad for cats, I'm going have to spend a day finding them a food will try find time next pay
 

laralove

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I think byproducts are okay, but not as the first ingredient. Cats eat the whole animal in the wild, so they're getting byproducts in that regard. As obligate carnivores, they need protein to thrive. They don't need many carbs. So foods packed with carbs aren't benefiting them. It just serves as cheap filler that causes increased stool (with increased smell!), less nutrition, and all dry food as the above-mentioned dehydrating effect that causes bladder and kidney issues and increased risk for obesity and diabetes. 

The process of drying the ingredients to make dry pet food not only makes the protein less digestible, it also decreases the nutritional value by denaturing it through the heating process. When considering this along with the issue with grains, you can feed a higher quality food in smaller amounts for greater benefit and greater satiation. Less is more, so to speak. So when looking at costs of different quality foods, it's not an equal comparison. It may cost more per can/bag/pouch, but you may feed less of it and you'll save much money in the long run on avoided vet visits.
 
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catmum22

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Unfortunately I don't think it's an Australian article I can take the advice but not able to buy the reccomended book, so I've learnt abit only question it reccomended only leaving food out for a hour morning and evening and to either mix a tiny wet food with biscuits or give them the wet food to change them to for the first 30 mins then provide there old food, which method do I use and my cats are pretty finicky would it be ok to only give there old food after 45 mins I sorta think 15 mins is plenty for my cats to feed there face if they don't like the wet food, and I'm also concerned that with timed feeding they will overheat in that time and make them self sick ATM I free feed with only a certain amount they get a max 1 cup but I only give other half cup when bowl is mostly empty Help still confused with all this
 

otto

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Ok what about meat bi products and cereals are they bad for cats, I'm going have to spend a day finding them a food will try find time next pay
What you call cereals are what the others are calling grains and "carbs".. Yes, avoid cereals. Look for named meats on the ingredients lists.

Cats are obligate carnivores, what this means is they need meat to thrive. They also will not drink enough water to prevent dehydration on an all dry diet, even one that is grain free.

Feed an all or at least most canned cat food diet, and make sure the cans have identified meats listed in the top ingredients.
 

laralove

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You could try offering them the wet first and the dry after, though I think they'd quickly learn that if they prefer the dry, they can just skip eating the wet and wait a few minutes. You could also try mixing them together -- about 25% wet with 75% dry for a few meals, then 50% wet and 50% dry for a few, then 75% wet and 25% dry for a few before going 100% wet. This method works for many cats. 
 
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catmum22

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Ok thank you now to just to find the right food and to hope they will eat if they don't go to 25% wet and rest dry how long without them eating do I change it or go back to old and doing timed feeding is 30 mins plenty in the morning short on time 4 mornings a week
 
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