Adopted a cat for first time and has A LOT of concerns

I just adopted a cat who is 3 1/2 years old

because her owner abandoned her at my vet where I usually take my dog to

So I had been researching for days, and I have came to conclusion how to feed my cat 

and I need some advises and opinions from the experts here

So

I will be feeding her Wellness Chicken Formula half can at a time twice a day (she is getting it only small amount at a time currently to get used to it)

Then I will be feeding her dry food when I go to sleep or go out (I am feeding BB Wilderness weight control, but I will switch to Wellness CORE once she gets fully used to wet food first)

Lastly, I will be feeding Greenies treats both dental and hairball control treats daily - (dental 17 pieces and hairball control 12 pieces)

She vomited once yesterday, and I think it was due to because I fed her a whole can of BB wilderness salmon wet food

and she probably did not have any wet food for past month and a half

She never vomited again after that, so hopefully she is okay..

So there is the routine I am planning

please share any advises and opinions

Thank you

and here is a picture of her
 

Your choices are pretty good except I'd give a lot less in treats a day. You're feeding her as if it's a meal, not just a treat so I'd only do 4 or 5 per day for both. I only feed 2 a day for dental and one a day for hairball otherwise my cat would throw it all up.

So pretty!  How could anyone abandon her?!!

I agree, the food sounds good, but the treats seem like too many.  I used to give mine each six dental Greenies a day and I've actually cut that back to three or four.

Enjoy your new kitty!

Agree with others, too many treats. Also, hairball treats are made from petroleum products. They coat the gut and prevent nutrient absorption. So I would not recommend these. Use egg yolk lecithin instead. If you absolutely must use the hairball treats, feed it 2 after meals.



I've heard a wide range of dosage for the egg yolk lecithin, from 1 or 2 capsules/week to 1 a day for longhairs during hairball season.

I would feed her all canned food because the dry kibble dehydrates cats and that is why they drink so much water when on dry food.  A 1/2 can (5.5 oz) twice a day seems perfect, but fish really isn't good for cats and I would reserve for an occasional treat.  Otherwise your plan seems good, lots of luck with your new family member.  

I am impressed at all the thought you put into this.

I will have to look into Wellness when I transition off the Fancy Feast. I know the classic fancy feast is an acceptable middle level canned food, but I really would like her coat to look nicer. I also don't need any health concerns I could have avoided.

I went with Fancy Feast because we were socializing her and that stuff was like crack. Now she seems to prefer kibble, so I will have to find something else.

what a beautiful cat!  and what a wonderful thing you're doing for her

i do not feed blue products because i have had issues, but i love wellness.  i have fed their complete wellness indoor health in the past, and currently use their canned foods.  you might want to offer her a bit of variety - wellness makes a couple of flavors that might interest your cat.  my cats like the chicken, the beef and chicken, and the turkey.  they also like the chicken and herring, but i very rarely feed fish.  it upsets one of my cat's stomachs from time to time, and it's kind of like crack to cats - they appear to get addicted to fishy foods and may refuse to eat others.  like others have mentioned, you may want to reconsider the dry food.  it's nice to have something for her to snack on whenever she wants, but dry foods are filled with carbohydrate sources that aren't necessary for a cat's health.  i feed my beasties three times a day - when we wake up, when i get home from work, and before bed.  so once she's more used to/more interested in the canned food, i'd recommend reconsidering the kibble.

the treats do seem a bit high - is that the serving size on each treat bag?  i don't feed dental treats (i'm *trying* to get them used to enzyme toothpaste so i can brush their teeth), only l-lysine and vitamin treats.  i know when i used to feed snacky treats, if they had more than 3 or 4 each, they'd vomit them up.  you might want to offer her 2 or 3 at a time.  i have short and medium coat cats and have never had hairball issues, so i don't have much experience with that.  i try to groom them at least once a week; you may want to spend time brushing her a bit every day to help reduce the risk of hairballs.

something else i just considered that i want to share: dogs and cats eat food differently.  many people think that feeding kibble to cats helps keep their teeth clean, like it does for dogs.  this is rarely the cast because cats don't chew their kibble the way dogs do.  if you watch your cat closely, she might bite each piece of kibble once or twice (usually just to break it once) and then swallows it.  dogs actually chew their food, so it creates more friction - like if we eat an apple.  the best way to care for a cat's teeth is by brushing them.  dental treats that have added stuff are the second best (C.E.T. vibrac makes an excellent enzymatic treat - they can be hard to find online but they've helped my cats dramatically in the past).  

Try not to feed the dry food or anything with fish in it. Fish is not healthy at all for cats due to containing mercury and other heavy metals, and dry food puts your cat at risk for urinary tract issues due to containing far less moisture than a cat's natural diet (10% as compared to 65-70% moisture). Canned food is far better and a balanced raw/homemade diet is best.

Also lay off the free feeding and all the treats. Cats do not need food available 24 hours a day. You are setting your cat up for developing obesity, from the carbs in dry food (which cats do not need) and the impossibility of controlling and monitoring just how much food your cat is eating in a day. You mention using a weight control food - FYI cats do not lose weight when being free-fed. Scheduled feedings are best, with measured portions

She's beautiful

While wet canned is a better choice over all, its okay to give a bit of good quality dry (grain-free, low in carbs) .. Grains and carbs are the issue in dry food. Just ensure that this is not the majority of the diet but supplementary and given as a controlled amount to prevent weight gain. It's also best to feed small feedings of wet canned raher than 2 large feedings, for instance. Cats digest their food better in small amounts throughout the day. Good luck and enjoy this sweet girl.