Guilty over food

beesto

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Hello,

My first kitten is now 1 year old and she has mainly eaten a premium dry food and I'd give her a little wet a few times a week.  Now I have a new kitten and have learned more and more about wet food so I started giving them a little premium wet food twice a day- only about 2 oz  each twice a day (sometimes 3x a day) and then they free feed on the dry.  They both go crazy now for the wet food and I'm trying to convince myself that it will be worth it to buy them more wet food.  It is a budget issue.  I'm buying BFF wet and dry is a combo of Nutro Natural/Taste of the Wild.  I never had cats and never knew that feeding them well would be so expensive.  The kitten especially seems to eat so much of the wet.  It is obvious that's all he wants to eat.

I also read that leaving out the dry is not good for their digestion.  They should be hungry between meals.  Another reason to feel guilty.

I've also read that RAW is a better option, but also expensive, but a little less expensive than a good wet food because they eat less.  ??true?? But then some people wrote that feeding RAW was complicated.  They sell it at my local store so I don't know how it would be complicated.  OH and I have to admit I was pretty interested in the fact that people wrote that the RAW food made their poop not stink since my new kitten seems to have extra stinky poop and I am not enjoying having a house that I think smells even though I clean out the litter box 2 or 3 times a day.

I guess I just want to hear encouragement either way.  Sorry there are a lot of different questions in my email  I think my husband will freak out if I double or triple my cats' feeding budget but if I'm convinced I really really should then I guess I'll argue that battle.

Thank you!

Bonnie
 

riley1

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I am feeding Instinct wet only to my cat right now & yes it is expensive.  I only have one to feed, however.  People on the site have said that raw is less expensive than cans.  I really want to try raw because Instinct has about 60% fat.  Have you ever seen a mouse that was 60% fat?  My vet said not to buy food at the store because there is a lot of bacteria on it that gets killed by cooking.  Looking at Rad cat but also concerned about the need to defrost & refreeze.  If you look at catinfo site you will see that dry food is the root of all evil when it comes to cats & I believe this to be true.  Others will be able to give you more specific info on your questions.  Is 2 oz twice per day enough for a kitten?  Are you feeding canned kitten food?
 
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beesto

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Thanks for the reply Riley1!!  Definitely the amount of wet I am giving is not enough, they're eating the dry in between.  Both cats only ate dry until I got them at 14 weeks.  The BFF wet is supposed to be all stages food.  So did your vet say not to buy the Raw food at the store?  If so, does that mean only Raw food online? 
 

denice

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You have nothing to feel guilty about.  You can find different opinions about food.  I believe it is better for an adult kitty's digestion to eat meals rather than being free fed.  Most of us that work outside of the home will leave a little kibble out for kittens to eat during the day.  The whole dry vs wet is an ongoing debate and people have strong opinions about each.  I personally feed a combo of wet and dry.

If you are interested in raw or a home cooked diet we have a sub-forum for that http://www.thecatsite.com/f/65/raw-home-cooked-cat-food   There are articles at the top with general info and many threads there.  It does need to be done right but that doesn't mean that it has to be complicated.  Again like the wet vs dry you will find strong opinions both pro and con.
 

riley1

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Thanks for the reply Riley1!!  Definitely the amount of wet I am giving is not enough, they're eating the dry in between.  Both cats only ate dry until I got them at 14 weeks.  The BFF wet is supposed to be all stages food.  So did your vet say not to buy the Raw food at the store?  If so, does that mean only Raw food online? 
I think the online is tested for bacteria..  We need to switch to the raw forum for the discussion of raw.
 

anne with cats

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I think Riley meant supermarket ground beef, poultry raw, as there is so much bacteria that has to be cooked to for consumption.
 

LTS3

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I've also read that RAW is a better option, but also expensive, but a little less expensive than a good wet food because they eat less.  ??true?? But then some people wrote that feeding RAW was complicated.  They sell it at my local store so I don't know how it would be complicated.  OH and I have to admit I was pretty interested in the fact that people wrote that the RAW food made their poop not stink since my new kitten seems to have extra stinky poop and I am not enjoying having a house that I think smells even though I clean out the litter box 2 or 3 times a day.
Pet stores sell frozen raw foods that are complete diets. You do not need to add anything to these complete diets. Nature's Variety Instinct is one such brand that you can find at Petco and independent pet stores. Rad Cat is another popular brand of frozen raw food. You could also feed freeze dried raw food (many brands, including Nature's Variety and Stella and Chewy's) or dehydrated raw food (that is rehydrated before serving. The Honest Kitchen is one such brand) or air dried raw food (ZiwiPeak is one brand but ridiculously expensive for a little bag).

Some pet stores also sell chubs (rolls) of raw meat, some boneless and some with bone and organ. These are not complete diets on their own. You do need to add in supplements to make the chub of meat a complete diet.

Feeding raw doesn't have to be complicated
Commercial raw pet food is the easiest to start with. In the long run, making your own homemade raw is cheaper than buying commercial food. Some people use a recipe and add in various supplements, others do frankenprey / prey model. I kind of do "semi homemade" - I buy chubs of raw meat from the pet store and in a pre-mix to make a complete balanced diet. Check out the Raw and Home Cooked Forum here on TCS for more info on raw diets
 

bonepicker

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If cost is an issue with your husband, feed a less expensive canned food. I believe a less expensive canned food Fancy Feast Classics or (like the 13 oz can of friskies Pate is better than good dry food). Stay away from wheat glutens and grains if you can. Also BFF is mostly fish, I would limit fish to twice a week max. If you find foods they like it is usually cheaper to buy online cases at chewy.com. I get some good close outs at Big Lots, usually half price. I had two cats that lived to 18 on canned friskies Pates. I am a firm believer that all wet is better than any dry. Cats are like kids, they will go for the dry as they get older (carbs rule). I believe timed feedings to be key to prevent this. I feed wet in am and wet in pm and a freeze dried snack before bed. Everything is eaten each time. I rotate flavors, brands, and textures daily to prevent boredom.
 
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lisahe

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They both go crazy now for the wet food and I'm trying to convince myself that it will be worth it to buy them more wet food.  It is a budget issue.  I'm buying BFF wet and dry is a combo of Nutro Natural/Taste of the Wild.  I never had cats and never knew that feeding them well would be so expensive.  The kitten especially seems to eat so much of the wet.  It is obvious that's all he wants to eat.I've also read that RAW is a better option, but also expensive, but a little less expensive than a good wet food because they eat less.  ??true?? But then some people wrote that feeding RAW was complicated.  They sell it at my local store so I don't know how it would be complicated.  OH and I have to admit I was pretty interested in the fact that people wrote that the RAW food made their poop not stink since my new kitten seems to have extra stinky poop and I am not enjoying having a house that I think smells even though I clean out the litter box 2 or 3 times a day.
Just a few things to add to what others have said:

-I might also suggest limiting the BFF for the kitten, not just because of the fish (as @bonepicker mentioned) but because it's a low-calorie food and your kitten needs lots of calories. This may be why he's always wanting to eat! Nutro Natural Choice, though, is higher calorie. Our cats love it. Fancy Feast Classics are also higher calorie, very decent food.

-Yes, it can be expensive to feed cats, though bonepicker's right about sales and bulk buying. They can really help. So do some of our local stores' loyalty programs.

-I'll limit what I mention about raw food here since it's not the raw forum, but we find that freeze-dried commercial raw (mostly Primal) is about the same price range as "premium" canned foods: not wasting anything, because the cats like it so much, makes it pretty cost-effective. (We feed a combination of raw and canned foods.)

Good luck!
 
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