advice for feeding 3 cats, trying to find good dry kibble to balance with wet

Hi, I have recently adopted 2 new cats and am still trying to figure out feeding.

My 1st cat is about 5, good weight, very picky and only eats dry kibble, she absolutely won't touch wet food. She has always been a grazer, never eats too much and has stayed at a good weight. Cat's 2 & 3 are both about 1 year old.

#2 is a small plump female, and #3 is a male about 12 lbs from a farm, and gaining weight. These 2 are crazy for food. Whenever they hear me opening a package, any, could be a bag of flour, they go nuts thinking I'm putting out food for them. Last fall I switched to a vet recommended food, Royal Canin Calm, to see if it would help #1's anxiety, hasn't done anything except I think it's making the other 2 fat. Of course now the vet is recommending a royal canin weight loss formula, which isn't going to happen. So, I would like to transition everybody off that food to another "healthier" dry food, and hopefully get #2 & 3 stabilized now before they gain any more weight.

2 & 3 also love wet food so I will try to feed them a primarily wet food diet. I tried a couple of dehydrated and freeze dried foods but they did not like them. I would like to keep dry kibble around for them to graze on and also because I would like to prevent them from eating #1's food (I have tried to hide her food and I think it's working but you know how cats are). I feed them their wet food once a day around supper time. However even after eating, they go nuts when they here me putting out dry food.

My first question is, if I'm feeding them some wet and some dry, how much canned food do you recommend? Right now, for a 5.5 oz can, I'm feeding them each about 1/3 of it, and I'm adding to it because they really seem to love it.

Question 2, is there a good quality dry food you can recommend that I can try to transition them to. I would like them to graze on a good food and hopefully prevent them from getting diabetes, crystals etc. The cat foods they have loved are Royal canin calm http://www.chewy.com/cat/royal-canin-veterinary-diet-calm/dp/43683 and 1st choice finicky http://1stchoice.ca/en/products/showProduct-68.html which I can't get here. I have tried boreal, and core wellness indoor dry, but they don't like them.

One thing I have noticed is that #2 is puking less as she is eating more wet food. She was puking daily on dry only. #3 has had come soft bordering on diarrhoea stools and I hope a better food will help, and he has lots of gas. He's on a probiotic for now which is helping somewhat.

I appreciate any ideas you may have. thanks.

I hate to break it to you, but the only way to control weight is to stop free feeding altogether. Sorry, but that's how it is. Wet food is also way better for weight management than dry - ideally low/no carb grain free wet food. The key is species appropriate feeding. Cats are obligate carnivores, and lack the digestive enzymes necessary to digest grains. Dry food has to be higher carb than wet food of an equivalent quality. There's simply no other way to make kibble. Cats are more likely to overeat on higher carb diets as these foods just don't feel satisfying to them.

It is possible to transition even die hard kibble addicts to canned or raw food. It just takes patience, perseverance and a few tricks and cheats (using small amounts of fortiflora as a topper/seasoning, crumbling some kibble over the top of the food, adding tuna water, dunking some kibble in the wet food...There are many options). Particularly with digestive issues, a species appropriate wet or raw diet is the best way forward (possibly limited ingredient if the digestive issues are severe). Don't be fooled - 2 highly food motivated cats will find a way to get at the dry food...no matter how innocent they look :lol3:

These links should help explain matters:-
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/choosing-the-right-food-for-your-cat
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/choosing-the-right-food-for-your-cat-part-2
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/cat-nutrition-a-recap
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/what-do-i-need-to-know-about-feeding-my-cat
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/transitioning-free-fed-kibble-kitties-to-timed-meals
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/transit...-to-a-new-type-of-food-canned-raw-or-homemade
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/grain-free-cat-food-what-does-it-mean
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/what-makes-the-best-canned-cat-food
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-much-food-should-i-feed-my-cat
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/obesity-in-cats
http://www.catinfo.org

I'm going to have to agree with Columbine here.  I transitioned 4 cats who had always been free fed kibble to wet food.  The key is, only one meal a day is probably NOT going to be sufficient!  Especially during the transition. 

You said you feed Cats 2 & 3 canned food only in the evening.  Since they like canned, if you were to feed them canned at least 2, maybe 3 times a day, maybe they wouldn't be trying to eat Cat #1's food because they might be satiated.  It's possible, although it really depends on the cat.  My pudgy guy is like a dog....see food, eat food .  I really have to keep an eye on him during meals because he eats faster than the others and then tries to eat theirs as well .  So if I don't watch him, he'll gain everything he's lost right back

Probiotics for Cat #3 are good for his soft stool.  I give ALL my cats probiotics, just because. 

As far as which foods to feed, what country are you in?  I'm thinking NOT the U.S.?  What foods besides those you linked to are available to you?  Orijin, Acana, Evo?  There are literally dozens of manufacturers out there, and really, it depends on what your cats will eat in the end.  I think if you just review the articles Columbine provided, then do some internet searches, or even come back here with specific name brands and search that might be helpful.

How are all the cats getting along now?  Is #1 still anxious?  Are you addressing that in the Behavior forum?

Agreed also to Columbine's post. 

i transitioned my three former free-feeders to raw pretty easily.  i started by feeding kibble only before bedtime, and we fed high quality canned food in the morning and at dinner.  of course they're starving in the morning so they ate the wet food.  we kept feeding kibble for the convenience for about a year; even then, it was a grain free kibble (nature's variety instinct) and we fed grain free canned foods along with it.  then we went to three canned meals a day, then started swapping out the AM meal with freeze dried raw.  they did not need ANY convincing to eat the raw and the entire transition probably took two or three weeks.  

also, once we switched to all grain free, my formerly 18lbs male tabby has slimmed down to around 13lbs, which is much healthier for him.  i too add probiotics when i remember, i shoot for once a day - it can't hurt.  

stephgas said:

 
i transitioned my three former free-feeders to raw pretty easily.  i started by feeding kibble only before bedtime, and we fed high quality canned food in the morning and at dinner.  of course they're starving in the morning so they ate the wet food.  we kept feeding kibble for the convenience for about a year; even then, it was a grain free kibble (nature's variety instinct) and we fed grain free canned foods along with it.  then we went to three canned meals a day, then started swapping out the AM meal with freeze dried raw.  they did not need ANY convincing to eat the raw and the entire transition probably took two or three weeks.  

also, once we switched to all grain free, my formerly 18lbs male tabby has slimmed down to around 13lbs, which is much healthier for him.  i too add probiotics when i remember, i shoot for once a day - it can't hurt.  

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I'm feeding them grain free canned food which I'm happy they love, and a twice a day feeding.  I refuse to do  morning feedings though.  I did that with 2 previous cats and they never ever let us sleep in!  LOL

I've been trying to get them on a grain free dry food but so far they don't seem to like anything yet.  I wonder what the heck they put in that royal canin stuff.  

greentp said:

 I wonder what the heck they put in that royal canin stuff.  

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Animal digest is what most dry food is coated in- especially foods like Royal Canin that have a significant grain content. It's a kind of gravy made from highly processed liver and other meats - usually the leftovers after everything more usable has been taken. It's very smelly and highly palatable to cats, and is basically the main trick manufacturers use to entice cats to eat their products. Purina's fortiflora (probiotic) is primarily animal digest. It's a great tool for transitioning cats off grain heavy dry diets. You don't need to use the amount the pack says (unless you want it for its probiotic properties, that is)...you just want it as a seasoning to whet your cats appetites.

I honestly think, though, that you'd be better off with a wet only diet. Even if you need to use some good quality dry, the only effective way to control weight is to stop free feeding or leaving dry out for grazing purposes. Cats aren't designed to graze and they don't need food out 24/7. I understand your wanting the option to sleep in sometimes, but imo it really is a mistake not to feed anything in the morning. Feed just before you walk out the door if necessary, but I really think something in the morning is a good idea.

Great that they're all loving the wet food though

greentp said:

 
I'm feeding them grain free canned food which I'm happy they love, and a twice a day feeding.  I refuse to do  morning feedings though.  I did that with 2 previous cats and they never ever let us sleep in!  LOL

I've been trying to get them on a grain free dry food but so far they don't seem to like anything yet.  I wonder what the heck they put in that royal canin stuff.  

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Our vet suggested not feeding our cats right after waking up -- she suggested waiting a while before feeding them so the cats don't associate waking their people with a reward of food. That, in combination with feeding them just before we go to bed, seems to work pretty well.

stephgas said:

 
i transitioned my three former free-feeders to raw pretty easily.  i started by feeding kibble only before bedtime, and we fed high quality canned food in the morning and at dinner.  of course they're starving in the morning so they ate the wet food.  we kept feeding kibble for the convenience for about a year; even then, it was a grain free kibble (nature's variety instinct) and we fed grain free canned foods along with it.  then we went to three canned meals a day, then started swapping out the AM meal with freeze dried raw.  they did not need ANY convincing to eat the raw and the entire transition probably took two or three weeks.  

also, once we switched to all grain free, my formerly 18lbs male tabby has slimmed down to around 13lbs, which is much healthier for him.  i too add probiotics when i remember, i shoot for once a day - it can't hurt.  

Click to expand...

We transitioned our cats to a combination of raw and canned foods almost the same way: first feeding dry food only at night, then using it only as a topper on a night meal of canned food, then a small garnish, and then gone. It took about a month. After that we started working in raw food.

Good luck: it's great your cats are liking the wet foods you're feeding them!

LisaHE said:

 
Our vet suggested not feeding our cats right after waking up -- she suggested waiting a while before feeding them so the cats don't associate waking their people with a reward of food. That, in combination with feeding them just before we go to bed, seems to work pretty well.

We transitioned our cats to a combination of raw and canned foods almost the same way: first feeding dry food only at night, then using it only as a topper on a night meal of canned food, then a small garnish, and then gone. It took about a month. After that we started working in raw food.

Good luck: it's great your cats are liking the wet foods you're feeding them!

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Yeah, #2 & 3 love wet food, but not #1, she has always turned her nose away at it.  I don't mind her on dry because she never over eats, but I would love to get her on a less expensive brand.  

How much canned food do you feed your cats?  One site recommends that the average adult needs about one 5.5 oz can a day, saying that most cans range between 180 and 200 cal, but if I were to follow the advice of the can, I would need to feed them 2 cans a day.  Plus, the cans don't tell you how many calories are in them, at least the cans I have.  I have weruva and BFF right now.  

I feed mine two 5.5 ounce cans a day for the largest cats,  my smallest cat, a four pound kitty, gets a single 5.5 ounce can split in half for two feedings. I usually buy the 22oz cans of Special Kitty and can easily feed 6 to 7 cats from it.

greentp said:

How much canned food do you feed your cats?  One site recommends that the average adult needs about one 5.5 oz can a day, saying that most cans range between 180 and 200 cal, but if I were to follow the advice of the can, I would need to feed them 2 cans a day.  Plus, the cans don't tell you how many calories are in them, at least the cans I have.  I have weruva and BFF right now.  

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It's hard to say exactly because they eat different sized cans of food and the calorie counts can vary a lot... the raw food is roughly the equivalent of 1.5 large cans, plus they get at least two small cans, sometimes one small and one large. Per day. The cats are smallish (7-8 pounds) and pretty active. They're only two years old.

Some Weruva foods are fairly low in calories (we feed three of the Cats in the Kitchen foods) so if we were feeeding only those foods, I wouldn't be surprised to go through more than one can per cat per day. Weruva's site has great nutritional tables.

Good luck!